Volvo 700 Series V8 Motor Mounting Kit
VOL-700The steel engine brackets have slotted mounting holes to allow adjusting the engine position front-to-back and side-to-side.
The aluminum adapter plates bolt to the front crossmember and have two sets of holes to increase the fore/aft range of the engine position, and allow different exhaust manifolds to be used.
The height of the engine can be adjusted by installing shims (or spacers) between the crossmember adapter plates and the Chevrolet mounts (isolators).
The transmission crossmember bolts to the stock Volvo mounting provisions and is designed for the 700-R4 transmission (also called the 4L60 transmission), and the Camaro T5 transmission. An extension plate is available that allows using a Turbo-350 transmission.
The V8 engine/transmission position is dictated by several considerations:
- Crankshaft centerline and driveshaft angles should remain close to stock to avoid drive line vibration.
- Keep body mods and oil pan mods to a minimum.
- On swaps using the Camaro 5-speed or six-speed manual transmission, the shifter position should come out of the stock shifter hole. Trying to modify an interior can be more difficult than the entire engine swap.
In the Volvo 700, the V8 engine position will not vary that much. Due to the location of the frame rails, radiator, firewall, front crossmember, and the transmission tunnel; the forward/rearward position can be adjusted about 2", the height can be adjusted by 1/2" and the side-to-side position can be adjusted by 1".
The more the engine is positioned forward, the less firewall and transmission tunnel modifications are required. However, the more the engine is positioned forward, the more difficult it is to make the cooling system work.
Moving the engine rearward for improved weight distribution is not going to make a very big difference — for every inch the engine/transmission is moved rearward, only about 6 lbs is shifted off the front wheels. Also, excessively hammering the firewall can damage the ventilation components just behind the firewall. The main reason for moving the engine rearward is for the cooling system, and for the shifter position when using a Camaro 5-speed or 6-speed transmission.
The stock Volvo engine/transmission is not centered in the chassis — it is offset to the passenger’s side. The Chevrolet engine is offset towards the passenger side by about 1/2" to 1-1/2" to improve clearance between the exhaust manifold and the steering shaft. Also, the engine/transmission needs to be offset to the passenger’s side for shift linkage clearance.
FRONT CROSSMEMBER MOTOR MOUNT ADAPTER PLATE
Remove the original Volvo engine mounts from the front crossmember.
There are four bolt holes on the crossmember. These will be used to attach the adapter plates to the front crossmember.
The bolts will be installed from under the crossmember.
ALUMINUM ADAPTER PLATE
Bolt the aluminum adapter plates to the front crossmember as shown, using 5/16-18 x 3/4" long bolts. The bolts are installed from under the crossmember.
CHEVROLET ENGINE MOUNT
Bolt the aluminum adapter plates to the front crossmember as shown, using 5/16-18 x 3/4" long bolts. The bolts are installed from under the crossmember.
Bolt the Chevrolet engine mount to the aluminum adapter plate using 3/8"-16 bolts. If no height adjustment shims are used, use the 7/8" long bolts.
There are two sets of holes that can be used to mount the Chevrolet motor to the aluminum adapter plate. Most swaps should position the mounts to rearmost position, as shown.
In some applications, the forward position can be used.
HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT SHIMS
The mounting kit comes with 3/8" thick height adjustment shims. If the oil pan contacts the front crossmember, install the height adjustment shims between the Chevrolet engine mounts, and the aluminum adapter plates. Use the 1-1/4" long bolts when using the height adjustment shims.
STEEL ENGINE BRACKETS
Bolt the steel engine brackets to the engine block using 3/8-16 x 1" long bolts.
The steel adapter bracket with the long ears goes on the driver’s side.
CAMARO / CAPRICE LT1 ENGINES, PASSENGER’S SIDE MOUNT
Stealth Conversions offers a steel engine bracket, and an aluminum adapter bracket specifically for the 1993–1997 Camaro and Caprice LT1 engines.
1993–1997 Camaro and Caprice LT1 engines have an "extra" engine mounting boss. This is because the rear mounting bolt of the ac compressor attaches where the front motor mount bolt would go on a "conventional" small block engine.
The extra mounting boss is rearward of the normal mounting bosses, as shown by the photograph.
Attach the steel adapter brackets to the Chevrolet mounts with the 7/16" x 5" long bolts, as shown above.
After adjusting the position of the engine for your particular requirements, tighten all bolts.
MOTOR MOUNTS, RUBBER ISOLATORS
Both of the above mounts have the same basic mounting dimensions, and are functionally interchangeable in the Volvo V8 swap
The mount on the left is used on 1982–1995 Camaros with the V6, 1982–1993 Chevrolet S-10 Trucks with the 2.8 V6 and on the 1985–2005 Astro Van. It is very common, and most auto parts stores carry the mount.
The mount on the right is used on 1984–1991 Corvettes. The Corvette mount will hold the engine in place more firmly than the other mounts. The Corvette mount is not as wide as the other mounts, and washers should be installed between the motor mounts so the ears do not have to bend much when the bolt is tightened.
Some mounts have locating tabs (arrow), which must be removed for the V8 swap. This is easily done with a hacksaw, or a grinder.
TRANSMISSION CROSSMEMBER
There are at least 4 different transmission crossmembers that are used on the 700 Series Volvo. None of these is easily adaptable to the V8 swap.
The V8 transmission crossmember is designed for the 700-R4 transmission, the T5 transmission, and it can also be used with the Turbo-350 transmission (when used with an extension plate). The crossmember bolts to existing holes in the floor pan.
TRANSMISSION ADJUSTMENT SHIMS
Ideally, the transmission output shaft should point almost directly to the differential pinion shaft. If you need to adjust the height of the transmission, shims or spacers make it easy.
To raise the transmission, GM shims part #1254001, which are made of 5/32" thick steel, can be installed between the transmission and transmission mount.
If you don’t have the shims or spacers, you can easily make your own, or use washers, and stack them as needed.
STRESS CRACKS IN FRONT CROSSMEMBER
This V8 Volvo 760 has over 200,000 miles on the chassis. The engine swap had been driven about 40,000 miles. The original front crossmember developed cracks and broken welds in the area highlighted with gray paint. It has similar cracks and broken welds on the other side (passenger) of the crossmember. Admittedly, the car was driven with greater enthusiasm than most Volvos. But, if you are installing a V8 into your 700 series Volvo, you will probably drive more enthusiastically than the average Volvo driver.
The cracking was caused because the original design of the V8 conversion mounts caused too much stress on the front crossmember during vehicle operation. They did not place the weight of the engine on the Volvo crossmember in the same way as the original Volvo motor mounts place the load on the front crossmember. The position of the rubber isolators was too close together, and hung over the front of the crossmember. Also, the height of the rubber isolator was positioned too high.
The Chevrolet motor mounts (or rubber isolators) literally act as pivot points. Making the pivot points widely spaced, and close (low) to the front crossmember, reduces the leverage the engine has on the front crossmember during braking, acceleration, cornering, and on bumps. This is the reason the Stealth Conversion steel engine brackets have long mounting ears which attach to widely spaced motor mounts.
