On Tue, 6 Apr 2004, tomdurkin wrote:

> The Volvo B-230 is exactly what you say, and it can easily
> last 400,000 miles or more with routine maintainance.  I
> believe the other options mentioned in this thread cannot
> make that claim.  I would be very interested in more
> information about this conversion, I can see a intercooled
> B-230FT with 180 hp moving a Vanagon up hill very nicely.

Unfortunately I don't have more information about it; I just know that
Kennedy Engineering makes (or used to make?) an adapter plate.  You'd be
on your own for engine mounts, but at least the Volvo mount system is
pretty simple.  You could probably fab something up using carrier bars,
similar to what a VW diesel Vanagon uses.  Exhaust shouldn't be too big a
challenge, just bend some pipe to route from the Volvo manifold around to
a single muffler in the rear, like the diesels use.  If you can make the
muffler mounts part of the engine mounts, as VW did for the diesel, or
mount them to the engine block, you avoid having to use any flex pipes.

I have no idea if the engine would fit under the decklid.

I think the sole advantage a B230 would have over a VW inline 4 is low end
grunt.  It's the torquiest I-4 I've driven.  It reminds me a lot of a
4-cyl boxer engine that way.  When you're moving a heavy van, having a
torque peak at relatively low RPM is important.

David Brodbeck, N8SRE
'82 Volkswagen Diesel Westfalia
'86 Volvo 240DL wagon