Well i was discussing with my dad today the various ways to make my truck handle good, and us also being the old volvo fans we are, he suggested i take the entire rear end out of a volvo 740 along with its suspension and fab it to fit the truck. this would be great idea, considering all the old volvos had dana 30 rear ends (easy lsd possibilites) and DISC BRAKES!

what do you guys think? i dunno if you guys have ever drivin an old volvo 740, but even very worn out, those heavy cars handle pretty good.

any thoughts?

PS some of the turbo models had lsd from the factory as well

 

I have never personally ridden in a Volvo 740, so I don't know how it handles but I say give it a try...what could it hurt really?

Found ya a cheap candidate for the rear swap, so you can keep the other ride on the road still. http://charleston.craigslist.org/pts/1482157286.html

 

haha well thats so kind of you! i would love to have another truck to try it on, but i dont have the money to do that :-/ the volvo stuff should come to me pretty cheaply tho, i'm good freinds with a guy whos dad owns a local volvo shop. plus they are a dime a dozen around here. id actually consider that truck if it wasn't a dang 4-speed. im tired of these things. i need to get a 5 speed for mine.

 

Yeah, the five speed is rather nice compared to the 4 speed but each has it's perks. I saw that truck today as I was diggin through the Charleston section for Yota parts. What is the stock output on a turbo 740? The only experience that I have with Dana axles were those in the old CJ7 I use to drive, and they weren't but so strong before things started to fall apart.

 

they put out appx 160 hp. from what i have heard, you can put 300 thru them no problem.

 

I bet you can answer this question....why do all the fast food joints in N. Charleston shut down at 5pm today? I was starving for some grubbage...thank goodness Wally World was still open.

What is the width of the rear axle on a Volvo? That may be a slight issue if it is varies too much from your stock axle.

 

probably because its thanksgiving. im suprised they were even open at all. so your in charleston then?

i haven't actually checked that. but i know its about the same. im not too concerned if its a bit wider or skinnier. i already have tires that stick out the side, so if its skinnier that will just tuck them in. if its wider, i have another set of rims anyway that could most likely compensate.

 

Yeah, kicking it in N. Charleston for the rest of the year at the job-site. Closed for a holiday? Who ever heard of a thing like that!!

I say go for the swap, improved handling is always a major plus for these trucks.

 

you may as well look into a rear independadt suspension upgrade.

 

No stranger Volvo's myself. The whole family drove them. My first car was a 1974 142s. Something I always had trouble with was finding nice wheels.Wheel bolt pattern may be something you might want to think about. Volvo's wheel pattern is 5x108, where Toyota and just about everyone else is a 5x114.3 (or 5x4 1/2). Might be kinda hard to find a wheel you like. I know Jaguar, and some late model Crown Victoria's used that pattern also, but when I think of nice wheels, those don't come to mind. I know there's always spacers or adapter to convert from one to the other but the will also add on to the overall when you got to put it back under your truck. Good luck!

 

I don't know what the difference would be on axle shafts, as I haven't had the chance to really dig into yet, but TJ, YJ and XJ Dana 30s have a 5 on 4.5" lug pattern. Could be something worth while to explore just for the shear fact that this axles from Jeeps seem to be rather plentiful.

 

my dad claims that any competant machine shop can drill a hub to fit different lug patterns. i looked at him like he was crazy, but i dunno. im gonna look into it, thats for sure.

 

if you know someone at a machine shop then they would probably do it for you , but other than that i dont think so because of liability reasons.

 

theres a machine shop across the street from work that we use often, so ill have to see. its not a vehicle shop tho, but i dunno.


for now i just have to save my money and keep my eyes open for whats out there.