Coupid
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2003
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA
Great work keeping this thing on the road and really nice job documenting the progress!
-
Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software hereThank you for being a part of our community!
1985 760- The Jurbo Saga
- Thread starter brickborg
- Start date
whatshouldido
Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2013
- Location
- Florida
Great thread and super nice 740 ! Has given me a bit of heat to work on mine !
In this post: man drives old car daily and nothing breaks. Nice!
So then, the Jurbo was running and driving well, just in time for winter to arrive. Since the snow hadn't come in force yet, I took the car out to the old Minneapolis Mill District for a photo or two. The Mississippi riverfront on either side of Saint Anthony Falls made Minneapolis the single greatest producer of flour in the world by the late 1880's. When the big mills closed, It fell into disrepute as a skid row in the 1950's, was revived as the trendy new condo location for the urban upper classes circa 2010, and now makes a perfect place for dopes like me to take moody photos of their old cars:
It's really quite a handsome thing, if I do say so myself.
Not long after, the first snow (otherwise known as fool's winter) arrived, and the Jurbo was tucked away again:
And so my daily Honda Civic took over my commuting duties, while my wife's first-gen CR-V dutifully ran and drove for her despite it's checkered 230k mile past.
Well, I should say it DID run and drive. Most of the time. In early November, said CR-V decided it needed a new ignition barrel and switch. I replaced that. Then my wife and I found out that she was pregnant with our first child. A small SUV with the all the rigidity of a rusty tin can was no longer going to be sufficient. It also developed an intermittent no-power situation, so it was parked- but not before helping me pick up this:
A friend of mine (Pinguin here on TB) had a 1993 B230FT sitting in his garage that would no longer be used. Considering it has the stronger crank bearing arrangement, stronger 13mm rods, and piston oil squirters, I elected to give it a home and rebuild it at my leisure. I've never rebuilt a motor before, so at the very least, refreshing this thing and swapping it in will be a fun learning experience.
With that final task for the CR-V complete- cue the requisite shuffling of cars. My wife took over my modern Civic, and I broke out the Jurbo.
It was pressed into service to pick up a new toy:
It shuttled me to my office and back with nary a complaint, even when queuing for coffee at dark-thirty in the morning in 20*f temperatures:
It's a very nice place to be in the winter, with a heater that normally comes online quickly and provides surface-of-the-sun levels of heat when desired. The heated leather seats still work too, which is always nice.
It made slightly rustier friends in the car park at the grocery store:
And dutifully schlepped this VERY unhappy critter to her yearly check-up at the vet last week:
However since winter has now begun in earnest, I needed to find a new daily. As eminently usable as the Jurbo is, I didn't want to subject it to any further abuse.
To that end, I picked myself up this fine specimen- an Acura TSX Sportwagon. I believe the rest of the world got these as the Honda Accord Euro Estate. It ticks all the boxes for a daily driver for me- it's a Honda, it has a K24, it's an estate, and it's nice but not so nice I can't use the thing. It will be getting de-Acura'd soon, as I hate the squid-beak grille and Acura as a brand just seems a bit pretentious to me. They're just Hondas with leather after all.
Now with the less-exciting modern transportation squared away, I took the Jurbo out for one last commute just for the hell of it.
This picture tells me three things. First, that I am hopelessly attached to this thing. I look back at it every time I park it up. Secondly, my passenger fog light bracket is either bent or loose, so that will need attention. And third, all the plastic lenses on the front end are really letting the side down. I've ordered up replacement indicator, foglamp, and running light lenses for next year.
Barring any further shenanigans, the Jurbo should remain tucked up in the garage until the first good rain next spring. We'll see if things actually go to plan!
So then, the Jurbo was running and driving well, just in time for winter to arrive. Since the snow hadn't come in force yet, I took the car out to the old Minneapolis Mill District for a photo or two. The Mississippi riverfront on either side of Saint Anthony Falls made Minneapolis the single greatest producer of flour in the world by the late 1880's. When the big mills closed, It fell into disrepute as a skid row in the 1950's, was revived as the trendy new condo location for the urban upper classes circa 2010, and now makes a perfect place for dopes like me to take moody photos of their old cars:
It's really quite a handsome thing, if I do say so myself.
Not long after, the first snow (otherwise known as fool's winter) arrived, and the Jurbo was tucked away again:
And so my daily Honda Civic took over my commuting duties, while my wife's first-gen CR-V dutifully ran and drove for her despite it's checkered 230k mile past.
Well, I should say it DID run and drive. Most of the time. In early November, said CR-V decided it needed a new ignition barrel and switch. I replaced that. Then my wife and I found out that she was pregnant with our first child. A small SUV with the all the rigidity of a rusty tin can was no longer going to be sufficient. It also developed an intermittent no-power situation, so it was parked- but not before helping me pick up this:
A friend of mine (Pinguin here on TB) had a 1993 B230FT sitting in his garage that would no longer be used. Considering it has the stronger crank bearing arrangement, stronger 13mm rods, and piston oil squirters, I elected to give it a home and rebuild it at my leisure. I've never rebuilt a motor before, so at the very least, refreshing this thing and swapping it in will be a fun learning experience.
