1984 760 TD restoration

[v8volvo]

I bought this '84 760 three years ago, non-running due to a leaking injection pump shaft seal. As happens sometimes, life got in the way of starting to work on it for quite a while, so it sat in storage until last November.

On Thanksgiving weekend, with a couple days of free time, I opened the hood and got started on it. The car had 57,000 miles and had spent much of the last decade sitting. The tabs had expired in 2009. The original owner had it until sometime in 2013; the guy I bought it from had purchased it from that owner's estate. It was garaged and in beautiful shape.

I was in contact with a former Volvo dealer employee who had access to a NOS brand new D24T injection pump that I bought and sent to a fuel shop to be checked out. It got fresh seals, compatible with the ULSD fuel that was introduced long after the pump had been built, and tested healthy. I installed the new pump on the engine, changed some dead glow plugs, changed the long-sitting oil, and removed the injectors to add some fresh oil to each cylinder prior to attempting to start it.

With minimal effort, the engine lit right off and ran great! Under its own power, it drove right out of the garage where it had been sitting since 2014. The rest of the car proved to be as solid as it looked too. I have owned around a dozen 700 or 900 series cars, but was still impressed by how different this one was to drive, in terms of silence and refinement. Closest I have seen to what they presumably were like when they were new, expensive top-of-the-line rigs.

Gave it new timing belts and various other service shortly after getting it on the road, and it has been a smooth and comfortable daily driver. Currently still straightening out a few small faults around the car but I hope to bring it to the XXX show next month.


http://i.imgur.com/aid5wVLh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nMgcImRh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/g4HskGeh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VWcOF1Ah.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HZsZrrXh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/DTn6nQDh.jpg

Short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWANAQs02ds&feature=youtu.be

[NJTy180]

beautiful car, awesome find. going to check out the videos now.

[S&W 629]

Very nice. My '85 740 only has 57,000 miles as well but it sat out in the New Mexico desert for about 20 years so the interior is quite rough. Had to go through a lot under the hood too but it runs like a champ now and I'm happy to be getting about 25.5 miles per gallon city driving. It is my daily driver.

[ngoma]

It's like you keep hiding cards up your sleeve! Where do you keep finding these???

Are those original wheels?

What is the condition of the underhood wiring?

Where was the car first sold? My first 744/D24T was originally sold to Jim Neigbors (Gomer Pyle!) in Palm Springs.

What is the car behind it in the first photo?

[anders]

Oh boy, that's a daily driver right there! D24T/ZF is my favorite combo, and it's silver with black interior.. I'm really jealous. Does it have the extra range tank too?

[RedArrow]

That car is treasure. How can it be a daily driver!? :)
Here`s more questions: :D
Is the Volvo upper radiator hose still available?! How about the hose that runs across the valve cover?
Did it get a new waterpump? Where can it be bought?
I love that injection pump. May I ask who performed the refurb on it? $?
Thank you. Congrats on the new td!

[v8volvo]

This one came from around here originally. Looks like it was originally sold by a dealer in Gladstone, OR. Owner lived in Edmonds and Shoreline according to the records in the glove box. Museum of Flight membership stickers in the windows.

The Sirius wheels are original to the car, this style seems to have come standard on the 760s through part of '84. The late '84s and '85 on seem to be more common with the big dinner plate wheels, the Rigels. The ones on this car are losing their clearcoat on a couple wheels, but they still look pretty good. Seems like the engine harness is in fine shape. Not enough heat and time to kill the insulation -- yet...

It does have the extended range fuel tank. It's pretty cushy as a daily driver, the TD and automatic are relaxed and quick. No cracks in the dash!

Don't know about the availability of the hoses. Have not had any problem finding them or waterpumps though. This did get a new one.

[R.Mojica]

That is a beautiful car. I'm glad someone got it that could give it all the needed attention it needed.

[anders]

Well George was kind enough to sell me this beautiful 760. I'm going to continue with this thread with the build/additions to this car. I have a hard time keeping anything stock, but it's also hard to change anything on such a low mile survivor, but cars are meant to be driven, especially these 764's with the D24T/ZF combo!

So when I alter or modify the car I'm going to make sure everything can be reversed easily to be changed back to stock. I will be setting any of the stock parts that I remove aside for safe keeping.

My plans include:
Wheels, 17" or 18"
Performance springs
Sway bars
Window tinting
Volvo fitted floor mats (plastic ones)
Taillight decor panel (hard to find?)
Factory Volvo spoiler (might be hard to find one)
ARP head studs
Intercooling
NA intake
3" exhaust
Factory boost gauge and volt gauges added to cluster.
Turbo upgrade, Turbonetics.. more boost!
I'm not sure what else..

[R.Mojica]

I had one of those rear spoilers a couple years ago. sold it for about $100. the rear décor panel showed up a couple months ago in a junk yard. ill keep my eye our for you..

