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.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Center Console Arm Rest

I installed a center console arm rest that I got for free.  It is black and matches my interior.  Installing was a bit of a PITA and needs a little tweaking as it prevents fully releasing the parking brake.  In any event, I love it.  I drove to Washington DC on Monday and back that evening.  I found the arm rest comfortable and it held my arm is just the right position for operating the manual transmission.  It also had four drink holders, two for the front and two for the back seat.  The drink holders lack the flip down parts that prevent a drink from falling through.  However, they are perfect for a tapered paper cup.   I highly recommend this part if you can find one.
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1 comment:

  1. UnknownMarch 14, 2017 at 7:35 AM

    I would like to know how to install this centre armrest to your volvo 240, it is because I bought this from ebay, but I don't know how to install into my volvo 1991 240. Thanks!

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