No worries, I still read it!
Nosi's 4 door gt tribute
An update on the 240GL 1985 manual.
As I’ve been busy, and also have had the use of other cars, I hadn’t really looked at the 240. When I bought it, unseen, from fleabay, it was advertised as ‘good condition, drives well’. Here’s what I found- Firstly, when I went to pick it up, it had a 4 speed gear knob, without any overdrive button. This would be a no sale item, as I particularly wanted the overdrive.
I said to the seller, ‘ shouldn’t this have overdrive?’. He said yes it does. I asked ‘where’s the button?’, and he said ‘ in the glovebox’. Sure enough, there was a broken overdrive shift knob in the glovebox. I looked under the car, and there was an overdrive, so all was good. Since then I found that the wiring to the overdrive was playing up, but it does work intermittently and I can fix it.
The fuel accumulator had a massive leak. 'Car drives well, in first four gears, but sprays fuel everywhere', is what the ad should have said.
Later, I noticed that the oil light did not come on when the engine was stationary. This could be bad, as I discovered the wire was deliberately disconnected from the sender. Plugging back in made the oil light stay on permanently. Luckily, I replaced the sender and its now all good. Of course the airbox flap was stuck in the wrong position, so I relegated the appropriate parts to the bin. It also had a hole in the exhaust, a non working interior fan, and a partly working drivers window, all fixable.
So, last week I took it for a quick test run around the block. Engine was pinging, so the timing is out. All was good until i hit 80kph, when the steering wheel shook violently. I then saw why there was no need for overdrive ! Turned out to just be a ball joint though.
In hindsight, the advert should have read – ‘Car drives well, in first four gears, up to 79kph, only on cool days, at low revs, noisily, but sprays fuel everywhere, and will eventually overheat if it doesn’t run out of fuel or catch on fire first.’
Still, I think it was a good buy, as it has a nice interior and is a solid base for a daily driver. I hope to get it registered in the next month or so.
Following pic is of the dash, engine running.
As I’ve been busy, and also have had the use of other cars, I hadn’t really looked at the 240. When I bought it, unseen, from fleabay, it was advertised as ‘good condition, drives well’. Here’s what I found- Firstly, when I went to pick it up, it had a 4 speed gear knob, without any overdrive button. This would be a no sale item, as I particularly wanted the overdrive.
I said to the seller, ‘ shouldn’t this have overdrive?’. He said yes it does. I asked ‘where’s the button?’, and he said ‘ in the glovebox’. Sure enough, there was a broken overdrive shift knob in the glovebox. I looked under the car, and there was an overdrive, so all was good. Since then I found that the wiring to the overdrive was playing up, but it does work intermittently and I can fix it.
The fuel accumulator had a massive leak. 'Car drives well, in first four gears, but sprays fuel everywhere', is what the ad should have said.
Later, I noticed that the oil light did not come on when the engine was stationary. This could be bad, as I discovered the wire was deliberately disconnected from the sender. Plugging back in made the oil light stay on permanently. Luckily, I replaced the sender and its now all good. Of course the airbox flap was stuck in the wrong position, so I relegated the appropriate parts to the bin. It also had a hole in the exhaust, a non working interior fan, and a partly working drivers window, all fixable.
So, last week I took it for a quick test run around the block. Engine was pinging, so the timing is out. All was good until i hit 80kph, when the steering wheel shook violently. I then saw why there was no need for overdrive ! Turned out to just be a ball joint though.
In hindsight, the advert should have read – ‘Car drives well, in first four gears, up to 79kph, only on cool days, at low revs, noisily, but sprays fuel everywhere, and will eventually overheat if it doesn’t run out of fuel or catch on fire first.’
Still, I think it was a good buy, as it has a nice interior and is a solid base for a daily driver. I hope to get it registered in the next month or so.
Following pic is of the dash, engine running.
4 days later
Neat.^
The 245.
In around 2001, after having 2 new Nissans, I found and bought a Datsun 1200 coupe. It was a fun car. The kids loved how on cold Toowoomba mornings, I would put them in the back and then push and clutch start the car myself. One day a guy followed me home and offered to buy it from me. He is known in T-bar for collecting and racing them. I agreed to sell it, but then I needed another car. So I went down to the magic mile in Moorooka, looking at the back of the lots for trade-ins. I spotted a daggy looking but straight 245GL auto with over 300000km on the clock. It, like my first Volvo, was red, and ‘fuel injected’. It appeared to suit, so I asked the dealer what he wanted. He said $1000 drive away. I said that if it started first pop, I would take it. It did.
Luckily by then I had dialup interweb, so I learned a bit about these old beasts. I fixed the seats, cleaned the flametrap etc, and it was a good daily driver. I regularly drove to brissie in it. One very hot day on the return trip it started running rough. I was a bit cranky that day, so I just kept my foot on the loud pedal. But it only went slower and slower. Eventually it stopped beside the road around Helidon. After I calmed down from my crank attack, I started pulling bits apart under the bonnet. I found that the airbox thermostat was stuck in the stupid position. I had not noticed that problem on the interweb, so it was a learning experience. All old Volvos in Queensland should have the airbox flappy thing disabled.
On another occasion, I was driving back to T-bar through Rocklea. I was in the centre of 3 lanes of Friday peak arvo traffic, when the wagon stopped dead. The truckie behind me helped to push it off the road. A quick investigation showed the cam belt had snapped. Oops, I hadn’t googled that one either! I left the keys on the rear tyre, and hitched a ride home, in an old Fiat. On the Monday, I phoned a mobile mechanic, who fixed it and then I picked it up the next weekend. Nobody would steal a broken Volvo parked beside Ipswich road.
Eventually, we moved to Bundaberg, the 245 making several trips chockers with all our worldly goods and chattels, towing a trailer. The cat didn’t like being in a travel cage, so it spent five hours with its claws stuck in my neck acting like a fur stole. In Bundy I kept the 245 a few years, putting new tyres on it, even installing a new wireless with both am and fm. Then, I was provided with a company car, a new 4wd, which is so unfortunately ubiquitous in regional Qld. Having no real need for the 245, and having a friend with a 245 in much worse shape, I swapped my red beast with him for 5 bales of hay. I figured that he could make good use of the car, as it was in good order, with a new wireless and a new set of tyres. Also I needed 5 bales of hay. I later heard that he simply sold it to the wreckers for $50 ! I have not spoken to him since.
After writing this, I realise I should have called the red 245 ‘ninja’. Because amongst the thousands of photos I have, I can’t find a pic of it anywhere, not even lurking in the background. If one turns up, I will post it.
Our next Volvo purchase was a V70...