[ngoma]

Taillight decor panel (hard to find?)
Factory Volvo spoiler (might be hard to find one)
They also pop up from time to time on the Turbobricks forum For Sale section.

[NJTy180]

Factory boost gauge and volt gauges added to cluster.


is there a write up anywhere on this? I have the cluster from the turbo IC parts car I bought, I was wondering if swapping the boost gauge was possible, I really wish I could replace the damn clock with something :p

[ngoma]

I put mine in the upper right-hand corner of the instrument panel. Fit perfectly after removing the blanking plate. Teed the hose in to the hose running from the intake manifold to the IP LDA. I used the existing rubber hose and pieces of the thin hard green or blue EGR line, repurposed. Fits perfectly into the existing rubber hose.

[anders]

I got a factory Volvo SE spoiler, it's now at the paint shop to get painted to match the car. I also have the decor panel on its way. I believe I got two of the hardest items to source done!

[R.Mojica]

geez that was fast.

[adamdrives]

How would you compare the zf to the m46 in terms of drivability and performance? I would like to test drive an automatic car, I hear the ratios are better suited to the d24t.

[anders]

I prefer the ZF in stop and go traffic, not because it's an automatic but because it doesn't have the horrible gap between 1st and 2nd gear that the m46 transmissions have. The ZF is matched nicely to the D24T, it's geared nicely, shifts well, it's a simple transmission, and has no electronics.

I think a D24T with a 3.31 gear set T5 would make for a nice combo, nice gear splits. Someday my 242 turbodiesel will get one.

[anders]

current picture of the 764 with 17" VOXX mg3 wheels, decor panel and spoiler installed.

[R.Mojica]

gooking good.

[v8volvo]

Nice improvements. Looks great.

How many miles on it now? :D

[anders]

How many miles on it now? :D
It has close to 62,000 miles on it.

[anders]

Well it’s been a long time since I posted anything about this car. Last February, about a week after the Swedish car show the car suddenly got loud and lost power, got it to rest stop off of I5 and shut it off. Would not restart, would not fully rotate! I got it towed back home, there it sat until recently.
I got the car into the shop and started pulling her apart. Removed the head and was shocked on what I found..

[ngoma]

Dropped a prechamber insert?

[v8volvo]

The suspense is building...

It stayed running until you shut it off but after that it couldn't spin? I would guess some kind of hydrolock problem, major headgasket or injector failure??

[anders]

Picture #1

[anders]

Picture #2

[anders]

Very little damage amazingly, head is toast. Block will get stripped down and new rings and replace piston #2. I assume the pre chamber rattled around in its home until the engine got shut off and then dropped. All things considered, very lucky.

[v8volvo]

Wow.

What theories do you have on what causes these to loosen up and fall out? I think yours are the only ones I have heard firsthand of this on. Just bad luck with assembly tolerances on the factory heads?

That piston took a pretty good hit, will be interesting to hear how that rod checks out.

[ngoma]

(Can't believe I won) :p Did you have the head flycut or otherwise surfaced?

[Omish007]

Beautiful car! Currently I am looking into re-purchasing my first car. A 1984, 760 GLE. The rings no longer seal, hasn't run in 15+ yrs. I will be looking for advise and parts as I find someone to build it up, hopefully in the near future. Keep posting, we love to learn! Thanks.

[anders]

Wow.

What theories do you have on what causes these to loosen up and fall out? I think yours are the only ones I have heard firsthand of this on. Just bad luck with assembly tolerances on the factory heads?

That piston took a pretty good hit, will be interesting to hear how that rod checks out.

I not sure how or why it happened, I have only seen this happen once before on a kubota diesel that the operator decided to add gasoline into the diesel tank. I have no theories on this car. Amazingly the connecting rod checks out as far as length, these rods are pretty tough!

[anders]

I just noticed that I have not updated the build on this car..
So here is what it currently looks like.

[anders]

I installed a freshly rebuilt engine, 1mm overbore with NURAL pistons, new AMC head (ported and polished) king main and rod bearings, ARP head studs, new holset hx30w turbo, modded NA intake that’s been powder coated silver, modded valve cover for -10 AN fitting that’s also powder coated silver, 3” intercooler and piping, 3” exhaust and a remote mount oil filter setup.

It also got a new engine harness :-)

[anders]

A picture of the engine build, all pistons are in and head gasket is on, have a few ARP head studs in for alining the head gasket while installing the new AMC head.

[jpliddy]

hi its great how you guys can work wonders with these cars from a nearly dead car to a great car . over here england i don't here any of these stories ,
but there must be people out there just cant find them ,our cars are getting rare as not many come up for sale and the few recently have not been too good ,
keep up the great work all of you over there
regards jim