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.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Parts Car

My niece wrecked her 1992 Volvo 240 Sedan, so I now have a parts car.  The first thing I did was to take the spare tire.  Unfortunately the battery did not hold a charge--I could have used that.  I plan to remove the window exterior seals as these are much better than mine.  I pulled some of the trim off.

One thing I'd like to do is take the seats out and replace the covers with new covers.  Her seats were much more comfortable than mine. Also there are lots of nice parts I can sell.  It has the Tachometer conversion,  Voltmeter and small clock.  Plus the engine ran good.  I should either sell that or save it.  The clutch and transmission are good.  She wants the stereo in her new car.  Tires are old and not worth anything.  It has lots of nice interior trim, but not in my color.  I may try to salvage teh fuel tank for use on one of my trailers that I'm building into a service trailer for work in the woods.  I would supply gasoline to field equipment.