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The
EVOLVOlution of a 144 Race Car
- Part 1
by
Club member Stuart Innes (Australia)
Part
1 - Part 2 - Part 3
Stuart competing at the AROCA 6Hr at Eastern Creek Raceway, 3 Nov 2002
The 144 had by this 1973 model proved itself very reliable, well built and affordable to maintain. The strong and sturdy nature off the 144 makes it ideally
suitable to small budget, club level motorsport with its easy supply of parts, as they were sold in their thousands in Australia over the period 1968-74.
They featured many new and innovative engineering improvements over existing available cars of the same size such as 4 wheel disc
brakes, 5 speed overdrive gearboxes, double reinforced body shells that form a safety cell for the
occupants, retracting seat belts and collapsible steering column.
Basic but efficient motor and transmission that with normal
servicing would last twice as long as any other due to the quality of the internals of the engine eg. Mahle
pistons.
The 140 range also included the 142, 145 and 145 Express van.
The 142 and 144 proving the most popular in Australasian
motorsport, even a 145 was entered in the Round Australia Rally in the ‘70s and did well.
Evolvolution of car
144
I had joined the Volvo Sporting Car Club in Nov/Dec of 1992 after
purchasing in 1989 and still own a 1980 242GT (my first Volvo a 1969 145 before
that). The GT was my first experience in car club level motorsport, I ran it twice at Oran Park Race Track in supersprints in ’93\94 and got the
“bug”. Time to look for a suitable car to make into a purpose built race car,
the then president of the VSCC, Anthony Walton had such a wreck at his
father's house, a 1973 144 B20E auto. Missing 2 doors, a front mudguard and
various injection parts but a good sound body shell from which to start. |
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This
is when Burglar Team racing was form one afternoon while
stripping a '68 142 & '73 144, note race car in the
background
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144
motorkhana at Wilberforce in March '94 , the car was
still auto at this stage & unpainted. |
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144
Day & Night supersprint at Oran Park Raceway in
April '96, came very close to the wall equalling my best
day timed run. |
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144
on the front lawn at home in October 2002 after wash and
polish |
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Ran the car in auto form for about 6 months in motorkhana’s then decided that track
racing was going to be its future. With a lot of help from Kevin Elliott (workshop business), Ed Franklin (parts) Jim Rourke (paint) & Gerry Lister (information) over about 9 months the car was up & running at its first Volvo Sporting Car Club Hillclimb, late ‘94.
The aim in building the 144R as a race car was to be able to enjoy a passion to race an owner built car and not spend to much money, the more you can do yourself the more money you save, (for the budget
conscious to date Jan ‘03 its cost around the Aus $16,000 mark for everything that’s been done so far and that includes tyres and entry costs & car trailer for 8yrs of
racing). Over the years many changes have been made in development of the performance of the
144. (These will be listed separately). The 144 has been entered in every AROCA 6HR race since ‘96 under the team name of either Volvo Viking
Racing or Team Mixed Nuts (some would say this is more appropriate after meeting
us, we originally called ourselves Burglar Team racing at club events as we stole ideas and parts from each other) and DNF’d once when a 4th cylinder injector went lean and melted a hole through the no.4 piston on a brand new motor , result one
very unhappy driver/owner. Best result in 1999 when the team achieved 7th on handicap & won 3rd in the team marques
trophy (this race caters for GT3 Porsches to ex group C & A Bathurst
cars), 2002 gave us 10th on handicap. This race has also provided good experience to improve and develop the 144 to get better lap times eg 1996 was our first year we where doing 2.14-16, now in 2001-2 we are doing 1.58-2.01 as lap times.
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144
overtaking a HQ Holden after a years further development
the 144 had the bigger brakes and was making progress. |
Future plans for the 144R race car include an engine rebuild, some new slicks, front shock absorbers due for reconditioning and seals, new harness that complies with the latest CAMS regulations as these were changed in 2002 to meet insurance and FIA
requirements. |
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144
at private practice with its no.33 on the windscreen coming
onto the straight at Wakefield Park.
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144
at Wakefield Park in March '96,rain made things slippery and the
144 gets sideway on to the straight, no I didn't catch it and
spun, bugger! lol (laugh out loud)
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Specifications of this Modified
144R Race Car at 1/03
Make:
Model:
Body Shell:
Year Built:
Engine:
Power:
Gearbox:
Differential:
Wheels:
Brakes:
Seats:
Interior:
Equipment:
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Volvo
144E now runs twin HIF6 Su’s carby’s, elect fuel pumps
4 door sedan Roll Caged, fire walled
1973
B20E
150 hp approx
M40 4spd & Celica 5 spd
Standard welded with Unitech chrome rods
15 x 7” Globe Bathurst Alloy Mags
Standard Girling rear, ATE 164 vented front
1 Cams Approved race seat
None, built to CAMS sport sedan spec’s
2 Series Rally Dash,
Fire Extingiusher,
2 x 4lb elect fuel pump,
R-sport extractors,
2 1/2” exhaust,
Ported & polished head,
Double valve springs,
oil cooler( Mercedes),
740 thermo fan,
Surge tank,
Fire extinguisher, (upside down),
Heavy duty clutch,
Geniune 15” 142 GT Motolita steering wheel,
Don Selby suspension lowered 3”,
Fire wall,
Emergency OFF switch,
Bendix Performax brake pads,
High temp brake fluid.
Cam is new from a fresh blank at Watsons Cams Mortdale,
Sydney and is a "D plus", this is one stage up
from the factory "D" injected cam and provides a
better spread of power and torque for race purposes.
Also the B20 1974 blocks used the B21 internals so can be
easliy bored out to 2.1 litre using standard Volvo parts
as I have done with this 144R race car |
NOTE:
As there is NO prize money at this level, modifications where kept to a minimum and using
Volvo parts where ever possible as they are compatible and cheap from your friendly wreckers like A-Class in,
Revesby, Sydney.
Photo
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Photo
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Photo
3 |
Photo
4 |
Photo
1: shows plumbing of fuel and oil lines from engine to
inner mudguard
Photo 2: shows 55amp alternator, Davis Craig thermo
sensor at radiator, self machined thermostat housing as
standard Volvo ones corrode and pit badly, 2"
alloy engine stabilizer that bolts directly to block where
there is a hole already drilled and taped from the factory
( use 2 x sway bar drop rod bushes to mount at engine, 1
either side of strap ), 1 to 5 lb fuel pressure regulator,
you can just see the 740 thermo fan mounting brackets on
top of radiator, 2 x HIF6 SU's
Photo 3: shows R-Sport extractors, oil filter on
inner mudguard and line down to cooler, another view of
self machined thermostat housing.
Photo 4: shows stainless steel emergency release
tube (top lhs), 2 x HIF6 SU's, new Nolathane top hat
bushes for collapsible steering (these where designed and
ordered by myself through Nolathane in Sydney as they
didn't not exist at this time, I have raced with them for
7 years and they are holding up very well to the job at
race pace.)
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Stuart Innes
Australia
Part
1 - Part 2 - Part 3
140 series Links:
Stuart
Innes Volvo Motorsport photo pages
Volvo
Car Club NSW, Australia
Volvo Adventures 140 Series
Swedish 140 Club
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