Ever seen a satin black 140? This '67 144 belongs to my buddy OB, and this is his first attempt at painting a car. I think it looks badass!

Volvo B20/21 rebuild

Less than a week before having to leave to take a new job in Portland, Oregon, the engine parts I had ordered back in May finally arrived! It took three nights this week, each one going well into the early morning hours to get this baby back together, but she's ready to rock at last. As of last night, the B20 (with B21 internals) is running great, with no leaks or problems, and there are just a few hours left until we roll out for a 900-mile move!

A lot of great work and cool mods had already been done to this motor when I pulled it apart---most notably to the head---but it is pretty clear that the shop or individual that put it together before I owned it did a very sloppy job. I initially tore it down because of a rod knock, but I found scored lifters, a badly rounded-off and uneven cam, broken rings on two of the pistons, and a nearly frozen oil pump...this thing shouldn't have lasted as long as it did...

The current build now consists of:

B21 pistons, rods, and 8-bolt crank.
Milled bock and head to achieve 9.25:1 compression ratio from an F head.
VPD Street Performance cam.
IPD Hi-Rev valve-train kit.
Steel and aluminum timing set from VPD.
Housings machined for rubber crank seals.
Ported head with larger-than-stock valves.
IPD header.
Toyota alternator.
Crane Cams optical ignition.
IPD adjustable F.I. box
Lightened flywheel.
240 pressure plate for a stronger clutch.

Should be putting out about 160-170 HP---maybe I will dyno it once it is broken in...

Here are some shots from the build:

Hottest 142 ever...

Volvo 142 roof rack build

I recently decided that it was time the 142 had a roof rack. AC and I and Chip are moving to Portland Oregon in 4 weeks, and we are hoping to pack everything into the two cars and not have to rent a U-Haul or truck at all (we sent all of our furniture on a trailer to Washington with my dad last September[!] when we thought we would be moving sooner). I am praying the engine rebuild parts for the 145 that I ordered from VPD will actually get here before we have to leave, but I have some doubts....not sure what I will do if that happens, but I'm not going to think about it yet. Even with the wagon up and running though, I'm sure we will need more space than what's available inside our cars; we have a bicycle rack on the wagon already, and now with a VW-style rack on the 142, we should be able to load it up with all our suitcases and bulky items.

The 1/2" steel tubing cost me $25, and I spent around 5 hours total, cutting, measuring and welding it all together. Super-cheap, and it came out looking awesome! It's just bare steel at the moment, and I thought about leaving it that way...so HoodRide...but I plan to spray it this weekend with heavy-duty bedliner. It should look nice and finished (and gloss over my crappy welds!) and be very durable.

Some photos for the 'Which bushing goes where?' quest...use the chart from last post:

Replacing suspension bushings on a Volvo 142

Nick over at Original Square is doing pretty much the same suspension job I did, and he has more info than I included in my posts about the upgrade. For the sake of getting helpful hints out to everyone, here is part of our current discussion of bushing placement:



"Here is the run-down of I know for sure:

A. ...Currently unsure. You could be right about them being sway bar bushings, but the shape doesn't look quite right. Also, if you are going to use IPD sways, you won't need these.
B. Lower front wishbones. [SAVE THE OUTER STEEL CASINGS ON THE OLD ONES, SINCE THESE DON'T COME WITH NEW CASINGS LIKE THE UPPER BUSHINGS (H)]
C. ...Currently unsure.
D. Panhard Rod (right). [Looking from rear of car].
E. Front of lower rear trailing arms.
F. Rear upper torque/trailing arms
G. ...Currently unsure.
H. Upper front wishbones.
I. Panhard Rod (left). [Looking from rear of car].
J. Axle-to-lower rear trailing arm pivot.

I have counted them up several times, and I am confused about A, C and G---they seem to be extras, or not for this car, but I'll have to make a closer inspection to be sure. I will have my car up in the air today to check the trans oil level, and I will snap some shots of all the bushings for comparison.

All the work should be DIY-able if you have access to a large bench vise or a hydraulic press and an assortment of different sized pipe/sockets to use for pressing. The upper wishbones are probably the hardest because of the pivot bolt design, but I think you could get it all without a trip to the machine shop."

