dirty, old and rusty: a tale of a $600 meatball

[esmth]

I've been meaning to make this thread about my car for a long time, but never got around to it. The longer I wait, the harder it'll be to start, so here I go. It's had too much molestation to list done to it over the years so I'll go over the basics:

• 1991 Volvo 240
• Single stage white paint (the entire driver's side was ****tily resprayed at some point?)
• Blue interior
• B230F +T -T
• 4-2-1 header w/ 2.5" pipe and a single glasspack
• B cam w/ STS gear
• M46 swap
• Wasted spark
• Kaplhenke spherical torque rods, panhard rod, and TABs (Went back to stock w/ poly for the rods)
• Spartan locker

I +t'd it awhile back, but it was my daily driver and I was commuting daily into Boston with it so I replaced the turbo setup with the 421 exhaust to keep it simple and reliable. I now have another car, so I can do more fun things with this one again.

I'll update this thread when I do more dumb crap to this car

[esmth]

I got these as a social distancing project: 10x300 front and 150 rear coil overs

I got this deep into the car

before I realized the gland nuts I have are not the right kind. Thread is not even close!

****, so this is on hold for awhile until I get the correct parts

[redblockpowered]

Needs more L cam content.

[esmth]

Originally Posted by redblockpowered

Needs more L cam content.

don't taunt me because i will do it

[esmth]

a little drizzle isn't stopping me from making atleast some progress. Painted my control arms with farm implement enamel to have a fighting chance of staying rust free for the time being. Picked bright blue for FRIGID undercarriage temps. Also it matches my oil pan. Got my family friend to help me press the poly bushings in.


My attempt to get 45 ft/lbs into the ball joint bracket thing. knicked my ricer paint here :(


Hub is COVERED in old grease and brake dust.


Cleaned up real nice though!


Bearing checks out, no need to replace them for now. Just a grease re-pack.


Its all coming together. Should have painted that bushing bracket as well. Oh well. Still need the damn gland nut before i can bolt this sucker in.


Ended up buying this... should make any future job go by faster. Only is 166ft/lb but haven't found a nut it couldn't crack loose yet!


With the help of the imact, this side came out in less than 45 minutes. Most of which was fiddling with the brake lines.


epic rust belt patina. Would you believe this side sat about 3/4 of an inch lower than the passenger side? The strut spinny-bearing was super sad as well.


this control arm definitely didn't have much life left in it. Happy they're getting replaced.

[GratefulNed]

man... that old control arm looks like my frame right behind my rear spring perches...

*but noooo....this was the perfect 240 for me.... a great deal i said....*

[esmth]

Originally Posted by GratefulNed

man... that old control arm looks like my frame right behind my rear spring perches...

*but noooo....this was the perfect 240 for me.... a great deal i said....*

oof... though at least that can be cut out and welded, if I'm thinking of where you're talking about.

With this suspension done, I think I have replaced most all the sketchy parts. Well, besides the sticky throttle cable and leaky gas filler seal lol

I am missing the m16x1.5 nut for the drivers side strut... other than that the front coilovers are done. I am too spooked to go to a hardware store rn to find a replacement.

edit: anyone know what specs i should ask for at the alignment shop? I was thinking of taking it to the volvo dealer the next town over that always has dozens of bricks in his lot.

[esmth]

sad meatball



The bubble fitting seized to the line. Luckily the parts shop had two new fittings. Have one as a spare now for future f-ups


Passenger side is done. lookin gud



Friend let me borrow his press. made easy work of these bushings. the old ones were original from 1991. West German!


got thru the driver side without taking pictures, but I got it to move for the first time in awhile!


She wasn't happy being woken from slumber. A quick spin of the fuses fixed it



It drives! Alignment is fugged. That banging was a loose sway bar link




Ride height I liked settled a bit, but i kinda dig the rake.




Power washed the engine bay. Only messed with 3 sensors in the process



Replaced the high pressure power steering line. Got some strawberry milkshake for the boys. Replacing this also solved the mystery whine the engine area would make when cold!

[esmth]

Re-sealing the diff. I think my cover is warped. I cannot seem to make it seal correctly! always leaky from the top.


I ended up buying this. from a 1979 b21f w/ kjet



I got a B cam! already have one


Can still see cross hatching but there is quite a bit of vertical scoring. Nothing ''catches'' a nail. You can feel it, though.



a significant amount of build up



cleaned it up a little bit



Got the pistons out to see the scoring a little better


Pistons again


I can't get this guy out of the head. Tried heat, pb blaster, and vice grips. I think I need more heat. propane isn't enough?

[Swedbrick]

Originally Posted by esmth

Friend let me borrow his press. made easy work of these bushings. the old ones were original from 1991. West German!