In around 2001, after having 2 new Nissans, I found and bought a Datsun 1200 coupe. It was a fun car. The kids loved how on cold Toowoomba mornings, I would put them in the back and then push and clutch start the car myself. One day a guy followed me home and offered to buy it from me. He is known in T-bar for collecting and racing them. I agreed to sell it, but then I needed another car. So I went down to the magic mile in Moorooka, looking at the back of the lots for trade-ins. I spotted a daggy looking but straight 245GL auto with over 300000km on the clock. It, like my first Volvo, was red, and ‘fuel injected’. It appeared to suit, so I asked the dealer what he wanted. He said $1000 drive away. I said that if it started first pop, I would take it. It did.
Luckily by then I had dialup interweb, so I learned a bit about these old beasts. I fixed the seats, cleaned the flametrap etc, and it was a good daily driver. I regularly drove to brissie in it. One very hot day on the return trip it started running rough. I was a bit cranky that day, so I just kept my foot on the loud pedal. But it only went slower and slower. Eventually it stopped beside the road around Helidon. After I calmed down from my crank attack, I started pulling bits apart under the bonnet. I found that the airbox thermostat was stuck in the stupid position. I had not noticed that problem on the interweb, so it was a learning experience. All old Volvos in Queensland should have the airbox flappy thing disabled.
On another occasion, I was driving back to T-bar through Rocklea. I was in the centre of 3 lanes of Friday peak arvo traffic, when the wagon stopped dead. The truckie behind me helped to push it off the road. A quick investigation showed the cam belt had snapped. Oops, I hadn’t googled that one either! I left the keys on the rear tyre, and hitched a ride home, in an old Fiat. On the Monday, I phoned a mobile mechanic, who fixed it and then I picked it up the next weekend. Nobody would steal a broken Volvo parked beside Ipswich road.
Eventually, we moved to Bundaberg, the 245 making several trips chockers with all our worldly goods and chattels, towing a trailer. The cat didn’t like being in a travel cage, so it spent five hours with its claws stuck in my neck acting like a fur stole. In Bundy I kept the 245 a few years, putting new tyres on it, even installing a new wireless with both am and fm. Then, I was provided with a company car, a new 4wd, which is so unfortunately ubiquitous in regional Qld. Having no real need for the 245, and having a friend with a 245 in much worse shape, I swapped my red beast with him for 5 bales of hay. I figured that he could make good use of the car, as it was in good order, with a new wireless and a new set of tyres. Also I needed 5 bales of hay. I later heard that he simply sold it to the wreckers for $50 ! I have not spoken to him since.
After writing this, I realise I should have called the red 245 ‘ninja’. Because amongst the thousands of photos I have, I can’t find a pic of it anywhere, not even lurking in the background. If one turns up, I will post it.
Our next Volvo purchase was a V70...
Started getting the 240 ready for a roady. pic of rear door card etc, looks like the rear was only ever used for 'parking'. Also a quick pic of the fleet, note the oldest one gets the garage !
:-bd
Good read.
Tell us more about those 740s in the driveway.
Tell us more about those 740s in the driveway.
V70
In approx 2004 we were doing well, so we decided to help my parents by getting them a newer car. They were driving an xe ford wagon, that was barely roadworthy. We found a really good, low mileage V70 at the local ( Toowoomba) Volvo dealership. That’s the end of that story. ( it goes, stops, turns etc. Nothing ever happens to it of interest. In fact, because this is the rwd section, I won’t even post a pic. )
XC90 ( with sometimes rwd )
In 2007 the merc coupe we had was getting too small for us, and I no longer had the 4wd company car. So we decided to get a 7 seater wagon type thing as our main family car. 4wd was not important, just wanted space and the 7 seat option. We did a bit of research, and ultimately decided that, all things considered, the recently upgraded Toyota kluger was the most suitable car. I must have been a bit overwhelmed by all the other Toyotas in our suburb or something? Anyway, the Toyota stealership in bundy had a reputation for lacking in customer service. I was about to find out. I went there and attempted to get some assistance, like say, a sales dude to talk to, or similar. Nope. No chance of that. So I asked for a manager to speak to or something. They took down my details. They will get back to me. After a few days, and dropping back in there, and phone calls, I sent them an email. It read along the lines of ‘ I would like to purchase a new kluger KXS, in blue metallic, please advise a price and when I can meet to finalise the purchase’
After not receiving any reply, I again went there and asked them if they wanted to sell me a car at all? I then told them - ‘ tomorrow morning I will come in here early, I will want to know a price and I will bring my chequebook. If you cannot help me, I will drive south to the next dealer and he will get my business.’
In the morning, bundy Toyota did not help me. So I drove straight to Maryborough. There I went into the Toyota dealer and briefly explained that I wanted to buy a kluger today, all they had to do was tell me a price. They could not. I explained that I was leaving and driving south, so this was a one off chance to sell me a car. Nope.
I then drove to Gympie. The sales guy there told me that, ‘if he gave me a price, I would just shop around’. I explained that if he didn’t give me a price that I could not make a purchase. I then drove to the sunshine coast.
The Toyota dealer at the sunny coast was almost helpful. He said that he might give me a price, but could not give me a date for delivery of the car. ‘ they are very popular these klugers’. I asked how they could be popular if no dealers are prepared to sell them ?
I then remembered that there was a Volvo dealer on the sunny coast. I told the Toyota sales guy that I would drive to the Volvo dealer, it would take me about 10 mins, and he had that length of time to ring and advise a price and a delivery date. Still waiting.
When I arrived at Sunshine Volvo, there was a new Blueish colour XC90 parked on the forecourt, with a price sticker in the window. I went inside and spoke to a friendly sales dude-ette. I asked ‘ is that xc90 for sale at that price’. She said ‘yes, drive away’. So I did.
The dude-ette did ask if I wanted to test drive it, but I said I had driven one before so it would not be necessary ( in Toowoomba, we had tested a T6 for a weekend ). However, later when the paperwork was all sorted, it was registered as a 6 cylinder. I asked if this was a mistake, because I thought it would be a turbo 5. Apparently it was not a mistake and this xc90 had a 3.2 na six. Though blind stupidity, I ended up with the car I probably should have sought out in the first instance.
The Maryborough Toyota dealer eventually rang me and said he might be able to help me. I told him it was too late. I still wonder to this day how anyone can possibly buy a new Toyota. If you can’t get any service, or a price or a delivery date, then why would you agree to make a purchase? Back when we bought the merc, we were given a pricelist. We were told that our car and all its selected options would be placed on an order, and the next time they ran aussie spec cars through the factory was a certain date, and then the boat would take 4 weeks after that. It might have been 2 months away, but we had an approximated date. The sales guy even rang me on the day of production to confirm our car had been built and had just left the factory.
