Hi,
Long project-intro post... you may want a cuppa or a beer!
With car choices, I admit to being eccentric (some would call it mad). I am selling my nice, sorted 240 GLT estate and replacing it with an older version.
To explain: my ultimate 240 would be an estate version of this 244 turbo at the Volvo museum, which I love.
So, I'm going to make one.
I like the characterful big-bumper early 200 series cars, but in top condition they are scarce and expensive. Plus, I’ll be modifying, so it would make no sense to top dollar for a mint early car.
Like the Volvo museum 244, my estate will also be bright red and turbocharged, but it will be lower, with black leather interior and bigger wheels.
I bought this ‘79 245 GLE, hoping it might be good enough to restore/convert, but sadly it’s too rusty and is being scrapped. Great source of old-model parts though. (It also donated a nearly-new windscreen to my 164, saving a chunk of money on that project).
My friend Nick is buying the GLT. He’s missing his old one and knows my car well from helping to work on it. If that deal doesn’t come off for any reason, I’ll post a for-sale ad on here.
As a base car, I have also bought a good ‘89 240 GL estate. It's an ideal starting point, being the right colour and a solid, cared for car, but with with some localised rust and previous poor paint repairs - hence not expensive.
I really don't like the standard 14 inch wheels, so as soon as it arrived, we livened it up with some Virgos, as a temporarily fitment.
The fully finished 245T won’t emerge for a long time yet because I’ll be completing my 164 project first. In the meantime, the 245 needs to be ready to earn its living by the time Nick is ready to collect the GLT. For now, it will have the old style exterior parts fitted, but with standard engine and interior.
My plan is:
Phase 1
Do what it needs to pass an MOT
Small amount of welding needed, right rear wheelarch and sill
Fit old style front and rear body parts, lights and bumpers
Full service including cambelt, water-pump and injector seals
Some nicer wheels, lowering springs and appropriate dampers
Phase 2
940 turbo engine and gearbox
Old type dashboard
Alfa black leather seats with matching door cards
R-sport instruments
LPG
(Maybe, much later on, I'll consider fitting aircon and ABS and replacing my Mercedes daily driver with the 245T).
I’ll pause work on the 164 project for a short time, to get to the 245 to the end of phase 1 quite quickly. Then, with the 245 useable, it will be working hard and I expect it to be a couple of years before I do phase 2.
I have some relevant parts in stock already. I had been planning to fit nicer seats (Alfa Romeo) in the GLT; these will now end up in the 245, in the future.
I bought some door cards from the earlier Volvo 144, which will fit the 240 with slight modification, and match well with the Alfa seats. They do away with two 240 features that annoy me - a mis-matched fabric insert in the door trim, even when the car has leather seats, and the hard brittle 240 door pockets which I really hate!
An impression of how the final interior conversion will look
I have a full set of good early front-end panels reserved with a friend, I’m collecting them later this month. In addition, regular scouring of eBay has recently thrown up these two early wings, both genuine Volvo. One a new-old stock item that’s never been fitted. Both have some rust, but very minor.
More updates soon hopefully!
John
Long project-intro post... you may want a cuppa or a beer!
With car choices, I admit to being eccentric (some would call it mad). I am selling my nice, sorted 240 GLT estate and replacing it with an older version.
To explain: my ultimate 240 would be an estate version of this 244 turbo at the Volvo museum, which I love.
So, I'm going to make one.
I like the characterful big-bumper early 200 series cars, but in top condition they are scarce and expensive. Plus, I’ll be modifying, so it would make no sense to top dollar for a mint early car.
Like the Volvo museum 244, my estate will also be bright red and turbocharged, but it will be lower, with black leather interior and bigger wheels.
I bought this ‘79 245 GLE, hoping it might be good enough to restore/convert, but sadly it’s too rusty and is being scrapped. Great source of old-model parts though. (It also donated a nearly-new windscreen to my 164, saving a chunk of money on that project).
My friend Nick is buying the GLT. He’s missing his old one and knows my car well from helping to work on it. If that deal doesn’t come off for any reason, I’ll post a for-sale ad on here.
As a base car, I have also bought a good ‘89 240 GL estate. It's an ideal starting point, being the right colour and a solid, cared for car, but with with some localised rust and previous poor paint repairs - hence not expensive.
I really don't like the standard 14 inch wheels, so as soon as it arrived, we livened it up with some Virgos, as a temporarily fitment.
The fully finished 245T won’t emerge for a long time yet because I’ll be completing my 164 project first. In the meantime, the 245 needs to be ready to earn its living by the time Nick is ready to collect the GLT. For now, it will have the old style exterior parts fitted, but with standard engine and interior.
My plan is:
Phase 1
Do what it needs to pass an MOT
Small amount of welding needed, right rear wheelarch and sill
Fit old style front and rear body parts, lights and bumpers
Full service including cambelt, water-pump and injector seals
Some nicer wheels, lowering springs and appropriate dampers
Phase 2
940 turbo engine and gearbox
Old type dashboard
Alfa black leather seats with matching door cards
R-sport instruments
LPG
(Maybe, much later on, I'll consider fitting aircon and ABS and replacing my Mercedes daily driver with the 245T).
I’ll pause work on the 164 project for a short time, to get to the 245 to the end of phase 1 quite quickly. Then, with the 245 useable, it will be working hard and I expect it to be a couple of years before I do phase 2.
I have some relevant parts in stock already. I had been planning to fit nicer seats (Alfa Romeo) in the GLT; these will now end up in the 245, in the future.
I bought some door cards from the earlier Volvo 144, which will fit the 240 with slight modification, and match well with the Alfa seats. They do away with two 240 features that annoy me - a mis-matched fabric insert in the door trim, even when the car has leather seats, and the hard brittle 240 door pockets which I really hate!
An impression of how the final interior conversion will look
I have a full set of good early front-end panels reserved with a friend, I’m collecting them later this month. In addition, regular scouring of eBay has recently thrown up these two early wings, both genuine Volvo. One a new-old stock item that’s never been fitted. Both have some rust, but very minor.
More updates soon hopefully!
John
