240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Laird Scooby]

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?

That's how they were - the "gap" is there so if the impact absorption bumpers are deployed, they can move towards the cabin without damaging the wings.

[Bob Meadows]

http://www.volvotips.com/index.php/g...o-color-codes/
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/paint_colour_codes.shtml

Hi Alan: ~ the above links may assist regarding your paint colour- a descent paint shop will also help as some hold the Volvo paint chips & codes. Should the colour be anything other, then most should be able to mix a matching sample?
My ’88 240 is a similar colour -Blue/Green Volvo 402 but difficult to say exactly with photos etc.
The car looks a little different today as I have fitted Virgo wheels- a pair of roof bars & additional chrome trim to the bumpers & door sides black plastic trim. Plus it now weighs a little more with 20 Lts of rust treatment creeping about!
Keep up the good work the car has found the right owner!!
Regards Bob

[Clifford Pope]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That's how they were - the "gap" is there so if the impact absorption bumpers are deployed, they can move towards the cabin without damaging the wings.

Mine doesn't have that gap, and scanning a few pictures of 240s on Google I can't see any others that do. It's as if the OP's car's bumpers are too short for the moulded recess in the wings.
Are there variations, and these bumpers have been mismatched for the wings? Or perhaps replacement wings that don't match the bumpers?

It just looks a bit odd. The bumper sides are only plastic. I have had an impact once that deployed an absorbion strut - it bent the aluminium bumper itself, but the plastic just scraped over the wing and left no mark.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

Mine doesn't have that gap, and scanning a few pictures of 240s on Google I can't see any others that do. It's as if the OP's car's bumpers are too short for the moulded recess in the wings.
Are there variations, and these bumpers have been mismatched for the wings? Or perhaps replacement wings that don't match the bumpers?

It just looks a bit odd. The bumper sides are only plastic. I have had an impact once that deployed an absorbion strut - it bent the aluminium bumper itself, but the plastic just scraped over the wing and left no mark.

From further up this very thread :



Looks exactly the same! That said, it's from the same year, not the years Goggle wants you to see!

For the years of the two cars in question (1979/80), they are exactly as they should be.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Bob Meadows

http://www.volvotips.com/index.php/g...o-color-codes/
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/paint_colour_codes.shtml

Hi Alan: ~ the above links may assist regarding your paint colour- a descent paint shop will also help as some hold the Volvo paint chips & codes. Should the colour be anything other, then most should be able to mix a matching sample?
My ’88 240 is a similar colour -Blue/Green Volvo 402 but difficult to say exactly with photos etc.
The car looks a little different today as I have fitted Virgo wheels- a pair of roof bars & additional chrome trim to the bumpers & door sides black plastic trim. Plus it now weighs a little more with 20 Lts of rust treatment creeping about!
Keep up the good work the car has found the right owner!!
Regards Bob

Hi Bob,

Many thanks - I asked the PO today, he thinks it is Cypress Green, it could be, here is an ad for a car in that colour:

http://classiccardb.com/volvo/376443...matic-240.html

I'll see if I can buy a tester in that colour some place to compare.

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

From further up this very thread :



Looks exactly the same! That said, it's from the same year, not the years Goggle wants you to see!

For the years of the two cars in question (1979/80), they are exactly as they should be.

The Royal Barge certainly looks like that one Dave, the gaps are exactly the same.

The loose bonnet release finally irritated me so much I had to fix it today. It looked like it had not been fitted properly for years, maybe decades. The bowden cable was about 2" too long and the little clamp that holds the end close to the catch had been fitted sideways, so it wasn't stopping the cable sliding through. Once I worked out what was wrong it didn't take all that long to put back together properly, but of course whilst doing that I found some other things that needed some attention...

I took the (excellent) plastic wing inner off the drivers side to see how the tacky wing mirrors were fitted, and was pleased to see everything in order and no signs of any rust:



The brakes have obviously had some attention recently, which is good. I gave the inside of the wing, and where it meets the sill a good spray with WD40. Unfortunately the area where the tacky wing mirrors have been fitted is nasty - someone has used self tapping screws, quite recently I think because they had not started going rusty yet. The self tappers have slightly distorted the metal upwards, so I think I'll have to drill them out a little bigger (about 5mm at the moment), paint and plug with some blind grommets. In the fullness of time I suspect I'll fill the holes and paint. The material for the black stripes seems to be black vinyl, it is such a pity someone fitted those horrible mirrors - they have to go.

Alan

[Othen]

...and so: back to the tacky, horrible wing mirrors (you can probably tell where this is going)...

I removed the driver's side mirror to reveal two holes for the self tappers, fairly recent (last couple of years I should think), I needed at least a short term solution to keep the weather out for the time being. I decided I just couldn't put the horrible mirror back on, so I rounded out the holes to 7mm each, tapped down the burrs from the self tappers, gave all the exposed metal a coat of rattle can black and half an hour later lined the holes with silicone grease and squeezed in two 7mm blind grommets from my sparky's kit. I don't think it looks too bad for the time being, and will protect everything until I decide on a longer term plan:



... the passenger side looked a bit daft with a mirror once I'd taken the one on the right off, I removed it to reveal much more of a horror:



... four holes and some sort of adhesive. Someone had obviously had some issues in the past. Having started the driver's side I was committed to finishing, so got rid of the adhesive, drilled, painted and inserted some more 7mm rubber grommets. Actually I think the car looks better without the mirrors:



... and even the passenger's side is okay from about 6' :-)



The most important thing is that everything is stabilised and protected for now. The wings mirrors are safely in the bin, but I need to have a think about what I do in the longer term.

