Myles' '85 245 __ R.C.S.W. __ The Race Car Station Wagon!

Well, it's a long story with this one, but I've nicknamed her "The Town Bicycle." Everyone seems to have gotten a ride.

It's an '85 245 GLT factory Turbo Intercooled car. Though it's hard to tell, this car's original color is #175 Redwood Metallic.





I got it from my best bud Dave (ButterflyBrakeChecker) who got it from Andy (AndysBeta) who had it for years and years and eventually swapped in the M46, before selling it to Dave.

So, now she's mine.


"THE LIST"





‘85 Volvo 245 Turbo

Exterior

Flathood Conversion
2-Screw Amber Turn Signals
Bosch Fog Lights (Side Mount)
‘84- GL Tailgate (No 3rd brake light)
‘80-85 Manual Adjustable Side Mirrors
Quad-Round Headlight Assemblies
Hella 5.75” H4/H1 Headlight Lenses
Clear Headlight Shields
Euro Flathood Grill
1-1/4” Tow Hitch
15” 740 Steel Wheels (15x6 et25)
Stainless Steel Hub Caps

Interior

‘75-‘80 Dash Board
R-Sport Gauge Cluster (vw volts & oil pressure)
3-Gauge Dash Pod (turbo boost, oil pressure, narrowband AFR)
MOMO Steering Wheel Hub
MOMO SAAB Steering Wheel
140 Chrome Door Latch Trim

Accessories& Revisions

EFI Fuel Delivery Hose
EFI Fuel Pump Tray (fuel filter relocated to pump tray)
K-Jet Turbo Airbox modified for EFI
Coil Relocated to Firewall w/ Custom Bracket
'91+ AC/HVAC Unit
'91+ AC Firewall Panel w/ EZK Computer Bracket
'91+ AC Dryer & Hard Lines
'91+ AC Condensor
Optimized Vehicle Wiring Harness:


Engine
Stock B21FT Long Block drilled for Knock Sensor
K-Jet Head injector plugs
EFI Intake Manifold w/ LH2.2 Throttle Body
"B" Cam
Bosch 850t "Orange-Top" High-Impedance Fuel Injectors
Electric Fan & Shroud
TLAO Silicone Coolant Hoses
Silicone Air Intake Couplers & Elbows
Stainless Steel Hose Clamps
'90+ Exhaust Manifold
TD04HL-13c Turbocharger
Custom oil feed & return line
Porsche 911 Manual Boost Controller
Modded 740 Downpipe
Mustang Muffler w/ Downturn Tip Before Axle

Drivetrain

1030 Carrier w/ 3.91 Ring & Pinion
Mustang 5.0 WC T5 Transmission, 3.35/.68
DeeWorks T5 Bellhousing Adapter
Mustang Fox Body Driveshaft
Yoshifab Driveshaft Adapter
Custom Transmission X-Member
JVAB Steel Flywheel
Sachs SAAB 9000 Aero Pressure Plate
ClutchNet 240mm Organic Clutch Disc

Suspension

242 GT Firewall Braces
Bilstein HD Struts & Shocks
IPD Wagon Overload Rear Spirngs
‘79 242 GT Front Springs
IPD 25/22mm Sway Bars
Poly Torque Rods

Brakes

ATE Atom Rotors
Yoshifab PTFE SS Front Brake Lines
Stainless Steel Rear Brake Lines


When I got it, it had a poor excuse for a murdered out formal grill and a white formal hood, with 81 DL black out reflectors on the quad squares.

I've fixed various electrical shorts in the Kjet harness, replaced front brake pads and rotors and changed the motor oil.

It's been a rock solid car, despite having wastegate actuator issues. I've got to free up the wastegate door or replace the turbocharger soon.

It's become the product of my necessity for a simple, dead reliable work vehicle, and whatever else I could find in the garage.

In TB fashion, she sports a black flathood, quad round headlights and no grill...yet.

I deleted the power mirrors for simple, black plastic manual mirrors. Cruise control has been deleted as well.

The dash had some cracks and fading, so I swapped in my flawless '80 dashboard.

Slowly, but surely, all the brightwork is being upgraded to stock '83 DL trim.

Stay tuned.

In the mean time, explore the world of parts I have for sale,

And my other project.

what? why? huh?

you made a thread but added no content. wtf would you not just wait til you were ready to make the thread?

troll.

shens. itll never spool.

and IB4L

Because ricecar?

Redwood Chair said:

Because ricecar?

Click to expand...

Because work truck...

Haven't had time for photo's with this one...

Just reserving the space....

I promise, there's more to come.

No point.

Found those pics from back when I bought it...

that car has my old transmission in it, new clutch, pp, resurfaced flywheel, and other bits.

very cool old car thats been around a long time, i think it had my old VX cam in it for a while as well

Myles,

Not bad. At least, in the pics, it looks less like a leprosy wagon than mine did. Granted, mine was two years older and spent the first four years of its life in Phoenix before coming up here and spending most of its life parked outside.



