I am thinking about taking another trip in my car. Before I do, I need to make a few changes.
First my lumbar support is broken in my drivers seat. I have a kit to repair it. So I need to remove the front seat and take it apart. While I'm doing that, it might be wise to install a heated seat element in it. I have the switches in place. Wiring that up, should be easy. So I need to purchase a heated seat element or a kit for each of the front seats. I always wanted the seat back to be heated also. This is something else I can do before winter.
Speaking of winter. I would really like a limited slip, or locking rear differential. It seems most people are putting True Trac systems in their 240's. That is what I will probably do. Without front wheel drive, I feel I need both limited slip and four snow tires for winter traction. The wagon has a lot of weight in the back, but a few hundred pounds more would help. This is one reason why I want a bigger gas tank on the back. An extra 15 gallons is an extra 100 pounds.
Ham Radio: I find that operating my Ham Radio on long trips makes the miles go faster. This is especially true when the bands are open during sunspot peaks--like right now. I have been collecting pieces for installing my Yeasu FT-8500 in the car. I plan to mount the detachable faceplate near and above the rear view mirror using the screws that secure the mirror mount. I'd like to fit the rest of the radio under one of the seats or behind the middle console dash. Since it is a dual band, I'd like to mount a speaker for each band underneath the dash. It is important to me that anything installed be neat, and hidden away as much as possible. I don't want wires everywhere.
HF Ham Radio: I have a second ICOM 706 radio, that works on the HF Bands. I'd like to figure out where to mount this radio. Like the Yeasu, it has a detachable face plate, so I can put the control head on the dash, or perhaps up with the Yeasu control head---out of sight, and mount the radio under the dash. It too might need a separate speaker.
Radio Antenna's: While I could use a magnetic mount for the short term. I'd prefer a through the roof mount for my dual band antenna. On my old K5 diesel Blazer, I drilled a hole in the roof and stiffened up the sheet metal with a 7" circular saw blade. It worked fantastic. I'd like to do something like that on the Volvo. Perhaps I'll wait until I decide to insulate the roof for that job. My Icom can operate on VHF and HF. It would be nice to have an antenna switch to allow me to use a 6 meter 1/4 wave antenna, a 102" whip for 10 meters, or a Ham stick for 40 or 80 meters. I don't want to have too many antenna's. Perhaps a mount in which I could remove and swap antennas would work for the HF bands. And a dedicated antenna for 2 meters and 70 cm, and another for 6 meters.
Internet Access and WiFi: I'd really like to have a high gain WiFi antenna. This could actually be inside the car or perhaps outside mounted opposite to the FM radio antenna. Hooked up to a 1 watt amplifier, I could pull in some solid WiFi, wherever I can find free access. Then I could create my own hotspot. I could also do this though my iPhone, if I pay for tethering.
iPhone mount. I'd like to mount my iPhone so that it is fixed with the camera pointing forward, so I can record a video of anything interesting on the road. I'm not sure where I'll mount this yet. I'm leaning towards the dash, just above the steering wheel. This will be easier to plug into my stereo also.
GPS Mount. I have had this on the windshield, but I don't like it being visible there. I have been experimenting with placing it in the ash tray. I don't smoke and don't use the ash tray for anything. This location is working out well. I am getting GPS signals there. I would like to make the mount more permanent and solid.
The drivers door seals needs to be replaced--this is essential, and should be a cheap fix. I might just take it to a body shop, and I've fussed with this sort of thing before without success.
After this, there are only a few more things I'd like to do--all non essential.
Sound Insulation: I'd like to Dynamat the doors and tailgate to quite it down. It is a noisy car. I would also like to do the hood and the floors of the passenger compartment. I may use some other product for the floors. This is not as hard as it sounds. But since I will have the carpeting out of the car, it makes sense to replace it with new carpeting. My present carpet is ok, but I'd like something fresher.
Temperature insulation: I'd like to spray foam insulate the ceiling.
Power Seats: The Volvo seats, when the lumbar support is working are pretty comfortable. Still I have used 10 way power seats in my pickup truck. Those were so comfortable, since I could adjust them easily and change positions, that was able to drive 1500 miles non-stop in 23.5 hours. I could not have done this without good seats. So, I will keep a lookout for a set of black Silverado 10 way power seats. First I'll measure the ones in my pickup truck and get an idea if they will fit. I will also explore other options like the Lincoln 10 way power seats. With this in mind, I will try to mount my Ham Radio somewhere other than under the seat.
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