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Sven; 1991 245

57plymouth

Active member
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
Location
Blythewood, SC
Since Photobucket kicked the, well, bucket I'm starting a new thread.

Yes, I figured out the hack to see the old pics using Chrome. If you haven't then you can use this add-on when using a computer. It doesn't work on tablets or phones.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...fiaedg/related

With that behind me, here is my old thread that I'm not going to keep up with any longer:

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=312026

In July of 2015 I decided to buy something to replace the 1998 Pontiac Sunfire that I was driving. The Sunfire was number 5 in a line of Cavaliers and Sunfires I have owned. They were all good, except for this last one. It just didn't like me. It fought me from day one, and I got tired of constantly working on miserable jobs instead of burning miles. At the time I was a freelance insurance underwriter and I put around 200 miles on a car per day. I wanted something comfortable, compact enough to put into tight driveways and dirt roads, economical, easy to work on and rather inconspicuous. I also wanted the practicality of a wagon. I looked at early Nova wagons, Mercedes wagons, G body Malibu wagons, and Volvo wagons. I talked with Charlie from this forum, who gave me the lowdown on 145/245/745 cars, and recommended I look for a 1988 and newer 245. I found several that were decent projects, but I wanted something I could put into service immediately. I decided on 2, one that Jared was selling and one in Charlotte. The one in Charlotte was cheaper and had lower miles, so I looked at it first after a long conversation with Jared about his modified car. When we pulled up to the seller's yard, my wife said it looked like a new car. I liked it, it ran right, it wasn't rusty, so I bought it. Maybe I paid too much, maybe not.

Here it is when I bought it:

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Just look at all that stockness! It had 152K miles on it, and the seller said it had another 5 or 10K after the odometer gear broke.
 
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I haven't done any "modifications." All I've done has been repairs, maintenance, and add upgrades (mostly Volvo parts). But I do have a modification in mind...

So far:

IPD lowering springs
245 turbo sway bars
Sachs struts/shocks
strut bearing support plates
strut tower to firewall braces
lower chassis braces
typical timing belt replacement
Dave Barton custom gauge faces
amp gauge addition
oil pressure gauge addition
replace vinyl seat covers with cloth seat covers and rebuild foams
replace radio with a Pioneer bluetooth radio and speakers
rear cargo cover
rear cargo mat
Hydra wheels and Cooper touring tires
trailer hitch and wiring
power heated mirrors
Swedish police light switch
E-code headlights on relays
front fender turn signals
all exterior bulbs replaced with LED bulbs
crack free dash swapped in
windows tinted
aftermarket steering wheel
Volvo plastic floor trays
constant hot 12 volt outlet
switched hot 12 volt USB charge points
LOTS of small trim pieces replaced with nice pieces


More pics to come...
 
Here are my home made and overkill strut tower to firewall braces.
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Here is how the car sits now. I backed into a low retaining wall and damaged the rear plastic trim under the bumper. I have left it off until I either find a nice one or paint the car and fill in the holes. It has 210K miles now.













 
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Since I bumped the wrong thread, I resoldered the gang ground at the intake manifold and that seems to have resolved the check engine light for the coolant temp. sensor.

Need to wash the car, and fix the dash lights. I plan to give up on the twist lock halogen bulbs and wire in some LED bulbs in push in sockets. We'll see how it works.
 
Those nice polyurethane accessory bushings don't hold up. I had a squealing belt, and found the alternator hanging loose. I had a spare bushing from when I misoredered them originally, so I was able to fix it tonight. But it was frustrating to do the job again.
 
Those nice polyurethane accessory bushings don't hold up. I had a squealing belt, and found the alternator hanging loose. I had a spare bushing from when I misoredered them originally, so I was able to fix it tonight. But it was frustrating to do the job again.

Found out the hard way myself on those.

Car looks good.

Is yours an airbag car? My new-to-me 91 is. If so, what is the procedure for changing the steering wheel? Thanks.
 
You need the turn signal mount bucket for a non-airbag car. Then you remove the steering wheel, remove the steering column trim, swap out the signal mount bucket, reassemble the steering column trim, install an aftermarket wheel adapter, and your aftermarket wheel. If you really want to get technical, you should also remove the air bag light bulb from the instrument cluster or it will be lit all of the time.
 
You need the turn signal mount bucket for a non-airbag car. Then you remove the steering wheel, remove the steering column trim, swap out the signal mount bucket, reassemble the steering column trim, install an aftermarket wheel adapter, and your aftermarket wheel. If you really want to get technical, you should also remove the air bag light bulb from the instrument cluster or it will be lit all of the time.

Great. Thanks.
 
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