Anyway, we have had the Xc90 since then, still have it, and have been very happy with it. The only niggly thing about it is tyre wear. It eats the outside of the front passenger tyre, and to lesser extent the drivers side. Rotating helps, but you have to fit asymmetric tyres to get good life out of rotations. Also, cheaper tyres help, so at least it’s not as expensive when they do wear out. For the last 2 sets we have been happy with, Nankang surpax http://nankangtyres.com.au/tyre/sp-5/
Recently we fitted http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eibach-Front-Camber-Bolts-Volvo-XC90-02-07-/280539992930
I adjusted the passenger tyre to 2 degrees negative and the drivers side to 1 degree negative. This along with rotation has helped a lot. Also it turns in really nicely ! The guy that does our wheel alignments nearly freaked out when he set up his laser equipment on the wheel and it read 2 degrees negative !
I do engine oil changes approx every 10000km rather than the suggested 15000. It does not use oil between changes, and the engine has not yet exploded, to my knowledge. Last week I drove 1000km bundy to townsville, then 1000km back the next day, in complete relaxed Volvo comfort. In my ( now gone ) Ford, I would have to stop every 100km or so to stretch my legs !
Following pic is of the xc90, having been ‘parked’ by my son, back when he was on his L’s.
Next time- the two 940’s
In approx 2004 we were doing well, so we decided to help my parents by getting them a newer car. They were driving an xe ford wagon, that was barely roadworthy. We found a really good, low mileage V70 at the local ( Toowoomba) Volvo dealership. That’s the end of that story. ( it goes, stops, turns etc. Nothing ever happens to it of interest. In fact, because this is the rwd section, I won’t even post a pic. )
XC90 ( with sometimes rwd )
In 2007 the merc coupe we had was getting too small for us, and I no longer had the 4wd company car. So we decided to get a 7 seater wagon type thing as our main family car. 4wd was not important, just wanted space and the 7 seat option. We did a bit of research, and ultimately decided that, all things considered, the recently upgraded Toyota kluger was the most suitable car. I must have been a bit overwhelmed by all the other Toyotas in our suburb or something? Anyway, the Toyota stealership in bundy had a reputation for lacking in customer service. I was about to find out. I went there and attempted to get some assistance, like say, a sales dude to talk to, or similar. Nope. No chance of that. So I asked for a manager to speak to or something. They took down my details. They will get back to me. After a few days, and dropping back in there, and phone calls, I sent them an email. It read along the lines of ‘ I would like to purchase a new kluger KXS, in blue metallic, please advise a price and when I can meet to finalise the purchase’
After not receiving any reply, I again went there and asked them if they wanted to sell me a car at all? I then told them - ‘ tomorrow morning I will come in here early, I will want to know a price and I will bring my chequebook. If you cannot help me, I will drive south to the next dealer and he will get my business.’
In the morning, bundy Toyota did not help me. So I drove straight to Maryborough. There I went into the Toyota dealer and briefly explained that I wanted to buy a kluger today, all they had to do was tell me a price. They could not. I explained that I was leaving and driving south, so this was a one off chance to sell me a car. Nope.
I then drove to Gympie. The sales guy there told me that, ‘if he gave me a price, I would just shop around’. I explained that if he didn’t give me a price that I could not make a purchase. I then drove to the sunshine coast.
The Toyota dealer at the sunny coast was almost helpful. He said that he might give me a price, but could not give me a date for delivery of the car. ‘ they are very popular these klugers’. I asked how they could be popular if no dealers are prepared to sell them ?
I then remembered that there was a Volvo dealer on the sunny coast. I told the Toyota sales guy that I would drive to the Volvo dealer, it would take me about 10 mins, and he had that length of time to ring and advise a price and a delivery date. Still waiting.
When I arrived at Sunshine Volvo, there was a new Blueish colour XC90 parked on the forecourt, with a price sticker in the window. I went inside and spoke to a friendly sales dude-ette. I asked ‘ is that xc90 for sale at that price’. She said ‘yes, drive away’. So I did.
The dude-ette did ask if I wanted to test drive it, but I said I had driven one before so it would not be necessary ( in Toowoomba, we had tested a T6 for a weekend ). However, later when the paperwork was all sorted, it was registered as a 6 cylinder. I asked if this was a mistake, because I thought it would be a turbo 5. Apparently it was not a mistake and this xc90 had a 3.2 na six. Though blind stupidity, I ended up with the car I probably should have sought out in the first instance.
The Maryborough Toyota dealer eventually rang me and said he might be able to help me. I told him it was too late. I still wonder to this day how anyone can possibly buy a new Toyota. If you can’t get any service, or a price or a delivery date, then why would you agree to make a purchase? Back when we bought the merc, we were given a pricelist. We were told that our car and all its selected options would be placed on an order, and the next time they ran aussie spec cars through the factory was a certain date, and then the boat would take 4 weeks after that. It might have been 2 months away, but we had an approximated date. The sales guy even rang me on the day of production to confirm our car had been built and had just left the factory.
Anyway, we have had the Xc90 since then, still have it, and have been very happy with it. The only niggly thing about it is tyre wear. It eats the outside of the front passenger tyre, and to lesser extent the drivers side. Rotating helps, but you have to fit asymmetric tyres to get good life out of rotations. Also, cheaper tyres help, so at least it’s not as expensive when they do wear out. For the last 2 sets we have been happy with, Nankang surpax http://nankangtyres.com.au/tyre/sp-5/
Recently we fitted http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eibach-Front-Camber-Bolts-Volvo-XC90-02-07-/280539992930
I adjusted the passenger tyre to 2 degrees negative and the drivers side to 1 degree negative. This along with rotation has helped a lot. Also it turns in really nicely ! The guy that does our wheel alignments nearly freaked out when he set up his laser equipment on the wheel and it read 2 degrees negative !
I do engine oil changes approx every 10000km rather than the suggested 15000. It does not use oil between changes, and the engine has not yet exploded, to my knowledge. Last week I drove 1000km bundy to townsville, then 1000km back the next day, in complete relaxed Volvo comfort. In my ( now gone ) Ford, I would have to stop every 100km or so to stretch my legs !
Following pic is of the xc90, having been ‘parked’ by my son, back when he was on his L’s.
Next time- the two 940’s
Great story. I am amazed at the Toyota crap!!??
5 days later
First 940GL
When my son was starting on his L’s, I had an old kingswood. He decided that it would be his, so we got to doing it up. However, some local events involving young P platers, and trees, made me decide that a Volvo was better for him than a kingswood. We found what looked like a good 940GL on fleabay, ‘won’ the auction and had it trucked up to bundy. It wasn’t too bad, except for a small ding which we removed with a hammer and piece of wood.
