THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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Apr 11, 2017 18:54:27 GMT
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So, been away from here for a while, you might remember some of my previous sheds... I bought a caravan, and then a brilliant but dull 406 to pull it... And that kind of took me away from retros for a bit, along with the fact that I proposed to my lass of 8 years so had a wedding to pay for, and the 55mpg 406 was great for saving up for that. However recently, I lost storage for the caravan and got the wedding paid off, so I started to look at retros again! Problem is, while I've been away, values have gone mental. Ropey 190's are being polished up and advertised for 2 grand, cool stuff that no one used to want like Bluebirds and Sierras have gone the same way, and I just didn't want to spend big money on an old car just because someone thought it would make a good investment. I'd given up and was about to buy a 2004 Celica when this popped up on a Facebook group very cheap, in Malton. Couldn't have been more convenient as that weekend I was taking the missus to Filey for a day out and I was literally passing Malton on the way! A deal was struck, train tickets booked and on my next day off (today) I went to pick it up! Pierburg carb and no turbo sadly All I've done so far is give it a clean and go for a pint! Drove it 40 miles home and all I can say is I've missed driving a proper car! Not sure what to do with it though, except for the S80 wheels it's totally standard, and the original wheels and trims are in the boot anyway. On the one hand, it's very original and a nice early one, so I'm tempted to fix the issues and keep it original, and on the other hand I'm tempted to get some banded steels, lower it and find a scrap 940 turbo for a heart transplant! The bad: - Wheel wobble at 50-55mph - Broken foglight (in the boot) - Interior is filthy and has damaged doorcards, seat bases, and headlining, manky fag-burned seats and filthy carpets - Fuel gauge is dead - Heated seats barely work, or were always curse word - Electric windows are erratic - Sunroof is sealed (neat job though) - Clutch is biting high but doesn't slip - Wonky idle when warm - Knackered back box (sounds pretty mean actually!) Sounds awful but it really does drive well, no knocks or bangs from the suspension, brakes are all new, pulls pretty well and the gearbox is nice and smooth, and there's no real rust anywhere. Probably a bit mad taking it on but he who dares wins.
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Apr 11, 2017 20:16:22 GMT
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Drop it n go and attack some roundabouts thats the reason I wont part with me they are top fun n well built ill be watching to see which way you go with it Bricks rule
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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Apr 11, 2017 20:46:03 GMT
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Update - Just nipped out in it, no dash lights at all!
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Apr 11, 2017 22:21:52 GMT
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I really like the way it is. I don't mind the wheels at all. Maybe just a little lower. Don't drop it on it's bum just a nice little drop. Although I am not the biggest fan of banded steels, at the end of the day it doesn't really do nothing to the car. It's just a stock car on banded wheels. If you get sick of them you just put the old ones back on and the car is back to what it was.
Turbo it? (or maybe V6 it, who can resist a bit of a sleeper.
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,563
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Apr 11, 2017 23:07:08 GMT
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That looks a bit better now it's nice and clean. Those wheels shouldn't really fit due to the offset change on later cars. It must have some sort of spacers on it. Might be worth a look to see whats what as it could be the cause of the wobble.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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I really like the way it is. I don't mind the wheels at all. Maybe just a little lower. Don't drop it on it's bum just a nice little drop. Although I am not the biggest fan of banded steels, at the end of the day it doesn't really do nothing to the car. It's just a stock car on banded wheels. If you get sick of them you just put the old ones back on and the car is back to what it was. Turbo it? (or maybe V6 it, who can resist a bit of a sleeper. You can get 40mm springs for these now and I'm thinking that might be enough. The plan was originally turbo it, need to look into how difficult it is to do the swap. I wouldn't V6 it, the 2.8 PRV V6 in the 760 wasn't a very good engine.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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That looks a bit better now it's nice and clean. Those wheels shouldn't really fit due to the offset change on later cars. It must have some sort of spacers on it. Might be worth a look to see whats what as it could be the cause of the wobble. It's got hubcentric spacers on it, looks like at least 30mm, and I don't like the idea of that. The original steels and trims are in the boot, might get some tyres on them and refit them. It tramlines badly as well, don't think it was ever intended to have such wide wheels. They're originally off an S80, so they're FWD offset.
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,563
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Providing the spacers are made properly they should be OK. I don't know if anyone still uses the horrible ones that have screw on stud extenders but if they were I would chuck them in the bin ! I've got H&R 25mm spacers on mine and they are very good.
If the ones you have are 30mm wide they are possibly a bit wide for the front, 25mm wide spacers are enough to correct the offset. The extra track width will highlight any worn bushes. The half round ones in the lower control arms are a favourite for being a bit soft.
Having said all that it might just be iffy tyres, they do look better with slightly wider bigger wheels !
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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Apr 12, 2017 10:16:15 GMT
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Yeah they do fill the arches much better. I think I'd rather find some 16s from a 900 series instead, and that way they're the right offset or near enough anyway. Still tempted by the original steels and trims though, they're still in the boot.
I want to give it a few weeks though because weirdly at the moment I'm not hugely keen on it even though it drives well, not sure why...
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,563
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Apr 12, 2017 11:45:13 GMT
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They are a bit old fashioned to drive which is why I have done a few things on mine to improve it. The main thing I am using mine for is moving my daughters kart around, there aren't many estates you can get a kart into due to the tailgate opening width, plus it tows our little box trailer like it wasn't there.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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Apr 12, 2017 12:49:00 GMT
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I'm a bit scared of what the fuel will be like as well when I dare to work it out. It's a carb which doesn't help but if I can manage 20mpg round town and 30mpg on a run I'll be happy, reckon that's realistic? It feels really high geared, it's turning 2.5k revs at 70.
