Diesel power...the D24TIC 940 rolling restoration project

[AllHailKingVolvo]

More work today...I changed the driveshaft centre support bearing and mount (more complicated that I anticipated but got it done, after fabricating a makeshift bearing press from two old Honda GX160 pistons with a hole drilled through the crown of both! Heath Robinson but worked a treat), fitted the driver’s side crossmember bushes for the gearbox mount (not 100% necessary as the old ones were in reasonable shape, but I had the new ones to hand so fitted them anyway. I also adjusted the handbrake which now works perfectly, fitted a new socket for the towing electrics and changed the top hose from the heater matrix to Cold Start Device union, the bottom hose from the union to the stat housing (this disintegrated as soon as I loosened the jubilee clip...dodged a bullet on that one!) and the top hose from the block to the CSD.

I’ve now changed all of the coolant hoses bar the expansion tank to rad, and the bottom heater matrix hose. Most of the original hoses had swollen a little and caused the webbing inside to rot, so were on the verge of early retirement.

I know I’m going to have to bite the bullet and change the hose from the heater matrix to the back of the block but I have no idea where to get one from...I’ve used standard reinforced rubber coolant/fuel hose for the rest (other than the rad hoses from Gates) but the rear hose is a lot more specifically shaped than the others...as far as I can tell, the hoses are NLA anywhere so I will have to think on!

[Laird Scooby]

A very productive day for you Phil!

If you need to make up a specially shaped hose, don't forget that domestic copper water pipe is 15mm diameter and a straight Yorkshire fitting soldered on makes a good set of ridges for the hose to grip onto. With a bending spring the copper pipe can be bent into whatever shape is needed and then a short length of hose to connect to the block or similar and then the other end another short length to link to the heater matrix.

I've used that on my Rover, there's a link pipe from the expansion tank drain on the drivers side to the water pump inlet on the passenger side that was originally steel, like a sort of hockey stick shape. Had two tabs welded on for mounting so the pipe was replicated in copper with a straight Yorkshire fitting each end to provide barbs for the hoses then two rubber lined P clips replaced the two tabs.
Needless to say the original steel pipe is NLA but it's been on there 4-5 years now with no problems at all - food for thoguht perhaps?

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

A very productive day for you Phil!

If you need to make up a specially shaped hose, don't forget that domestic copper water pipe is 15mm diameter and a straight Yorkshire fitting soldered on makes a good set of ridges for the hose to grip onto. With a bending spring the copper pipe can be bent into whatever shape is needed and then a short length of hose to connect to the block or similar and then the other end another short length to link to the heater matrix.

I've used that on my Rover, there's a link pipe from the expansion tank drain on the drivers side to the water pump inlet on the passenger side that was originally steel, like a sort of hockey stick shape. Had two tabs welded on for mounting so the pipe was replicated in copper with a straight Yorkshire fitting each end to provide barbs for the hoses then two rubber lined P clips replaced the two tabs.
Needless to say the original steel pipe is NLA but it's been on there 4-5 years now with no problems at all - food for thoguht perhaps?

Thanks Dave!

I ended up with a similar solution-the hose from the rear of the block to the heater matrix (via the in-line vac operated heater valve) was a tortuously shaped thing which took some replicating-I bought four 90deg 16mm brass elbows (from Amazon of all places!) and some good quality jubilee clips and set about making up a replacement. To my delight it fitted perfectly and I can now drive the car safe in the knowledge that all the hoses have been renewed.

Other work today included refitting the carpet door card inserts with walnut effect tops on the driver’s and OS passenger doors, a thorough valet inside and a good going over with leather nourishing cream. Looks a great deal better!

Next up I need to fix the wrinkled door card tops...I have no idea how to go about that but will do some sleuthing accordingly!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by AllHailKingVolvo

Thanks Dave!

I ended up with a similar solution-the hose from the rear of the block to the heater matrix (via the in-line vac operated heater valve) was a tortuously shaped thing which took some replicating-I bought four 90deg 16mm brass elbows (from Amazon of all places!) and some good quality jubilee clips and set about making up a replacement. To my delight it fitted perfectly and I can now drive the car safe in the knowledge that all the hoses have been renewed.

