James's 1977 244 DL "Momo"

jamesinc · 2019-07-01T12:34:00+00:00

I flew to Melbourne and bought this non-runner, and had a great time fixing it on the spot and driving it back to Sydney on a permit. Ran out...

jamesinc

Because they're painted rattle can silver, obviously

jamesinc

Up to hi-fill. If you have a keen eye you may notice the weld between the C pillar and roof is gone and the screw hole for the trim plastic too. I think it will make for a nice but subtle visual upgrade.

I've also stripped the bumpers and send them off to be soda blasted. Once I have them back I'm going to get the panel beater to remove a giant flat spot on the top side of the front bumper, then file and sand down a few scratches and take them to be powder coated. I'm still trying to decide between aluminium, gunmetal, or black (semigloss).

I'm also debating leaving the rubber trims off as they aren't in amazing condition and I think the car could look pretty cool without them.

Philia_Bear

Bumpers should be hulk green or gold

jamesinc

Bumpers are back

I also went out to Orange yesterday with @Philia_Bear and @Inski and we managed to extract an M46 conversion from a car at the wrecker there, a 1980 244. The pilot bearing was so seized to the input shaft that we actually separated the races in the process of beating the shit out of the gearbox until it detached. I'm glad it wasn't just me working alone! Not sure I would have succeeded.

Box seems fine, driveshaft needs new u-joints, I'll tear everything down anyway. I'll rebuild the overdrive but will leave the box alone unless there's obvious wear. Will machine flywheel, replace the starter ring as this one is a bit chewed up, and refurb everything. This will all go into Momo in a few months' time, along with the original B21E from my other 1977 244, Amy, once solve the compression leak (probably just head warp, IIRC I didn't surface the deck when I first built that motor. Beginner error!

jamesinc

Heat and bearing puller sorted the bearing race, I had to file down the fingers of the puller as it was a bit too big for this job. Once removed the input shaft cleaned up nicely with some scotchbrite. There were some burrs, and burrs in a machined surface are an excuse for me to break out my set of precision-ground flatstones ? and it has now cleaned up nicely.

Next step I need to clean everything thoroughly then I'll detach the overdrive and open the box up and check everything.

jamesinc

Car is now blocked and waiting for its turn in the paint booth. Sooooooon.

jamesinc

It's getting exciting

Doors are going into the booth on Monday. I'm raiding window seals from a parts car tomorrow and I've got a box of new trims and clips and so on ready to go. I'm just going to fit the latches and glass, lights and bumpers, then drive it home. I want to take my time getting everything else fitted.

Fuck me dead it looks good though. I've had it painted in its original CLR911, which I think is slightly brighter than the previous closed door.

carnut222

Looks great! :)

jamesinc

Spent the morning tearing down Momo's passenger seat. Repaired the broken welds in the frame and repainted the adjuster lever. I also power washed the rails and got them moving freely then lightly greased the tracks and now they glide like butter on a hot skillet. The butt-on-seat switch is broken, I'm sure I have a spare somewhere I just have to find it. I like everything to work properly.

I only got a couple hours in this morning as I had to fire up the BBQ for Mother's Day, I have some seats I got from @ljk346 the seat back foams are pretty done but the bases seem okay and fortunately the base foam is the only piece I need to replace anyway. I'll keep plugging away on this through the week.

I also need to remove some dents from the stainless trims.

I'm also mulling painting the side trims black, but I can't decide if it will look good or not. I think 242GTs had thin black side trims, I assume they are just painted black? But stainless seems like a nuisance to paint.

VolvoHordz

jamesinc
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/2R45J2XQTANW/pxl-20220508-003531032.jpg
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/TK4Q360XZ1DN/pxl-20220508-005028156.jpg
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/GMTP64OO4F8S/pxl-20220508-013056338.jpg
Spent the morning tearing down Momo's passenger seat. Repaired the broken welds in the frame and repainted the adjuster lever. I also power washed the rails and got them moving freely then lightly greased the tracks and now they glide like butter on a hot skillet. The butt-on-seat switch is broken, I'm sure I have a spare somewhere I just have to find it. I like everything to work properly.
I only got a couple hours in this morning as I had to fire up the BBQ for Mother's Day, I have some seats I got from @ljk346 the seat back foams are pretty done but the bases seem okay and fortunately the base foam is the only piece I need to replace anyway. I'll keep plugging away on this through the week.
I also need to remove some dents from the stainless trims.
I'm also mulling painting the side trims black, but I can't decide if it will look good or not. I think 242GTs had thin black side trims, I assume they are just painted black? But stainless seems like a nuisance to paint.

Yeah trim on the 242gt is just the thin chrome painted black.

Maybe use a bit of plastidip to see if you like the look before committing?

