Dave and his forever evolving volvos

pigdog

Hey guys figured its easier if i just make one thread for all the volvos i get and crap i do instead of having multiple threads going .

For those of you who don't know, my Volvo addiction started about 2 years ago when i bought a one owner 90 240 sedan for $50 and things quickly spiraled out of control from there . link below if you want to have a look .
https://ozvolvo.org/discussion/5211/my-50-volvo-240#latest

I had been eying off a 92 240 Gle wagon for some time when a mate managed to buy it and presented me with an offer i couldn't refuse , the 92 wagon and a 360Glt for my silver sedan straight swap...

From the start i wanted a wagon and this one was nice , one owner, late model b230fx ,low ks and bloody clean the 360 was a bit rougher and sold non running but its a cool looking little car and the misses needs a daily while we do rust repairs on her 68 beetle so figured why not .

So we shook hands and did the swap, i took the wagon there and then and he took the silver 240 , i started cleaning the wagon cause it had been sitting for about a year and needed a good clean . around 2 hours later i was done and went inside to grab my phone to take some pics and I've got a msg ......"I crashed the 240" followed by these 2 pics ...

I went straight over and checked it out ...... it looks alot worse in person , the whole arse end has shifted over , every gap on the car is different and it feels weird driving like the arse end is trailing off on its own , hes beat it out and it looks a lot better but its fucked .
So much time and effort destroyed ..

The wagon came with 1 month rego and needed a major service which im currently doing , timing belt,water pump, engine mounts etc etc etc

No major plans for the wagon just service and clean the crap outta it and set it up as a solid daily , i will be lowering it cause as it currently sits feels like im going to tip over on turns and handling is just shit in general so i will do all the bushes and get adjustable bars etc and i hate the tan interior it will be going black but it will take some time

Its auto and can stay that way i couldn't be bothered doing another conversion just yet but have been thinking about going +T in the future just to waken the old girl up a bit ;)

I got my Gle grill off my old car figured i finally have a GLE i need my damn grill
i like the look a lot more with this Grill .

Once i finish servicing and cleaning it all up it will come out of the shed and go into daily life and then we start the 360.

It was sold to my mate non running but he was told it was a good runner till the fuel pump went , it came with a new pump and a blue slip.
he installed the pump but apparently it wouldn't start.. hes not really the sharpest tool in the shed so im not overly concerned , its got 209xxxks and full service history up till 2005 everything looks fine at a quick glance .

My misses will daily the 360 for about a year then her beetle should be done and the 360 is mine .
being an 86 model its eligible for club plates so thats the plan club rego it and start having fun with it

Ill update with pics n stuff as i go a

Paul_Roodenrys

Nice looking wagon Dave and the 360 are an interesting little beast. Sorry to hear about the 240, hope you can get a few bits off it for future projects.

pigdog

So its been a bit I've been flat out over xmas and new years all shit hit the fan the day after i started this thread .

The original plan was to daily the wagon and the misses would run her 68 beetles rego out over the next 8 months while i prepare the 360 for her to daily while we do rust repairs on the beetle .
I figured sweet 8 months is plenty of time, well the next day the beetle decided its had enough and was taken off the road and the timeline was pushed up.. :anguished:

I have another car that was used as my daily and was getting replaced by the wagon on the 29th of jan when its rego runs out so we have been sharing that while i smash out the wagon and 360 ready for rego and daily life .

The wagon has been re registered and had a major service , i went over everything .. the flame trap system was clogged shut and the oil separator was split and pouring crap all down the motor, pretty much every vacuum line and hose i found was old and shit so everything was replaced .
It had only ever had water used so it was all rusty and nasty inside 1000 flushes sorted that
its airbox flap was stuck open sucking hot air and all the other usual 240 things were present and some still are .

It had an intermittent maf an 02 code and was running poor i swapped in a known working MAF and that cleared that code and yesterday i put a new O2 sensor and its running much better but we still have a couple issues.
It ticks like crazy, I've gathered the shims and hushers and will be doing that job in a week or 2 and hopefully thats about it .....
Anyway here's the wagon as it sits now..
Its been polished up good, bumpers and trim redone , rear end has lowered kings and turbo boge gas shocks front hasnt been lowered yet so it handles weird and looks shit haha

Now the 360....

This little nugget has fought me every step of the way .
so when i realized i had like 2 months to have this thing rego and daily ready i kinda shit myself, not sure if anyone has realized but i have no real clue what the hell im doing im just winging this shit .
The 360 looked ruff and i had never heard it run , it was a real gamble for us but i figured i would have a crack.

