JJs Project Thread - 240 GL Estate
 

Thought I’d do what I normally do with cars and that’s track my work on the car :)

Self indulgent some may say but forums are so much better than places like FB for capturing info and if my posts help just 1 person then that’s a win.

So before I start, a bit about me.

Bristol based middle aged and married with a kid and I’m a big kid really.

I’m an aero engineer and I love all things tech and mechanical.

I have a pretty big Tamiya RC collection and at the moment 4 cars on my drive which the missus thinks is a massive problem.

Cars I currently own:

2006 Smart ForFour BRABUS - 1.5 turbo. highly modified. Mapped to 210bhp, lowered, paddle clutch, lightened flywheel, stainless exhaust, big brakes etc etc.

2010 Smart Fortwo cdi - 800cc turbo. Mapped, lowered, widened

2021 Peugeot e208 EV - standard at the moment but small body kit to add when the weather gets better.

and the reason I’m here….

1989 Volvo 240 GL estate 2.0L 5 speed

Picked it up Saturday. Bodywork is ok but there are some rust patches that need sorting but nothing too major.

All interior has been stripped, electrics fixed, heater refurbed, seats and carpets cleaned and like new, cam belt and aux belts done, windscreen replaced, headlights refurbed, plugs/oil/coolant all done.

So runs well. Collected from London, drove to Ipswich to collect a 3rs ROM of seats and then back to Bristol - so a 400mile trip to get used to it :)

So pics from the day I picked it up

https://i.imgur.com/W91PXHcl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rvlTuXyl.jpg

My list of jobs….


Rust treatment
Stone chip paint
X Sun visor clips
Rear speakers
Replace front speakers
Rear hockey stick and clips
Wing mirrors
X Rear bench
Side light bulb
X Dash bulb
Washer bottle
Mist jet washers
Mats
Door pockets
Steering wheel glue / drill


JJ

He’s a handsome fellow! Biased opinion!:teeth_smile:

Hope all goes well.

Andrew.

Thanks - sorry the images are so big. On the forum I run with this software it auto resizes. I’ll see if I can remember the coding to shrink them :)

JJ

Some pics of the work done by the previous owner

https://i.imgur.com/j4ajQfol.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/h1Xnv7ql.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5Wemur0l.jpg


And the rust

Rear arches are pretty good

https://i.imgur.com/psjPooYl.jpg

And the 1 bad area

https://i.imgur.com/5Nj7zaql.jpg

JJ

It’s odd how some 245s rot out on those rear corner and some just don’t.

I always thought it was the rear corner aerial leaking but mine has one and it is perfect but injected with waxy stuff now.

Sounds like you’re the man for the cure.:teeth_smile:

So this evening I’ve been looking at the under bonnet light - what an amazing little device.

Gravity assisted mercury filled switch that activates the light when the bonnet angle is enough! Wow this needs rescuing :)

So checked the bulb continuity - ends corroded but cleaned up

Looking at the light unit itself - very corroded/oxidisation and just can’t get continuity end to end. In fact I can barely get continuity on the initial tab 2mm apart.

https://i.imgur.com/RgU5fRKl.jpg

So needs a clean up…… I’m getting out the Cola :)

Soaked each end for an hour and it’s much better (I assumed the mercury switch was water tight because of the mercury)

Looks much better now but still struggling with continuity

https://i.imgur.com/6laq14dl.jpg

So I stripped it down further - removing the whole mercury switch from the light unit and then the mercury unit from the switch

https://i.imgur.com/edKg6mel.jpg

Tested the mercury switch and it was working ok.

Lots of cleaning of the metal with contact cleaner, grit paper and a craft knife to get good contact surfaces meant I started getting continuity across more of the light unit

Switch unit first

https://i.imgur.com/sjjuRwdl.jpg

Then the whole unit

https://i.imgur.com/uqC9Gevl.jpg

So now I know the light unit works as it should - time to try and work out if there is power to it under the bonnet hahaha

JJ

Well I’ve tried as much BB code as I can to make the images smaller but just can’t work it and I run my own vbulletin forum - so the owners must have the code disabled :(

JJ

I think you are using Imgur to host your images? If you select the 'Huge thumbnail' option in the sizes box (bottom right hand corner) rather than the original before copying the image it will come out about the right size for these pages.

