Clive740

https://ozvolvo.org/discussion/comment/201468#Comment_201468

Thanks, it is a lovely old thing.

It wasn’t cheap, but the nice older gentleman I bought it from had spent a lot of money on the car, much of which was simply because he was just very finicky, and wanted it to stand out.

And I paid less for the Volvo than I sold my old Datsun Bluebird for. So I’m comfortable with the price I paid and the more I get to know the 740, I can see it’s been very well cared for.

https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/uploads/RP75L5XUHLSN/e968b141-27ad-4759-9904-392db580335c.jpeg

The Datsun was a hark back to the 1600 and that was a great thing, would like a Bluebird for fun!

      Ex850R

      https://ozvolvo.org/discussion/comment/201470#Comment_201470

      The Datsun was a hark back to the 1600 and that was a great thing, would like a Bluebird for fun!

      If the Bluebird was a manual, I would never have sold it.

      The Volvo feels happy to be auto, but the Bluebird always felt like it wanted to be manual.

        Roinik

        Volvos come alive when manual, especially redblocks.

        Especially 16 valves. Livens them up so much. Although this would be a nice cruiser just to stick to automatic

          Hey @Clive740 - do you want 3 spare hub caps to suit your wheels?

          I found 3 surplus ones in my storage shed in Lawson which you're welcome to have as freebies. Next time I'm back on the mainland, I'll let you know and you can pick 'em up if you want 'em.

            Major Ledfoot

            Hey @Clive740 - do you want 3 spare hub caps to suit your wheels?

            I found 3 surplus ones in my storage shed in Lawson which you're welcome to have as freebies. Next time I'm back on the mainland, I'll let you know and you can pick 'em up if you want 'em.

            I’m always happy to find free spares. Thank you very much.

              Sweet. I've give you plenty of warning when to drop by, since the timeframe will be pretty tight to do the pickup.

              7 days later

              So I took the 740 in to my local mechanic this morning to get it up on a hoist and give it a thorough check over. We spent nearly 1.5 hours going over it with a fine tooth comb.

              I’m pleased to say, the news is pretty damn good. The only things he recommends to be done in the short term are exactly what I had already identified myself.

              *** His should do list;

              Front and rear struts and shocks. ( car still has original OE items)

              Front brake rotors are slightly warped.

              Front sway bar links and bushes.

              *** His could do list;

              Lower ball joints. ( no play in them, but may as well while front end is out)

              Other than that he struggled to find fault with the car and pointed out things that showed how well maintained the car has been.

              The cooling system appears to have been given considerable attention. The coolant is correct, hoses and water pump look to have been replaced at some point and although the radiator looks to be original, it is in excellent condition. The power steering pump also looks to have been replaced/overhauled.

              Steering rack has been done, also the brake master cylinder appears to have been overhauled.

              He inspected the cars underbody closely and concluded, that although it looks a little dirty, it is all original and rock solid with no signs of any structural repairs. That’s always good to hear!

              I will probably go further than his list in regards to brakes and suspension etc, and for piece of mind look at the cooling system more closely. But I’m very pleased that there isn’t really anything that needs urgent attention.

              Another note was the exhaust is looking very old, but is genuine Volvo. His opinion is that it may still be the factory original. I wouldn’t have thought that it could be after 32 years, but I suppose it could be possible if it has had a very sheltered life. Can anyone confirm if these had stainless systems fitted in 1990 from the factory?

              I’ll start stockpiling some parts now, in preparation for a mechanical freshen up in the near future.

              The timing belt on 16V engines is an item which must not be ignored.

              Every 80K km, it must be replaced to avoid great expense with mashed valves.

              A very useful resource for 7/9 owners is this the online publication below, which covers most things that go awry with these cars.

              https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/FAQSummary1.html

                As above,

                I would also pay special attention to the balance shaft belt (I cut it off on my B234 cars as it isn't needed and can derail the cam belt if it breaks), the oil pump pulley (replace it with the updated thicker item), and the oil pump pulley bolt (I bought a 12.9 grade bolt and washer and torqued it to 55Nm with loctite)

                They are a very reliable engine provided you prevent the bad things happening.

                Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

                  Major Ledfoot

                  The timing belt on 16V engines is an item which must not be ignored.

                  Every 80K km, it must be replaced to avoid great expense with mashed valves.

