Buying a 360GLT

[foggyjames]

I pass Birmingham on my journey home...maybe when I'm passing sometime (not til Easter at the earliest realistically though...)

I know what you mean about convincing your friends. The way I look at it, if they need to ask, they'll never understand. Leave them to their Novas ;)

Agreed about the 400 - they rust even worse than the 300s do, the mechanicals are lame (thanks to rubbish engines and weak gearboxes), and then there's the electricals...my mate is basically scrapping his M-plate car because the engine control electrics have knackered up.

All derivatives of the 360 are fast enough...the injection one has 10bhp more (at 115bhp), but even that's detuned - I'm swapping in the cam from an injection car, then tuning the carb to match it - should give me circa 128bhp according to dyno2003, and that's with the standard carb (assuming it can be adjusted enough...). When I've graduated, in goes the turbo...

cheers

James

I've had a bucket load of 360s, some of which came to me looking homes, too good to scrap but not worth anything.

Loads of plus points, a few negatives ones (mainly petrol, and bending rear axle).

Rust in sills is a pain if you can get a garaged or well driven and rust proofed one with solid orginal sills , you're sorted.

Avoid sunroofs like the plague, anything over about 10 years will stick. If its closed and you want the car, leave it closed and don't ever touch it.

They are the best car I ever had, even compared to my tweaked 940 Turbo. The older ones are higher compression which gives loads of torque, I had a 85 3 door GLS that had instant full acceleration as soon as you touched the pedal, being older now I have had experience of fast modern cars, none of them can respond to someone trying to burn you off at the light you have to plan it in advance, this car its a matter of deciding and applying the power and watching their faces in the rear view mirror as they rev up their Saxo with channel tunnel entrance in the back corner. The dissadvantage is that they (pre-88) need superplus high octane fuel, the 88 on have less torgue and are much less fun, but GLT will go if reved.

As most have said milage doesn't matter, but a low mileage minter will have had less attention by unfamiliar mechanics, and likely been garaged. The sills rust because water sits in them, if you don't drive the car (or don't use the fan) they don't dry out and rust sets in. Anything less than 100k is low milage and would be a great find if garaged, but will have developed a few minor faults.

See links below for a fuller history.

[foggyjames]

I beg to differ there Tony....a 360 is no match for a Saxo VTR/VTS, as I've found out much to my embarrasment...(although I suspect that in the worst case, the Saxo had been breathed on...). Having said all that, any Saxo other than a VTR/VTS is lunch to a 360, much to the amusement of all concerned ;) And then when I get the turbo motor fitted...!

The difference is that the Saxo (and any 'performance' motor, especially 16v) has so much more pull above 3000rpm than the 'comfort tuned' torquey but flat 360 motors...plus there's the minor issue of weight...

Being thoroughly beaten by a Saxo was what made me decide to give mine a hotter power curve. Then again, the Saxo was doing a lot of revving and not *that* much moving...I suspect a very low ratio gearbox...not good for economy!

cheers

James

[SteveP]

Agreed with rust in the sills, our '82 345s both had some patches in over the time that we had them, but when we had them.. they were 18 years old, far better than other cars that age.

I really don't like modern cars too much, I could buy something more modern, but I wont. The 300s are like a modern(ish) classic which are most definitely underrated by the majority of people.. apart from people that have owned one.

I found a 24k!! 360GLT locally on fish4cars, but by the time I'd found the ad and rang up, it had been sold!

There seems to be quite a following here for 300s, I found the 300 series club website based in the Netherlands which has some interesting pictures and a lot of members!

Thanks again for the information Tony and James, I think I may be convinced :)

Steve

[foggyjames]

Seen http://www.volvo300mania.com/ ? Its well designed, even if they are a bit mad!

cheers

James

[SteveP]

Thanks for the link, think I saw this site a while ago, but it has since been revamped and nicely done I agree!

The forums seem to have a rapidly growing UK community, another place to look for my GLT :)

Poor GLT project car though...

Steve

I'm not saying the 360 is faster, obviously the power-weight is unfavourable, but I think you must have experienced unleaded ones or GLTs. The point was while the Saxo was preparing the power the 360 has leap forward about 20meters unless the Saxo has planned to race the 360 (unlikely). The 360 doesn't need to plan its power, you can sit at tickover and pull off normally, once you're are moving hitting the accelerator gives instant kick up the ar##.


84 GLT - wicked kick up the Ar## at low revs and keeps on comming
85 GLS - even better low end but less high end
86 GLEi - also pretty good
87 GLE - Pretty good, less pinking than the GLS (high compression)
87 GLT - Was so bad thought there was something wrong with the car, needs reved all the time. (low compression)
89 GLE - PS - No power atall.

Older cars - more pinking but higher torque (excluding the change to unleaded)

[foggyjames]

It's true, I had the Saxo by the nads up to 3krpm (and thanks to my excellent traction), but this one was able to offset the low-end advantage I had pretty quickly :(

When I've got that turbo, me and Mr Saxo will have to meet again ;)

cheers

James