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View Full Version : My new/old/half-destroyed $300 '82 245 D24 project


v8volvo
07-08-2009, 12:21 AM
Posted this on Turbobricks but forgot to put it up here as well. Shoulda started here! On Tbricks, all anyone ever says is "+T it"... no appreciation for a nice 78hp naturally-aspirated diesel slug over there. ;) Well, I already have a TD in my other Volvo so this is staying non-turbo for now.

Here are some pics. Cosmetically the car is basically a disaster: exterior is all beat up, paint is shot, lights are all busted, and dirty as hell. Inside similar story, dash is hacked, seats are junk, electricals a mess. However, somehow under all that it appears to be pretty straight and rust-free. I think once it gets a major cleaning-up and something done about the seats it will actually be a nice car. I am impressed by how much luxury stuff it has: power windows, power locks, leather seats and shift boot, A/C, etc. All my past 240s (gassers) have been a lot more basic, manual windows, cloth seats etc. I guess they must have set the Diesels up with GL trim.

Mechanically it seems pretty good. It had a few problems that confirm the PO did not really know Volvo diesels too well, for instance altitude compensation was not hooked up, rear timing belt was too tight, and the guy was running friggin Royal Purple in it?? Gonna drain that snot out as soon as I can get the overtightened and stripped drain plug to turn. Ah, the joys of cheapo busted project cars... The motor mounts are completely shot and there are a few soft hoses and leaking fuel return lines, but other than that the drivetrain seems pretty solid. Supposedly rebuilt at some point by a guy who knew what he was doing. It actually drives OK, at least a lot better than it looks.

I'll post updates as I get the beast cleaned up and back into proper condition. Adjusted the valves last weekend and got the injection pump all calibrated; new motor mounts, new filters and a spool of Viton fuel hose are on the shelf now waiting for some good weather to put them in.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/3215/p1010005qng.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/3137/264566s4.jpg

My favorite, 16 cylinders of VW diesel... everyone should have such a delightful collection.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1308/p1010010cbz.jpg[/QUOTE]

v8volvo
07-08-2009, 12:22 AM
Some more pics:
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5700/p1010001hma.jpg
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4297/p1010004evk.jpg
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/3920/p1010006lpp.jpg

Jason
07-08-2009, 06:14 AM
Wow not bad for 300! The interior looks pretty rough but the body isn't bad. With all the volvos up there you shouldn't have too much trouble comming up with an interior. Keep us posted on the progress.

Jason

cuaz64
07-08-2009, 03:15 PM
hehehehehe, I gonna tell you again, turbocharge it:D. But is cool car that needs a lot of love. Good luck.

v8volvo
07-21-2009, 10:57 PM
The car has mostly sat for the past 3 weeks, as I've been concerned about driving it with the various imminent problems it has (IP belt too tight, really bad hoses, wrong timing, destroyed motor mounts etc) but haven't had time to fix any of them.

Finally got around to one of them yesterday. I bought both new motor mounts and figured I might get a trans mount too just in case. Turned out, the motor mounts were not all that bad... it was really the trans mount that was messed up. More accurately, it was pretty much gone altogether. It wasn't exerting enough forward pressure, so the whole engine/trans combo had moved back about an inch and a half. This totally screwed up the driveline and shifting, and also let the motor mounts sag back and down enough that the engine oil pan hit the steering rack. Not good. :eek:

Here is what my so-called "transmission mount" looked like. All the pieces fell out as soon as I jacked up the back of the trans. Needless to say, it wasn't doing a very good job holding the things in place... New mount made a huge difference. Car is now driveable without feeling like you are sitting inside the crankcase and having your teeth rattled out.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5401/p1010001isv.jpg

Also changed the oil when I was down there -- man the stuff that came out of this thing was like tar. More planned for next weekend... it's getting there...

Jason
07-22-2009, 05:05 AM
Sweet looks good. What are your plans for the car?

Jason

v8volvo
07-27-2009, 10:47 PM
Only plans are to make it a good runner and use it as a DD. The motor is good but the rest of the car is ratty enough that it wouldn't be worth trying to make it cherry.

Just discovered the latest casualty of that damn broken transmission mount... turns out the engine wasn't sitting on the crossmember, but on the power steering rack. And guess what, of course it sat right on top of a metal hydraulic line that runs along the top of the rack and crushed it down. Result? My power steering towards the right is weak, and I have to remove the rack and have it worked over by a hydraulics shop to get it back in shape. $%&*#@%....

