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Duder's Beige Brick - ARUNDL - 1981 242 DL +B230FT

Glad it's really no big deal. Can you push the fan in closer to the radiator? Are you going to take it to Davis?

Also, I hope you got my reservation for that same field trip this weekend.
 
It’s already fixed - the fan shroud had just come unmoored from the radiator, and was falling into the engine as I would accelerate. The wee screws I used were a little small and apparently insufficient.

Honestly the car is feeling like it’s not sorted out well enough to make a long trip yet. I have a bit of leftover grief from our Lemons box truck breaking down several times recently and all the headaches that ensued. Last thing I want this weekend is some dumb 240 problem in the middle of BFE Central Valley CA with the wife and kid along for the ride. So I think it’s staying home for this one. We’ll take the V60 and I’ll do the spirited drive in that, dammit!

I made enough changes to ye olde 1981 Volvo that it just gives me a vibe that it could let me down at any moment. Nothing major. Handling and ride is pretty nice. Heater valve is stuck open or broken so the heat’s always on. Fairly significant tire rub at the rear over bigger bumps. Engine dies randomly at stoplights now. I still love the car though. **** my life.
 
Pretty easy to pickup a hitemp ball valve from hardware store and cut it into one of the heater hoses behind the dash (passenger side). I would reach behind the center console side cover near the floor/firewall - and just completely close off flow to the heater except for the occasional winter day. I was never able to source a heater control valve that reliably closed off flow completely. But the ball valve doesn't take no for an answer.
 
Wise man. I'm still learning to ignore that little voice in my head that says "Wing It"! Plus you can probably fit more goodies in the back of the 60.
 
Also, I hope you got my reservation for that same field trip this weekend.

For reals, anytime you are in the LA area during the week I can show you around. Our little building here is small but there is some cool stuff to see, including the low-volume production line for the Honda Clarity fuel cell 2-stage electric compressor. ROBOTS

Pretty easy to pickup a hitemp ball valve from hardware store and cut it into one of the heater hoses behind the dash (passenger side). I would reach behind the center console side cover near the floor/firewall - and just completely close off flow to the heater except for the occasional winter day. I was never able to source a heater control valve that reliably closed off flow completely. But the ball valve doesn't take no for an answer.

That's certainly an option although I'd like to explore heater valves for a bit. Doesn't someone offer a drop-in upgrade valve for the 240, or am I imagining things?

Fake edit: yes - found it. Wagonmeister Dave. I'll look into this more: https://www.wagonmeister.com/240-replacement-heater-valve

Wise man. I'm still learning to ignore that little voice in my head that says "Wing It"! Plus you can probably fit more goodies in the back of the 60.

If it were just me driving solo or caravanning with friends, I'd wing it this time and fix whatever broke at the side of the road. Having the family with me changes the outlook a bit. Trip will still be enjoyable in the boring newer car though. The V60 cargo volume is disappointingly small, but we have a roof box, so Davis swap meet here I come.
 
It?s already fixed - the fan shroud had just come unmoored from the radiator, and was falling into the engine as I would accelerate. The wee screws I used were a little small and apparently insufficient.

Honestly the car is feeling like it?s not sorted out well enough to make a long trip yet. I have a bit of leftover grief from our Lemons box truck breaking down several times recently and all the headaches that ensued. Last thing I want this weekend is some dumb 240 problem in the middle of BFE Central Valley CA with the wife and kid along for the ride. So I think it?s staying home for this one. We?ll take the V60 and I?ll do the spirited drive in that, dammit!

I made enough changes to ye olde 1981 Volvo that it just gives me a vibe that it could let me down at any moment. Nothing major. Handling and ride is pretty nice. Heater valve is stuck open or broken so the heat?s always on. Fairly significant tire rub at the rear over bigger bumps. Engine dies randomly at stoplights now. I still love the car though. **** my life.

Ah yes, the ole Stockholm syndrome. Standard in old Swedish cars.

So is the box truck an RV now or what?
 