Good thread.

Alan

Hey Alan,

I use the imjur app so only get the option to copy the link. No size options at all :(

I’ll see if there is an upload option to minimise the size but I don’t recall one

JJ

Good morn,

Is that an app on a cell phone (I didn't know there was one!)? It may be that you would have to use the web version to get the resize. You may see the control in the bottom right of the box:

https://i.imgur.com/Kv7BdgSh.png

Yeah I don’t get any of that :)

I’ll have a look though

I haven’t used a personal laptop for about 2 years haha

So access this site through safari on my phone and photos stored on imjur app that accesses my phone camera images.

JJ

I'm not an admin, but (as far as I'm aware) we don't have the image resizing stuff turned on / installed / not available in our (older) version of vB...so it all needs to be done on the hosting side, sadly.

I've asked an admin if they've got anything to add.

cheers

James

Thanks mate - I’ll log on from a computer and see what it looks like :)

On my forum I can just add width=“100” to the IMG code

JJ

One of the admins has confirmed to me that it has to be done on the hosting side on our installation on vB, sadly.

cheers

James

Testing something I read online

https://i.imgur.com/hsTevKFl.jpg

If i add a lowercase L or S to the end of my imgur link I can change the size - the above is with an L and the next one is with an S

https://i.imgur.com/hsTevKFs.jpg

I’m struggling to edit my previous posts now - help I can’t see the button


Anyway - the light is fitted, working and switches on when I lift the bonnet ;)

Yay

JJ

Ah - the edit function times out after a certain amount of minutes

That’s because the Time Limit on Editing of Thread Title (default: 5)
Time limit in minutes within which the topic title can be edited by the user who started the topic.

I’ll see I can do

JJ

Yes, you’re spot on. It’s a historic thing, from a dark time when a rogue tuning firm were advertising their shoddy wares on the forum, and then going back and editing posts to make a nonsense of threads whenever they were challenged. Arguably the time limit for edits could now be removed, in fairness, as all that’s ancient history.

I think you’ll find the magic editing pixie has changed them for you, anyway ;)

cheers

James

Aw amazing - legend

I owe you a beer

JJ

Many thanks to the magic editing pixie.

So been fettling today

Test fitting of a 3rd row of seats

Picked them up for £50 with a load of fittings

The flap that opens for the under floor space already had the fixings in it so 6 x bolts and it’s in

https://i.imgur.com/5joFCo5l.jpg

Just needs these bits drilling and bolting

https://i.imgur.com/kUrA4wBl.jpg

Now just to work out how the seatbelts go in

I think I have a few bits missing though and maybe a few extra bits

https://i.imgur.com/lZD1kG4l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/McLeQQ1l.jpg

if anyone has any pics of the mounting points for the belts then that would be very much appreciated :)

JJ

Nice thread.

See http://cleanflametrap.com/thirdseat.html for all details on the install including exact measurements for where to install belts.

It's an install I want to get around to too .... Now if only I could find some seats in Ireland :)

Wow!!!!!

Thank you so much. So I am defo a bit missing and a fair few bolts (I can’t believe it’s suggesting what looks like self tapping bolts in a fair few places

JJ

Plus I’m missing the seatbelt latch (car and seat) with the release bar

JJ

Today I’ve just been doing a bit of rust treatment and anything that jumps out at me

So I treated the bad bit of the rear boot corner with some Hammerite Kurust

So from this…

https://i.imgur.com/5Nj7zaql.jpg

To this

https://i.imgur.com/eXfhdQrl.jpg

I’m not planning to replace that section this year - but I’ll make it good for now and then see where I go with the car in the future. The next skin of metal beneath seems ok

There were a few other minor bits around the car and I cleared all the mud from the rear wheel arches - 2” thick in places :)

Next I noticed that some of the seals were quite seated correctly so I fixed that issue

https://i.imgur.com/YxWQCIVl.jpg

Used a trim tool to poke it all back in

https://i.imgur.com/JFpc4mvl.jpg

Also spent some time investigating the rear seat and now I know how it all goes, just need to secure some parts - any help greatly appreciated

JJ

So a bit more work

One of the side trim pieces was “hanging on” for dear life and someone had used black sealant to keep it in place