-J

So are you actually going to race it?

scottyd said:

So are you actually going to race it?

Click to expand...

Nope...that's just her name.

We call her R.C. for short.

Bummer.

O well. Glad to see the car got saved.

More about having a ride to work than tearin' up the tarmac....or gravel.

I've got all the "racecar" I need, blooming in the garage...

This is just a gateway to 25+mpg's and a whole host of cargo capacity.

Well....no time yet to go out and snap photos of her, as is.

Took some time this week to properly assemble a LH2.2 EFI conversion harness....still need injector plugs, before this becomes a reality....and my Turbo ECU needs to arrive still.

Just to tell the car's story, here's a picture of her in her glory days, back in 2007...

Made some time for the Wagon today....

Thanks to "philski o'flood," I received a beautiful pair of IPD Wagon Overload Rear Coil Springs from the FedEx man...



Here's the old setup...



Car came to Dave from Andy, on some slightly cut wagon springs. Dave swapped in, what he thought were good, uncut OE wagon rear springs. They sagged awful, even with the car unloaded, and he stuffed them full of tennis balls on one of his moves down the coast.



Note the Bilstein HD's...no special valving, yet. Standard 240 Bilstein HD's on all four corners. I got them used, from a member here and used them in my 242 for over a year, before going into this car, last year.

Out with the old...



In with the new...



HD Overload Wagon STANCE!

I mentioned before, that the car has been through a few front ends...

Well, I guess it started here...



Long story, but it happened when the car was loaned to a friend of a PO...car went back together just fine, with a new off-color fender, radiator support panels and a old silver/rust flathood.

When Dave sold it to me, it was converted back to a formal hood...a white hood, with a blacked out grill. I replaced the grill, but couldn't stand the white hood. A flathood came to me, along with a well preserved set of spider eye, quad-round headlights, and a black, Euro flathood grill. Relocated the fog lights to the outer ends of the bumpers. Looks much better...



Though it's a GLT, I'd like to keep my work vehicle simple, so the power mirror system was deleted, in favor of these early style, manual mirrors...



The interior is pretty hammered...faded, stained and ripped tan panels, seats and carpet. The dash had some cracks in it and fading, so I dug out a flawless early dashboard that I'd been saving. The dash pad swap is pretty straight forward, though there are some subtle differences in the HVAC plumbing pieces. I made extensions for the dash light dimmer switch, cigarette lighter and rear fog light switch. The later style cluster had to be cut down to fit in the early dash, and is still nowhere near perfect....there'll be a remedy for that soon enough. For now, enjoy this beauty as I continue to hunt for the interior's remaining components...



Relatively stock B21FT, living strong with it's stock K-Jet CIS fuel injection...

Current known complications are a frozen wastegate door, bad fuel accumulator, and a unknown low rpm misfire that's yet to been investigated. Harness has seen better days...a lot of the insulation has crumbled away, though I've soldered in replacement patches where needed, so far.



Going to stab at a few maintenance pieces, while I've got access, so with the intake manifold off, I'll replace my breather box and hood release cable. I've got to dig up some nice heater hoses and stainless clamps first.

Look what came this morning...

Hella 5-3/8" Flat Lens H4/H1 Headlight Lenses...

Off to go get bulbs!

H1 bulbs were not to be found in the JY today....seems most of the high end lighting on cars uses those 9000-series bulbs.

Well, just a pair of H1 bulbs at the local parts store, no biggie...



The wagon had a nasty series of dents in the tailgate....I deemed it a unworkable panel, in an auto body sense. Found a nice straight, color code matching tailgate off an 84- GL. Color matches, so less work for the painters (no jambing), 3rd brake light delete looks nice in my rear view mirror and I like the bright work around the glass....goes with the rest of the bright work that's been swapped onto the car, in place of the black Turbo trim.



Cheap, plastic 52mm gauge hood arrived from GlowShift....helps complete my early dash swap, and looks as it should...

I've been longing to investigate the mysterious intermittent clank from the front end.

Nothing to suggest a worn bushing in the control arms or worn tie rods or end links...but a obnoxious noise that must be stopped!

Always unfasten lugs by hand...well that's what I always do...



A moment to admire some of my previous work....car was due for front pads and rotors as soon as I got it, so I dug up a pair of ATE Atom slotted/vented front rotors and a fresh set of pads.

Rotors are used, though have plenty of life left...no pulse or vibration when brakes are applied.

Also note the blue strut boot....that's protecting my Bilstein HD's...



Back on the ground with a pair of 15x6" et25 steelies from a 740....would you know it, the hub mount 240 steelie center cap goes right back on.

Turned out, my clank was from loose sway bar end links. Tightened them both up and she's good to go!



Those 14" rims & tyres have served well...provided a supple ride, adequate handling and excellent fuel economy. The 15's are a nice subtle upgrade, that I'm looking forward to. A little less chrome right now, without the Stainless Steel Beauty Rings, but that too shall change, soon as I source a set.



Stay tuned...backs will be swapped soon enough.

.