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Apr 12, 2017 13:13:27 GMT
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I'm a bit scared of what the fuel will be like as well when I dare to work it out. It's a carb which doesn't help but if I can manage 20mpg round town and 30mpg on a run I'll be happy, reckon that's realistic? It feels really high geared, it's turning 2.5k revs at 70. Congratulations on this excellent buy! I have had the pleasure of owning two Volvos in past, a 740 inj. 2.0 N/A manual and a 960 Auto, both​ estate. Those could be had for next to nothing g at the time but now they also seem to be going up in price. I recall getting 22mpg at best in the 960 while the 740 would return up to 27mpg on a long run. Not sure if the saloon would be more economical. But even if the Volvo is not brilliant on fuel (in fact very poor by modern standards), think of the money you're still saving in depreciation had you gone for a more modern motor.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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Apr 12, 2017 14:44:03 GMT
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I'm a bit scared of what the fuel will be like as well when I dare to work it out. It's a carb which doesn't help but if I can manage 20mpg round town and 30mpg on a run I'll be happy, reckon that's realistic? It feels really high geared, it's turning 2.5k revs at 70. Congratulations on this excellent buy! I have had the pleasure of owning two Volvos in past, a 740 inj. 2.0 N/A manual and a 960 Auto, both​ estate. Those could be had for next to nothing g at the time but now they also seem to be going up in price. I recall getting 22mpg at best in the 960 while the 740 would return up to 27mpg on a long run. Not sure if the saloon would be more economical. But even if the Volvo is not brilliant on fuel (in fact very poor by modern standards), think of the money you're still saving in depreciation had you gone for a more modern motor. Oh yeah definitely, and it's not like I gave a lot of money for it either, wouldn't even be a months finance on my mate's new A5!
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Apr 12, 2017 16:56:24 GMT
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I have a modern s80 2.4 derv and it does 30 around town and 36 on a run. I had an older s80 before that and got 48 on a run. I love the 740. 27 around town is achievable. I would crawl eBay and the forums and find a mint interior first. That will make you feel better when in the car. Then decide what to do with the engine. If you do go down the turbo route. Put a hat and a walking stick on the parcel shelf. And leave it as a sleeper.
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Apr 12, 2017 17:08:03 GMT
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That is my dream car! I love the old Volvos and when our V40's MOT expires in a couple of months that's my excuse to find one and buy it. It would have to be an estate for me practicality wise, but the saloons are gorgeous to look at.
I personally would keep it 100% standard, original wheels and everything. A Volvo like that deserves to be treated right and kept as it came out the factory.
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Daily: 1989 Volvo 340 GL Blue Line 1.7 Carb Project: 1996 Peugeot 405 Quasar 1.9 IDI TD
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Apr 12, 2017 19:52:24 GMT
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I walk past one of these every day on the dog walk and think they are awesome! I am a +1 for going the turbo route, put the original steels and trims on and go for the tweed hat, pipe smoking sleeper!
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Apr 12, 2017 20:20:04 GMT
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Nice brick Sir. Your desired mpg is just about achievable I reckon. It's around what mine gets (B200E so K-jet 2 litre). My 1988 saloon is a similar colour, but with various aesthetic "mods". I've daily driven it for over a year with just a single fault! (Which I think was just a relay)
I'm also going down the turbo route, hopefully over summer. Turbo models are hard to find now, perhaps yours could be worth a decent amount with a clean oem style turbo swap.
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1988 740 Turbo, 1998 V90, 1991 Eunos Roadster.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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I have a modern s80 2.4 derv and it does 30 around town and 36 on a run. I had an older s80 before that and got 48 on a run. I love the 740. 27 around town is achievable. I would crawl eBay and the forums and find a mint interior first. That will make you feel better when in the car. Then decide what to do with the engine. If you do go down the turbo route. Put a hat and a walking stick on the parcel shelf. And leave it as a sleeper. Definitely sounds like a good idea, the interior is what you spend most of your time looking at to be fair! That is my dream car! I love the old Volvos and when our V40's MOT expires in a couple of months that's my excuse to find one and buy it. It would have to be an estate for me practicality wise, but the saloons are gorgeous to look at. I personally would keep it 100% standard, original wheels and everything. A Volvo like that deserves to be treated right and kept as it came out the factory. Got the original wheels in the boot, might try them out, not keen on how it drives with the 16s. I walk past one of these every day on the dog walk and think they are awesome! I am a +1 for going the turbo route, put the original steels and trims on and go for the tweed hat, pipe smoking sleeper! Don't think 185/70s could handle the power! Nice brick Sir. Your desired mpg is just about achievable I reckon. It's around what mine gets (B200E so K-jet 2 litre). My 1988 saloon is a similar colour, but with various aesthetic "mods". I've daily driven it for over a year with just a single fault! (Which I think was just a relay) I'm also going down the turbo route, hopefully over summer. Turbo models are hard to find now, perhaps yours could be worth a decent amount with a clean oem style turbo swap. If I can manage that to the gallon I'm happy, that's about what my old 190E did. I've actually got some R1 carbs in the shed and I'm starting to get daft ideas about fitting them to this!
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Apr 13, 2017 17:20:27 GMT
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You can't beat a good old 740. Definitely try a set of proper rwd Volvo rims. It should drive a lot better. My favourite wheel for the 740 is the Draco as fitted to the turbo.
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Apr 13, 2017 17:33:38 GMT
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That looks very nice but get rid of those rims! You know you'd be happier if you stuck the original steels on for now.
These cars are great and look like they will last forever and a day...
I hope you get 'the vibe' from it soon!
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***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
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