Volvo 240 Resto, Modified Vauxhalls & Suzuki Jimny
Discussion
The Volvo
Hello and welcome to my thread! So in my 8 years driving, I've had a few cars, some permanent, and some projects, and I thought I'd use this forum as a way to document it all in one place! I'll introduce you to the three permanent members here and go through their stories later in the thread, alongside the short term project cars. So, here's the main one.
This is my beloved 1992 Volvo 240 SE Estate, and it's the second car I've owned (bought it at age 20). Made from '75-'93, this is one of the last made. It's a 2.0 litre petrol 8 valve, 5-speed manual with around 110bhp and a blue velour interior.
So, I've owned this old barge since August 2015, and over the coming posts, I will go over it's story.
The Corsa
This sorry looking little heap is my first car. It looks worse than it is. It's only got 70,000 miles and underneath it's a decent little car! Either way, I love it, and after 8 years with it I can't bear to get rid of it. It's a 2002 Vauxhall Corsa with a 973cc 3 cylinder, making no power at all. As a male in my twenties it's obviously modified and ruined, but again, I love it. I started driving it in September 2013 and have been slowly ruining it since.
The Combo
Yep, there will be a theme in this thread, and as much as Volvo is my favourite brand, I've owned 6 Vauxhalls. So, this is my van. I run my business from it as a mobile valeter/detailer. It's a 2010 Vauxhall Combo 1.3CDTi (so, a Fiat engine) with 75bhp as standard, up to 95bhp with a remap. It's the vehicle I spend the most time in, so naturally it's modified, but mostly to make it nicer to drive. I bought it in March 2017 and at 11 years old, it's hopefully the newest car I'll ever own.
So, those are my cars, and over the coming posts I will go over the restorations and modifications made.
Hello and welcome to my thread! So in my 8 years driving, I've had a few cars, some permanent, and some projects, and I thought I'd use this forum as a way to document it all in one place! I'll introduce you to the three permanent members here and go through their stories later in the thread, alongside the short term project cars. So, here's the main one.
This is my beloved 1992 Volvo 240 SE Estate, and it's the second car I've owned (bought it at age 20). Made from '75-'93, this is one of the last made. It's a 2.0 litre petrol 8 valve, 5-speed manual with around 110bhp and a blue velour interior.
So, I've owned this old barge since August 2015, and over the coming posts, I will go over it's story.
The Corsa
This sorry looking little heap is my first car. It looks worse than it is. It's only got 70,000 miles and underneath it's a decent little car! Either way, I love it, and after 8 years with it I can't bear to get rid of it. It's a 2002 Vauxhall Corsa with a 973cc 3 cylinder, making no power at all. As a male in my twenties it's obviously modified and ruined, but again, I love it. I started driving it in September 2013 and have been slowly ruining it since.
The Combo
Yep, there will be a theme in this thread, and as much as Volvo is my favourite brand, I've owned 6 Vauxhalls. So, this is my van. I run my business from it as a mobile valeter/detailer. It's a 2010 Vauxhall Combo 1.3CDTi (so, a Fiat engine) with 75bhp as standard, up to 95bhp with a remap. It's the vehicle I spend the most time in, so naturally it's modified, but mostly to make it nicer to drive. I bought it in March 2017 and at 11 years old, it's hopefully the newest car I'll ever own.
So, those are my cars, and over the coming posts I will go over the restorations and modifications made.
The Volvo
August 2015
So, in Summer 2015 I was looking around for a second car. My Corsa and its asbo exhaust wasn't going anywhere, but I wanted something more interesting. Something different to the usual second car a 20-year-old male purchases - an Audi A4 2.0TDi with tinted lights and black badges.
Being raised on Gran Turismo I had a soft spot for the 240. Plus, my late grandfather had owned a 740 or two in his time, so an old Volvo appealed to me. At the time I was working at a dealership on the service desk, and there was a 1991 Volvo 740 saloon at the back of the yard. I thought that it would make an entertaining purchase, but my pirate of a boss was being too coy about the price he wanted - I don't deal with people who don't give a straight answer (so, salesmen in general). That was that, then, I thought.