With that final task for the CR-V complete- cue the requisite shuffling of cars. My wife took over my modern Civic, and I broke out the Jurbo.
It was pressed into service to pick up a new toy:
It shuttled me to my office and back with nary a complaint, even when queuing for coffee at dark-thirty in the morning in 20*f temperatures:
It's a very nice place to be in the winter, with a heater that normally comes online quickly and provides surface-of-the-sun levels of heat when desired. The heated leather seats still work too, which is always nice.
It made slightly rustier friends in the car park at the grocery store:
And dutifully schlepped this VERY unhappy critter to her yearly check-up at the vet last week:
However since winter has now begun in earnest, I needed to find a new daily. As eminently usable as the Jurbo is, I didn't want to subject it to any further abuse.
To that end, I picked myself up this fine specimen- an Acura TSX Sportwagon. I believe the rest of the world got these as the Honda Accord Euro Estate. It ticks all the boxes for a daily driver for me- it's a Honda, it has a K24, it's an estate, and it's nice but not so nice I can't use the thing. It will be getting de-Acura'd soon, as I hate the squid-beak grille and Acura as a brand just seems a bit pretentious to me. They're just Hondas with leather after all.
Now with the less-exciting modern transportation squared away, I took the Jurbo out for one last commute just for the hell of it.
This picture tells me three things. First, that I am hopelessly attached to this thing. I look back at it every time I park it up. Secondly, my passenger fog light bracket is either bent or loose, so that will need attention. And third, all the plastic lenses on the front end are really letting the side down. I've ordered up replacement indicator, foglamp, and running light lenses for next year.
Barring any further shenanigans, the Jurbo should remain tucked up in the garage until the first good rain next spring. We'll see if things actually go to plan!
Coupid
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2003
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA
That is such a nice color. I’ve always had a soft spot for the TSX wagons. I thought they had the V6, knowing they are K24 powered makes me want one even more!
Thanks for the kind words! I've really enjoyed fixing this thing up and making it a usable car again- although sometimes I do have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy it as it sits for a little while before I tear into it again just to fix something small. I think before my ownership it was as well taken care of as you could ever expect an old 760 to be cared for, and most of the stuff I've done is either addressing common issues or just age-related things that the octogenarian first owner would never have noticed. Either way, I love the hell out of this thing.
Thanks much, it's the only one I've ever seen in this color outside period Volvo brochures lol.
I had the same impression as you that the TSX wagons were all V6 and that had put me off (the idea of doing timing belts on a J-Series motor can **** right off into the sun), but after seeing that they used the K24Z3 I was sold. This one needs a little bit of work to be 100% up to my standard, but it's absolutely usable as it sits and I'm looking forward to putting miles on it.
Right then, so in the last 7 months I've become a dad to a beautiful baby girl (MiniBlock), and despite the total global chaos of the past two years still managed to score my dream job. Life is a phenomenal, lovely mess right now, and I couldn't ask for more.
What does that mean for the poor old Jurbo?
Well, beyond the fact that he'll be seeing a lot of benefit from my newfound fatter wallet next year, absolutely nothing. Our daughter arrived in June, and I hadn't touched the car all year until late November, when I realized I had a day to myself and it needed to be winterized. I snapped out of my new-father-fugue-state long enough to grab the keys and go for a long drive to stretch his legs.
With the cobwebs blown out, I also thought I'd tick off a quick job and replace the front lenses. The OEM Cibie items were functional, but the lenses were loose, cracking, and sandblasted from the PO driving through the Colorado desert for two decades.
Removed the old:
The lower lenses appear to have been completely brutalized by something long ago, since as soon as I undid the mounting bolts to free them, they broke in two.
Let's keep going and get the new shiny stuff installed
So that's most definitely an improvement, however I'm REALLY not impressed with the fit of the URO lens housings I purchased. The results in the photo above that vaguely approximate the factory-poor fitment took me close to an hour to achieve. Measured both headlight buckets and fenders, everything seems straight, so I'm not sure what the issue is. I'm also not sure that it matters, considering it was just as bad with the originals
Pulled the car out to check my handiwork (with my neighbors 454-swapped Silverado for company):
And decided to clean the old boy up at the only local car wash that's worth a damn (this also doubles as my yearly torture test for the door and sunroof seals). Surprisingly, the interior and I were pleasingly dry at the end of the wash cycle.
Ahhhhh, there we go. Who doesn't feel better after they shower, after all?
In that photo, you can also enjoy the many sights of Crystal, Minnesota. These sights include, but are not limited to:
- Dozens of concrete buildings built in the 70's!
- Potholes you can fit an aircraft carrier inside!
- Numerous Abandoned strip malls!
- The mysterious smell of industry from unidentified sources!
- Several sketchy-ass body shops within a two block area for some reason!
- At least one McDonalds!
As you could understand, it was hard to tear myself away from the excitement of my neighboring city, but I had to head home and tuck the Jurbo in. Got some gas, threw in some Stabil, and got him home.
Goodnight sweet prince, see you next year.
