New Lad. advice needed.

[VND]

Hello all, looks like a very friendly forum and Im happy to be the newest member.
Coming in from a life in and under RWD volvos, I have just taken ownership on a nice 406 2.0 saloon. My first FWD ever!
The price was right i.e. free and it seems a nice, comfortable dare I say it sporty little number.

Im really pleased with it so far but am a bit of a ground-whore and will be looking to lower it at some point in the future. Spax Springs seem common and attainable enough and I was wondering if any members have gone down this route?
id be looking at a 40mm drop all round and would be interested to hear which parts of the underside fall foul of the speedbumps?
I got pretty tired of re-attatching exhausts on the old Volvos (which did hang spectacularly low) and dont really want togo down that road again.
If lowering seriously impedes daily driving, i think I'd live with standard ride height.

Also, a turbo or V6 converion may be on the cards if I win the lottery and I unerstand both are pretty much 'bolt in' physical mechanics wise?
Is this a well traveled road?
I think Id need some help and advice on the wiring side if I went for a conversion and again would welcome any kind advice from anyone who has been there and done that.

Many thanks all.

[mjb]

Also, a turbo or V6 converion may be on the cards if I win the lottery and I unerstand both are pretty much 'bolt in' physical mechanics wise?
Is this a well traveled road?

You'd be in more or less uncharted waters sticking a turbo on a 2.0 16V engine, although I vaguely recollect someone shoving an uber-rare (only a couple of hundred made) 405 T16 head+turbo on one. If it's a D8, you could shove an ES9J4 V6 in without too much trouble - you'd just need the ECU and engine harness, along with gearbox, driveshafts, subframe, radiator, clutch hydraulics, exhaust and hubs. I'd just buy a V6 car though - you can pick D8s on ebay for around the £500 mark

If it's a D9 you *could* be in for an interesting and expensive time trying to swap engines.

Don't bother trying to put a D8 ECU into a D9 or vice-versa - it'll be electronic and electrical hell.

[VND]

Also, a turbo or V6 converion may be on the cards if I win the lottery and I unerstand both are pretty much 'bolt in' physical mechanics wise?
Is this a well traveled road?

You'd be in more or less uncharted waters sticking a turbo on a 2.0 16V engine, although I vaguely recollect someone shoving an uber-rare (only a couple of hundred made) 405 T16 head+turbo on one. If it's a D8, you could shove an ES9J4 V6 in without too much trouble - you'd just need the ECU and engine harness, along with gearbox, driveshafts, subframe, radiator, clutch hydraulics, exhaust and hubs. I'd just buy a V6 car though - you can pick D8s on ebay for around the £500 mark

If it's a D9 you *could* be in for an interesting and expensive time trying to swap engines.

Don't bother trying to put a D8 ECU into a D9 or vice-versa - it'll be electronic and electrical hell.

Yeah, a forum search while my post was being posted aswered most of my engine questions. I meant swapping the engine for a turbod model, not adding a turbo to the existing lump, but the work involved is very frightening indeed.
Think I will enjoy her as is for the time being.
And possibly a little lower to the ground.

[BruceT]

Which Volvos did you use to have?

240/260
340/360
740/760
940/960
S90/V90

[VND]

Which Volvos did you use to have?

240/260
340/360
740/760
940/960
S90/V90

Hey Bruce, Minibricks all the way for me.
mk 2 304 1.7 b14

mk3 360 GLT B200k



And mk3 360 GLE Carb



- that was awaiting 2.3 hpt conversion from a 940 before financial situation took a turn for the worse and had to sell.
Pops donated the 406, and now here I am!

Sorry for the non-406 content
As soon as we have good weather I'll get some of the Silver Surfer up.

[teamster1975]

Welcome in mate!
I used to have a 440GLT, one and only nearly new car I've had, I loved it!
Good to see a fellow newkie brown drinker!

[VND]

Welcome in mate!
I used to have a 440GLT, one and only nearly new car I've had, I loved it!
Good to see a fellow newkie brown drinker!

Ha ha! Did the rear aches or the electrics kill it?
Its usually one or the other. Never the engines anyway, they seem to run for ever.
As all Volvos do tend to do.
Yeah mate, the Brown stuff is a one of the 5 a day up here (the other 4 generally being 4 Benson and Hedges) and its full of vitaminy goodness.
For a walk on the wildside, try a few Dogbites. Like snakebite, but with Brown Ale and Cider. 50-50.
Very refreshing, and almost no hangover. (honest)

[teamster1975]

Ha ha! Did the rear aches or the electrics kill it?

To be honest I sold it when I'd paid off the HP and bought my bike for cash; I'd not had any problems with it all!

Yeah mate, the Brown stuff is a one of the 5 a day up here (the other 4 generally being 4 Benson and Hedges) and its full of vitaminy goodness.

(Not sure about dogbites though, I stick to JD chasers for a hangover!)

[VND]

To be honest I sold it when I'd paid off the HP and bought my bike for cash; I'd not had any problems with it all!

That seriously must be the first time Ive seen the phrases 'volvo 400' and 'no problems at all' on any forum page ever.
Good work there.
JD chasers are indeed irresistable.
But dangerously more-ish.

[Welly]

I used to have a 440GLT

I didn't know that teamy


Welcome VND

Welly

[BruceT]

Im gunna get banned form this chatting Volvos

Nice 300 series!

They have good weight distribution with the tranny over the rear end.

I also use to have a 440 GLT 2.0 B20?

Engine was the renault unit.

Electrics (For the digital dash where a nightmare, but I fixed that) then the rear arch rust

Sold it and got a C70 T5.

Ive always kept my eye out for a cheapy 300 or 700 /900 RWD barge to keep as a "cheap" ie, 2.3 HPT hardly cheap to run lol as a drifter or to mess around in.

[VND]

Ive always kept my eye out for a cheapy 300 or 700 /900 RWD barge to keep as a "cheap" ie, 2.3 HPT hardly cheap to run lol as a drifter or to mess around in.

This is true.
Plus points are cheap to insure, cheap to buy and when compared with anything else of the same generation in rwd, with similar power, they are AMAZINGLY cheap.Only other serious choices would be japanese or blue oval. Both of which would require a mortgage for a solid 1980, example pulling +150hp.

Sorry for running the thread off into Volvoland, lets gaet back on topic.........................


is ANYONE running a lowered 406?
I really would like a few words about usability before spending £150 on springs.

Many thanks again all.

[Welly]

Sorry for running the thread off into Volvoland, lets get back on topic...

But we haven't talked about my Volvo yet

[VND]

Sorry for running the thread off into Volvoland, lets get back on topic...

But we haven't talked about my Volvo yet

Ok Welly, i bow to your superiority.
Since the VOC forum is down again, I hereby declare this thread Volvo friendly.

Now what have you got, and show pics if poss!

[Welly]

A T5 one of these, same colour and wheelz.......



I need to get some pics, I deleted the photobucket ones (won't bore you now) but the others saw my old pics though a while back.

It's a 2005, bought in Jan 2009 - it's on 32,000 miles now

It's favourite trick is eating front tyres I fitted P7's when I bought it and they've only really lasted 8000 miles