But by chance, next door to where I worked, another Volvo sat unused. A 240 estate! The two guys that run the unit noticed me looking at it and approached me. They told me it was for sale, but there was another potential buyer, who wanted to finish the car off banger racing. So, I asked what the issues were, and I was told the brake was stuck and it was rusty. I then asked how much the owners wanted for it. The next day, I walked over with £250 cash and the Volvo was mine. I couldn't very well let it get smashed to bits, could I?
So, first I washed the bird crap off and got it serviced.
At 187,000 miles, she'd had a difficult life. The rust in the rear wheel arches (as well as floor, rear valance and sills) was going to cost much more than what the car was worth. The exhaust was bent, some of the side trims on the doors were missing, and the bodywork was crap. But, after a short drive, I wanted to fix all of it. There were a few mechanical jobs to do before I sent the car away for welding. Cambelt, tensioner, ball joint and a fuel pump relay (which was starting to prevent the car starting).
Spring 2016
After a few months with the car I was ready to send it off to have the rust sorted. Unfortunately things went to hell. So, that dealership I worked for was part of a family run franchise, and one of the other dealers was a Volvo main dealer. I figured they'd know best when it came to the welding, and left the car with them, with some repair panels supplied by Brookhouse (Volvo specialists) so they wouldn't have to do any panel beating. After three months with the dealer, this is what came back, just in time for my 21st birthday.
The top photo was actually the better of the two rear arches. They'd warped the other side from heat damage. The bottom photo is the inside of the boot lip. The bit I'd asked them to do was the massive rust hole behind the rear bumper, but they ignored that entirely. To add insult to injury, the underseal (rustproofing in other words) they'd put on the inner wheel arches peeled off after FIFTEEN miles. For this, they charged me £1500. One thousand, five hundred of her majesty's pounds. They also claimed this was with an employee discount.
This was a low-point in my life. I was in a pretty bad place. I worked a 52-hour-a-week job that I never applied for on minimum wage, was treated like crap by my boss, my manager and the customers alike. To top it off, my car had now been bodged and I was expected to pay 10% of my annual salary for it.
So, I took it back and complained. The service manager there pleaded complete ignorance and the bodyshop claimed that they were told it would be a basic patch to scrape the car through an MOT. There were three distinct flaws in that claim, the first being that the car already had an MOT, the second being that they charged me £1500, and the third being when first requesting a quote for the work, I specifically said "I've fallen in love with the car and I want it restored".
Anyway, the agreement that we came to is that they would rub it down, filler it smooth and prep it for the eventual respray, and I would still pay £1500. I'm still not happy to this day that the welding had been done wrong, but it looks original and the weld is if nothing else functional. Here's how it came back.
It looked better, and the welding was functional, but I still felt like an idiot. They'd swindled me for more money than I'd ever spent in one go before, and they were my employers. I desperately wanted a different job, but couldn't find one. Still, things would soon improve for the 240.
August 2015
So, in Summer 2015 I was looking around for a second car. My Corsa and its asbo exhaust wasn't going anywhere, but I wanted something more interesting. Something different to the usual second car a 20-year-old male purchases - an Audi A4 2.0TDi with tinted lights and black badges.
Being raised on Gran Turismo I had a soft spot for the 240. Plus, my late grandfather had owned a 740 or two in his time, so an old Volvo appealed to me. At the time I was working at a dealership on the service desk, and there was a 1991 Volvo 740 saloon at the back of the yard. I thought that it would make an entertaining purchase, but my pirate of a boss was being too coy about the price he wanted - I don't deal with people who don't give a straight answer (so, salesmen in general). That was that, then, I thought.
But by chance, next door to where I worked, another Volvo sat unused. A 240 estate! The two guys that run the unit noticed me looking at it and approached me. They told me it was for sale, but there was another potential buyer, who wanted to finish the car off banger racing. So, I asked what the issues were, and I was told the brake was stuck and it was rusty. I then asked how much the owners wanted for it. The next day, I walked over with £250 cash and the Volvo was mine. I couldn't very well let it get smashed to bits, could I?
So, first I washed the bird crap off and got it serviced.
At 187,000 miles, she'd had a difficult life. The rust in the rear wheel arches (as well as floor, rear valance and sills) was going to cost much more than what the car was worth. The exhaust was bent, some of the side trims on the doors were missing, and the bodywork was crap. But, after a short drive, I wanted to fix all of it. There were a few mechanical jobs to do before I sent the car away for welding. Cambelt, tensioner, ball joint and a fuel pump relay (which was starting to prevent the car starting).