Of course, none of this had to happen if the PO had only taken care of the problem before it became so serious. Lesson for us all: if the trans mount on your D24 Volvo is going out, replace it!! The $20 for the mount and an hour's work to install it are well worth it, because all hell breaks loose in many different places in the car if you let it get as bad as mine did. I'm wondering what's the next thing I'll discover that got wrecked by this...

77volvo245
09-13-2009, 08:06 PM
The wagon is looking better keep up the good work. You should post some updated pictures.

Here are some pictures of the door panels I have if your still in interested. I also have those Diesel badges as well.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z229/77volvo245/Volvo/Picture005.jpg

v8volvo
09-17-2009, 06:43 PM
Wow those do look nice. Too bad the rest of the car is too ugly for them. If I put those in, I'll have to replace the seats, carpets, dash, and have the car painted too in order for it all to look right... :rolleyes:

Took the alloys off and put em back on my 760, looks like it did before now. Just an old 245. 700s are better. :p

cuaz64
09-17-2009, 10:00 PM
Just an old 245. 700s are better. :p

I have been waiting months for read that :).

v8volvo
09-17-2009, 10:17 PM
Also just noticed those door cards are for manual windows... mine are power. Too bad. Thanks for the offer though. :)

v8volvo
09-17-2009, 10:20 PM
I have been waiting months for read that :).

Glad to know there are at least a few of us 700 series fans around here. :D

Jason
09-18-2009, 04:25 AM
Whats wrong with the 700 cars? I was blown away the first time I drove my 760 at how nice it felt driving, and now that I got the sunroof, heated seats, and other misc crap working, its pretty damn sweet. This is by FAR the nicest car I have ever driven that was built in the 80's!

Jason

v8volvo
09-19-2009, 06:28 PM
Whats wrong with the 700 cars? I was blown away the first time I drove my 760 at how nice it felt driving, and now that I got the sunroof, heated seats, and other misc crap working, its pretty damn sweet. This is by FAR the nicest car I have ever driven that was built in the 80's!

Jason

The Volvo enthusiast community in general has a strange kind of fetish for the 200 series cars that I can't understand. A lot of people hate the 700/900 cars and say they would never own one. Those of us that do have them know that they are missing out. ;)

The basic platform of the 240 came out in 1966. They are solid cars and you can make them handle OK, but they are never as smooth and stable and controllable as the 700 cars. By the '80s the design was very outdated. You can feel it if you get in the back seat or drive over some railroad tracks. They are old-fashioned cars, which is a good thing in some ways but not in others.

The 700 platform is a leap ahead in every area. It has everything that's good about the 200 with almost none of the bad. Just as solid and rugged and easy to work on but ten times as comfortable and nice to drive. Extremely spacious, well-built, able to put down as much power as you could ever throw at it, and still very light for its size and RWD design -- only about 3000-3400 lbs depending on engine, options and body style. Way quieter and smoother. The seats are the most comfortable in any car anywhere. You can put heated seats, a sunroof, etc in a 240 and it will still never feel like a luxury car. A well-kept 760 or 960, though, feels like a Swedish Cadillac.

I went through my raw car phase... after I sold my 5.0L 740 wagon, I drove a diesel VW Rabbit for 6 years. Super light body, stiff suspension, manual steering, and incredibly loud inside. I went all through that car, rebuilt everything, then drove it all across the country from coast to coast, Seattle, Boston, Denver, LA, something like 25 states in all. I loved it but the rough ride, noise, and lack of space got to me after a while. It was so nice to get back into Volvo 700s. You can drive a 700/900 platform car all day for a week straight and still enjoy it. I've done it, so I know. :cool:

IMHO the 700/900 Volvo is the best car you can buy, all things considered. I know others on here will disagree with me though. :D

v8volvo
09-19-2009, 06:32 PM
One thing I really don't understand is when people swap D24Ts into 240s... the D24T is a bolt-in to the 700 series body. Why go to the trouble of fabricating stuff and putting a bunch of effort to install the better engine into a worse car?

Now I'm going to start making people angry... :eek: :D

77volvo245
09-19-2009, 07:59 PM
Also just noticed those door cards are for manual windows... mine are power. Too bad. Thanks for the offer though. :)

These door panels are for powers windows. The switches were on the center console of a 78 265 with a PRV :rolleyes: instead of on the door handles like yours are. You can make holes for the window crank if you had manual window though. I guess you would not want to switch everything over.

v8volvo
09-19-2009, 11:41 PM
These door panels are for powers windows. The switches were on the center console of a 78 265 with a PRV :rolleyes: instead of on the door handles like yours are. You can make holes for the window crank if you had manual window though. I guess you would not want to switch everything over.

