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, April 25, 2012

Spare Tire

I discovered that while a full sized spare fits in a 240 sedan trunk, it does not fit in my 240 wagon.  I talk to my body shop guy and he recommended trimming some sheet metal to see if it would drop it.  The issue is the tire is too wide.  Tire size is 205-75R15 a bit wider than stock.  I do have a spare from another car I can use, but it is the wrong diameter--slightly, and I don't trust it.  My original spare blew apart in the storage compartment.  I found that this is not uncommon.  The tires were made with sharp edges in the steel core and as the tire deflates, or possible is inflated again, the tire saws itself apart.  So you can see why I would prefer a full sized spare--or else I can ditch the spare, save the weight and get towing insurance.  I lean towards making it fit.  I'd rather try this out on a junker car first before I start cutting metal on my pristine car.  From what I can see it looks like the added space will let the tire drop farther into the storage compartment.  I can trim some metal off the other side up high near the side windows which might help also.  I suppose I could bang out the bottom sheet metal some if I need a bit more space.  This will have to wait a bit as I am busy with other projects.
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