AshDVS

jamesinc
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/2R45J2XQTANW/pxl-20220508-003531032.jpg
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/TK4Q360XZ1DN/pxl-20220508-005028156.jpg
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/GMTP64OO4F8S/pxl-20220508-013056338.jpg
Spent the morning tearing down Momo's passenger seat. Repaired the broken welds in the frame and repainted the adjuster lever. I also power washed the rails and got them moving freely then lightly greased the tracks and now they glide like butter on a hot skillet. The butt-on-seat switch is broken, I'm sure I have a spare somewhere I just have to find it. I like everything to work properly.
I only got a couple hours in this morning as I had to fire up the BBQ for Mother's Day, I have some seats I got from @ljk346 the seat back foams are pretty done but the bases seem okay and fortunately the base foam is the only piece I need to replace anyway. I'll keep plugging away on this through the week.
I also need to remove some dents from the stainless trims.
I'm also mulling painting the side trims black, but I can't decide if it will look good or not. I think 242GTs had thin black side trims, I assume they are just painted black? But stainless seems like a nuisance to paint.

VolvoHordz
https://ozvolvo.org/discussion/comment/205500#Comment_205500
Yeah trim on the 242gt is just the thin chrome painted black.
Maybe use a bit of plastidip to see if you like the look before committing?

Thats why 242GTs are cooler than any other spec of 240, right? ;)

It all depends on your appetite for chrome - personally I hate it and have gone to great lengths to rid my own cars of it.

When I bought my Octavia RS (and decided I wasnt buying a brand new one), I narrowed my search criteria to cars where the 'black pack' had been opted for as it replaces the silver roof rails, doesnt have chrome window trims that you could have opted for if you didnt include the black pack, etc.

If it was mine and I was doing bodywork, they'd be black. It isn't though, so do whatever your brain tells you looks the coolest.

jamesinc

Forgot to post the result. So this is original upholstery with foam from an '87 model, I think? Or newer. It's the late style two piece foam base. It fits well, always a bit hair-raising getting the upholstery over the foam as this old vinyl doesn't like being pulled too hard or it tears.

I was also, happily, able to fix the seatbelt reminder switch. There's not much to them, but one of the metal contacts had bent and fallen out of the plastic sleeve it normally sits inside of.

AshDVS

Looks great!

Ex850R

Get some 3M wrap vinyl , those spray ons are a waste of time for so much effort on part like this.

Ive got a roll of sparkly gloss black here , from Stikittome in Melbz.

jamesinc

Yeah I was thinking of doing a test piece. I actually have spare trim so I can experiment.

carnut222

jamesinc
Yeah I was thinking of doing a test piece. I actually have spare trim so I can experiment.

I’m with @AshDVS h - not a fan of chrome! :) On my 1800ES, I blacked out most of it. It has similar stainless steel side trims as the GT. I used “black-out tape” - probably similar to what @Ex850R suggested. That was back in 1990 and it’s held up well. It’s a bit fiddly on the ends (particularly where it’s tapered at the front), but works OK if you can slice it and wrap it all well before installing. I think it would hold up a lot better than paint as it can take a bit of a knock and doesn’t chip.

jamesinc

Alright I think some of this 3M tape is in order

Ex850R

jamesinc
Alright I think some of this 3M tape is in order

Maybe the stuff Greg used which was the real Volvo stuff for tops of doors?

Ye got me going now , I want to attack the chrome on my car now , I've tried plastidip spray and it looked like it would take way too many coats (my time and patience...) , I got out the Pental paint pen and it's ok for colour but soon comes off, not pretty either.

Vinyl wrap or the proper car body sticker.

carnut222

Ex850R
https://ozvolvo.org/discussion/comment/205642#Comment_205642
Maybe the stuff Greg used which was the real Volvo stuff for tops of doors?
Ye got me going now , I want to attack the chrome on my car now , I've tried plastidip spray and it looked like it would take way too many coats (my time and patience...) , I got out the Pental paint pen and it's ok for colour but soon comes off, not pretty either.
Vinyl wrap or the proper car body sticker.

The stuff I used on my ES side trims was just called “blackout tape” specifically for automotive trim. I bought it in the USA back in 1990…it has a matte black appearance, not textured but smooth. The tape below the windows that I used on the yellow 245 was a repro (I believe?) kit my dad bought for his 240 wagon but never installed…probably from somewhere like CVI, Skandix etc. It’s a thicker tape and has more of a texture to it than the tape I used on the ES side trims.

EDIT: I think this was the stuff I used for the side trims on the ES as “Trimbrite” sounds familiar:

https://www.autobarn.net/trimblackout.html

jamesinc

Windscreen goes on tomorrow. They haven't panel gapped the doors yet, the guy asked if I could re-fit all the seals first.

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