Hah I didn't know they were that way on the old 260s. Was the PRV still in running condition? :eek: Would love to have a B280F 760 someday.

I'd swap it all to manual windows if I had the stuff to, the power lift system on this car is pretty flaky. All working at the moment though, knock wood...

volvo d6
09-20-2009, 01:55 AM
One thing I really don't understand is when people swap D24Ts into 240s... the D24T is a bolt-in to the 700 series body. Why go to the trouble of fabricating stuff and putting a bunch of effort to install the better engine into a worse car?

Now I'm going to start making people angry... :eek: :D

Because 700 is the ugliest car volvo ever made after the 300 series:D

v8volvo
09-23-2009, 01:22 PM
Got the pickup truck (aka 245 :D) cleaned up a bit this morning so thought I would snap a couple pictures... it's not a concours queen but it looks better than when I got it.

Exterior needed a lot of cleaning. Paint is still chalky on the horizontal surfaces but it looks respectable enough. Still need to get a different door for the driver's front but I have a line on one that is the right color. Replaced all the busted lights. The virgos did a lot for this car, looks much better with em. Now I just need those diesel badges to complete it. Fixed the tailgate latch so that stuff doesn't try to fly out the back now, and got the rear wiper working.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7830/p1010002e.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/1964/p1010004r.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/128/p1010009g.jpg

Needed a lot of work inside, I rebuilt the driver's seat using the lower half from the pass side so it was at least comfortable to sit on, though still not pretty. A set of black sheepskins make it look OK until I can find proper seats for it. Dash needed to be cleaned up, had a lot of hacked wiring which I fixed. Fixed all the power locks and windows that were acting up. Fixed the screwy OD setup that had exposed wires, and replaced the hacked up shift boot, which made a huge difference in amount of noise inside. Much nicer to drive now that it's sealed off.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8513/p1010006d.jpg


Under hood also needed lots of attention... I'm halfway done rebuilding the wiring harness, the old one was deteriorated and badly repaired by the PO. I keep finding chunks of engine block all over the place -- I guess the last engine must have thrown a rod and blown engine bits everywhere. It also must have sprayed oil all over the place, as everything was soaked in cruddy black oil, hood mat, hoses, etc. Cleaned it all up, replaced the hoses and thermostat, fixed the broken cold start system, replaced the motor mounts and trans mount, calibrated the timing and injection quantity, etc, etc. Runs sweet now.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/5653/p1010008w.jpg


It actually looks and drives good enough now that I'm considering hanging onto it. Never thought I could own a 240 but it's growing on me. Makes a good DD anyway, until I get my 760 put back together. At least I'm not embarrassed to be seen in it anymore...

volvo d6
09-23-2009, 02:00 PM
I really like this car. Just my style.;)

Jason
09-23-2009, 05:22 PM
It looks pretty nice! I want your wheels, and that intake manifold! (though Kevin is supposed to be hooking me up with a NA intake). I would drive it! I'm jelous of your m46 too...

Jason

v8volvo
10-03-2009, 01:07 PM
Well, I guess this is turning out to be a pretty good car. It has been my driver for the past month or so and I've been putting about 300-400 miles a week on it lately. Getting a solid 31-35 mpg now that the engine is dialed in. It ain't fast or smooth like a 700 TD, but it's been getting the job done. Does well hauling stuff like engine hoists, dump runs, etc. It will be hauling some D24T drivetrains next week, that will be the fun one. I will post pictures. Several TD engine transplants under way right now. Should have some nice-running cars in the stable in a week or two. :cool:

ngoma
01-07-2010, 07:45 PM
Nice work! Quite an incentive for me to keep at it on mine.

Did you get that car from the Green Car Co? Thought I saw it there for a minute last summer...

v8volvo
01-10-2010, 11:40 PM
Thanks. Yep, I got it from Green Car. They were just trying to blow it off their lot. It was a real mess. Someone had traded it and they were about to send it to the junkyard. They're a bunch of idiots. I don't know the details of its former life, but it turned out to be a very solid car with a great engine, just cosmetically it looked like trash. Don't know why the PO would have treated it that way after spending thousands on a high-level engine rebuild, but it cleaned up pretty well. I was glad I saved it. :)

I hope you do keep at it on yours. We will have to have a Northwest Volvo Diesel get-together sometime once the weather gets better so we can have a look at everyone's cars in person and compare notes. :cool: