El Wifeo is enthused about getting Goldy registered, so doing some work on it again today.

Patched up the silver wreck’s handbrake cover, because the original had exploded.

Then realised that we needed holes for the external rear view mirror joysticks.

Knowing that 30 yo plastic is brittle, I tried a few test drills on the remnants of the original console...

They did not go well.... And the tan console felt more flexible than the replacement black console.

Worked out that I could drill a 5mm pilot hole without cracking the plastic, and then use a countersinking bit to drill all the way through. Then carefully use a round file to enlarge the holes enough to fit the joysticks.

Which is how drilling two holes took nearly an hour...

Swapped the tail pipe with the wreck’s one...

Also remembered that I own the one on the left.

Took the tatty car covers off, washed it, put new cover on and it will probably be ignored for another twelve months...

  • 240 replied to this.
    8 days later

    Blue slip today.

    No brake lights, centre rear seatbelt missing, and a bolt missing from the factory strut-to-firewall brace.

    Bolt already replaced, haven't looked at brake lights, and need to decide what to do with the seatbelt.

    The centre seat belt is integral with the buckle for the RHR seat belt. I can't use just this part from the 1987 model wreck because the buckles changed by 1991. Am hoping that the belt from the 940 will work, but ran out of daylight before I thought to check.

    I know that I've said this before, but it drives a lot better than it looks.

    It does drive really nicely.

    I think I had dramas with the middle brake light so possibly the fix on that has gone bad and knocked out the rest?

    No idea on the middle seatbelt either. Definitely not just stuck under the seat or something?

    • Spac replied to this.
      egads (she/her)

      No idea on the middle seatbelt either. Definitely not just stuck under the seat or something?

      Nope!

      Goldy’s in at the bottom of the photo.

      Top of photo is the seat belt from the 1987 wreck - note the different receptacle. The buckles are different, so the whole lot would need to be changed at once.

        Oh wow, that’s weird but the difference makes sense now I think about it

        13 days later

        Swapped all of the rear seat belts with the wreck’s belts.

        Replaced the blown brake light fuse, let the water out of the tail light that caused the fuse to blow.

        El Wifeo went to take it down for the re-inspection this morning and it wouldn’t start! I had a look when I got home and quickly worked out that the fuel pump wasn’t working... Bloody 240s!

        Then it started messing with my head - despite being a 240, the fuel pump relay was working fine. The old trick of bridging fuses 4 & 6 did nothing.

        Suspecting a dead fuel pump, I dropped it down and put power straight to it: worked perfectly!

        WTF is going on here?! Second guessed myself a whole lot, tried the relay from the wreck, went digging for wiring diagrams, etc.

        Long story short, we’d dislodged the connector under the rear seat while we were doing the seat belts. Managed to reach under and wriggle in and the fuel pump fired up instantly.

        This didn’t satisfy me as a long term fix, but no amount of further wriggling can upset it, so I am cautiously calling it good.

        So El Wifeo will take it for the reinspection tomorrow...

        Somebody is more than a little excited...

        Nice angle , I imagine tubbed rear with at least 20" wide wheels on back.......

        6 months later

        Goldie’s kickdown cable got stiff and sticky a couple of months back. Basically made the car undriveable, as it was always in the wrong gear and just sucked.

        We finally made time for it today. Expecting a frayed cable, I was prepared to replace the cable inner but it just turned out to be some rust that we flushed out with a motorbike cable oiler.

        Hardest part of the job was getting the gearbox end of the cable back in, with the exhaust in the way.

        So it drives better than ever. Still fiddling with the adjustment - the published specs that I can find make it drive terribly, so I am just winging it.

        El Wifeo also removed some of the mould from the body. Hardly a showpiece, but does look a bit less ugly.

        4 months later
        Spac

        Also remembered that I own the one on the left.

        Took the tatty car covers off, washed it, put new cover on and it will probably be ignored for another twelve months...

        https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/984/INDZXHY0C1WI.jpeg

        @Spac do you still own that car / do you want to sell it? (Is that "Hippy" that I've seen you mention?)

        • Spac replied to this.
            240

            https://ozvolvo.org/discussion/comment/182616#Comment_182616

            @Spac do you still own that car / do you want to sell it? (Is that "Hippy" that I've seen you mention?)

            Yes that’s Hippy, no he’s not for sale.

            We do have an auto 87 244GL that is for sale. Starts, runs, drives, but needs work for rego (brake pedal goes to the floor is the biggest problem).

              Oh ok. I think this thread (pic below) is where I remembered hippy from and it has a different number plate so I wondered if they were 2 different cars!

              I do kinda prefer the 81-82 body style, but the 87 could tempt me if it's super cheap

                240

                Oh ok. I think this thread (pic below) is where I remembered hippy from and it has a different number plate so I wondered if they were 2 different cars!

                I do kinda prefer the 81-82 body style, but the 87 could tempt me if it's super cheap

                https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/GJ4DYU6JCKRU/screenshot-20210929-224237.png

                No such thing as super cheap 240s anymore, a grand is what one to be wrecked is worth......

                Too many rare parts.

                Too many hipsters......

                  2 years later

                  I actually did some work on a Volvo today!!1!

                  Goldie passed rego last week, so the 17s went back on today.

                  I painted the spacer/adapter plates gold to make them less conspicuous between the gold wheel and the rusty brake rotor.
                  Image description

                  Then I realised that the inside of the wheels is not painted well, so the spacers still stood out…
                  Solution was a quick squirt of gold on the inside of the wheels.
                  Image description

                  It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t stand out anywhere near as much on first look. Image description

                  Also changed the oil and filter and gave it a quick once-over, but it’s driven so little distance that nothing has really changed.

                  Here’s a photo with the 17s fitted, that I should have posted months ago when they first went on.

                  Image description

                  The gold 17 inch wheels look right for this car!

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