Other work today included refitting the carpet door card inserts with walnut effect tops on the driver’s and OS passenger doors, a thorough valet inside and a good going over with leather nourishing cream. Looks a great deal better!

Next up I need to fix the wrinkled door card tops...I have no idea how to go about that but will do some sleuthing accordingly!

Those brass elbows are useful aren't they?

Good work on the door cards and leather balm, with the wrinkling, if you rub some leather balm into them and then use a hairdryer to restretch the leather and revive the glue underneath, that might work. I read that somewhere so not 100% sure of the results but could be worth a try.

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Those brass elbows are useful aren't they?

Good work on the door cards and leather balm, with the wrinkling, if you rub some leather balm into them and then use a hairdryer to restretch the leather and revive the glue underneath, that might work. I read that somewhere so not 100% sure of the results but could be worth a try.

I’ll give it a try, I did think a hairdryer or heat gun could be a good way to pull them back into shape...I’ll report back!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by AllHailKingVolvo

I’ll give it a try, I did think a hairdryer or heat gun could be a good way to pull them back into shape...I’ll report back!

Good luck Phil - will be interested to see how it comes out! At the moment you have wrinkled door cards, i doubt the heat would wrinkle them more, especially if they had some leather balm in them to help with flexibility and it might just work! :thumbs-up:

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Good luck Phil - will be interested to see how it comes out! At the moment you have wrinkled door cards, i doubt the heat would wrinkle them more, especially if they had some leather balm in them to help with flexibility and it might just work! :thumbs-up:

Absolutely my thoughts too-they can’t really look any worse, so definitely worth a try! I’ve got a heat gun on the way as my last one packed up a year or two ago. Will be useful for doing the door cards and also for breathing some new life into the very faded bumpers on my petrol car,

I’ve tried so many products, but they seem to have been left untreated for most of the life of the car prior to my ownership, so a lot of stuff such as Gtechniq C4 (which worked wonders on my old 740’s dry bumpers) hasn’t been able to rescue this one. I’ll try the heat gun trick and see if that works, if not I’ll have to think on!

Thankfully the bumpers on the diesel car are in excellent shape bar a couple of minor bumps...the rest of the exterior needs a lot of love, but the bumpers don’t!

[Laird Scooby]

Good luck with the heat gun Phil, looking forward to the results of both jobs you plan to christen it with!

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Good luck with the heat gun Phil, looking forward to the results of both jobs you plan to christen it with!

Well, the heat gun hasn’t come out yet, but will do next week! Got too much on this week, but managed to get cracking today and replace my sunroof switch...the sunroof would previously motor back into the fully open position happily, but wouldn’t close without manually doing it by way of a flathead screwdriver into the motor override shaft.

The switch was a bit floppy, so I elected to replace it...they are NLA now so had to source a used one, which I eventually found on eBay from someone parting out a 740. The switch was identical but the connector was different, which wasn’t a problem as I had plenty of crimp-on bullet connectors in the parts stash, which fit into the individual holes on the 740 connector a treat. A little snipping and stripping later, and the sunroof now works beautifully! Just in time for the weather for which it was intended.

I fitted a new MANN air filter today too...the intake whine was quite pronounced, which I tracked down to a collapsed air filter and a filter box which was missing several clips. A nice new filter and a luggage strap around the air box (my petrol one is the same!) and all is quiet now. Enough suction to let you know the turbo is working, but not so much that you’re constantly on air raid alert!!

[Laird Scooby]

Good work on the sunroof switch Phil, i had to do similar to mine but in reverse (it tilted but wouldn't close) and ended up i think with a 940 switch so had some jiggery-pokery to do with the connectors. A squirt in the top of the rocker with contact cleaner from time to time helps keep them working as they should and the spring inside free to move too.

Surprised it was running so well with a choked air filter, sorted now though!