Nice project! I also recently found my driveshaft coupler to be from west germany, appears Volvo had some strange part sources haha.

As for the stud, weld on a nut, whack it with a hammer whilst still hot and give it a turn. It allows the aluminium to expand, the whack gives the shock to clean the thread, and whilst it's still hot you should be able to get it out, a big nut is preferred

[esmth]

Originally Posted by Swedbrick

Nice project! I also recently found my driveshaft coupler to be from west germany, appears Volvo had some strange part sources haha.

As for the stud, weld on a nut, whack it with a hammer whilst still hot and give it a turn. It allows the aluminium to expand, the whack gives the shock to clean the thread, and whilst it's still hot you should be able to get it out, a big nut is preferred

I think the weld trick might be my best bet. Problem is I don't have a welder and the block is in my basement I might try oxy + map gas first, otherwise I'll take it to my buddy's shop

[klr142]

Lower the rear or raise the front to get more weight on those back tires for more traction.

[esmth]

Originally Posted by klr142

Lower the rear or raise the front to get more weight on those back tires for more traction.

Thanks for the tip! I wasn't planning on having it that low, but it settled a little bit from where I wanted it. I will fix it eventually!

[volvowagoon]

Rusty bricks united!

I feel your pain. It looks like you're doing a good job at staying on top of it though! Good luck.

[esmth]

turns out my steering u-joint was super sloppy. I didn't even notice really until I power washed the bay and the next day the u-joint was covered in grease again


obtained a new one of pure chinesium. feels well built but it is hard to make metal feel cheap


the old one did not want to budge. I used a torch at first and it didn't do much so I moved on to a hack saw


big ole cut


new one installed. steering feels a little better

[esmth]

Also, does not running power steering put more stress on these u-joints? Was curious as i had the lines looped with no pump for a year or three with this car

[apachechef]

Originally Posted by esmth

Also, does not running power steering put more stress on these u-joints? Was curious as i had the lines looped with no pump for a year or three with this car

yes

[volvowagoon]

Originally Posted by esmth

Also, does not running power steering put more stress on these u-joints? Was curious as i had the lines looped with no pump for a year or three with this car

Definitely. The pump powers the rack, so everything up the chain is experiencing that added force.

[white855T]

Second hand u joint is better option. That u joint will break shorty. Why don't you have power steering again? It's so easy to have it and it makes a world of difference.

[esmth]

Originally Posted by apachechef

yes

Originally Posted by volvowagoon

Definitely. The pump powers the rack, so everything up the chain is experiencing that added force.

Thanks, thats what I thought

Originally Posted by white855T

Second hand u joint is better option. That u joint will break shorty. Why don't you have power steering again? It's so easy to have it and it makes a world of difference.

I do have power steering now, but for awhile I didn't because the whole ac removed/shared bracket situation. I have this now: https://www.stsmachininginc.com/coll...ering-brackets

[esmth]

diff is leaking oil again. I cannot for the life of me get the cover to seal. I have tried like 5 times so far

[volvowagoon]

Originally Posted by esmth

diff is leaking oil again. I cannot for the life of me get the cover to seal. I have tried like 5 times so far

I had the same issue with my old 240. I tried just the cork. That didn't work well. I tried RTV. BIG no. I also tried a new cork with a thin layer of RTV, and that seemed to work best. I'm hoping somebody has tricks to share before I botch my girlfriends diff cover. lol

[IansPlatinum]

Originally Posted by volvowagoon

I had the same issue with my old 240. I tried just the cork. That didn't work well. I tried RTV. BIG no. I also tried a new cork with a thin layer of RTV, and that seemed to work best. I'm hoping somebody has tricks to share before I botch my girlfriends diff cover. lol

The RTV specifically made for differential covers has worked for me. The shop that rebuilt my axle and installed the truetrac recommended not using the paper gasket and using RTV instead

I cleaned thoroughly prior, followed instructions, and it's been sealed up now for about 5-8K miles, which means it'll probably stay sealed up

[white855T]

Originally Posted by IansPlatinum

The RTV specifically made for differential covers has worked for me. The shop that rebuilt my axle and installed the truetrac recommended not using the paper gasket and using RTV instead

I cleaned thoroughly prior, followed instructions, and it's been sealed up now for about 5-8K miles, which means it'll probably stay sealed up

Steel diff covers use a gasket. It's recommend to use a Volvo gasket. Aluminum cover uses a sealant. I've personally used the green rtv and it works well. No leaks to report.

[IansPlatinum]

Originally Posted by white855T

Steel diff covers use a gasket. It's recommend to use a Volvo gasket. Aluminum cover uses a sealant. I've personally used the green rtv andnd it works wel. No leaks to report.

Good to know. Mine is aluminum