AWD conversion

Both manual and automatic transmission are discussed here, including the clutch!

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dragon
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Post by dragon » Wed Mar 09, 2005 2:32 pm

Nah, for the purposes of this thread, I was only joking, although I might not be joking about selling the project on in the very near future due to lack of progress :angry: :cryhard: :cryhard: :cryhard:
Cheers! [img]http://www.dragons.org.uk/images/guin.gif[/img]

Gaz Wilson


1997 V70R AWD in Saffron, RICA 580, hot hot HOT!
1995 480 Turbo, Flame Red Metallic/Jacquard-Leather
1993 480 turbo, Vase Green Metallic/Jacquard-Leather
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martinholmesuk
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Post by martinholmesuk » Wed Mar 09, 2005 2:51 pm

get that 480 and get the rich mod because you know it makes sense :D
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Jamo
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Post by Jamo » Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:53 pm

martinholmesuk wrote:get that 480 and get the rich mod because you know it makes sense :D
You Rich's agent? :rofl:

The AWD biggest problem i think would be transmission tunnel.

Martin is right though think you would need a turbo purely for the necessary torque levels (IMHO).
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rpruen
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Post by rpruen » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:22 pm

Jamo wrote: You Rich's agent? :rofl:
Not so far as I'm aware :)

I think that Martin is just a little bit over enthusiastic about everything.

Richard
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martinholmesuk
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Post by martinholmesuk » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:35 pm

rpruen wrote:
Jamo wrote: You Rich's agent? :rofl:
Not so far as I'm aware :)

I think that Martin is just a little bit over enthusiastic about everything.

Richard
:)
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syntarx
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by syntarx » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:24 am

He guys

I'm syntarx or Andri, whatever you prefer, 18 y/o and from Switzerland. I discovered the 480 about a week ago and I'm in love with it. I have seen a Turbo, which is up for sale here in sui. and I'm thinking about buying it. I would like to convert it to a AWD as well. This car would be my first and I have never really worked on a car before. My vision may be absolutely stupid or even close to impossible to you guys. But given that I'm quite talented with my hands, I have friends, who work as mechanics and most importantly I've got a lot of time, I might try it anyways.

I know I'm more than 16 years too late for the conversation but anyways. Rob did you manage to convert the 480? Which version did you use? Turbo, ES? What parts and from which vehicle? Was it very expensive?

I'm looking forward to your reply.

Best regards
Andri

jifflemon
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by jifflemon » Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:14 am

Given the rarity of the turbo these days, and the amount of hacking about you'd need to do, I'd suggest finding another donor to practice on whilst enjoying the turbo in FWD format

Jan_Berlin!
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by Jan_Berlin! » Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:58 pm

I think so, too. it's a challenge to keep the 480 moving, even in 2WD. And to fix all the usual little bugs and problems.
It would be a pity if a AWS project fails and one of the last 480 has to die for it.

I think a visualization with Photoshop or as a 3D-rendering would be interesting to get a vison how a 480 in the SUV offroad could look like :)
Last edited by Jan_Berlin! on Tue Nov 30, 2021 7:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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MisterH
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by MisterH » Tue Nov 30, 2021 7:32 pm

Yeah I reckon it would be doable just not to a turbo, as they really need to be preserved. That being said, I'd love to see a 4x480 happen. Trouble is I am not sure what drivetrain you could use to make it work. The 300 series was RWD so you could go for mix of the two as they did have interchangeable parts. But again, don't go doing anything to a Turbo that isn't reversible, they are just too rare to risk. Would love to see if this can be done to and S or ES tho
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
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Jay-Kay-Em
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by Jay-Kay-Em » Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:35 am

Hi Andri!

Anything is possible with time, patience, skill, facilities and of course, money.

Search clubgti.com for countless 4WD conversions over the years. Plenty of mk2 Golfs have had their boot floors removed and modified to accommodate a diff. Search key words like "synchro" or "Haldex" to find build threads on there for inspiration.

The VAG 4WD driveline is cheap and plentiful in breakers yards all over Europe.

I echo the sentiments of preserving salvageable Turbo's.

Best Wishes

JKM
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Murf
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by Murf » Sat Dec 04, 2021 9:49 pm

I'm pretty sure Rob's 4wd idea never came to anything. Unless he's spent the last 16 years working away on it and is almost ready for the grand unveiling :)
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WhiteWolf
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by WhiteWolf » Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:46 am

Absolutely no need to convert it to 4wd in my opinion, I'm no expert but the amount of grip these cars have is immense, the problem I think people have is they don't drive them hard enough, these cars are in a class of their own and even though they are fwd a good Scandinavian flick really tightens the suspension on the front and going around corners on 3 wheels is a pleasure.... Liftoff oversteer is hilarious as long as you can gently caress the steering back to your direction of travel....
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jamescarruthers
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by jamescarruthers » Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:51 am

WhiteWolf wrote:
Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:46 am
Absolutely no need to convert it to 4wd in my opinion, I'm no expert but the amount of grip these cars have is immense, the problem I think people have is they don't drive them hard enough, these cars are in a class of their own and even though they are fwd a good Scandinavian flick really tightens the suspension on the front and going around corners on 3 wheels is a pleasure.... Liftoff oversteer is hilarious as long as you can gently caress the steering back to your direction of travel....
Haha, you are probably a bit more adventurous than me these days me but you are right a hard driven 480 is sublime— it just flows. I have a great memories of having my last E-reg absolutely howling round a long sweeping left hand bend keeping up with a mate’s car (hot Astra :sick: ) and my last Turbo up a runway nearly off the clock. The current one gets red lined and full throttle now and again but I never have the chance or the guts to really exercise the handling any more.

I also have a bad memory of the lift off oversteer catching me out going up hill at full throttle before foolishly backing off at the top for a very slight bend. Lesson learnt on that one!

Oh and Mr AWD, please don’t, it’s just a recipe for a dead 480 and an empty bank balance.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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WillC9303
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Re: AWD conversion

Post by WillC9303 » Sun Dec 05, 2021 7:51 pm

A RWD 480 would be more interesting I think.
William

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