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Huh... never really planned to talk about this here, but I guess I'm uniquely suited to reply to this question.
I started my V8 Volvo project at the age of 14, two years before I would have my license. It was to be a father-son project, but as I was by far the more mechanically-inclined and he was, obviously, the more financially-endowed and the more time-strapped, it soon became my project, to be my dad's car (I have a VW Rabbit diesel), with the bills paid by Dad.
I started the project far behind the point where you are. All I decisively knew was that I was interested in how cars worked. I remember after we bought the Volvo wagon, with a wrecked engine, going to the Volvo independent shop where we got the car with a list of questions like "what are vacuum lines", "where is the starter", "what is a clutch master cylinder", etc. I had never changed oil, never really done much more than read Car and Driver. Three years later, I did it, the car is incredible, and I know more than some of the professional mechanics I've worked with about Ford EEC-IV EFI and some other items that I've become very familiar with. I can fix pretty much anything that breaks on a car except something ridiculous like an antilock brake computer (hope to never deal with ABS issues) now, and can enjoy a detailed and intelligent discussion without ever getting left behind because of ignorance. It's a great pleasure.
On my project, I realized I was in over my head soon after I got started on removing the original engine and tranny, but worked through it with plenty of over-the-phone advice from Ross Converse (he published the letter I wrote to him on his website) and a large amount of help from seasoned auto mechanics, including my auto shop teachers (one had put a 351 Cleveland into a '91 Mustang convertible, and the other was a longtime driveability tech at a Ford dealer before switching to teaching shop, and knew the Ford 5.0 HO inside and out). Also, completely by chance, I happened to have a neighbor who I discovered well after starting my conversion who had put a 5.0/AOD into his '85 745; he was able to advise me, help me some, and give me inspiration by giving me the occasional ride in a functioning V8 Volvo wagon.
That help and experience, especially in the early stages before I knew my way around the car, is, for a large part, what made the project possible. If you don't have access to someone who knows something about this type of endeavor, you're sunk. Other than that, having a good reference to know what they're referring to in the shop manual is vital (even an outdated one--I picked up a cheap used auto textbook from the '70s), and having the right shop manual is very important too. Cars are not all that complicated--just follow the steps as Haynes/JTR/Bentley/Converse outlines them and you'll get there as long as you take the time to do everything very carefully and make sure you fully understand what they're talking about before getting your hands dirty. It will take a long time if you have to learn before doing. It did for me. I started it in June '01 and figured I'd have it on the road in November. Yet in February '04 I found myself yanking out the engine for the second time...
The project ballooned from making a sort of beater hot-rod Volvo into making a completely finished, perfect car, as I became conscious of my workmanship. We ended up putting in a second, brand-new Ford V8 after the first junker V8 failed, we replaced tons of parts (which helped to make my automotive knowledge more complete), we did IPD mods wherever necessary, etc. It became almost a new car, one that I ended up not wanting to beat on! I had hoped to race it, but after it was finished it was too nice to take it to the strip. We never even really drove it hard.
Frankly, the Volvo project was probably not a very smart one to take on as a first project, especially done to the level of finish and complexity I chose to do it to (you could use your '83 chassis and a carbureted engine and save yourself a lot of trouble; I put an EFI motor into an '89 745). I made some mistakes, and some of the mistakes were, from a time and/or money standpoint, expensive. But I had the opportunity to correct them, and I learned a ton, and I built a top-notch V8 Volvo, which is no small feat for a high-schooler (if I do say so myself). My dad loved driving the car as his daily commuter/road car. In fact, the main reason we're selling it is that I will soon be away at college and won't be around to look after the Volvo. When I convinced him we had to sell it, and he had to start driving our '97 Subaru instead of the Volv8, he was positively mournful, despite being almost totally uninterested in cars.
Oh yeah, in addition to learning a ton and building an awesome car, you'll meet a lot of very cool people, on boards like this one and in person as you get the parts and the fabrication done for the project. People really think these cars are neat, and will want to talk to you whether they're a Volvo guy or an old Mustang guy. Being young adds another element. Right here is the place to start; sounds to me like you've already captured the heart of one of the board members. Unfortunately I only found this place after I was done--had I had this as a resource, things might have been quite a bit easier.
Well, I had done fine on here in the past without revealing my age. We'll see in the future. Maybe you could tell before anyway. I don't know if any of you will now consider buying a car built by a 17-year-old (though keep in mind, it's a 52-year-old's car, built to his standards/specs, and has been totally checked out by experienced dudes).
Bryce, there are certain prejudices you will encounter because of your age--you'll have to accept that. I've tried to avoid it by making it a non-issue. Anyway, the project is clearly possible; looking back, I would never do it AGAIN, but I am very pleased that I did it ONCE. It was (and is) a ton of fun, and a worthwhile experience. Make sure you really want to do it, map everything out beforehand, triple your cost and time estimates, invest in quality parts and tools, find someone who knows enough to prevent you from doing or buying something stupid (like a totally trashed '90 Mustang donor with an insufficient amount of [totally black] oil in the engine), and you're on your way. There's my two cents. And after my car sells I'll hang around here a bit, so if you need help, post here and, between myself and all the other, vastly more experienced members here, you'll get straigtened out.
George
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FOR SALE 745 with Ford 5.0 V8, awesome car, 2400mi engine, email me
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