First step was to clean EVERYTHING
I spent a couple days cleaning the interior , exterior and engine bay and when i was done i had a glimmer of hope...... This thing is actually quite nice and the interior is mint .

Now the car had 2 major issues :
#1 it doesn't run!
#2 the hatch hinge has completely rusted out and it wouldn't open or close and was all kinds of jacked up.

So i decided its time to get this nugget started , I needed to know if this whole plan was even going to work.
i was told the fuel pump died and it came with a new pump , it had been installed but still wouldn't work.

I got into it and had a look and figured out they wired the fuel pump in the wrong way around , so i swapped it around and bam it fired right up !!!! It ran good but really rough and needed some love.

The next day i came out and tried to start it and nothing , there's no power at the pump, so after going bat shit crazy for about a day and a half getting it started then it not working then it working, it was driving me mad , we were thinking a bad relay or wire but everything seemed fine anyway long story short it turned out to be a bloody break in the earth wire under the fuel tank , the only part of the wire i couldn't and didn't check, so i replaced that and its never been an issue since .

i checked the timing belt and it looks near new and the water pump is functioning well so i've left it for now as funds are dwindling down real quick , ill do them for peace of mind a bit later when i swap cams
It had new poly engine mounts already so thats a mad plus
I gave it a big service replaced all hoses etc etc and now...................
it runs like a dream everything works and well!!!!!!!!!!!

We got it blue slipped the other day , it blew a radiator hose and 1 brake light bulb right as i pulled into the mechanics driveway haha of course but luckily my guy is good and gave me a minute to get it sorted then it passed and it will be regoed in the next 2 weeks .

The hatch is still all jacked up unfortunately i cant weld and we didn't have the money to get into that right now so i bent up some thick steel to shape and drilled a couple holes and used it as a support it works perfectly i can open and close it and its almost straight haha we will be getting it fixed properly at some point but for now we just wont open and close it .

Soo yeah been bloody busy but we got there in the end ..
There's still a lot of crap i want to do to both cars so got a long way to go but least there's no deadline now .

Major Ledfoot

Great effort!

Sad to see the Beetle on a flat bed though. :(

carnut222

That wagon looks mint! Well done!

pigdog

bgpzfm142;c-153314 wroteGreat effort!

Sad to see the Beetle on a flat bed though. :(

its been coming for a long time its riddled with rust and is falling apart but it will be back better then ever ...eventually

carnut222;c-153315 wroteThat wagon looks mint! Well done!

cheers mate

Spac

...i have no real clue what the hell im doing im just winging this shit .

This is how you learn and how you get stuff done.

Anyone who messes with cars who says they never wing it, is lying or delusional (or both).

Laurie

Good work in getting another 360 GLT on the road. They are becoming a rare breed with less than about 60 registered in Aus, less than 30 in Uk and N Ireland and about 20 in Europe. Although the 3 series is a popular class club racer in Holland. There are a few in Aus that only require a part or two to get them back on the road. Parts are available if you spend a bit of time searching on line. For instance, new rear brake drums and linings are being made in Melbourne. It is amazing what a few minutes on the net can turn up. Have fun!

pigdog

Spac;c-153318 wrote
...i have no real clue what the hell im doing im just winging this shit .
This is how you learn and how you get stuff done.

Anyone who messes with cars who says they never wing it, is lying or delusional (or both).

Yeah ive learnt so much in the last few years , a few years back the simplest job would've been overwhelming now I can go into most jobs with confidence even if I haven't done it before I know ill figure it out and get it done .

Laurie;c-153325 wroteGood work in getting another 360 GLT on the road. They are becoming a rare breed with less than about 60 registered in Aus, less than 30 in Uk and N Ireland and about 20 in Europe. Although the 3 series is a popular class club racer in Holland. There are a few in Aus that only require a part or two to get them back on the road. Parts are available if you spend a bit of time searching on line. For instance, new rear brake drums and linings are being made in Melbourne. It is amazing what a few minutes on the net can turn up. Have fun!

Before my mate got the 360 I didn't even know they existed , its definitely a cool little car , ive managed to find another 360 for parts so I have stripped everything just incase and ive spent bit of time on the net researching parts and mods etc.
They are doing some cool shit to the 340-60s so there are a few ideas floating around for the future .

I really want to get into some kind of motorsport so when the misses is finished with the 360 I was going to club rego it and start taking it to events , we have a local hillclimb I would love a crack at I think the 360 would be perfect

Two_Four_Zero

What went wrong with the beetle? His N Hers Volvos is very cool, nice score!

pigdog

Two_Four_Zero;c-153377 wroteWhat went wrong with the beetle? His N Hers Volvos is very cool, nice score!

