Bedplate, bearings and boost. The inside story.

We all know that mechanical things in general and combustion engine in particular can be beautiful. Our well maintained (?) Volvo 6 cylinder turbo engine is no exception. 

To study the aluminium block with the cast-in steel liners and its bedplate with the cast in nodular 4 bolt iron inserts is a pure joy. When the dim light in the workshop cast rays of lights over the steel crankshaft with a main bearing diameter of 65mm (2,55 inch) a carguy, with a crave for power and torque, feels just fine.

When torchlight flicker around in the crankcase and you get reminded of well positioned piston cooling jets, another wave of warm feelings flows through my soul.

Then I got nervous. Will the dry cam transmission belt be durable in racing? Can you trust experienced Volvo tuners that tells us that the cam belt transmission is reliable as a door stop? We'll find out in the end, but for now we're believers.

And again, I got nervous! Because I know that the old style cylinder head gasket in this Volvo N3T engine can't take the heat and pressure! What to do ?! Can this be solved?

All of the sudden I remember, I remember the Volvo part no. 8670214 and for my inner eye I could see a shining new Volvo N3T MLS head gasket. This gasket of you dreams is availalbe as a post production update from Volvo. Isn't that just great? 

At this point, I felt exhausted after an emotinal roller coaster, which only a rather small percentage of the people can understand.

To be continoued...