My new/old/half-destroyed $300 '82 245 D24 project

[v8volvo]

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.




My favorite, 16 cylinders of VW diesel... everyone should have such a delightful collection.
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[v8volvo]

Some more pics:

[Jason]

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]

hehehehehe, I gonna tell you again, turbocharge it. But is cool car that needs a lot of love. Good luck.

[v8volvo]

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.

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.



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]

Sweet looks good. What are your plans for the car?

Jason

[v8volvo]

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]

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.

[v8volvo]

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...

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

[cuaz64]

Originally Posted by v8volvo

Just an old 245. 700s are better.

I have been waiting months for read that .