We googled all the common faults, and made a list of everything to replace, to make it a reliable daily drive. I got a quote for all the relevant parts from an aussie supplier. Woah there skippy! The parts quote was almost as much as the car. It was at this point that I discovered IPD. ( right now as I write this, there is a part available from an aussie Volvo supplier for $647 which is also available from usa for AUS$80. Shipping is considerably less than the difference)
Anyways, we got the parts over in approx a week, then spent the xmas break getting the 940 reliable and registered. For the rego we also needed to get a reconditioned steering rack. Ouch. Since then, This car has done several trips to ‘the Ville’ as well as the usual running around and trips to brisvegas etc. It had the coil issue I described in http://ozvolvo.org/discussion/1566/940-coil-question#latest
It also had the famous 4th gear / lockup torque converter fail. ( often referred to as overdrive fault ) We fitted the ipd bypass plate http://www.ipdusa.com/products/4793/110397-automatic-over-drive-solenoid-bypass-kit
When I took off the old solenoid it was obvious that the wiring to it was faulty, so if we like, we could easily get a new ‘noid’ and get the system back to original. Also, we fitted a loud exhaust, to make it more acceptable along Bourbong street on a Thursday night, amongst the lowered utes and the raised utes and the rum-pig utes with 5 posters.
Pic of the 940 visiting the boat ramp.
When my son was starting on his L’s, I had an old kingswood. He decided that it would be his, so we got to doing it up. However, some local events involving young P platers, and trees, made me decide that a Volvo was better for him than a kingswood. We found what looked like a good 940GL on fleabay, ‘won’ the auction and had it trucked up to bundy. It wasn’t too bad, except for a small ding which we removed with a hammer and piece of wood.
We googled all the common faults, and made a list of everything to replace, to make it a reliable daily drive. I got a quote for all the relevant parts from an aussie supplier. Woah there skippy! The parts quote was almost as much as the car. It was at this point that I discovered IPD. ( right now as I write this, there is a part available from an aussie Volvo supplier for $647 which is also available from usa for AUS$80. Shipping is considerably less than the difference)
Anyways, we got the parts over in approx a week, then spent the xmas break getting the 940 reliable and registered. For the rego we also needed to get a reconditioned steering rack. Ouch. Since then, This car has done several trips to ‘the Ville’ as well as the usual running around and trips to brisvegas etc. It had the coil issue I described in http://ozvolvo.org/discussion/1566/940-coil-question#latest
It also had the famous 4th gear / lockup torque converter fail. ( often referred to as overdrive fault ) We fitted the ipd bypass plate http://www.ipdusa.com/products/4793/110397-automatic-over-drive-solenoid-bypass-kit
When I took off the old solenoid it was obvious that the wiring to it was faulty, so if we like, we could easily get a new ‘noid’ and get the system back to original. Also, we fitted a loud exhaust, to make it more acceptable along Bourbong street on a Thursday night, amongst the lowered utes and the raised utes and the rum-pig utes with 5 posters.
Pic of the 940 visiting the boat ramp.
I've bought one of the solenoid bypass kits too for my 1990 740 but haven't used it. The overdrive relay seems to be the issue for my beast. When the OD drops out you can wiggle the relay in it's socket and it works again.
Once again thanks for sharing your experience.
Once again thanks for sharing your experience.
19 days later
Second 940 GL
The time came to get a car for my daughter, so I figured the safest bet to avoid any confrontation was to get her an identical 940 to my sons. It didn’t take too long to find one on gumtree, located in Newcastle. I agreed over the phone with the seller that I would buy it, and then proceeded to book the flights required to get me there.
I knew nothing about Newcastle, other than what can be found on this song -
So, with my limited knowledge of Newcastle, and a torx key set in my pocket, I took the plane from Bundy to Brissie. Once in the big smoke, I had 3 hours between flights, so I sat outside watching all the coming and goings at domestic passenger pick up. That was fun, and I got to know the parking Nazis really well. When I went through the security to get onto my Newcastle flight, they wanted to confiscate my torx set. I asked why, and they said I could use it to disable the plane. If a whole plane can be disassembled with a torx key, then we are in trouble! When I explained that I was on a mission to collect a Volvo from the birthplace of double overhead foxtails and chrome plated grease nipples, the security guy nodded and allowed me and the torx set to continue our quest.
Now, if you ever get to Newcastle airport, which is actually at port Stephens, some distance out of Newcastle, you are faced with an ongoing travel dilemma. There are taxis, which are about $50 to town, or there’s the shuttle bus, which is half hourly, at about $20. Or, as I discovered, there’s also a local bus, number 130 that’s every hour or so and it costs $2. I sat down and waited for the bus as every other passenger on my flight got taxis and shuttles. Half an hour later I got onto the virtually empty bus, and told the driver I wanted to go somewhere down Hunter street, near the Parthenon cafe. He suggested I sit up front with him so he could show me the sights. Best $2 I ever spent south of the Tweed! Turns out the local drug addled footballers ( knights ) were playing that day, so by the end of the trip there was the driver, myself and 40 or so drunken hooligans on the bus, most of whom learnt about hunter street, FJ holdens, and 9 foot tall hells angels for the first time. As I got off the bus, the driver said to me ‘don’t you ever let a chance go by’. I won’t.
I made my way to the home of the seller, it was getting late in the day and I had to get to supercheap before closing. So I had a quick look at the 940. It looked good. The owner said it had a great service history, and the brakes had just been done. The owner insisted we go for a drive, so he took me around the block. The engine was a bit rough initially, but he said ‘ it does that when its cold’. I looked at the temp gauge and it was not cold, but the fuel was low. In-tank pump, I thought. I paid cash and drove straight to the nearest supercheap. When there, in the car park, i started pulling bits apart under the bonnet to compile a list. The key items to fix were- clean the maf, and disable the bloody airbox flappy. Apart from that I got every fluid I could, some rags, degreaser, hand cleaner and fuses etc. It’s a long way from Newcastle to Bundy in a car I am not familiar with. I went to a petrol station, filled up the tank, got some chips and a red bull, checked the air in all tyres, and headed north. It drove great, better perhaps than my sons 940.
The roads south of the Qld border are interesting. I wonder why there are crashes there at all ? The highways are generally divided, so you don’t have oncoming traffic, there are rest stops all along the way, which you can actually access, and which have picnic benches, and there’s actual real toilets that you can use. There’s even those free driver reviver coffee stop things, which are open, and have coffee. However, whilst I was pondering all this, I was overtaken by an idiot in a ludicrously lowered Nissan thing. He was all over the shop and doing well over 160kph. Oh, that’s why there are crashes on these excellent roads.
After a while I was back in Joh’s country, with bumper to bumper traffic, busy avoiding the potholes and getting blinded by idiots who don’t know how to dip their lights. Gotta love it. When I finally arrived home, you should have seen the look on my daughters face when she saw the 940. She was expecting something more like a yellow Saab convertible.
