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Rusty 242GT project

Volvo244GLE

Active member
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Location
Sydney, Australia
I have been casually looking for a 242 for several years now but dont have the budget to buy something nice and clean. finally, one came up on ebay for $750 buy it now, i didnt think about it for very long before i decided i must have it.

In Australia a nice clean 242 sells for several grand and even the crappy ones are over $1000 unless you stumble upon a good deal.

It not as clean as i had hoped but nothing thats not fixable, time to crack out the angle grinder and take to my 245 parts car for patch panels. pictures say it all:

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the drain from the vent bellow the windscreen was clogged with leaves. a large section of the floor and inner sill will be replaced, the gaurd will also be coming off because its rusted through the inner gaurd to.
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There is also rust around the bottom of the windscreen, just behind the rear wheels on both sides, in the rear floor (holes just starting to break through).

The plans:
*first before anything else, fix all the rust
*B230 squirter block
*531 head - ported polished and with bigger valves
*KG2T cam or something similar
*Turbo of some description
*custom intake and exhaust manifolds
*Coilovers
*Supra 5spd geardbox
*Some form of custom axle to handle the power
*megasquirt
*New paint - undecided what colour just yet... madybe grp A nordica colour scheme
*Brakes, wheels...?
*Grp A spoiler
*better job of conversion to later bumpers or convert back to original depending on style i go with. grill and light combo also a variable
*bucket seat or reupholstered originals

basically the aim is to build something pretty dam fun but still be able to take it out on the road. this is going to be a long term build, restricted by time and money but i can do everything to it that i wanted to do on my DD 244 and not have to worry about it being driveable come monday.

in a months time i finish this simester of uni and get a month off. over that month i intend to get all the rust repairs done.
 
Nice work mate. Let me know if u need painting help.

Make sure u use a weld through primer before u start patching bits.
That way it will be already painted Under the repair and can't rust from the inside out.
 
You can definately get it at auto paint shops.
I doubt supercheap would have it.

It's a primer with a very high zinc content.
So when the heat from the weld hits it, it galvanises to the bare steel protecting it from rust.
Perfect when overlapping seams and for inside cavities etc, where normally u can't access to paint propperly once you've finished welding.
 
Good stuff. Your time line sounds a bit like the time line I have for my DL - race you?! :lol:

If you decide to go to TV-screens headlights, then consider the GT bits sold. And of course, I have plenty of the later model fronts for you if they're needed..

The bit about a 245 being sacrificed to fix a GT made me laugh- there's another Bruce about to do something similar...
 
this past weekend i did some more exploring. the entire interior is out and i found some more rust... but nothing that i didnt expect to find. just have to work out how much and exactly where i will be cutting the floor out. i think i will jut cut a huge section from my parts 245 then go from there. brought a spot weld cutter on ebay so hopefully that will help.

i am thinking about replacing basically the entire passengers side floor. but leaving in the brace the seat sits on to stop things flexing around.

never seen a GT wheel like this before, is it original or something someone made up?
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rear floor, basically all of the rear floor will be cut out.
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front floor, maybe only the dipped section and a little bit around it will be replaced.
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Inner sill will be replaced from the seat brace forwards
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large section of inner gaurd will also be cut out
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other rust:
bottom corners of the front windscreen where the drains are meant to be, going to be some holes when i dig out all the body filer the previous owner pushed in there. front screen will have to come out for this. rear screen will also have to come out as there is rust in the bottom left corner. also need to clean up where hole for 6x9" speakers have been hacked into the rear deck.

rust in the front left corner of the boot. nice little hole. rust behind the rear wheels on both sides, going to be some nice holes there to. rust above rear bumper, new sections will need to be welded in.
 
Hey mate, this is the Weld through primer I use:

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"Transtar’s Weld Through Primer is a ready-to-use primer to aid in MIG/TIG welding. Weld Through Primer offers high resistance to salt and water, providing excellent corrosion protection to the weld area. It is quick drying and water-resistant after 15 minutes. It is formulated to be V.O.C. compliant in California (MIR =0.9). It provides superior conductivity for welding applications and has minimal spatter during welding. "
 
That thing has way more rust then my mates one, but probably is more sorted mechanically?

to be honest i have no idea how good mechanically it is. starts first turn of the key and drives ok except for a nasty sounding noise that i think is the exhaust hitting the fuel tank. for what i have planned it doesnt really matter how good mechanically it is though.

the rust is alot worse than i had hoped. i had a reasonably good look before i handed over the cash but without pulling half the car apart, i could have never known how far the rust went up the section at the front of the sill. main thing is i have the equipment so repairing it will be cheap but will just take time.

If you havnt looked there yet, pull the rear side window out and pull the seal. They rust under seal sometimes.
It will be good when finished.

havent actually pulled the seal back yet but there is no signs of rust on the passengers side, maybe a little drivers side front corner. holding back on pulling windows out till i can keep the rain out.


spot weld cutter from ebay is in the post which should make the rust repairs easier, and ive stocked up on cut off wheels for the grinder. going to buy a car cover to put on it for when im next out at my parents to work on it. that way i can stop the rust getting worse until i have time to fix all the leaks.

last uni exam on the 26th then ill really get stuck in, cant wait.
 
You are going to busy there...but at $750.00 you cant complain.
If it all gets to hard you can alway junk it out and poss make a profit.
That is alot of rust.the shell will be good once fixed though
 
Poor bastards in the UK where they salt the roads would consider that a relatively rust free car to restore...
Your plans are in a similar vein to mine for my GT at some point in the future...
 
to be honest i have no idea how good mechanically it is. starts first turn of the key and drives ok except for a nasty sounding noise that i think is the exhaust hitting the fuel tank. for what i have planned it doesnt really matter how good mechanically it is though.

the rust is alot worse than i had hoped. i had a reasonably good look before i handed over the cash but without pulling half the car apart, i could have never known how far the rust went up the section at the front of the sill. main thing is i have the equipment so repairing it will be cheap but will just take time.



havent actually pulled the seal back yet but there is no signs of rust on the passengers side, maybe a little drivers side front corner. holding back on pulling windows out till i can keep the rain out.


spot weld cutter from ebay is in the post which should make the rust repairs easier, and ive stocked up on cut off wheels for the grinder. going to buy a car cover to put on it for when im next out at my parents to work on it. that way i can stop the rust getting worse until i have time to fix all the leaks.

last uni exam on the 26th then ill really get stuck in, cant wait.

Car cover won't stop rust from underneath, maybe a portable carport and gravel?
 
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