240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Othen]

I'd been hoping that this build record might have had the paint colour code, but I don't think it can be discerned from the damaged part at the top:



Would this information be repeated anywhere else on the car I wonder?

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I'd been hoping that this build record might have had the paint colour code, but I don't think it can be discerned from the damaged part at the top:



Would this information be repeated anywhere else on the car I wonder?

Alan

Not too sure on the 240s but on the 7/9xx, there is a plate on the slam panel with the information on Alan, have a look there and also try the other "favourites like bottom of the B pillars (only visible with the doors open, bulkhead area etc. Usually something somewhere with the VIN and other details on.

I don't think i've ever seen that green on a 240 before, SRG - Swedish Racing Green!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Not too sure on the 240s but on the 7/9xx, there is a plate on the slam panel with the information on Alan, have a look there and also try the other "favourites like bottom of the B pillars (only visible with the doors open, bulkhead area etc. Usually something somewhere with the VIN and other details on.

I don't think i've ever seen that green on a 240 before, SRG - Swedish Racing Green!

Thank you again Dave, I'll see if I can find it today (if it stops raining).

The gearbox seller (the one in Hants) says he will send me a photo of the auto box's ID plate today, we'll see if we can find out what it is - and I'll see what the Royal Barge has fitted - maybe the two might be swapped over one day. My parents live in Hampshire, so it might not be too difficult to collect it sometime.

I think SRG suits the Royal Barge quite well :-)

Alan

[john.wigley]

Morning, Alan, do you ever sleep?!

I was thinking along the same lines as 'L.S.', but lacked the confidence to say so. Two things occur to me; has the car been resprayed at some point, or has the original finish faded over the last 40 years? Either way, I'd be inclined to take the car to a good paint shop and ask them to match the existing colour. That way, touch-ups will also be less obvious.

You are clearly enjoying your new car, while making me regret a little parting with my last 245 GLT, but that was over 20 years ago.

Regards, John.

[loki_the_glt]

The fitted gearbox should be a Borg-Warner Model 35 3-speeder, which is coincidentally what Olaf had; according to an early Haynes manual there should be a plate located on the right-hand wheel-housing displaying colour and upholstery codes.

[loki_the_glt]

Looking back through the thread another couple of thoughts popped into my head: the "2.1" badge on the sail panel is after-market and the Volvo badges on the front wings are missing - they're visible on the shot of Olaf.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Morning, Alan, do you ever sleep?!

I was thinking along the same lines as 'L.S.', but lacked the confidence to say so. Two things occur to me; has the car been resprayed at some point, or has the original finish faded over the last 40 years? Either way, I'd be inclined to take the car to a good paint shop and ask them to match the existing colour. That way, touch-ups will also be less obvious.

You are clearly enjoying your new car, while making me regret a little parting with my last 245 GLT, but that was over 20 years ago.

Regards, John.

Hi John,

The sleep thing: you mean my early starts? I always get up at 05:30 (through habit, after doing so for 33 years of work I still do it now I've retired (not old-age retired but could afford to retired)).

The car doesn't look like it has been resprayed - unless it was a top notch job where they took the engine out - but of course it will have faded over the past 40 years. Having thought about it overnight I'm wondering whether I should worry about a few battle scars though, perhaps they are part of the Royal Barge's character and should stay. I'll have a more concerted go at removing the adhesive patches from where the roof spoiler was today (they are pesky little things) and when we get some better weather I'll cut the paint back on the roof and give it a polish. It will probably be fine and completely in keeping with the Royal Barge's ethos. If I really do need to touch up then you are right: having the paint scanned would be sensible.

I am enjoying the Royal Barge, so much so that today was the first time since I bought it that I got our Porsche out of the garage - Dan (my son) prefers to go to school in that car. I explained when I collected him in the Royal Barge yesterday afternoon that a group on his contemporaries stopped to admire it, to which he replied 'but they probably weren't the cool kids Dad'... what does one say!

Some new mats arrived for the car yesterday - model specific and they fit really well and really lift the inside of the car.

Now, if only this rain would stop I could get those ancillary lights sorted out at the front of the car :-)

Best wishes,

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

Looking back through the thread another couple of thoughts popped into my head: the "2.1" badge on the sail panel is after-market and the Volvo badges on the front wings are missing - they're visible on the shot of Olaf.

Many thanks again. The Royal Barge seems to have a lot of minor non-standard changes. The more I think about it, the more inclined I am to leave it as it is, the little changes (mostly for the better) are like the car's history over the past 40 years.

Best wishes,

Alan

[Clifford Pope]

The bumpers don't look right - surely they ought to fill the recesses in the wings, these stop short by several inches?

[loki_the_glt]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

The bumpers don't look right - surely they ought to fill the recesses in the wings, these stop short by several inches?

They're correct-ish - if you look at the photos of early cars there's a recess on each wing for the bumper to slide along in the event of an impact; later cars don't have this.

What might be the case is that the bumpers or their rubber trim filler ( the slim piece above the main bumper) is from a later car.

I'm looking at the 1981 (ISBN 085696591X) and 1991 (ISBN 1850104026) Haynes manual and the early cars have a substantial and prominent, rubber-fronted metal bumper with visible cut-outs on the wings; on the later cars (1982-onwards with the reverse-slope to the side/indicator units) the bumpers appear to cover this.

Interestingly the latter manual shows a 1981 245GL with - drum roll - the same tyle of headlamps as the Royal Barge!