• RWD

  • K's 1991 240GLE

So I bought this car yesterday from a lovely gentleman. Previous to my ownership it had been sitting for 4 months without rego. With a brief inspection, I found no surface rust, unfortunately I am yet to go underneath and check out the depths yet.



Its a 1991 Volvo 240 GLE wagon with the B230F and an auto transmission. It has 252k on the clock. The car is mostly factory, and there are lots of bits and pieces falling off.



The car does not run, and its due most likely to a very dead battery (after charging with jumper cables it managed to turn the lights on and turn the engine barely). It is missing the passenger seat (used to make an office chair apparently). As i mentioned before, most of the plastic bits that utilised glue are falling off. The seats are leather and very comfy.



The steering wheel is a made in Italy (autotecnica)wheel. I apologise for my lack of knowledge about it, but it replaced the airbag Volvo wheel.



The engine bay is nice and clean.



My current plans for this car is to put in a brand new battery when I can. I want this car to be a reliable daily driver with plenty of room. At this moment that goal is realistically quite close, and I am working on it.

(

There is lining missing from in between the headlight and front bumper? and yeah i've not gone into too much depth but I will definitely be posting updates.

A bit of info on myself, I'm a uni student who's been obsessed with 240s for years now. I don't know much about mechanics so any help I can get I will appreciate greatly. This is my personal first car.



Thanks to jamesinc for advising me through reddit.

Honoured to be a part of ozvolvo!
Good to see it found a good home.
Looks like a great project. I don't think a 91 model would have had an airbag, I've only seen it on 93 models in Australia. I once saw a 91 240GLE being wrecked, the only good seat was the passenger one, and I didn't get it because I didn't think anyone would want one sent! Hopefully it won't be too head to find a seat.
looks good, should clean up nicely
DCW242;67787 wroteGood to see it found a good home.
Looks like a great project. I don't think a 91 model would have had an airbag, I've only seen it on 93 models in Australia. I once saw a 91 240GLE being wrecked, the only good seat was the passenger one, and I didn't get it because I didn't think anyone would want one sent! Hopefully it won't be too head to find a seat.
No worries then, appreciate the concern! To be honest I wouldnt be too hard pressed to find an exact light brown leather replacement seat, when the time comes I think I would prefer seats with more support.

Rob;67788 wrotelooks good, should clean up nicely
Cheers mate!
Just to tease me (I only wanted the rear bench), how is the leather rear bench?

Looks like a good project, have fun.
Looking good, the thing is pretty tidy paint / body wise looking at the pix.

These are pretty simple cars by today's standards, and you can do most of the work at home. If you've not done a lot, OzVolvo will have the answers, and you may even find someone willing to stop by and assist. Just go slow and don't rush, also make sure you have some good quality tools too, using these will make your job infinitely easier.

You will probably find people closer to you than me in Canberra for bits and pieces, but I have a few 240 bits on the front porch and in the trailer that need shifting and a lot of that is plastic stuff from all over the car, including under the bonnet and interior. Message me privately if you need anything.

k-jet.org should have some service manuals there, but also invest in both the Haynes and Bentley service manuals. They'll be your best friend.

Welcome to Team Volvo Kevin. It's a good team to be on, and before you know it, it becomes a lifestyle.
Looks great. A little disappointing that the price paid for it was more than it was advertised for - ignoring the ethical questions that raises in my head, $500 is a good buy. Great work. It'll have loads of potential.
A_Volvo_Driver;67793 wroteJust to tease me (I only wanted the rear bench), how is the leather rear bench?

Looks like a good project, have fun.
The seat itself is in decent condition, there are a couple of miniscule holes. At this moment, however, i'm not going to let it go because Im already missing the passenger seat, and what good is a wagon if i cant seat anyone haha.
paul0075;67797 wroteLooking good, the thing is pretty tidy paint / body wise looking at the pix.

These are pretty simple cars by today's standards, and you can do most of the work at home. If you've not done a lot, OzVolvo will have the answers, and you may even find someone willing to stop by and assist. Just go slow and don't rush, also make sure you have some good quality tools too, using these will make your job infinitely easier.

You will probably find people closer to you than me in Canberra for bits and pieces, but I have a few 240 bits on the front porch and in the trailer that need shifting and a lot of that is plastic stuff from all over the car, including under the bonnet and interior. Message me privately if you need anything.

k-jet.org should have some service manuals there, but also invest in both the Haynes and Bentley service manuals. They'll be your best friend.

Welcome to Team Volvo Kevin. It's a good team to be on, and before you know it, it becomes a lifestyle.
Thank you for the warm welcome!

Im thinking of stripping the interior from the rear and leaving it bare for a while. I will also remove the child seats. The driver side rear door's lock mechanism is broken: the door is permanently locked no matter how i try to open it, and it will require me to take off the inside panel bit to have a look.

What is everyone's thoughts on stripping a portion of the interior? All the plastic parts are either falling off or cracked.
Im also not sure of the legality of stripping the interior. Currently the car is not registered, as I said it needs a new battery, shocks, headlights (they are rusted inside) and possibly some more stuff.
If you're planning to strip the interior, wait till after it's on the road. That said there might be issues with random or yearly rego checks.
paul0075;67819 wroteIf you're planning to strip the interior, wait till after it's on the road. That said there might be issues with random or yearly rego checks.
is it illegal to have a semi stripped interior?
Not sure but the vehicle compliance plate lists the number of seats in the vehicle so there could be some legalese surrounding it
paul0075;67821 wroteNot sure but the vehicle compliance plate lists the number of seats in the vehicle so there could be some legalese surrounding it
Right, Il be sure to look into that.
Klaptrap24;67814 wrote
A_Volvo_Driver;67793 wroteJust to tease me (I only wanted the rear bench), how is the leather rear bench?

Looks like a good project, have fun.
The seat itself is in decent condition, there are a couple of miniscule holes. At this moment, however, i'm not going to let it go because Im already missing the passenger seat, and what good is a wagon if i cant seat anyone haha.
I was talking about before you bought it. A couple of us here were going to go halvies and get was we each needed. I've been after a leather bench for a while, they don't come up very often.

I look forward to seeing updates on your wagon. Hopefully you get it on the road soon and without issues. If you ever do want to get rid of the leather interior (maybe swap it for a cloth/velour one - not sure why you'd do that though LOL), I'd love if you could let me know, and I'll make you an offer.
Having almost bought this for spares, I'm really glad that someone will save this after all, and even more glad that we'll get to see the progress and enjoyment on here! The body is in too good condition to scrap, and the interior parts are very easily replaceable.

In terms of holding on to you in corners, the cloth seats are infinitely less slippery than the leather (unless you drive naked) - it's worth finding one that's not collapsed and trying it out. They're surprisingly comfy over long distances.

I bought an '89 240 wagon in the same colour last July (but in much worse condition), and have gotten almost everything essential sorted. I can speak from the experience of someone without much mechanical knowledge that this site is an extraordinary resource, and the folk here are very knowledgable and willing to lend a hand (and an ear). I asked some pretty dumb questions at the start, and these guys were very patient with me!

Good luck, and looking forward to seeing your progress.
If you want to swap your interior for a very good tan cloth one, let me know. I'll even give you a free passenger seat :)
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