Ah yes, the ole Stockholm syndrome. Standard in old Swedish cars.

So is the box truck an RV now or what?

Yeah the box truck is legally an RV, converted from commercial registration. We did that about 5 years ago. It's a 1995 medium duty International so it would've needed a 2010 or newer engine swap (!) to stay legal in CA as a commercial truck. Changing over to an RV made it smog exempt, reduced registration costs drastically, and reduced insurance.

We don't actually camp in it, but it's the mobile shop and car hauler for the E36 Lemons Camper. There were some breakdowns on the last two trips, related to the 7.3L HEUI fuel system. Not fun, and not cheap to tow that big bastard.
 
Well I didn't take this car to Davis after all - not enough shakedown after all the recent changes. It was disappointing but the right call. Drove it to work this morning and the heater core must be leaking, since I'm getting a nice fog on the glass from the vents after it warms up. Not sure why else it would be doing that, although perhaps it's related to the apparently broken heater valve...? Heat is always on, and the blower fan is also always on, despite the fact that I used a newer 5-position fan switch. Pending further investigation.

We had a good time this weekend despite using the V60 Cross Country bail-out car; spirited drive through the hills was no problem and it was fun getting the tires to squeal on that car finally. Homer and Alex and I stopped to help fellow 240 owner Jill whose '87 wagon had suddenly overheated and lost most of its coolant outside of Auburn. After a bit of diagnosis and talking through different scenarios we decided it was best to just replace the water pump right there by the side of the highway in gold rush country. The local NAPA had the pump in stock. Turns out the gasket had completely blown out between the pump & block. We had it back on the road in a few hours with no major issues, except some sunburn.

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At the show on Sunday it was great to hang out with all the old 240 crowd and meet Tate & Sean (Hackster) in person finally and check out their sweet 242s. Will be back next year!

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At one point during the show someone announced "please close your hoods - we will be coming through taking photos of all the cars." I thought that was ironic since the natural state of a 240 is sitting stationary with its hood up.
 
Arundl update! It's been covered up for a month or so while I've been sorting out other projects. I ordered a very nice fitted cover for it since it does live outside. Mild climate but the sun eventually takes its toll, and living in the city near a major road I get a nice coating of diesel soot and tire dust on anything that sits outside at my house. The cover keeps it squeaky clean and protected from UV.

Took it for a drive today after installing TLAO 6500rpm chips in both ECU & EZK. Anyone remember what these are altering other than redline? It feels a good bit peppier and does some nice popping through the 3" exhaust on overrun now.

There's a not insignificant sized list of stuff that still bugs me about the car or isn't finished yet. Next up: sorting out the heater core & valve for good, plumbing new AC lines, centering & adjusting the rear axle, more rear fender rolling, then 4-wheel alignment.

 
I ordered a very nice fitted cover for it since it does live outside. Mild climate but the sun eventually takes its toll, and living in the city near a major road I get a nice coating of diesel soot and tire dust on anything that sits outside at my house. The cover keeps it squeaky clean and protected from UV.

Details on the cover?
 
Samesies.

Moreover, do you have any leads on good cut pile floor mats? I bought some fairly expensive ones from Rockauto that were cut in 75% the wrong shapes. No returns.
 
Details on the cover?

Got it from Pelican Parts when they were having a car cover sale. It's a CoverKing brand, "StormProof" material. Very light and sheer silvery slippery material, water beads well on it, and it works for UV protection as well. Fits the 242 very nicely with mirror pockets and an elastic band at the bottom. We have another CoverKing on my wife's 2002 but that is much heavier reflective fabric with a soft lining called "SilverGuard." Both work very well in this climate (lots of sun, some salty condensation, not too much rain or wind).

Samesies.

Moreover, do you have any leads on good cut pile floor mats? I bought some fairly expensive ones from Rockauto that were cut in 75% the wrong shapes. No returns.

I just have the OE Volvo plastic waffle mats in my 240s; I haven't found a good source for cut pile. Maybe check Pelican though - if it's good enough for a snobbish 911 owner then it should be fine for us!
 
