240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Othen]

Originally Posted by CosmicBike

They have come on a bit, at least the branded WAGO stuff has. That said, the re-usable type as pictured i only trust about 5 times, perfect for temporary joints when doing house re-wires, or when decorating to have the socket and switch fronts off.
The single use WAGOs are recognised as a maintenance free connection when boxed, tied and secured to a joist, so useful for placing in inaccessible locations where we used to use junction boxes but the Regs now prohibit.

That is exactly where I thought they might come in useful - particularly for temporary connections like R1+R2 testing.
There might be a few auto applications as well - things like auxiliary lighting and radios where people often route things through inaccessible places.
I have not found an excuse to use them yet, so I can't say whether they work well or not.
:-)

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Are you sure that it is an A35, Alan? They used the 948cc engine and were actually quite nippy. I had an A35 pick-up which cruised happily at 60 MPH and could top 70 at a push. The earlier A30s were fitted with the smaller 803cc engine and lower gear ratios which gave them more modest performance.

The two cars were outwardly similar; the most obvious difference being the A35's larger wraparound rear window over the A30's smaller flat one. Both the A and the larger B series engines were eminently tunable and, as 'L.S.' says, the cars can be easily retrofitted with larger variants. They were also surprisingly good in the snow, on account of their light weight and narrow tyres.

Regards, John.

Hi John,

Bob and I happened to walk past where the A35 was parked today, so I got a couple of photos:



... it does seem to have a wrap around rear window so I think it mush be an A35 rather than A30.



It is a very pretty little car I think. My neighbours seems to be using it as more or less a daily driver, I'll ask him about it when I next bump into him.

The car isn't all that original, and would need a bit of work to make it nice (particularly the driver's side wing). I have just checked out its MoT history and see it was last tested in 2013 - which is probably more or less when the historic vehicle scheme came in.

Alan

[john.wigley]

Definitely an A35, Alan; the OE flashers are another giveaway. Inside, you will find a short remote gear lever - the A30 had a long wand that made changing gear resemble locating a sixpence in the bottom of a bucket of treacle with a stick of well-cooked rhubarb!

I had a rare factory pick-up version (would have been worth a bit today) which was a little belter with a reworked head, improved carburation and scavenging. Room for only one passenger, but I transported many an engine etc. in the back for folk.

While the 803cc of the A30, even when new, was never endowed with any great power, the 948 of the A35 represented, for the time, a considerable improvement. Performance, if desired, could be easily further improved, as 'L.S.' said earlier, by fitting a 1098 or even a later 1275cc engine, Fortuitously, brakes and handling could be equally easily improved to rein in that increased performance when required. I think that the wheels on your neighbour's car may be such an example?

Regards, John.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Definitely an A35, Alan; the OE flashers are another giveaway. Inside, you will find a short remote gear lever - the A30 had a long wand that made changing gear resemble locating a sixpence in the bottom of a bucket of treacle with a stick of well-cooked rhubarb!

I had a rare factory pick-up version (would have been worth a bit today) which was a little belter with a reworked head, improved carburation and scavenging. Room for only one passenger, but I transported many an engine etc. in the back for folk.

While the 803cc of the A30, even when new, was never endowed with any great power, the 948 of the A35 represented, for the time, a considerable improvement. Performance, if desired, could be easily further improved, as 'L.S.' said earlier, by fitting a 1098 or even a later 1275cc engine, Fortuitously, brakes and handling could be equally easily improved to rein in that increased performance when required. I think that the wheels on your neighbour's car may be such an example?

Regards, John.

The Rostyle wheels are from a MG Midget John (I had one of those once - terrible car). My neighbour has the originals but one is buckled, and he tells me that tyres are hard to find for the width. In the fullness of time he intends to get them repaired and banded to take a more modern tyre.

:-)

[Othen]

I took the RB out for a run yesterday - during that brief lull we had in the rain. There was no particular purpose to my trip, I didn't need to go anywhere - just the RB hadn't been used for a week or so and I genuinely enjoy driving it.

I'm really pleased to report the RB started first turn of the key, hadn't leaked anything and nothing had fallen off. It drove really well and the winter tyres give really good grip in the wintery weather.

So, rather boringly, nothing much to report. I did notice the tick-over speed was a little slow, it was close to stalling when left in D in traffic. I suspect that is just down to the vague nature of carburettor tuning, and the colder weather since I last adjusted it. If this rain stops I'll give the slow running adjuster a quarter turn tweak later on today.