Spring 2016
After a few months with the car I was ready to send it off to have the rust sorted. Unfortunately things went to hell. So, that dealership I worked for was part of a family run franchise, and one of the other dealers was a Volvo main dealer. I figured they'd know best when it came to the welding, and left the car with them, with some repair panels supplied by Brookhouse (Volvo specialists) so they wouldn't have to do any panel beating. After three months with the dealer, this is what came back, just in time for my 21st birthday.
The top photo was actually the better of the two rear arches. They'd warped the other side from heat damage. The bottom photo is the inside of the boot lip. The bit I'd asked them to do was the massive rust hole behind the rear bumper, but they ignored that entirely. To add insult to injury, the underseal (rustproofing in other words) they'd put on the inner wheel arches peeled off after FIFTEEN miles. For this, they charged me £1500. One thousand, five hundred of her majesty's pounds. They also claimed this was with an employee discount.
This was a low-point in my life. I was in a pretty bad place. I worked a 52-hour-a-week job that I never applied for on minimum wage, was treated like crap by my boss, my manager and the customers alike. To top it off, my car had now been bodged and I was expected to pay 10% of my annual salary for it.
So, I took it back and complained. The service manager there pleaded complete ignorance and the bodyshop claimed that they were told it would be a basic patch to scrape the car through an MOT. There were three distinct flaws in that claim, the first being that the car already had an MOT, the second being that they charged me £1500, and the third being when first requesting a quote for the work, I specifically said "I've fallen in love with the car and I want it restored".
Anyway, the agreement that we came to is that they would rub it down, filler it smooth and prep it for the eventual respray, and I would still pay £1500. I'm still not happy to this day that the welding had been done wrong, but it looks original and the weld is if nothing else functional. Here's how it came back.
It looked better, and the welding was functional, but I still felt like an idiot. They'd swindled me for more money than I'd ever spent in one go before, and they were my employers. I desperately wanted a different job, but couldn't find one. Still, things would soon improve for the 240.
Stevie Wonder could have done a better job…
The Volvo
July 2016
So, after the nightmarish experience with the main dealer I had to find somewhere else to do the respray. I'd heard good things about a self employed guy who has his own spray booth, so I went for a quote. I'd already had a quote from a classic car restorer. Apparently a very well known company. Some amazing stuff they do, but you pay a price. My price would have been about 8 grand. After all the issues with the welding, I needed to be at least a little bit reasonable with my money. I'd also heard that they had a reputation for inflating the price after the fact, too.
Anyway, the quote was reasonable, so I left it with him. After a week or two, here was his progress.
It was nice to see a good job being done for a change. I ended up having to get a new rear bumper cover(the old one was dented), along with some new fixing clips for the bumpers and trims, new side repeaters and some other small bits. I dropped them off about 2 or 3 weeks into the job. This is what greeted me.
I was giddy seeing the car like this! I was so glad the car was finally getting some attention from someone who actually knew what they were doing.
August 2016
Ready for the Volvo's 24th birthday, the respray was complete!
Next on the list was to remove the rusty old towbar and replace the missing side trims (you can see the ridge on the car just below the door handles where the trims are supposed to go).
I could barely lift the towbar, so the car definitely shed a decent few kilos. I also cleaned the angle grinding dust out of the interior (forgot to get pictures). Somewhere around this time a problem with melting fuses appeared, which turned out to be the in-tank fuel pump. By fixing that we managed to break the fuel sender. Woops.
Next, I took the car back to the bodyshop. This time, I had the front chin spoiler colour coded.
The 240 was coming together nicely.
July 2016
So, after the nightmarish experience with the main dealer I had to find somewhere else to do the respray. I'd heard good things about a self employed guy who has his own spray booth, so I went for a quote. I'd already had a quote from a classic car restorer. Apparently a very well known company. Some amazing stuff they do, but you pay a price. My price would have been about 8 grand. After all the issues with the welding, I needed to be at least a little bit reasonable with my money. I'd also heard that they had a reputation for inflating the price after the fact, too.
Anyway, the quote was reasonable, so I left it with him. After a week or two, here was his progress.
