Hey guys,

as you all know, I have this nice "B23ET" thing sitting in my garage. I'd guess I have close to $2000 into it, plus a fair bit of mine and Matt's time. I've got it for sale for maybe 1/3 of whats into it, but had an idea-

what about dropping that into Darth, and selling the stock '95 squirter B230FT? Think I could get a reasonable price for that? Maybe even from a shop? (Paul?). Then I'd have my strong, low mileage engine, and probably swap in a AW7X*L* while I'm at it.

Only thing I'd have to muck with would be crank position sensor, and throttle spool for cruise, I think.

Or am I retarded for thinking about taking apart a perfectly good car?

do it!

I think deep deep down you know the answer.Listen to the Dark Side.
But if you want to sell it for sure!!!Let me know.
Paolo
(I know people)

I think you're nuts, Athal. From my perspective of nuts, I'm suggesting that you put the tools down and walk away. Don't ruin a good car by messing with it.

I mean, really: what would you get for the B230, and what's it going to do to the value of the car by putting in a shade-tree rebuilt B23?

has nothing to do with increasing the value of the car, believe me!

and c'mon, give yourself some credit matt, that motor is pretty well built.

I know for the goals (pretty much none, just fun) of this car, it's pretty pointless.

Probably the main point is not having this motor staring at me everytime I go into the garage saying "find me a nice shell to put me in!" or "buy matt's 780 and give me a home!".

Alex has offered to buy the B23ET as soon as he has cash, so it's not like that option isn't there. Of course he's the one egging me on to swap it now!

What Matt said. I've been in a similar situation and did learn from it though.

No need to bang your head against a wrench that hard. Drop it in a garbage shell and cash for clunker it for all I care lol (do they do that in Canada?).

You have a RWD car that is for the most part nice, and honestly, the engine is usually the best part about these cars. Simple, reliable, reasonably efficient. It is everything else that can drive a person insane.

The power and efficiency of the engine lies mostly in squish and the cylinder head/flow as you know as far as the mechanical parts go. At most I'd improve those aspects a little on the existing engine in darth. Swapping an AW alone instead of a whole motor takes like 2-3 hours and goes fast, much faster than a manual car. Changing a head/turbo/headgasket (with all compatible/fitting stuff and 530 or 531 head to fit a B230 correctly) would be an option I think that is better, not that I'd probably even do that. Were Darth my car, I might change the trans and swap the interior to gray (only if I had a donor and really liked the car that much).

Modification implies that you are in some way unhappy with your car. Anymore, it is far better to get another car than modify the existing for your time/space/money/overhead/lack of sleep. They are just cars. Not something to get sentimentally attached to...they won't feed you, clothe you or keep you warm at night.

Taking the extra time to take care of one car you do like to keep it nice is an idea I can get behind though. In that spirit, I'd decide how much I liked Darth, decide what I didn't like completely, either do small modifications that I would have no problem selling it with and wouldn't hurt the sale and drive it until I wanted a newer/quieter/more expensive car.

I'd honestly crush my 245ti with B23ET (which is a "nice" 240 anyway that I took the time to put a rebuilt decent motor in) if toyota/lexus made an IS350 wagon...drives like a car, utility of a wagon, no volvo electrics and rubber parts. Right now I'd rather save the cash on cars and drive an old/cheaper car that is a nice one and mildly modified if anything, and also a 245/945 fills a niche for me...a utility car that has lower upkeep costs and is ok to drive despite its archaic age...the visibility and utility of a 245/945 are hard to beat. The B23ET bottom with 398 head runs great in the car now, but only after hours (that I can never get back) of fussing over the ignition distributor. It is a much pickier engine to tune than a B21FT. The rest of the k-jet works "fine" with it from what I can tell...well as "fine" as a 1984.5 car can work. Of course, if someone plows into my 245ti, I'm screwed, as insurance will probably give me like $1500 max for it. Insurance after all is a concept and not a product to make a person totally whole/complete again...a concept to prevent all out disaster...it would cover my basic health and $1500 will find me a car that runs to get me around....it would not find me a 245ti in the same condition and cover my long term health.

Unless I'm desperate for a car as raw low-buck transportation, I'm absolving myself of beaters or modified ugly cars (I see volvos as "ugly" mostly). They take up space, take up time and you don't feel good about trying to make them nice as a person in my experience. No modified cars either until I get a house that has a nice garage with one nicer newer car where my payments aren't oppressive and I have spare time I actually want to spend on cars...I'd rather have a nice house and car I don't work on than a modified car as primary transport either. BTDT. To each their own. YMMV. That's what I learned.

".....honestly, the engine is usually the best part about these cars. Simple, reliable, reasonably efficient. It is everything else that can drive a person insane."

A reasonably smart guy this guy is.

A good read from James as usual:)

No, not unhappy with the car, any more than any of us are with our older vehicles, and the need to constantly tinker, even when nothing is wrong!

No way I want to cash-for-clunker a perfectly good engine! Up here we can't get more than about $2000 at either hyundai or one other maker (can't remember) for an old car, or $300 cash, not worth the time!

If you're not familiar with the clone motor on my garage floor, it's a B23E bottom end with all forged stuff, decked for tight-ish (~0.043") squish, 405 head, custom cam, set up for LH, and made 205WHP@12psi, so pretty efficient.

I'm just getting antsy having it sit there doing nothing, and tempting me all the time to buy another car, which is REALLY not an option at this point. I would LOVE to pick up another late 244 for cheap and turn it into a real sleeper I can muck around with, but I simply don't have the space or willingness to put up with the evil eye of my fiancee right now!

Fine though, y'all have talked me out of messing with my perfectly good Darth (though I might still do the tranny swap for the extra MPG). Maybe I'll put a tarp over the motor so I don't have to SEE it all the time.

Now your're cooking...tarp that bad boy up. Hey, at least it's not in the closet or being used as a coffee table (both acceptable by the way).

Tarp it up and sell it to me soon

tarping it today, please come and get it as soon as you can! If you still have that AW7xL I might take that off your hands too.

Should I be looking for an AW71L or AW72L?

yeah, its got your name on it dude.