I went through and rid my thread of photobucket as much as possible, finally eradicating all the broken and/or fuzzy img links. Stupid predatory capitalist pigs!

The early photos should all be back now thanks to Flickr.

Here are some of the newer ones, just because.

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I went through and rid my thread of photobucket as much as possible, finally eradicating all the broken and/or fuzzy img links. Stupid predatory capitalist pigs!

The early photos should all be back now thanks to Flickr.

Here are some of the newer ones, just because.

6FTaBddl.jpg


oHmoYikl.jpg

Thank you! It chaps my ass what photobucket single handedly has done to the Internet. All those threads across the whole of the web that laid out so many great how-to?s, completely wrecked. I know we all appreciate that extra work to update your thread.
 
Thank you! It chaps my ass what photobucket single handedly has done to the Internet. All those threads across the whole of the web that laid out so many great how-to’s, completely wrecked. I know we all appreciate that extra work to update your thread.

No problem. It's as much for my own sanity as anyone else's; I like looking back at progress made in the past (and remembering that there's still a bunch left to do).

Eventually I'll migrate all the Imgur photos over to Flickr as well just so everything's in one place. Imgur started as a simple hosting platform but with all of the social mediaization they've done it's slowly getting more annoying. I think the only thing saving it right now is that so many people use it as an image host for reddit.

One thing on my 242 that never got much planning or consideration was crankcase ventilation - but I'm paying attention now because it's blowing oil all over the left side of the block. I replaced the breather box and all hoses during the engine swap but something must've cracked because it's continually wetting itself now. I haven't been able to find any obvious cracked hoses so I think it's coming through the box itself, maybe from the flange?

I'm thinking that installing a Mann Provent with maybe a Yoshifab adapter to the breather box mount will be the next job on this car.
 
Curious minds want to know: What is ARUNDL?
a) A Running DL?
b) Arundel CA (ghost town)?
c) Are You N... D... L... ???
 
Curious minds want to know: What is ARUNDL?
a) A Running DL?
b) Arundel CA (ghost town)?
c) Are You N... D... L... ???

That's a great question!

I like to think of it as A) because it fits the car so well. The answer is I really don't know.

If you look back at the earlier photos in this thread you'll see the car had white CA plates starting with a 3. Those were issued sometime in the mid-90s. The car was in Colorado for a bit before that, but was originally sold in Sacramento. So it had the 80s blue & yellow plates on it when it was new.

I wanted to restore that aspect of the car but there isn't a year-of-manufacture program for the 80s plates, nor is CA reissuing any blue plates (only black & yellow 60s style for now). So I found these very lightly used original vanity ARUNDL plates on ebay. Checked with DMV and the sequence was available. So I simultaneously bought the old plates and ordered new ones with the same sequence. Once the new plates arrived I put them on the shelf and installed the blue ones on the car. :cool:
 
Catching up with the past 6 months or so, I've done a few little jobs here and there on ARUNDL. Still need to address some bigger annoyances but progress is progress...



Found the bag full of exterior badges I pulled off the car several years ago when we buffed out the paint. Finally got these cleaned up and back on the car using 3M exterior trim tape cut into tiny bits and covering as much of each badge as possible. I did take the time to remove the dirty ghosts on the paint before reapplying each badge, just some rubbing compound and elbow grease took care of that.







So much better.

 
Got one of the nice stainless heater hose bulkhead fittings from STS, and the retrofit style heater valve from Wagonmeister. These guys get installed together of course. My "new" old 1993 plastic heater valve fell apart as soon as I looked at it, so I had moronically bypassed the core a while back. Feels good to get everything functional again and replace crusty crap with nice well made parts from other enthusiasts in the Volvo community!





In place of the brass pex fittings that are included with the heater valve kit, I went with some machined aluminum 5/8" hose barb fittings from Summit.









Heater works great now. No leaks, no corroded mess, functional valve that can be fully shut off, and hot hot heat when needed.
 
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