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

Tailgate wiring and new Antenna

Swapping in a new radio antenna, purchased from Volvo was $65. I could have done better at a junk yard or eBay. I later saw one for $10.

A bigger problem was to rewire the tailgate. While there I discovered the wiper motor was missing two bolts and the whole thing was loose (Ppictured). I found one of the screws and tightened it up--no more rattling sounds.




The wiring used by Volvo is very finely stranded copper. I chose to snip out a section to reuse at the hinge. Splicing in a new section of wire was straight forward but time consuming. I had to remove one hinge at a time, propping up the tailgate with a 2x4 board. Afterwards, I needed a little bit of adjustment to make it fit right. Now it works great. I have a rear washer, rear wiper, and all lights--parking, brake, turn signals, rear fog lights, and backup lights work. A very satisfying job.
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