It was nice to see a good job being done for a change. I ended up having to get a new rear bumper cover(the old one was dented), along with some new fixing clips for the bumpers and trims, new side repeaters and some other small bits. I dropped them off about 2 or 3 weeks into the job. This is what greeted me.
I was giddy seeing the car like this! I was so glad the car was finally getting some attention from someone who actually knew what they were doing.
August 2016
Ready for the Volvo's 24th birthday, the respray was complete!
Next on the list was to remove the rusty old towbar and replace the missing side trims (you can see the ridge on the car just below the door handles where the trims are supposed to go).
I could barely lift the towbar, so the car definitely shed a decent few kilos. I also cleaned the angle grinding dust out of the interior (forgot to get pictures). Somewhere around this time a problem with melting fuses appeared, which turned out to be the in-tank fuel pump. By fixing that we managed to break the fuel sender. Woops.
Next, I took the car back to the bodyshop. This time, I had the front chin spoiler colour coded.
The 240 was coming together nicely.
Edited by The Bearded Tit on Wednesday 1st September 21:33
much better.The Volvo
November 2016
With the bodywork done, I'd rented a garage to keep the 240 out of the elements. Whilst it was hibernating I started on a small project myself (all the work so far had been done by someone else, at 21 I was clueless) - The headlights.
So, when I bought the car, there was a spare set of headlights in the back. I decided to dismantle them along with the units on the car, mixing and matching the best parts from both sets. Removing a headlight from a 240 is a vey simple job. The front grill lifts out with two retaining clips and then 3 nuts hold the light unit in. Once the light is off, the entire thing can be taken apart. I started with the corner lenses, since they were caked in mud on the inside.
I then refitted the light with the clean lens on. If you look on the left, you can see a circular chip in the glass lens. That was next.
The spare was in better condition, so later in the week I swapped them at work. Not on a lunch break, though! On Saturdays, I was the only employee on site, so, instead of doing my actual job for the b
ds I worked for, I turned the lights off and snuck into the workshop to split the headlights instead. So, after removing the headlight again, I cleaned the area behind.
Once you remove those plastic chrome trims on the top of the unit, you can prize away the metal brackets that hold the glass lens in place. From there, dismantling the entire unit is very simple.
I threw away the chipped lens, and had brought the spare with me, which I had previously cleaned.
With the rest of the unit cleaned up to the best of my abilities, I re-assembled the whole thing.
I then cleaned up the chrome trims...
I had also found a new pair of headlight wiper arms from a fellow member of the Volvo Owners Club, so at the same time I replaced those, too, and then treated the car to a wash.
I had also fitted some French-style selective yellow bulbs.
I really enjoyed doing this (particularly the part where I got paid for it
). At the time having fun was pretty rare, so this was a welcome change!
November 2016
With the bodywork done, I'd rented a garage to keep the 240 out of the elements. Whilst it was hibernating I started on a small project myself (all the work so far had been done by someone else, at 21 I was clueless) - The headlights.
So, when I bought the car, there was a spare set of headlights in the back. I decided to dismantle them along with the units on the car, mixing and matching the best parts from both sets. Removing a headlight from a 240 is a vey simple job. The front grill lifts out with two retaining clips and then 3 nuts hold the light unit in. Once the light is off, the entire thing can be taken apart. I started with the corner lenses, since they were caked in mud on the inside.
I then refitted the light with the clean lens on. If you look on the left, you can see a circular chip in the glass lens. That was next.
The spare was in better condition, so later in the week I swapped them at work. Not on a lunch break, though! On Saturdays, I was the only employee on site, so, instead of doing my actual job for the b
ds I worked for, I turned the lights off and snuck into the workshop to split the headlights instead. So, after removing the headlight again, I cleaned the area behind.Once you remove those plastic chrome trims on the top of the unit, you can prize away the metal brackets that hold the glass lens in place. From there, dismantling the entire unit is very simple.
I threw away the chipped lens, and had brought the spare with me, which I had previously cleaned.
With the rest of the unit cleaned up to the best of my abilities, I re-assembled the whole thing.
I then cleaned up the chrome trims...
I had also found a new pair of headlight wiper arms from a fellow member of the Volvo Owners Club, so at the same time I replaced those, too, and then treated the car to a wash.
I had also fitted some French-style selective yellow bulbs.