The 940 did the trip without drama, and I didn’t need any of the fluids or tools I prepared. However, it was time now to fully go over it and see what was needed to make it a reliable daily driver. First on the list was an in-tank pump. Second, were new front discs and pads. Didn’t the seller say it had new brakes? Third was, nothing. It turns out that the car was owned from new by a couple, who serviced it religiously. When they departed this life, their relos used the car as holiday transport and never serviced it at all, but luckily didn’t do many miles. The guy I bought it off, had got it from the original people and thought he could just keep driving it without maintenance. The airbox flappy thing, the dirty maf and the buggered in tank pump conspired against him.
I found that the reason it drives different to my sons 940, is that it’s raised a little and has peddlers coils and dampers. Being raised is good on the so called ‘ roads’ here. I never really liked peddlers crap, but in this case it’s a very good set up, for a road car.
When we went to taxation office, I mean main roads, to register it, the number plate produced was 911***. I said to the lady that we should come back in half an hour, as we had a Volvo, not a Porsche. She simply got up and went away, then came back with 940***. I said I was impressed, and she commented that not all public servants are dipsticks. Hard to believe.
My daughter got her P’s last month, and that very day I heard a strange sound from the engine. It was a failed crank pulley. So, a new pulley, and while at it, a new cam belt, some new seals and V belts. We also previously put in the correct coil, as there were some issues with the one that was in it. Of all the cars in our family fleet, this one is the sweetest. For a quick blast and a bit of drama, it’s the 242gt, but to drive some distance in Volvo comfort, definitely this 940.
Pic of 940 the day after it got to Bundy.
The time came to get a car for my daughter, so I figured the safest bet to avoid any confrontation was to get her an identical 940 to my sons. It didn’t take too long to find one on gumtree, located in Newcastle. I agreed over the phone with the seller that I would buy it, and then proceeded to book the flights required to get me there.
I knew nothing about Newcastle, other than what can be found on this song -
So, with my limited knowledge of Newcastle, and a torx key set in my pocket, I took the plane from Bundy to Brissie. Once in the big smoke, I had 3 hours between flights, so I sat outside watching all the coming and goings at domestic passenger pick up. That was fun, and I got to know the parking Nazis really well. When I went through the security to get onto my Newcastle flight, they wanted to confiscate my torx set. I asked why, and they said I could use it to disable the plane. If a whole plane can be disassembled with a torx key, then we are in trouble! When I explained that I was on a mission to collect a Volvo from the birthplace of double overhead foxtails and chrome plated grease nipples, the security guy nodded and allowed me and the torx set to continue our quest.
Now, if you ever get to Newcastle airport, which is actually at port Stephens, some distance out of Newcastle, you are faced with an ongoing travel dilemma. There are taxis, which are about $50 to town, or there’s the shuttle bus, which is half hourly, at about $20. Or, as I discovered, there’s also a local bus, number 130 that’s every hour or so and it costs $2. I sat down and waited for the bus as every other passenger on my flight got taxis and shuttles. Half an hour later I got onto the virtually empty bus, and told the driver I wanted to go somewhere down Hunter street, near the Parthenon cafe. He suggested I sit up front with him so he could show me the sights. Best $2 I ever spent south of the Tweed! Turns out the local drug addled footballers ( knights ) were playing that day, so by the end of the trip there was the driver, myself and 40 or so drunken hooligans on the bus, most of whom learnt about hunter street, FJ holdens, and 9 foot tall hells angels for the first time. As I got off the bus, the driver said to me ‘don’t you ever let a chance go by’. I won’t.
I made my way to the home of the seller, it was getting late in the day and I had to get to supercheap before closing. So I had a quick look at the 940. It looked good. The owner said it had a great service history, and the brakes had just been done. The owner insisted we go for a drive, so he took me around the block. The engine was a bit rough initially, but he said ‘ it does that when its cold’. I looked at the temp gauge and it was not cold, but the fuel was low. In-tank pump, I thought. I paid cash and drove straight to the nearest supercheap. When there, in the car park, i started pulling bits apart under the bonnet to compile a list. The key items to fix were- clean the maf, and disable the bloody airbox flappy. Apart from that I got every fluid I could, some rags, degreaser, hand cleaner and fuses etc. It’s a long way from Newcastle to Bundy in a car I am not familiar with. I went to a petrol station, filled up the tank, got some chips and a red bull, checked the air in all tyres, and headed north. It drove great, better perhaps than my sons 940.
The roads south of the Qld border are interesting. I wonder why there are crashes there at all ? The highways are generally divided, so you don’t have oncoming traffic, there are rest stops all along the way, which you can actually access, and which have picnic benches, and there’s actual real toilets that you can use. There’s even those free driver reviver coffee stop things, which are open, and have coffee. However, whilst I was pondering all this, I was overtaken by an idiot in a ludicrously lowered Nissan thing. He was all over the shop and doing well over 160kph. Oh, that’s why there are crashes on these excellent roads.
After a while I was back in Joh’s country, with bumper to bumper traffic, busy avoiding the potholes and getting blinded by idiots who don’t know how to dip their lights. Gotta love it. When I finally arrived home, you should have seen the look on my daughters face when she saw the 940. She was expecting something more like a yellow Saab convertible.
The 940 did the trip without drama, and I didn’t need any of the fluids or tools I prepared. However, it was time now to fully go over it and see what was needed to make it a reliable daily driver. First on the list was an in-tank pump. Second, were new front discs and pads. Didn’t the seller say it had new brakes? Third was, nothing. It turns out that the car was owned from new by a couple, who serviced it religiously. When they departed this life, their relos used the car as holiday transport and never serviced it at all, but luckily didn’t do many miles. The guy I bought it off, had got it from the original people and thought he could just keep driving it without maintenance. The airbox flappy thing, the dirty maf and the buggered in tank pump conspired against him.
I found that the reason it drives different to my sons 940, is that it’s raised a little and has peddlers coils and dampers. Being raised is good on the so called ‘ roads’ here. I never really liked peddlers crap, but in this case it’s a very good set up, for a road car.
When we went to taxation office, I mean main roads, to register it, the number plate produced was 911***. I said to the lady that we should come back in half an hour, as we had a Volvo, not a Porsche. She simply got up and went away, then came back with 940***. I said I was impressed, and she commented that not all public servants are dipsticks. Hard to believe.
My daughter got her P’s last month, and that very day I heard a strange sound from the engine. It was a failed crank pulley. So, a new pulley, and while at it, a new cam belt, some new seals and V belts. We also previously put in the correct coil, as there were some issues with the one that was in it. Of all the cars in our family fleet, this one is the sweetest. For a quick blast and a bit of drama, it’s the 242gt, but to drive some distance in Volvo comfort, definitely this 940.
