So since I last posted, nothing much has actually changed. The baby is still on the way, and I'm still left with almost no time to fiddle with old cars. I suspect this will be my life for the next few years at least!
Regardless, the garage had gotten out of hand over the winter months, and really wasn't usable. I figured since my car time is going to be limited, I'd be best served by doing something about this mess, so each time I go to work on something it doesn't take me 40 minutes to find everything. How it started:
Hardly a place suitable for working in small timeframes. An hour later I had this:
Ah, now that's better. I also took the time to replace the 1/2in thick plywood the previous homeowner had been using for a workbench with a tabletop I had sitting in the basement for ages. The usable work space remains about the same, but now my vice doesn't move when I really need to wail on something.
Pulled the Volvo back inside, and it looks much more comfy.
Most notably, I can actually get into and out of the car without destroying my door edges. That's awfully nice.
Since I still had a few moments, I thought I'd tick off a quick job and replace the front lenses. The OEM Cibie items were functional, but the lenses were loose, cracking, and sandblasted from the PO driving through the Colorado desert for two decades.
Removed the old:
The lower lenses appear to have been completely brutalized by something long ago, since as soon as I undid the mounting bolts to free them, they fell into two.
Let's crack on and get the new shiny stuff installed:
So that's most definitely an improvement, however I'm REALLY not impressed with the fit of the URO lens housings I purchased. The results in the photo above that vaguely approximate the factory-poor fitment took me close to an hour to achieve. Measured both headlight buckets and fenders, everything seems straight, so I'm not sure what the issue is. I'm also not sure that it matters, considering it was just as bad with the originals.
Regardless, that's one job ticked off, and I can officially say that old car season has begun.
Regardless, the garage had gotten out of hand over the winter months, and really wasn't usable. I figured since my car time is going to be limited, I'd be best served by doing something about this mess, so each time I go to work on something it doesn't take me 40 minutes to find everything. How it started:
Hardly a place suitable for working in small timeframes. An hour later I had this:
Ah, now that's better. I also took the time to replace the 1/2in thick plywood the previous homeowner had been using for a workbench with a tabletop I had sitting in the basement for ages. The usable work space remains about the same, but now my vice doesn't move when I really need to wail on something.
Pulled the Volvo back inside, and it looks much more comfy.
Most notably, I can actually get into and out of the car without destroying my door edges. That's awfully nice.
Since I still had a few moments, I thought I'd tick off a quick job and replace the front lenses. The OEM Cibie items were functional, but the lenses were loose, cracking, and sandblasted from the PO driving through the Colorado desert for two decades.
Removed the old:
The lower lenses appear to have been completely brutalized by something long ago, since as soon as I undid the mounting bolts to free them, they fell into two.
Let's crack on and get the new shiny stuff installed:
So that's most definitely an improvement, however I'm REALLY not impressed with the fit of the URO lens housings I purchased. The results in the photo above that vaguely approximate the factory-poor fitment took me close to an hour to achieve. Measured both headlight buckets and fenders, everything seems straight, so I'm not sure what the issue is. I'm also not sure that it matters, considering it was just as bad with the originals.
Regardless, that's one job ticked off, and I can officially say that old car season has begun.
