240 Car Towbar wanted

[Nicholas Lewin]

Hi Stephen

No email from you. You successfully emailed me earlier so I know you can contact me. Just I can't contact you?

Nick

[Stephen Edwin]

Originally Posted by Rhys Nolan

I believe the estate ones are the same??

I don't actualy know but I think that is correct. New tow bars advertised on eBay do not seem to specify saloon or estate. I do know that tow bars for both the saloon I had and the esate I have were and are fixed by two large bolts, one each side of the car through the body sections. I fitted the tow bar to the saloon and the Halfords kit included longer bolts in place of the existing bolts.

The tow bars listed on eBay seeem to be to fit any age of 240. If buying a secondhand tow bar I would want to know a bit of info because I have a 1992 car. Volvo fitted a probably plastic valance to later 240s, coming down from the bumper.

On my car with a solid lump of Volvo tow bar there are what appear to be factory formed holes in the valance for the tow bar. So buying seond hand, can the sellor provide the original genuine valance made to accomodate that tow bar. This may be a clue whether that swing aside tow bar is a Volvo item: was there a valance on the car with pre formed hole[s] for that tow bar?

Also if the car has a valance, struts to support the valance appear to need to connect to the towbar very close to where the towbar fits to the bodywork.






My solid lump of a Volvo tow bar is as much a thing of beauty and joy to behold as a Russian Shot Putter ..... each to their own.


.

[Stephen Edwin]

Originally Posted by Nicholas Lewin

Hi Stephen

No email from you. You successfully emailed me earlier so I know you can contact me. Just I can't contact you?

Nick

Heuston, we have established email communication!

[Rhys Nolan]

Well I did get in touch re the fold away bar, then got the most confusing messages.
I guess that means I am still looking for one as my thread was hijacked.

[Stephen Edwin]

I think you were being told of a couple of tow bars available and that broadened the thread. I am very sorry that you feel the thread was hijacked. I hope the discussion might actually help in your quest.

There is a tow bar on offer on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1984-CLASS...oAAOSwB09YIcGh ... it does not look like a Volvo product and is designed for the earlier 240 models. So if your car has a valance the valance might well need cutting. The tow bar in that link is very likely of the type that has a cross member fitted to the body by two large bolts going through existing mounting holes. Then the piece "sticking" out the rear is fitted to the cross member by probably four nuts and bolts. Very easy to fit, unless you have a valance to cut. That tow bar looks like a tried and tested design. I used one on a 244 saloon for years.

What year is your car? Does it have a valance coming down from the bumper?

[Rhys Nolan]

The car is an 88, I'm unsure what you mean by the struts, and it's dark outside .
I did ring about one of those bars, got the most confusing response about having emailed me, and that he had previously spoken with me, I suspect confusion between me and other responses. I guess I have a different mentality, in that I would first offer to the person who first posed the request. Never mind, something will happen.

[Stephen Edwin]

I'm not knowledgeable about model years. Someone more exerienced might know. I suspect your car is new enough to hava a valance.

Earlier cars were metal visible all the way down the bodywork. In the mid to late 1980s I think Volvo added, plastic I think, coveringing to the lower doors and wings and added a valance under the bumper. At the same time I think the chrome or stainless trim around the windows was replaced with black finished metal. In total the different apparance is quite striking.

The struts I mentioned are only visible if one gets down on the ground to look underneath, preferably with a good torch even in daylight. If you have the later style with the valance, you would have the struts I think.

What model is your 240? DL. GL. SE. GLT. &c. That might help someone more knowledgeable to advise you. Do you have photographs of the car, especially rear view(s)?

The Torslanda is perhaps another kettle of fish. Stripes down the side instead of plastic covering? Does it have a valance under the bumper?

.

[Stephen Edwin]

Rhys .... I hear that you have purchased a tow bar now. If that is correct, I hope that it suits you well.

[Rhys Nolan]

If I have it's news to me! Something rather odd is going on here.
Thanks for your advice about the "struts", yes my valance does have these.
Does that influence the towbar I need?

[Stephen Edwin]

Hello. I think that if you get an early model tow bar you are more likely to have to make some sort of adjustment or "fettling" to accomodate the support struts for the valance. Whatever tow bar you get you are likely to have to make one or more holes in the plastic valance for the tow bar to go through. Unless you can get a valance with the hole[s] already in it to suit that tow bar.

If I were looking for a towbar for my 240 which has a valance: I would probably be looking already at any 240 I saw that had a tow bar, so see how that design fitted, to give me more understanding and some ideas.

But if it were me my real hope would be to get a towbar, struts and valance already fitted to a 240. So that the whole assembly of tow bar, struts and valance are already OK together.

Possibly from someone selling the tow bar and willing to include the struts and valance perhaps by exchange.

Or more likely from someone scrapping a 240. So I would be looking mainly in the forum for sale section for members selling parts from 240s being sadly scrapped.

If you are lucky in buying a complete assembly you might get neat hole[s] in the valance. On a quick inspection I'm confident the holes in my valance are factory formed to suit my tow bar.

So I suggest you keep looking, and good luck.






P.S. I might actually be tempted to remove the valance (or skirt) complete with struts fixings and whatevers, label it as what car it was removed from and stick it in the loft. Then fit the first reasonably priced and presentable tow bar that becomes available.

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