Pic of 940 the day after it got to Bundy.
Good stuff! Love a pick up road trip.
An epic journey , pity the girl couldn't go with you for that.
good point Mr. Snoop.
thinking back it would have been worth the extra $ for her to have that experience with the 'old man', while she is still at home. however she did assist with part of the 242gt story.....
thinking back it would have been worth the extra $ for her to have that experience with the 'old man', while she is still at home. however she did assist with part of the 242gt story.....
2 months later
- Edited
been busy over the last few weeks, but finally heres the 242GT story-
242GT
Although my son had the 940, he was keen to get a 240 or similar. A 242gt would be ideal, but most likely out of his budget. Until Jan 2014. There was an ad on gumtree for a 242gt at a reasonable price, and it looked good. Refer this link-
http://ozvolvo.org/discussion/318/sold-gumtree-1980-242gt-in-wa#latest
From memory, the advert said the car was in good drivable condition and was low mileage and rust free. It ticked all the boxes, except that it was on the other side of Oz. We rang the owner and he advised that the car had about 250 000km on the clock, but that the odometer had just stopped working in the last month or so. He also confirmed it was a daily driver in good condition. He went on further to say that his dad is a Volvo mechanic so it was very well maintained. ( Of course, the previous owner could well be reading this, so as always, I am being careful to describe events as accurately as possible. )
A price was negotiated and we sent the money directly to the owners account. He agreed to drive the 242 to a local depot, once the transport was arranged. We found transport via a company that does weekly trips from Perth to Brissie using a fully covered truck. The cost was around $1300, but we had to wait a couple of weeks for a spot on the truck.
Whilst waiting on the transport confirmation we ordered the usual stuff from IPD that on older Volvo would need. Eventually we got the call from the transport depot in Archerfield, to confirm its delivery. We got a permit to drive the 242 to Bundy, and my son, daughter and I made the trip in my daughters 940. We loaded the boot with every tool, fluid and spare we could think of. In the comfort of her 940 we arrived at the depot and saw the 242 parked on the footpath. At this point there were mixed emotions. Having waited so long to see the car and take it for a drive to Bundy, we were excited, but then seeing the car and wondering if it was even the same one as the photos was a worry. A few checks did confirm it was the correct car, but the 8 year old rego sticker, flat tyres and spider webs made me start to think that we had been ‘misinformed’.
We had already paid for the permit, and we didn’t have a trailer, so there was only one option and that was to get in and drive. We checked everything as best we could, and I told the kids to follow me to the nearest petrol station. We would then take the freeway home to avoid being stuck in traffic and potentially having dramas ( I must point out that the previous time I did this was when I bought the kingswood, mentioned in the first Volvo 940 story. I will post the kingswood story below, to give some idea of why we wanted a ‘ daily driver’ and also why we wanted to avoid getting stuck in traffic). The GT drove ok to the petrol station, and having fuelled both cars, we checked the tyre pressure. It had less than 10 pounds in each. Strange ? anyway when we took off with normal pressure, I realized why the owner had no air in the tyres. The suspension compliance was like that of a piece of old cheese.
So we entered the freeway and I got it up to speed, first, second, third, fourth, and now the big test.... I depressed the clutch, flicked the overdrive switch with my thumb, released the clutch, and yey, it did its thing and we were overdriving. Cool. But just then, I looked at the dash and here was a really bright yellow light. Oh shite it’s the bloody oil light. I depressed the clutch and looked in the mirror, expecting to see smoke and oil and bits of Volvo bouncing over the freeway. But there was nothing.
Another look at the dash told the story. The bright light is marked OD, not OIL.
So I let the clutch back out and we continued along. I had noted that the gear shifter was getting very hot, almost too hot to touch. Then we found ourselves in a traffic jam that put us back into first gear for the next hour. In both the 242 and the 940 we worried about overheating, as several other cars succumbed to it and were parked beside the road. It was January midday and the temp was around 33. But we made it, and we stopped at the Burpengary service centre. After we fuelled up cars and bodies, I jacked up the 242 and changed the gear oil, using the correct type F that I brought with us. For the rest of the trip, and to date, the gearbox shifts nicely and does not run hot.
With a couple of more stops along the way, and at a steady pace we made it home without incident. However, once home, when we started to check things over we found out some facts that made the sellers comments appear somewhat less than accurate. Firstly, the car had all the service records from new. It shows that it did massive amounts of travel early in its life, and that the odo stopped at 250000 over 15 years ago. It shows that car had not been serviced for the last 8 or so years, and also the rego sticker indicated it had not been registered for that long either. We found why the ride was hard, because the shock absorbers were totally seized. The fact it was sitting outside for years was also shown by the spider webs, surface rust etc all under it. Well maintained daily driver, with 250000 km on it...NOT. However, it IS a Volvo 242gt. One of the few left, in original condition and worth fixing. So that’s what we set about doing.
We replaced everything that we figured needed replacing, and then got the road worthy inspection done. We even got brand new Pirelli P6 tyres. We now did have a reliable daily driver 242GT. Or so we thought.
The time came for my son to go back to uni at Townsville. So we loaded up all his gear and headed off. I was going to pick up a vehicle up there for someone and bring it back, so I went along. We left about midday, thinking we might get as far as Mackay for an overnight stop ( Bundy to Townsville is just over 1000km and takes about 12 hours non stop, normally). All went well until about 40 km out of rocky. The car started to just die, not wanting to rev, and just dying more when you add throttle. We stopped a few times to gather our thoughts and let it cool down, but we had no answer. Ultimately it was dark and we decided that to break down on the return to Bundy was better than to do so up near Marlborough, so we reluctantly turned around. We got home at about midnight, so it was a 12 hour trip to rocky and back.
Whilst my son was back up north doing the first term of uni ( with his 940 ), I went about ‘fixing’ the 242. The main things I changed were the ignition distributer and the fuel distributer. After some testing I also changed the coil. I gave it a run to 1770 and back, non stop, which was further than it had gone before, and it was all good. We still believe there are issues with both the fuel system and the ignition system, but for now it goes ok. Its been to Townsville and back several times, one trip in 10 hours 45 mins. There’s not many 1980 cars that you would want to do that in. We have since put extractors and a noisy exhaust on it, and currently it’s getting a few repairs done over the summer break. Unfortunately my son has expressed interest in stealing the motor and gearbox from my 240, as it has ‘only’ 275000 km on it. Currently the 242GT is sitting in my garage, whilst my son is at uni, using his 940. tempting.
