The Morbidmobile Blog

[TomSaintJames]

I had a good chat with the neighbours today, you are quite right Dave, although they are very clean and tidy people, they're happy with things, apparently they have more light in their house too.

I managed to dig out the remaining concrete and top soil today and roughly levelled it, the concrete sleeper on the road end will have to go for it to be easily accessible - there is quite a height differene from th road, we'll think on a temporary surface - probaby something gravel-like for now, with a paving slab row to drive on.

I've got quite some bags to take to the tip, shame the hearse isn't on the road as it'd be done in one trip! I have a few other little bits to do out the front here, tidying up the bottom of the planter, a bin store between the porch and wall and another raised planter. Once that is done I can start on the Hearse's roof, that has to be watertight before we got the proper winter wet coming in!





I'm not as young as I once was and I sure can feel that now! Concrete bashing and digging sure are manual labour.

[Laird Scooby]

I'd leave that concrete sleeper be if i were you Tom.

Don't forget it's holding the drive between it and the house as well, a couple of bags of concrete that you just add water to and create a ramp off it like the tarmac to the left and you'll be laughing.

Will save time and for the minimal expense, will still save money overall as a lot of places charge for you to dispose of big lumps of concrete like that sleeper will be.

Not to mention the time off work due to the hernia you're likely to self-inflict by lifting it!

To give you a rough idea, one cubic metre of wet concrete is ~2.2T and not much lighter once it's dry. I'll let you do the maths on that as you can measure it but in the pics it looks like 3m long by 0.3m high and wide so ~0.3cu.m or about 700kg at a very rough guess.

[Othen]

I've just finished reading your thread (recommended by Dave (LS)), and it was fascinating - very RB-esque (which I mean as a very good thing).

I wonder, have you fitted the Penta engine yet, and does it work okay?

Alan

[TomSaintJames]

Thanks for the read Alan, although i'll admit I don't know what RB-esque means?!

The Penta is not yet fitted unfortunately! I would like to get the hearse watertight first, the worst bits are the roof bar mounting areas - but the whole roof needs stripping back, inspecting and sealing as I've found a few pinholes.

The penta is a bit of an unknown entity just now, my first job will be to dissassemble and see what i've got, then it can be sent for any work and eventually installed in the car! Next will come the LH2.4 and turbo conversion

I'm reasonably new to this level of car tinkering, so it is a slow process which isn't helped by time and financial limitiations. The drive is finished though.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by TomSaintJames

Thanks for the read Alan, although i'll admit I don't know what RB-esque means?!

Here you are Tom, the story of the Royal Barge (RB) so far, it's a long one!

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=303259

You'll see the parallels i'm sure, reusing/repurposing to make the car better etc.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Here you are Tom, the story of the Royal Barge (RB) so far, it's a long one!

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=303259

You'll see the parallels i'm sure, reusing/repurposing to make the car better etc.

Dave,

Thank you for explaining that to Tom.

Tom,

RB-esque is meant in an entirely positive way for your thread.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Dave,

Thank you for explaining that to Tom.

Tom,

RB-esque is meant in an entirely positive way for your thread.

Alan

You're welcome Alan, i guessed Tom hadn't seen your thread so was in the dark and also that a third party would enhance the positivity of your compliment.

You never know, you might even gain a few ideas from each other!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You're welcome Alan, i guessed Tom hadn't seen your thread so was in the dark and also that a third party would enhance the positivity of your compliment.

You never know, you might even gain a few ideas from each other!

This is where I got the idea of buying a donor car Dave - Tom mentioned it during the thread, but I don’t think he went through with that bit.

Alan

[TomSaintJames]

Thank you Dave and Alan, i've bookmarked the RB thread for some light reading when I need a coffee break at home

I probably should have bought a turbo donor car, would perhaps have been simpler - but where on earth I would have put it I don't know! Besides I already haver a donor BX for converting my special early BX to have A/C , so that is that barn full of car, although we have enlarged the driveway - I think I would be in trouble if I put another volvo on there! Although it'd look good.



The rubble is all gone and the concrete ramp at the front will be getting a coat of hi-grip paint to seal it. The lexus gets up there no problem, but the citroen AX has to go up as close to the hearse as possible or the sill jack points catch the top lip of the ramp.

I collected the AW71L from Luke (360beast) yesterday afternoon, we'd just got the Lexus back from its MOT, darn thing needed new handbrake cables - I knew it'd fail on that, but hoped it just needed the cables adjusting. I'd adjusted the drums a few months ago but time got ahead of me for the cables. Silly really as it was quite an expensive job! Lexus aside it was really good to meet Luke, what a great guy - not only did I collect the gearbox but I also came away with an intercooler, boost pipes, gear selector (to match the AW71L) and an anti-roll bar upgrade! He has a couple of nice 360's (as his username suggests!) aswell as a very tidy and well specc'd 940 turbo.

I wouldn't hesitate to shop with him again or recommend him - top chap and really knows his Volvo's.

[Laird Scooby]

Glad to see you followed my suggestion on the driveay Tom! Are you thinking of turbochargin the Penta 2.5? That would be a beast!