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, June 2, 2013

Ham Radio Antenna

I pulled my headliner out and measured carefully to cut a 5/8" hole in the middle of the car on the roof.  While the sheet metal is thick, it was not thick enough.  I used an old saw blade to reinforce the roof. 

I tried a couple of dual band, 2m/70cm band antenna and finally decided to order a new black antenna to match the trim on the car.  It looks good. 

I have the Yeasu FT-8500 radio mounted to a spare ash tray.  I will be moving it somewhere out of the way, and using a remote separation kit to put the control head above the rear view mirror.  I want a stealthy appearance.

I also orders some RAM Mount hardware to attach my GPS to the mirror.  I've run the wires for this, along with my antenna wire down behind the trim.  I need to hard wire this in, along with my tire pressure sensors.  I also need a new stereo antenna.

Still to do, fix the power mirror wiring.  I have another set of mirrors and wiring, so I should be able to use the switches or something.  Someone broke the driver side mirror.  It is still there but shakes in it's mount.

Finally, the car has been giving me trouble starting.  It seems to be the fuel pump relay.  I need to pull one out of the parts car and install it, while keeping the original for a spare. I may try to open up the spare and check the solder joints.  Perhaps I'll buy a new relay, and use the junk car relay for a spare.
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