To sum up, this is a great car to drive. Like a fiat or alfa, but bigger and with Volvo solidity, and without the rust. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of flicking the overdrive switch, or listening to the crackle of the exhaust. It turns heads, which is surprising, as it IS a boxy Volvo. But it’s a 2 door boxy Volvo, with stripes, and that’s not something you see every day.
Kingswood story. Not Volvo related, read at your own peril.
I bought the kingy on fleabay in 2010. I contacted the seller to ask if it was ok to drive from Brisbane to Bundaberg. He said yes it could be driven that far. I bid & won the auction.
Before I paid for the permit to drive it, I rang the seller and again asked about driving it home. He said he would fuel it up, and take it for a test drive. He rang me back and said that it drove well on the freeway and now had a full tank of petrol.
We had combined the trip to brisvegas with another task, and therefore had a trailer attached to our car. This meant there was no ability to use a car trailer for the kingy. It just HAD to drive home under its own steam, or be dumped in the river.
Because the seller was at work when we went to pick it up, the key was left on the sunvisor. We popped the bonnet. WTF and OMG, the fan belt was loose & investigation showed that there were mice nesting in the aircleaner, and that the dizzy was also loose. De-moused the air cleaner and tightened dizzy, but no spark. Found the dizzy was 180 degrees out. Second try and the kingy came out of its slumber.
So off we go, out into the 3pm Friday traffic on Brookfield rd. Idle was rough, so I had to keep the revs up and keep the other foot on the brakes.( it was an auto ) After about 1km, I had to pull over as it was spluttering. We originally thought the fuel gauge must not work, as it showed empty, even though the seller had assured me it had a full tank. He lied, the gauge does work. So, we get fuel to put in the empty tank and we try to start up again. No go. We then pulled the lid off the carby float bowl. To our surprise and amazement, there was a bee stuck the feed to the main jet. Now how does a bee get into a float bowl ??? At least that explained the rough running. At this point it was obvious that the temp gauge did not work. So as a substitute we rigged the radiator overflow pipe such that it protruded up over the bonnet. This way, if it got hot we could see the steam.
With bee removed, and a full tank of fuel, the kingy pulled onto moggill road as it got dark, into heavy traffic. Up onto the western freeway, and then onto Milton rd. Then, at the traffic lights, outside the XXXX brewery, with a police car beside me, and many pedestrians walking in front, the engine overheated, blowing a big cloud of steam everywhere, out of the pipe we poked up from the bonnet. The cops just laughed as I turned on the wipers. Wipers work !
Our agreement was that if the kingy failed, the car behind would just push it off the road. I was prepared for a big shove any time. Luckily it kept running.
We pulled into Milton rd maccas, and ate some sugar/ fat /wheat, while the engine cooled. It was now around 6.30pm and we removed the thermostat, flushed the coolant, and retarded the timing. Off we go again, but with the timing retarded, we could only do 50kph max. Things went well to Aspley. We pulled up and advanced the timing, so now the kingy would do 80kph, but not want to go either faster or slower. So, 80 it was, all the way to Bundy. I nearly froze though, as it was winter and the heater did not work and the vents would not close. I taped up the external vent holes, but still it leaked cold air. But, as it turns out, the seller was accurate, it WAS capable of the trip. ( even if he did lie about the fuel, the mice, the fanbelt, the dizzy the overheating and the bee)
242GT
Although my son had the 940, he was keen to get a 240 or similar. A 242gt would be ideal, but most likely out of his budget. Until Jan 2014. There was an ad on gumtree for a 242gt at a reasonable price, and it looked good. Refer this link-
http://ozvolvo.org/discussion/318/sold-gumtree-1980-242gt-in-wa#latest
From memory, the advert said the car was in good drivable condition and was low mileage and rust free. It ticked all the boxes, except that it was on the other side of Oz. We rang the owner and he advised that the car had about 250 000km on the clock, but that the odometer had just stopped working in the last month or so. He also confirmed it was a daily driver in good condition. He went on further to say that his dad is a Volvo mechanic so it was very well maintained. ( Of course, the previous owner could well be reading this, so as always, I am being careful to describe events as accurately as possible. )
A price was negotiated and we sent the money directly to the owners account. He agreed to drive the 242 to a local depot, once the transport was arranged. We found transport via a company that does weekly trips from Perth to Brissie using a fully covered truck. The cost was around $1300, but we had to wait a couple of weeks for a spot on the truck.
Whilst waiting on the transport confirmation we ordered the usual stuff from IPD that on older Volvo would need. Eventually we got the call from the transport depot in Archerfield, to confirm its delivery. We got a permit to drive the 242 to Bundy, and my son, daughter and I made the trip in my daughters 940. We loaded the boot with every tool, fluid and spare we could think of. In the comfort of her 940 we arrived at the depot and saw the 242 parked on the footpath. At this point there were mixed emotions. Having waited so long to see the car and take it for a drive to Bundy, we were excited, but then seeing the car and wondering if it was even the same one as the photos was a worry. A few checks did confirm it was the correct car, but the 8 year old rego sticker, flat tyres and spider webs made me start to think that we had been ‘misinformed’.
We had already paid for the permit, and we didn’t have a trailer, so there was only one option and that was to get in and drive. We checked everything as best we could, and I told the kids to follow me to the nearest petrol station. We would then take the freeway home to avoid being stuck in traffic and potentially having dramas ( I must point out that the previous time I did this was when I bought the kingswood, mentioned in the first Volvo 940 story. I will post the kingswood story below, to give some idea of why we wanted a ‘ daily driver’ and also why we wanted to avoid getting stuck in traffic). The GT drove ok to the petrol station, and having fuelled both cars, we checked the tyre pressure. It had less than 10 pounds in each. Strange ? anyway when we took off with normal pressure, I realized why the owner had no air in the tyres. The suspension compliance was like that of a piece of old cheese.
So we entered the freeway and I got it up to speed, first, second, third, fourth, and now the big test.... I depressed the clutch, flicked the overdrive switch with my thumb, released the clutch, and yey, it did its thing and we were overdriving. Cool. But just then, I looked at the dash and here was a really bright yellow light. Oh shite it’s the bloody oil light. I depressed the clutch and looked in the mirror, expecting to see smoke and oil and bits of Volvo bouncing over the freeway. But there was nothing.
Another look at the dash told the story. The bright light is marked OD, not OIL.
So I let the clutch back out and we continued along. I had noted that the gear shifter was getting very hot, almost too hot to touch. Then we found ourselves in a traffic jam that put us back into first gear for the next hour. In both the 242 and the 940 we worried about overheating, as several other cars succumbed to it and were parked beside the road. It was January midday and the temp was around 33. But we made it, and we stopped at the Burpengary service centre. After we fuelled up cars and bodies, I jacked up the 242 and changed the gear oil, using the correct type F that I brought with us. For the rest of the trip, and to date, the gearbox shifts nicely and does not run hot.