What does that mean for the poor old Jurbo?
Well, beyond the fact that he'll be seeing a lot of benefit from my newfound fatter wallet next year, absolutely nothing. Our daughter arrived in June, and I hadn't touched the car all year until late November, when I realized I had a day to myself and it needed to be winterized. I snapped out of my new-father-fugue-state long enough to grab the keys and go for a long drive to stretch his legs.
With the cobwebs blown out, I also thought I'd tick off a quick job and replace the front lenses. The OEM Cibie items were functional, but the lenses were loose, cracking, and sandblasted from the PO driving through the Colorado desert for two decades.
Removed the old:
The lower lenses appear to have been completely brutalized by something long ago, since as soon as I undid the mounting bolts to free them, they broke in two.
Let's keep going and get the new shiny stuff installed
So that's most definitely an improvement, however I'm REALLY not impressed with the fit of the URO lens housings I purchased. The results in the photo above that vaguely approximate the factory-poor fitment took me close to an hour to achieve. Measured both headlight buckets and fenders, everything seems straight, so I'm not sure what the issue is. I'm also not sure that it matters, considering it was just as bad with the originals
Pulled the car out to check my handiwork (with my neighbors 454-swapped Silverado for company):
And decided to clean the old boy up at the only local car wash that's worth a damn (this also doubles as my yearly torture test for the door and sunroof seals). Surprisingly, the interior and I were pleasingly dry at the end of the wash cycle.
Ahhhhh, there we go. Who doesn't feel better after they shower, after all?
In that photo, you can also enjoy the many sights of Crystal, Minnesota. These sights include, but are not limited to:
- Dozens of concrete buildings built in the 70's!
- Potholes you can fit an aircraft carrier inside!
- Numerous Abandoned strip malls!
- The mysterious smell of industry from unidentified sources!
- Several sketchy-ass body shops within a two block area for some reason!
- At least one McDonalds!
As you could understand, it was hard to tear myself away from the excitement of my neighboring city, but I had to head home and tuck the Jurbo in. Got some gas, threw in some Stabil, and got him home.
Goodnight sweet prince, see you next year.
swedishiron.com
I sell Volvo parts!
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2004
- Location
- Seattle, WA
What a great build thread.
Scaramanga
Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2017
- Location
- Sweden
I love this thread!
Thanks guys! I'm glad some folks are enjoying reading about it, cause I find the actual work on the car and the write-up both pretty fun. Hope to be able to do some bigger stuff as the kiddo gets a little older as well!
- Joined
- May 11, 2007
- Location
- Niketown, OR
To that end, I picked myself up this fine specimen- an Acura TSX Sportwagon. I believe the rest of the world got these as the Honda Accord Euro Estate. It ticks all the boxes for a daily driver for me- it's a Honda, it has a K24, it's an estate, and it's nice but not so nice I can't use the thing. It will be getting de-Acura'd soon, as I hate the squid-beak grille and Acura as a brand just seems a bit pretentious to me. They're just Hondas with leather after all.
Been dailying one here since 2014. Great car for the most part. There are a couple things to note:
1. It's kinda dog**** slow for a modern car
2. Watch the brakes; they eat rear pads and rotors like a mother****er and overheat the front brakes quite readily. I'm currently using some fancyish Centric rotors and pads, but they are an accelerated wear item. OEM hardware is not great either
3. Watch for oil burning. The K24Z3 has an open TSB for ring leakage.
4. Also watch for CV joint wear
Lol appreciate it. It's honestly been a great car so far. I bought it from a Volvo dealer where my friend runs the UCD, so I ended up with it at cost due to the issues it had. To your points-
1. Eh, mine's quick enough to be entertaining when you spin it up. I mostly like it for the way it chases redline like a giant motorcycle engine (despite the best efforts of the AT to dampen the fun). Luckily I didn't buy it to go fast, it's just barely enough power to be entertaining to me. I wouldn't say no to a supercharger though...
2. Both front and rear brakes were toast when I bought it- got Akebono pads and Centric's fancy rotors on there now. We'll see how they last, but considering how I drive I'm guessing not long lol.
3. It eats a quart of 0w20 every 3k miles, I'm not terribly worried. I came from BMW land where 1 quart every 1k was pretty normal.
4. I bought it with the driver's CV being absolutely shagged, so that got replaced with an R-Axles item. The passenger side is going now, so that's the next project.
- Joined
- May 11, 2007
- Location
- Niketown, OR
Ha! Called it 
Don’t get me wrong, I love me a K-series. Drove a CU2 with a 6-speed manual and the package was a revelation. Had me jonesing to swap the wagon.
Must. Resist!
Don’t get me wrong, I love me a K-series. Drove a CU2 with a 6-speed manual and the package was a revelation. Had me jonesing to swap the wagon.
Must. Resist!
Unfortunately the time has come to send my unicorn 760 to a new home. For sale thread can be found here-
https://www.turbobricks.com/index.php?threads/1985-760-turbo-88k-miles-6k-obo.370360/
https://www.turbobricks.com/index.php?threads/1985-760-turbo-88k-miles-6k-obo.370360/