T5 engine and gearbox questions

**Bottlethroddy** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 11:39

Hi guys

My name is Lee, and I run the Performance Nova Group. Not particularly relevant to Volvo's I hear you cry lol

I am about to start my next project which will basically be a rear drive track Nova saloon running Mazda MX5 running gear (front and rear subframes). That part of the build is pretty much sorted, however I am still at a loss as to what engine and box combo to run. Ive been looking for a lump that will give me near 300bhp with no need for internal strengthening or expensive parts, and seeing as I owned an 850 2.5 a while ago and absolutely adored it, i've been thinking of a 5 pot volvo T5 engine (2.3 or 2.4).

Questions I have are as follows.

Will an 850 or V70 T5 engine mate to a rear drive box from an earlier model with relative ease, and if so, which ones am I looking at? and also will they cope with the power / torque?

Does the engine run on its own engine harness, or is the wiring tied into other systems and will I have to factor in stand alone management?

Will I be able to chip up to around 290 - 300bhp without any beefing up?

Lots of people have been trying to sway me towards a GM lump or nissan SR20, but ive a feeling these are going to be a tad fragile for what sort of abuse this thing is going to get, and I cant recall ever seeing an ovlov engine used in any similar projects ive seen. Id love to pull this off, and would appreciate any advise you have

Great forum, and thanks for your time!

Lee

**JelT5** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 13:01

Hello Lee and welcome,

The Swedes seem to be pretty adept at bunging the T5 lump into the 240 and Amazon shells with rear wheel drive so it can be done. What box it mates to I couldn't tell you!
That's about the limit of my knowledge on the subject...youtube lol

I'm sure you'll get someone with more experience to help you out. You could also try the Dutch forum, http://www.NordicTurbo.nl they're as friendly and helpful as VPCUK members.

Good luck with the project

**Al115** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 13:03

That sounds hilarious fun!!!! Good luck with the project!

If you fancy a T4 lump, let me know... I have a fully built one sitting here not doing a lot

**p fandango** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 14:43

yeh the T-5 lump will bolt onto a Volvo M90 RWD gearbox (not sure if its the 700 or 900 model which had them), think you need to modify the sump but a few have done it

you might find this interesting LINK

**t5_monkey** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 14:49

Originally Posted by Al115

That sounds hilarious fun!!!! Good luck with the project!

If you fancy a T4 lump, let me know... I have a fully built one sitting here not doing a lot

How much power is your T4 lump rated for ?

**Tomcat** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 14:51

M90 came in the 960 volvo's, with just a remap you'll be pushing 260-270bhp and that's on the standard exhaust system, if your not running a cat and with a decent free flowing system that would be nearer 280-290bhp and would be perfectly reliable. Fraid I can't help much on the wiring harness but I think any decent auto electrician should be able to splice the volvo's engine bay harness/ecu etc into the one in your car without too much difficulty.

**Bottlethroddy** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 15:39

Wiring wise ill be ok provided the harness is 'stand alone'. A lot of new gen cars have the engine wired into EVERYTHING (even the stereo on Astra VXR's!)!

This is good news, M90 gearbox is what i'm looking for then. Not sure if ill need any sump mods as it will have to live over an MX5 subframe, but the handy thing is seeing as Ill be having to fabricate mounts myself, hopefully ill be able to sit it clear of any obstructions, and also the exhaust will have to be fully custom turbo back, so there will be no cat restrictions.

That beetle is EPIC!!

Al115, yes i hope so lol. A few rear drive novas have been done in the past, but most of the time the builders are purists, so the running gear HAS to be vauxhall, so they are using chopped about calibra rear ends and some seriously dodgy bodgery at the front to get close to the correct geometry. Im hoping so long as I can keep the MX5's geometry intact (helped massively by the double wishbone front instead of a macpherson setup) it should at least handle reasonably well, and also by using a front subframe, I should be able to avoid seriously heavy spaceframing. At least, thats the idea

And yes, I am interested in the T4 engine. What sort of figures can it produce? (the less the engine encroaches into the passenger compartment the better lol)

Thanks for the warm welcome guys

**Al115** · Tuesday 4th May 2010, 16:20

Originally Posted by t5_monkey

How much power is your T4 lump rated for ?

I'd be happy with it up to 400bhp with the right turbo and mapping

PM me if you're interested in build spec, price, etc. Doesn't sound as good as the 5-cylinders but it's smaller and lighter and easier to map

**Bottlethroddy** · Thursday 6th May 2010, 17:53

Just for reference, did the M90 only come in 960's or were there any other models?

Thanks chaps

**lordvague** · Tuesday 18th May 2010, 11:23

Not trying to threadjack, but Ive got a Seta and and am looking into swapping in a late model "i" engine i have also. Then I would use the lower end to build a stroker for my 89 325is. Ive been unable to find a detailed thread that covers this. I know Id need a new ECU and 4:10 diff--its my wifes automatic. Can you guys help?