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

Virgo 15" Wheels

I wanted to up-size my rims one size. While I loved the ride and feel of the Volvo on 14 inch rims, tire choice was non-existent. I want to put low rolling resistance tires on Sea Dog, and that wasn't going to happen on 14" rims. I'd been looking around for a while and found a fellow with a Bertone sedan with Virgo rims. I made him an offer and bought them sight unseen. It was a deal. I paid $200 for them, and they turned out to be very nice powder coated alloy wheel. I could probably turn around and sell them for a nice profit, but I won't, I need them. While I was there, he had some Draco rims with snows mounted on them. One of the four tires is a bit worn out, but the others are in nice shape. I swapped my steel wheels, without the hubcaps for the Draco's and his four snow tires. I plan on buying two new snows, and using the extra as a spare--but will need another rim for that. The Draco's need to be stripped and repainted. Another expense, but worth it.
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1 comment:

  1. MilkaWayAugust 13, 2012 at 1:01 PM

    Nice! I've been thinking about getting these, for the same reason of extremely limited tire choice. I miss my Michelins. Plus, the Virgos look nice.

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