The black stripes (which I like) appear to be some sort of vinyl wrap - which is sort of convenient because paint won't stick to it, making it easy to wipe off any excess with a cloth. The options are:

a. Leave it as it is, the Royal Barge already has a few battle scars, so these few grommets wont make much more difference.

b. Fit something else instead, Dave suggested a few nicer mirrors the other day.

c. Fill the holes and paint - I don't think this would work very well because of the vinyl.

d. Fill the holes and find some matching vinyl to make a neat repair to a seam.

I'm favouring a) or d) - any ideas would be appreciated.

Whilst it is a pity a PO screwed the mirrors, it is not a disaster, and the Royal Barge looks good without them.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Hi Bob,

Many thanks - I asked the PO today, he thinks it is Cypress Green, it could be, here is an ad for a car in that colour:

http://classiccardb.com/volvo/376443...matic-240.html

I'll see if I can buy a tester in that colour some place to compare.

Alan

You really need to find the colour code Alan, this is 156, Signal Green/Racing green



Looks very similar but also code 110, Cypress green looks similar too :



Would be better to find the code, see if it ties up to what it should be and then get a tester. If it doesn't compare favourably, get the paint scanned.

Originally Posted by Othen

...and so: back to the tacky, horrible wing mirrors (you can probably tell where this is going)...

I removed the driver's side mirror to reveal two holes for the self tappers, fairly recent (last couple of years I should think), I needed at least a short term solution to keep the weather out for the time being. I decided I just couldn't put the horrible mirror back on, so I rounded out the holes to 7mm each, tapped down the burrs from the self tappers, gave all the exposed metal a coat of rattle can black and half an hour later lined the holes with silicone grease and squeezed in two 7mm blind grommets from my sparky's kit. I don't think it looks too bad for the time being, and will protect everything until I decide on a longer term plan:



... the passenger side looked a bit daft with a mirror once I'd taken the one on the right off, I removed it to reveal much more of a horror:



... four holes and some sort of adhesive. Someone had obviously had some issues in the past. Having started the driver's side I was committed to finishing, so got rid of the adhesive, drilled, painted and inserted some more 7mm rubber grommets. Actually I think the car looks better without the mirrors:



... and even the passenger's side is okay from about 6' :-)



The most important thing is that everything is stabilised and protected for now. The wings mirrors are safely in the bin, but I need to have a think about what I do in the longer term.

The black stripes (which I like) appear to be some sort of vinyl wrap - which is sort of convenient because paint won't stick to it, making it easy to wipe off any excess with a cloth. The options are:

a. Leave it as it is, the Royal Barge already has a few battle scars, so these few grommets wont make much more difference.

b. Fit something else instead, Dave suggested a few nicer mirrors the other day.

c. Fill the holes and paint - I don't think this would work very well because of the vinyl.

d. Fill the holes and find some matching vinyl to make a neat repair to a seam.

I'm favouring a) or d) - any ideas would be appreciated.

Whilst it is a pity a PO screwed the mirrors, it is not a disaster, and the Royal Barge looks good without them.

Alan

First, rescue those mirrors from the bin Alan! Seriously, they come in very handy for looking in strange , inaccessible parts of the car with a torch to find something! Saves contorting yourself into spaces even a mouse would feel claustrophobic in!

Second, great work on removing them from the wings, looks a lot better! Options a or d have my vote too, a vinyl wrapping place should be able to match the stripes.
Alternatively, black Milliput, fit it from underneath, smooth off with a wet finger on the top and let it go hard.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MILLIPUT-...D/390942475261

Also comes in handy for repairing broken trim!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You really need to find the colour code Alan,

Would be better to find the code, see if it ties up to what it should be and then get a tester. If it doesn't compare favourably, get the paint scanned.

First, rescue those mirrors from the bin Alan! Seriously, they come in very handy for looking in strange , inaccessible parts of the car with a torch to find something! Saves contorting yourself into spaces even a mouse would feel claustrophobic in!

Second, great work on removing them from the wings, looks a lot better! Options a or d have my vote too, a vinyl wrapping place should be able to match the stripes.
Alternatively, black Milliput, fit it from underneath, smooth off with a wet finger on the top and let it go hard.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MILLIPUT-...D/390942475261

Also comes in handy for repairing broken trim!

Hi Dave,

Agreed about finding the paint code, I got distracted with the other jobs today but I'll do it tomorrow. I'm not sure about the cypress green, it looks a bit too light to me.

Good point about the mirrors - they are rescued (good thing - bin day tomorrow). I broke one of my own rules about not throwing things away - I think in a fit of pique, I'd come to dislike those mirrors as I thought they let the rest of the car down a bit.

I had not come across Milliput - it looks interesting and I might get some anyway. The wings don't look too bad with the grommets at the moment, so that has been a good result. Once most other things have been done to the Royal Barge I might find some local vinyl wrapping place to replicate the top stripe on both sides. I was thinking that I also get the back of the roof wrapped with a strip of vinyl about 4" wide to cover up where the ugly spoiler was. It might match a similar strip on the boot. That is a way off though.

The Royal Barge's cabin has become quite a nice place to be, the new carpets and cleaning the seats have really lifted the interior.I'd like to get the accessory lights sorted next (easy job, but will really improve the front of the car) and then tackle the instruments lights (the 501 bulbs arrived in the mail today) and the rev counter at the same time.

Many thanks again,

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

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

... I can't help thinking the headlamps in this picture look just like the ones on the Royal Barge:



:-)