I removed the trim and cut away all the black sealant

Ordered new clips off eBay £5.57 for 5

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-240...-127635-2958-0

https://i.imgur.com/EFnWMcKl.jpg

First needed to remove the old clips

Used the dremmel to split them

https://i.imgur.com/Y5O08val.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NLVPBpml.jpg

The new clips are designed differently so they can twist in

https://i.imgur.com/AYBqayTl.jpg

Then space the new clips out and pop the trim back on

https://i.imgur.com/W1bMAjol.jpg

Sorted


While I was at it though, fitted an AA badge I won on eBay

https://i.imgur.com/5v5UtwIl.jpg

The car is now 30% more reliable ;)

JJ

Front speakers are past their best so grabbed some £20 10cm vibe 2-way speakers off Amazon

But I wanted to keep the standard Volvo grills

So set about making that happen

Because the piece that the grill mounts to is integral the speaker, needed to cut out the old speaker.

So marked up using a marker

https://i.imgur.com/trUeFBTl.jpg

And then cut out with a dremmel (this took flippin ages)

https://i.imgur.com/nZOwCVDl.jpg

This allowed me to mount the speaker to the door card with the modified grill

https://i.imgur.com/Bzk7eEwl.jpg

Works pretty well

https://i.imgur.com/hKnsNAFl.jpg


I’m missing one of the Volvo logo parts though so need to source one

JJ

That’s a job I have to do. Very useful, ta!👍😎

That metal is bloody tough - good luck

JJ

Today I replaced the washer bottle

It was brittle and falling apart

https://i.imgur.com/pWvAA20l.jpg

Bought a replacement from Ashley Classics & Retros

Was easy enough to replace

Release the coolant header tank

https://i.imgur.com/W0BWu2fl.jpg

Once that’s out of the way the washer bottle just lifts up (rear first)

https://i.imgur.com/wCsFEvXl.jpg

And once you have it out your can release the frame that hold the washer motors by pushing it diagonally up

https://i.imgur.com/ZtCM5dml.jpg

Then disconnect the pipe from the tank

Refit by doing everything in reverse

JJ

Loving thread mate, 3rd row seats, good find lol, quick one, how do i post pics on here?

For pics - you have to host them off site and use the image link icon to create [img ] code around your link

I use imjur

JJ

Cheers matey, appreciate it

No probs - I’m loving getting into this Volvo

JJ

So in my 30min lunch break I did a bit more work on the rusty section - just sanded and refilled the metal epoxy

https://i.imgur.com/aW6Tqsol.jpg

Another sand, some primer and a hint of body colour then I’ll cover with the new trim panels I bought from Ashley’s classics & Retros and the clips I got off eBay

Should look ok and what’s more important, limit any further rusting


The other thing I fixed was the seatbelt warning sign. It was half working when I collected it but not recently

I love it so much - massive flashbacks to dad’s 740GL

A load of electrical contact cleaner down then gap and a cotton bud and some jiggling of the seatbelt and it’s working - wahoo.

JJ

That'll want cutting out and fresh metal welding in eventually, but you've helped slow it down with that work!

cheers

James

Yeah 100%

Unfortunately it is across 2 panels, one of which is the rear wing which is huge

So someone I’ve spoken to who is breaking Volvos knows that before the shell goes to be crushed, i want a cut out across those 2 panels :)

But yes it looks (and is) a bodge to protect everything underneath for now.

I hope fixing the seating of the rear boot rubber will help

JJ

So did some more work on the rust area today - again it’s just a rough fox short term :)


So gave the area a really aggressive sand and got some shape onto it

https://i.imgur.com/emTjsFRl.jpg

Masked an area

https://i.imgur.com/f03MYu9l.jpg

Then a few coats of black primer (I used a hair drier between each coat as I only had half hour for lunch)

Then 2 coats of body colour using the hair dryer between

https://i.imgur.com/AksoMfyl.jpg

It’s now drying properly

JJ

https://i.imgur.com/B6D1wVjl.jpgDoesn’t look too bad tbh

https://i.imgur.com/xKaO0g4l.jpg




JJ

Pretty sure the one we picked up at the weekend has been repaired in that area, but I am guessing not by the person we purchased it from, but a previous one. It is an OK job on ours, but not the best really...

I could have (and will) do it way better in the future if the car stays with me :)

JJ