I really enjoyed doing this (particularly the part where I got paid for it
). At the time having fun was pretty rare, so this was a welcome change!The Volvo
August 2017
Over the previous months I had been sidetracked by leaving my old job and going self-employed, but I finally had some money saved up for the 240. A front brake had been sticking and all the discs and pads were getting on a bit so I decided to overhaul the whole front system. I left it with my friend/mechanic, Shaun. He took photos along the way.
With that done, the next part of the job was a little more interesting. Back in 2016 while the car was getting resprayed, I picked up a few spare parts from a Volvo breaker nearby, including a new set of alloys to replace the old steelies.
They are 14 inch 'Scorpius' alloys, from a 240 Torslanda. As you can see they took some cleaning. The biggest shock was just how light they are. The 15 inch alloys on my Corsa felt nearly twice as heavy. I decided to have the colour changed, so sent them off to a powder coating company...
So, back to August 2017, I had ordered some new Maxxis tyres to go on, and once they were all fitted, the car was transformed...
I was ecstatic once I saw the car! To top it off, it was just in time for a local car show, so I ticked off an item on my bucket list; exhibit my car.
You'll be pleased to know I had a haircut since. Two weeks later, I was asked to join the Volvo Enthusiasts Club (yes that really does exist) on their stand at a different show.
A few weeks later, I then had the rear brakes replaced.
2017 was a good year for me, between leaving the nightmare of an old job, starting my new business and the car shows, I had a pretty good time of things!
August 2017
Over the previous months I had been sidetracked by leaving my old job and going self-employed, but I finally had some money saved up for the 240. A front brake had been sticking and all the discs and pads were getting on a bit so I decided to overhaul the whole front system. I left it with my friend/mechanic, Shaun. He took photos along the way.
With that done, the next part of the job was a little more interesting. Back in 2016 while the car was getting resprayed, I picked up a few spare parts from a Volvo breaker nearby, including a new set of alloys to replace the old steelies.
They are 14 inch 'Scorpius' alloys, from a 240 Torslanda. As you can see they took some cleaning. The biggest shock was just how light they are. The 15 inch alloys on my Corsa felt nearly twice as heavy. I decided to have the colour changed, so sent them off to a powder coating company...
So, back to August 2017, I had ordered some new Maxxis tyres to go on, and once they were all fitted, the car was transformed...
I was ecstatic once I saw the car! To top it off, it was just in time for a local car show, so I ticked off an item on my bucket list; exhibit my car.
You'll be pleased to know I had a haircut since. Two weeks later, I was asked to join the Volvo Enthusiasts Club (yes that really does exist) on their stand at a different show.
A few weeks later, I then had the rear brakes replaced.
2017 was a good year for me, between leaving the nightmare of an old job, starting my new business and the car shows, I had a pretty good time of things!
The Volvo
August 2018
So, over the last year the Volvo hadn't had much done at all, other than a rocker cover gasket. I had another car show in 2018 with the Volvo club...
January 2019
Unfortunately I didn't get much done over the next few months. I was suffering a bit with depression and finding motivation was getting near impossible. Still, I got some free time in January and went shopping for some new parts to fit. First was the busted plastic undertray.
Next was the exhaust. In 2018 the exhaust fell off. Admittedly, it sounded hilarious, but I decided to replace it.
I also had the cambelt cover replaced.
Then I replaced a cracked rear light lens.
Finally, we replaced the missing gear gaiter. What a bd of a job it was!
March 2019
I was bored one day and tried to clean up a few bits under the bonnet. I did a bit of sanding and spray painting.
August 2018
So, over the last year the Volvo hadn't had much done at all, other than a rocker cover gasket. I had another car show in 2018 with the Volvo club...
January 2019
Unfortunately I didn't get much done over the next few months. I was suffering a bit with depression and finding motivation was getting near impossible. Still, I got some free time in January and went shopping for some new parts to fit. First was the busted plastic undertray.
Next was the exhaust. In 2018 the exhaust fell off. Admittedly, it sounded hilarious, but I decided to replace it.
I also had the cambelt cover replaced.
Then I replaced a cracked rear light lens.
Finally, we replaced the missing gear gaiter. What a b
d of a job it was!March 2019
I was bored one day and tried to clean up a few bits under the bonnet. I did a bit of sanding and spray painting.
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