It looked like the clutch cable stripped its thread so there's not enough pressure to engage the clutch I got under and threw a huge spacer on it to take the slack up just to get us home but no go something has let go inside .. Its prob an easy fix I can have the motor out and back in in like half hour but I just don't want to deal with that ATM considering there are so many other issues I would fix it and something else would let go the next day so the 360 was the best choice while I was already in Volvo mode doing the wagon.

I think his and her Volvo's are cool the misses doesn't really agree haha she's not a Volvo girl but likes the 360 so that's a start .

Two_Four_Zero

I have a Beetle too, if you need are Sydney based and need a had let me know. Same goes for the Volvos too, of course.
Often the clutch cables will break a few strands, but not entirely through which will give you a weird feeling in the pedal and not quite enough pull to disengage the clutch. You also have to check the curve in the bowden tube (cable outer between the body and gearbox). There are washers between the bowden and gearbox to get the correct spacing.

pigdog

Two_Four_Zero;c-153399 wroteI have a Beetle too, if you need are Sydney based and need a had let me know. Same goes for the Volvos too, of course.
Often the clutch cables will break a few strands, but not entirely through which will give you a weird feeling in the pedal and not quite enough pull to disengage the clutch. You also have to check the curve in the bowden tube (cable outer between the body and gearbox). There are washers between the bowden and gearbox to get the correct spacing.

Oh awesome cheers I'm sure I'll hit you up at some point we are just down Wollongong I don't know alot about the beetles I've had her motor out twice once to do the clutch once to do gearbox mounts but thats it this time around is going to be full on the body needs to come off the chassis and everything redone all the heater channels etc are completely rusted out luckily my partners dad can do all the rust and she knows everything about beeltes so I'm sure it will get one day

pigdog

So thought it might be time to update this soooo much has happened since my last post .

So the 360 got registered and was running great for 3 days before it blew the headgasket and sent me into a world of insanity.
I decided to throw the B230f from my old silver 240 into it cause bugger fixing things and not upgrading right ,
it was an easy swap it just fought me the whole way as this car always has..
while i was there i installed a new clutch kit cause the original pretty much fell apart in my hands when i removed it

So yeah the 360 now has the B230f with K cam and its running great its bloody quick for what it is and a heap of fun .

Since its been back on the road ive been doing a heap of little things to it to get it how i want it .

I swapped on the earlier style front and rear bumpers which i think look 10x better

I've installed some bucket seats

Tinted the front fog lights yellow for extra awesome points

And last but not least i just got some cool little 13" Cheviot mesh rims

I got a heap of poly bushes and lowering blocks from classicswede ill be putting all that in next month, cant wait to get the nugget a little lower , it sits so bloody high as it is then that will be it for awhile while i decide where to go from here .
Im tossing up whether to convert it to LH2.4 and turbo it or staying NA and going down the carby route ...
i like both options .. a angry little NA sounds awesome and a heap of fun but boost would be equally awesome , so i've got a lot of research and thinking to do but for now im just enjoying it .

The wagon is pretty much the same haha i've installed lowered kings and new shocks in the rear and chopped the front to match i will be getting some new struts soon and have kings waiting to go in but its just been pushed aside for abit while i do this 360 the misses has been dailying it and its running great, it has a bottom end knock but its always the same it gets no worse or better it just is what it is .
Eventually ill start the process of swapping in a B230ft but that's a ways away yet .

carnut222

Both cars looking great! The white Cheviot wheels really suit the 360. You’d think 13 inch wheels would look tiny but somehow they don’t look overly small.

pigdog

carnut222;c-161272 wroteBoth cars looking great! The white Cheviot wheels really suit the 360. You’d think 13 inch wheels would look tiny but somehow they don’t look overly small.

Yeah i love them i think they suit the car and are the same era so it suits the look .
i think its cause they have a larger profile tire so overall size is exactly the same , 2kg lighter each wheel though makes a huge difference with no power steering it actually feels light and like a normal car haha

Raebird

Looking good mate, 360 is coming along nicely!

pigdog

Raebird;c-161285 wroteLooking good mate, 360 is coming along nicely!

cheers mate yeah its getting there its come along way from the turd i was ready to give up on glad i stuck with it

pigdog

So been busy working on the 360 over the last week ive done poly bushes all round with 50mm lowering blocks, new front struts with 1.5 coils chopped off stock springs (shouldve gone 2) gaz rear coilovers with adjustable dampers and 160 pound springs .

the car feels totally different to drive everything feels solid and it feels much more stable i cant wait to do a few spirited mountain runs :D

still need to swap in the bigger sway bar with new end links i just need to get some D bushes for it .

ALVO360

I love it!