Heater Fan '82 245

[345DL]

Time for a little update. I have now bought a new aftermarket heater motor, but have not yet had time to fit it: every free day I have seems to be pouring with rain!

However, I have been busy getting the car welded up and through its MOT, and I am happy to report that it is now back on the road with a new lease of life and no rust holes! I just need to deal with the finishing, so repainting all the areas which have been welded.

I'm intending to bring the car to the VOC National Show in a couple of weeks, so I need to have a final push of bodywork by then - it certainly won't win any prizes, but I'd like it to look its best. I might have to wait a while to finish all the mechanical jobs I need to do, but I feel that this restoration is on the home straight (well, the 'to-do' list is now shorter than the 'done' list!).

[Velorum]

Excellent news - another 240 lives on!

Some pics would be great

The motor on my previous 240 made awful noises from time to time but I left it alone thinking I would wait until it failed before replacing it. It just kept on going until I sold the car last year so I never had to get to grips with it.

There are no noises from my current one so I am keeping my fingers crossed!

[345DL]

Originally Posted by Velorum

Some pics would be great

Your wish is my command!

This is the rust that had to be dealt with:





And post-welding:




I wasn't happy with the shut-line of the new wheelarch, so I have been busy reshaping:
before:

After (but not yet painted):


I've also had lots of fun with the NS headlamp, which caused a failure for the MOT as it was maladjusted. Sadly, the usual story of broken clips and rusty nuts made its appearance, and it took an awful lot of work to sort them out. One of the adjusters was seized so solidly that it snapped off the plastic:

However, I made a temporary home-made fix which enabled an MOT pass.


I have just had a new plastic frame delivered from mylittletony (this thread: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=230807), so I will replace it properly soon, as well as try to repeat the whole horrendous process with the OS headlamp.

And here are a few more general pictures for your amusement:








Finally, for completeness, here is a list of jobs already done:
Repair NSR window winder
Exhaust blow repair
Replace dashboard and heater control light bulbs
Repair interior courtesy light switches
Replace vacuum hose from distributor to injector assembly
Repair petrol cap
Replace Radiator
Water pump
New Injector seals
New Thermostat
Tailgate wiring
Temperature sender repair
OSR door winder
Make passenger window work from driver’s side
Rear wiper motor
Rear wash motor
Replace auto transmission fluid
Clean rear seats
NSR Solenoid replace
Make sunroof stop whistling
Repair holes in boot carpet
Bit of trim for end of gutter
Paint windscreen wiper arms
Stop tailgate rattling.
Fix driver’s heated seat
Welding rusty sill, wheelarch and spare wheel wells
Replace wipers
Replace OSF wheel bearing
Replace NS steering rack gaiter

And the to-do list:
Fan blower - replace motor
Lacquer on NS back door
Paint black trim stripe around windows
In tank fuel pump replace
New injectors
OS headlamp wiper motor and squirter
Rocker cover gasket
Heated passenger seat fix
Paint new wheelarch
Paint new spare wheel wells
Replace NS headlamp and clips
Remove and replace OS headlamp clips
Blow up spare wheel
Replace ignition module?

Phew!!

[Velorum]

Outstanding!

What a great looking GLT and if your anything like me then the more work you have to do then the more your 'bond' with the the car

That level of rust would often be enough to send a car this age to the breakers if its just a casual owner with no real interest - great to see that this one has been saved!

[345DL]

Thanks! Yes, it's a good looking car. I'm not usually one for high trim-level classic cars: all my 340s are proudly base models. But it's quite fun having a lazy auto, big engine, leather, central locking and alloy wheels.

As far as I know, it's pretty much the earliest 245 GLT on the road, they were only introduced for the '82 model year (244 GLTs having come in 1981).

You are indeed right about the bonding - I wasn't sure about the car when I first got it, but after three months of hard graft I've grown to trust it a bit more and I enjoy working on it and fixing every fault. I want to bring it back to its original condition with everything fully working, so it can look right at home outside a stately home or at pony club circa 1982(!)