                  A very useful resource for 7/9 owners is this the online publication below, which covers most things that go awry with these cars.

                  https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/FAQSummary1.html

                  Yep, the timing belt would have been a must, but it was done by ColVol at Campbeltown the month before I bought it.

                    ramrod

                    As above,

                    I would also pay special attention to the balance shaft belt (I cut it off on my B234 cars as it isn't needed and can derail the cam belt if it breaks), the oil pump pulley (replace it with the updated thicker item), and the oil pump pulley bolt (I bought a 12.9 grade bolt and washer and torqued it to 55Nm with loctite)

                    They are a very reliable engine provided you prevent the bad things happening.

                    Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

                    We are going to look at these detail items at the next routine service. The idea of today’s inspection was mainly to identify things that aren’t usually checked at routine services. Although my mechanic knows to check all those things for me because I’m pedantic about keeping on top of them.

                      2 months later

                      Update on the morning of departure for the nationals.

                      I ordered new Brembo brakes front and back, Sachs shocks, ball joints etc etc, the brakes arrived quickly but nearly two months later I’m still waiting for everything else. I booked the car in with my mechanic last week to get the brakes sorted before the trip to nationals.

                      The rears fitted perfectly, but the fronts didn’t. A 1990 16V 740 should have 280mm x 26mm front rotors so I assumed it was a no brainer. The Brembo rotors bolted on without a problem, but the callipers wouldn’t fit over them. At closer inspection we discovered that my car was fitted with 287mm x 22mm rotors from a Turbo 740.

                      After three days of annoying messages to and from the supplier because nobody wants to use a telephone anymore, they could replace the Brembo’s with 287mm Protex rotors. But not until April.

                      So I prepared the car for nationals with my shitty old brakes reinstalled.

                      Then yesterday afternoon the supplier messaged me to say the new rotors were ready for collection. For **** sake!

                      I rushed down to Smithfield and swapped them over. Because my mechanic is such an awesome bloke and knows how frustrating parts for older cars can be, he is going to install them this morning before I head up the coast.

                      So at least I’ll have nice new brakes for the trip even if I still have 32 year old floaty suspension.

                      BLOODY AWSOME, SAWTELL HERE I COME !

                      The rears fitted perfectly, but the fronts didn’t. A 1990 16V 740 should have 280mm x 26mm front rotors so I assumed it was a no brainer.

                      Tip: Always check the rotor thickness before making a parts order - checking rotor thickness with venereal calipers is easier than measuring a difference of 7mm in diameter with the rotors on the car.

                      These are now 30+ year old, multiple owner cars, and anything could have been changed to something non-OE over the years.

                      Yep, just like my 145 has vented discs. People change stuff for 'improvements'.

                      22 days later

                      I love it when new bits arrive.

                      My FCP Euro order arrived today and only took 9 days from ordering to the front door including the Easter weekend.

                      The Sachs suspension parts I ordered through Sparesbox (Big mistake) took 2 months. They finally arrived the day after the FCP order was dispatched, only to discover that the front struts were now on back order with no available eta.

                      NOT HAPPY JAN !!!

                      I would have added them to the FCP order if Sparesbox were honest with me , but the bastards told me they were on the way to me. So I told them to shove it and got a refund and ordered KYB’s from someone else.

                      Ive got some stuff comeing from the UK too, and then when the plastic fantastic card recovers I need to start getting the cooling system hoses and parts to go with my new radiator.

                      It’s like Christmas again!

                      ????????????

                      Outstanding condition, lucky man. Thats the best condition drivers seat Ive seen, hardly a crease in the leather.

                      Treat it nice.

                        I usually source struts from FCP or RockAuto, both are pretty hard to beat for price + shipping.

                        Also great car! Been meaning to say that since seeing it at Nationals. I used to drive a 740 Turbo wagon, 7s and 9s are criminally under-rated!

                          jamesinc

                          I usually source struts from FCP or RockAuto, both are pretty hard to beat for price + shipping.

                          Also great car! Been meaning to say that since seeing it at Nationals. I used to drive a 740 Turbo wagon, 7s and 9s are criminally under-rated!

                          Yeah, I ordered the struts and shocks etc in February, well before I started thinking about putting an order together from FCP. The idea was to get the suspension sorted before the road trip to Sawtell hahaha. Well that didn’t happen.

                          Now that I’ve dealt with FCP, I won’t bother with the donkeys at Sparesbox again.

                          As far as 740’s being underrated, that’s okay, I like the underdog.

                            Anthony

                            Outstanding condition, lucky man. Thats the best condition drivers seat Ive seen, hardly a crease in the leather.

                            Treat it nice.

                            As soon as I saw the condition of the interior, I knew I had to have it.

                            It gets treated very well. It’s just a play thing.

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