A Cult Car

This is a blog on refurbishing a Volvo 240 Wagon-- a cult car that is legendary for its durability. The 5 speeds manual transmission in particular gets great fuel economy, 32.5 mpg is attainable at speeds of 60 mph. Both the sedan and the wagon have plenty of rear leg and head room, even for tall people. Additionally, a tall person can sleep in the back--it is 77" long if the rear seat bottom is removed.

Thick sheet metal make it durable--so is the motor. Volvo took a V8 truck engine cut in half, to make this 4 cylinder engine. It has bearings and rods are designed for much heavy loads and this makes the engine nearly impossible to kill. People can get literally a million miles between rebuilds with regular oil changes and normal preventative maintenance.

The 5 speeds cars are fun to drive. Their durability means it is a smart economic choice to put money into them--they will last indefinitely if maintained. Parts are cheap. They are easy and simple to work on. Police just don't ever pull them over. It is because they like to stay at legal freeway speeds and purr along at 60 mph--so police expect them to be driven slowly. Finally, they are safe--built around a full roll cage. These are the reasons why there are so many are still on the road today.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

New Fuel Filter and Main Fuel Pump


The fuel filter looked like it had not be changed in many years. I decided to change the fuel pump as well since I wanted the car to be highly reliable. I also changed all the fuel lines except the line between the tank and the fuel pump. I plan to install a bigger fuel tank and will change the last fuel line at that time. Notice I dated the install for future reference.

The present fuel tank is 15.63 gallons. I ran it down pretty far recently, so I know it holds this much. I might have run out of gas but didn't fortunately. I want to double my tank size. If I move the muffle back 6 inches, I think I can do that. Stay tuned.
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