Rustoleum matt black tractor paint

[john.wigley]

What a wonderful testament to old Volvos, 'Offgrid'.

The self destructing head lining was a common failing on this era of Volvo, especially if the car had previously been driven by a smoker. My wife bought her '87E 744GL at 10 years old and the lining gradually crumbled away to dust in the 18 that she owned it. It also happened to a lesser extent on my '87D 745GLE.

We never did replace ours.

Regards, John.

[Offgrid]

I quite like the look of the "cardboard" base for the liner. I'm thinking of varnishing it and keeping the look.

[Chris1Roll]

The young lad that I bought mine from replaced the headlining covering himself.
He made a bloody good job of it, looks like it came out of the factory.

The dashboard cracks I think cone to them all.
When I bought mine it had 1 small crack.
After the summer it had 2 larger ones.
A dashboard cover like the Americans have would tidy it up and stop it getting worse but they are all LHD. The Australians are RHD but that's quite an ambitious import.

[SalvadorP]

My VW Polo had the liner fabric falling off. I went to a local guy and he asked me for an absurd amount of money so I did it myself. And it came out almost perfect. I would say 9.5/10. It is frustrating at times, and one needs to watch a few videos of pros doing it because some mistakes will be fatal, but it is doable.
Remove the old foam from the liner with a softish stainless steel brush, doesn't need to be perfetc. Spray glue is a must, you can't do it with liquid glue. I tried that and failed miserably. Spray both the liner and the back of the fabric with glue. and let it sit for a few minutes. If you don't, the moment you press them together, the glue will sip into the fabric and ruin it. After sitting for 5 or so minutes strt working, take your time.

I imagine Volvo liner to be much easier than the VW i did, which had a lot of nooks and weird shapes. the 940 is mostly flat, so it will be super easy.

Regarding dash cracks. Everyone says they all have them. I live in Iberia and I don't have any. My car was a garage car until I got it, but since I got it, I NEVER, but I mean NEVER park it without putting the windshield protector. Even if it's "just 5 minutes shopping".

[SalvadorP]

Originally Posted by baggy798

It's gonna look like ****, bro. But yes, it should slow the rust down.

baggy finally became a purist I wasn't expecting you to have this take.

Even the examples you gave I think are great for the oppsite argument, that it looks great... on specific types of cars, that is. Sleepers, survivor cars... Doing that on purpose to a bonet in good condition? Nah. But if you use it to improve the car and preserve it, I think it looks great. Because most of these cars will have other issues, like the ones Offgrid described, so they are gonna look rough anyways. So this just adds to the overall look. Plus it saves the bucks to put into other areas that really matter.

Having said that, hanging the reg. plate sideways like that one example is just silly and cringe.

[Forrest]

I was surprised how good the pickup truck in the American video looked after he'd finished. But then he did have an excellent workshop, compressor and choice of spray guns.

If you're thinking of putting the paint on with a brush a tip an old sign-writer once told me is to damp down the metal surface with compatible thinner first. It will make the coat go on smoother and thinner and help eliminate bubbles. I have only tried this myself painting an old oil tank but it seemed to work quite well.

+1 for the spray adhesive for internal trim. I used Trim-Fix (available on Amazon) to stick the parcel shelf carpet down in a VW. It seemed to work and last very well.

I believe the challenge doing the headliner on a saloon is getting the board in and out of the car. It's a much more straightforward process on estates.

[SalvadorP]

Originally Posted by Forrest

I believe the challenge doing the headliner on a saloon is getting the board in and out of the car. It's a much more straightforward process on estates.

Just speculating here, but I assume getting it out from the trunk won't be that hard. It's easy when the cars are not so square, and when you drop it down, with the seats all down, the headliner comes easier. On a 940, the roof is essentially the same width and the body, so I guess it might be not so easy, but still, place it as diagonally as you can, bend it a bit, it will come out, i think.

EDIT: Oh, I just found a video on youtube of a guy removing it from one of the backdoors and ended up breaking it... So I imagine it's not as easy as I was saying. Probably doesn't fit through the trunk!? Still, easy fix with epoxy and fiberglass. Beats having an old, dirty, saggy liner, or even worse, a stappled one

[Offgrid]

Sounds as if my idea of forgetting about liner, and just varnishing the backboard is going to be the easiest solution.

[Chris1Roll]

Back in the day I swapped a 740 estate headliner for a non saggy one from a 940.
Took it out at the breakers, drove home with it resting on my head, and then swapped it over at home.
That was easy.

A saloon not so much, I expect.

'Furious driving' on YouTube did a saloon one on video.
The most likely way to do it without breaking it is to remove the front seats entirely, and also the steering wheel so you have maximum space, then it needs to bend slightly and come out through the rear door.
With a sunroof it is a bit harder again as that will be the weak point of the headliner.
Add in that after 35 years the plastics are a bit brittle, and I'm glad someone else did mine!

[Offgrid]

Here is a pic of the bonnet -


It was taken earlier today, and there wasn't any sun, so it isn't all that clear. It does show that the bonnet is structuraly sound. I marbling effect is worse than it appears in the photo.