With a couple of more stops along the way, and at a steady pace we made it home without incident. However, once home, when we started to check things over we found out some facts that made the sellers comments appear somewhat less than accurate. Firstly, the car had all the service records from new. It shows that it did massive amounts of travel early in its life, and that the odo stopped at 250000 over 15 years ago. It shows that car had not been serviced for the last 8 or so years, and also the rego sticker indicated it had not been registered for that long either. We found why the ride was hard, because the shock absorbers were totally seized. The fact it was sitting outside for years was also shown by the spider webs, surface rust etc all under it. Well maintained daily driver, with 250000 km on it...NOT. However, it IS a Volvo 242gt. One of the few left, in original condition and worth fixing. So that’s what we set about doing.
We replaced everything that we figured needed replacing, and then got the road worthy inspection done. We even got brand new Pirelli P6 tyres. We now did have a reliable daily driver 242GT. Or so we thought.
The time came for my son to go back to uni at Townsville. So we loaded up all his gear and headed off. I was going to pick up a vehicle up there for someone and bring it back, so I went along. We left about midday, thinking we might get as far as Mackay for an overnight stop ( Bundy to Townsville is just over 1000km and takes about 12 hours non stop, normally). All went well until about 40 km out of rocky. The car started to just die, not wanting to rev, and just dying more when you add throttle. We stopped a few times to gather our thoughts and let it cool down, but we had no answer. Ultimately it was dark and we decided that to break down on the return to Bundy was better than to do so up near Marlborough, so we reluctantly turned around. We got home at about midnight, so it was a 12 hour trip to rocky and back.
Whilst my son was back up north doing the first term of uni ( with his 940 ), I went about ‘fixing’ the 242. The main things I changed were the ignition distributer and the fuel distributer. After some testing I also changed the coil. I gave it a run to 1770 and back, non stop, which was further than it had gone before, and it was all good. We still believe there are issues with both the fuel system and the ignition system, but for now it goes ok. Its been to Townsville and back several times, one trip in 10 hours 45 mins. There’s not many 1980 cars that you would want to do that in. We have since put extractors and a noisy exhaust on it, and currently it’s getting a few repairs done over the summer break. Unfortunately my son has expressed interest in stealing the motor and gearbox from my 240, as it has ‘only’ 275000 km on it. Currently the 242GT is sitting in my garage, whilst my son is at uni, using his 940. tempting.
To sum up, this is a great car to drive. Like a fiat or alfa, but bigger and with Volvo solidity, and without the rust. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of flicking the overdrive switch, or listening to the crackle of the exhaust. It turns heads, which is surprising, as it IS a boxy Volvo. But it’s a 2 door boxy Volvo, with stripes, and that’s not something you see every day.
Kingswood story. Not Volvo related, read at your own peril.
I bought the kingy on fleabay in 2010. I contacted the seller to ask if it was ok to drive from Brisbane to Bundaberg. He said yes it could be driven that far. I bid & won the auction.
Before I paid for the permit to drive it, I rang the seller and again asked about driving it home. He said he would fuel it up, and take it for a test drive. He rang me back and said that it drove well on the freeway and now had a full tank of petrol.
We had combined the trip to brisvegas with another task, and therefore had a trailer attached to our car. This meant there was no ability to use a car trailer for the kingy. It just HAD to drive home under its own steam, or be dumped in the river.
Because the seller was at work when we went to pick it up, the key was left on the sunvisor. We popped the bonnet. WTF and OMG, the fan belt was loose & investigation showed that there were mice nesting in the aircleaner, and that the dizzy was also loose. De-moused the air cleaner and tightened dizzy, but no spark. Found the dizzy was 180 degrees out. Second try and the kingy came out of its slumber.
So off we go, out into the 3pm Friday traffic on Brookfield rd. Idle was rough, so I had to keep the revs up and keep the other foot on the brakes.( it was an auto ) After about 1km, I had to pull over as it was spluttering. We originally thought the fuel gauge must not work, as it showed empty, even though the seller had assured me it had a full tank. He lied, the gauge does work. So, we get fuel to put in the empty tank and we try to start up again. No go. We then pulled the lid off the carby float bowl. To our surprise and amazement, there was a bee stuck the feed to the main jet. Now how does a bee get into a float bowl ??? At least that explained the rough running. At this point it was obvious that the temp gauge did not work. So as a substitute we rigged the radiator overflow pipe such that it protruded up over the bonnet. This way, if it got hot we could see the steam.
With bee removed, and a full tank of fuel, the kingy pulled onto moggill road as it got dark, into heavy traffic. Up onto the western freeway, and then onto Milton rd. Then, at the traffic lights, outside the XXXX brewery, with a police car beside me, and many pedestrians walking in front, the engine overheated, blowing a big cloud of steam everywhere, out of the pipe we poked up from the bonnet. The cops just laughed as I turned on the wipers. Wipers work !
Our agreement was that if the kingy failed, the car behind would just push it off the road. I was prepared for a big shove any time. Luckily it kept running.
We pulled into Milton rd maccas, and ate some sugar/ fat /wheat, while the engine cooled. It was now around 6.30pm and we removed the thermostat, flushed the coolant, and retarded the timing. Off we go again, but with the timing retarded, we could only do 50kph max. Things went well to Aspley. We pulled up and advanced the timing, so now the kingy would do 80kph, but not want to go either faster or slower. So, 80 it was, all the way to Bundy. I nearly froze though, as it was winter and the heater did not work and the vents would not close. I taped up the external vent holes, but still it leaked cold air. But, as it turns out, the seller was accurate, it WAS capable of the trip. ( even if he did lie about the fuel, the mice, the fanbelt, the dizzy the overheating and the bee)
3 months later
2 long lost siblings finally meet ---- the silver/stripes is my sons 10/80 and the ' black edition' is my latest, 12/80.
<a href="http://imgur.com/PcALUsk"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/PcALUsk.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<a href="http://imgur.com/hVtvKb6"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/hVtvKb6.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<a href="http://imgur.com/PcALUsk"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/PcALUsk.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<a href="http://imgur.com/hVtvKb6"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/hVtvKb6.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
a year later
Now that I have sold my 242, its back to my original plan, the 4 door, when I can afourd it !
It's been in the shed for a while, and my son 'borrowed' a few bits from it, but its still a solid brick.
to get it running it needs- a bit of wiring, a tie rod end, and a replacement warm up regulator ( K-Jet ).
heres a pic of how it looks today.
It's been in the shed for a while, and my son 'borrowed' a few bits from it, but its still a solid brick.
to get it running it needs- a bit of wiring, a tie rod end, and a replacement warm up regulator ( K-Jet ).
heres a pic of how it looks today.