All good news from the RB - it has turned out to be such a nice motor car.

Time for Bob's first walk (in the rain) - Eeeek!

Alan

[john.wigley]

Good show, Alan. Regards, John.

[Dippydog]

Must admit in these strange times we're in I find myself going for a drive round-nowhere in particular and I don't stop off anywhere,just drive-partly to keep the cars exercised and as you say for the enjoyment of driving them-even though the V70 has more pedals than I've got feet Glad you're reaping the rewards of your labours on the RB.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I took the RB out for a run yesterday - during that brief lull we had in the rain. There was no particular purpose to my trip, I didn't need to go anywhere - just the RB hadn't been used for a week or so and I genuinely enjoy driving it.

I'm really pleased to report the RB started first turn of the key, hadn't leaked anything and nothing had fallen off. It drove really well and the winter tyres give really good grip in the wintery weather.

So, rather boringly, nothing much to report. I did notice the tick-over speed was a little slow, it was close to stalling when left in D in traffic. I suspect that is just down to the vague nature of carburettor tuning, and the colder weather since I last adjusted it. If this rain stops I'll give the slow running adjuster a quarter turn tweak later on today.

All good news from the RB - it has turned out to be such a nice motor car.

Time for Bob's first walk (in the rain) - Eeeek!

Alan

Unless you plan on very regular use of the RB while it's colder Alan i'd leave the mixture control alone, just slip it into N while stuck in traffic (it's better for the gearbox and torque converter anyway) and let the weather warm up before you check/adjust the idle.

Good to hear you're enjoying using it even for no real reason!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Good show, Alan. Regards, John.

Originally Posted by Dippydog

Must admit in these strange times we're in I find myself going for a drive round-nowhere in particular and I don't stop off anywhere,just drive-partly to keep the cars exercised and as you say for the enjoyment of driving them-even though the V70 has more pedals than I've got feet Glad you're reaping the rewards of your labours on the RB.

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Unless you plan on very regular use of the RB while it's colder Alan i'd leave the mixture control alone, just slip it into N while stuck in traffic (it's better for the gearbox and torque converter anyway) and let the weather warm up before you check/adjust the idle.

Good to hear you're enjoying using it even for no real reason!

Many thanks chaps,

It is nice to know people still take an interest in the RB thread.

It is a good thing, of course, that we are now into a routine maintenance phase with the RB. One of my favourite things about the motor car is that it does not leak any fluid - not a drop. Oil leaks are a bugbear of mine, and as I look out of the window on a wet, miserable day - I'm proud to say there is not a single 'rainbow' emanating from under the RB.

I'll find a few more excuses to use the RB now that winter is here. The Porsche has suddenly become only marginally practical and whilst the Skoda is a more sensible car in every way, the RB is fun and perfectly usable (particularly with its winter boots on).

Thank you for the advice on the tick-over setting Dave, you are probably right. I only drove the RB about 8 or 9 miles, and whilst the engine was warm, the gearbox probably wasn't fully up to temperature. It ticked over reliably in N or P, and it is hardly any effort to remember to move the shifter at red lights.

Best wishes,

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Many thanks chaps,

It is nice to know people still take an interest in the RB thread.

It is a good thing, of course, that we are now into a routine maintenance phase with the RB. One of my favourite things about the motor car is that it does not leak any fluid - not a drop. Oil leaks are a bugbear of mine, and as I look out of the window on a wet, miserable day - I'm proud to say there is not a single 'rainbow' emanating from under the RB.

I'll find a few more excuses to use the RB now that winter is here. The Porsche has suddenly become only marginally practical and whilst the Skoda is a more sensible car in every way, the RB is fun and perfectly usable (particularly with its winter boots on).

Thank you for the advice on the tick-over setting Dave, you are probably right. I only drove the RB about 8 or 9 miles, and whilst the engine was warm, the gearbox probably wasn't fully up to temperature. It ticked over reliably in N or P, and it is hardly any effort to remember to move the shifter at red lights.

Best wishes,

Alan

Always sad to see dead rainbows laying under the car Alan!

More reasons to use a car are always good as well, as for the tickover don't forget the first half of the choke button travel only increases the idle speed, the second half actually enriches the mixture so you could always use that fcility to bring the idle speed a little if needs be without aadjusting anything.