Per a request from the comments on the 'Slammed Volvo 140' post, I am adding a picture of the spring compressors I am using on the rear springs of the 142. To be honest, I feel a little sheepish about using these things---$10 junk items at Pep-Boys---it's just not the normal way people satisfactorily reduce spring height. The springs can't be cut like on the front of course, because of the fact that the coil has a smaller diameter at both ends, and is bolted on instead of sitting in a pocket. I could have notched the frame or cut the trailing arms and welded the perches back on lower, but this way was cheap, easy, and after having driven it for a couple of months, I am satisfied with the method; you'd never even know they were there.



Something I have been thinking about for a long time and finally did, is move the license plate and light to the underside of the rear bumper. I kept thinking how much nicer and cleaner the back panel would be without the plate and light cover in the middle. I am very happy with the new look! There are still ugly holes in the panel where the old hardware bolted up, but I'll sand and fill it eventually, and paint it matte black like the '80s VW Jettas.







Lots of front wheel camber on these cars when they are lowered this much! Hard on tires for street driving, but nice for handling. Perfect for Autocross someday after I get a new motor in her.



In other news: I am still waiting on VPD to actually place my order...nearly a solid month of e-mailing almost every single day, and me scrambling to get all the asked-for measurements and specs, but still no parts. *Sigh* Things will work out eventually I guess; VPD is known for this sort of thing. Another interesting discovery I recently made with the 145 engine is that the head has already been extensively ported. Looks like a nice job too. I suppose I won't be learning any head porting this time around, but that's okay since I want to be able to spend a LOT of time getting it right. I will have lots of pictures of everything going into this rebuild once I have the parts and start reassembling...

Here are a couple of bad cell phone pictures of the beat-up lifters and the broken rings...I'll take proper photos soon.

Well, I finally pulled the engine out of the 145. The knocking in the crankcase had me too worried to drive it anymore---and it is a good thing I stopped running it when I did, or I might have thrown a rod! When I got the motor apart I found thrashed rod bearings, two broken piston rings, a chunky oil pump, and a handful of sadly battered lifters. Ugly! It's surprising that it was running at all...

VPD from New York State is helping me with the (expensive!) rebuild, and it should run MUCH better than it ever has considering the condition of the internals. A few interesting things I found besides the damage when I opened it up, were an 8-bolt crank, lightened flywheel, and B21 pistons. Some nice upgrades already done for me. Sweet!

Between the unnerving clatter coming from the nether regions of the 145's B20 powerplant, and the fact that the engine sound has become significantly louder in the 142 lately (not to mention that the oil leaking problem has reached epic proportions), I fear I am on the brink of losing both my forms of transportation at once! Of course, in one sense I am more than happy for the excuse to finally drop the V8 in to the two-door, and I have been excited about squeezing a little more power out of the wagon when I put it back together, but both cars at once?! Ouch.

I haven't started anything yet...I am slightly intimidated, especially since I really don't have a proper place to do the work. I am also waiting to hear back about a job in Portland right now, and if I get it, I will most likely try to nurse both cars up there in their present condition and pray they make the trip---but if the opportunity falls through, I will be tearing into both in very short order. Expect detailed accounts of both overhauls in the near(ish) future.

More of the lowered 142...

Dumped Volvo 142---something you just don't see.

A freshly cleaned wagon and the approaching storm...



I finally washed the 142 so that she would be presentable for a photo shoot, and I got a few decent angles this afternoon. The suspension is done in its entirety, front and rear, and I am very pleased with the stance---it is exactly what I wanted.

Here is the rundown of what was done:

New tires (Hancook performance all seasons).
New brake pads, front and rear. Everything in the system cleaned and bled.
1 brake hose replaced on the front, all others carefully inspected.
Emergency brake shoes repaired and adjusted.
Emergency brake cable replaced (ebay NOS from Israel!)
Differential cover and input seals replaced and filled with new fluid.
All new polyurethane bushings, front and rear.
New upper and lower ball joints in front wishbones.
New Bilstein shocks on all four corners.
New IPD sway bars, front and rear.
New Skandix non-progressive 1.5" lowering springs (25-30% stiffer than stock), front and rear: fronts cut 1.5", rears 1" coil compressors added. (As a side note, I wanted a stiff and very predictable ride, which is why I opted to not put in progressive springs---the behavior of progressives can be somewhat unpredictable at the limit).

And I guess that is about it.

Sure took a while though, since I did absolutely everything myself! Here are some pictures of the finished sled:



Despire what it looks like, the tires do not hit the fenders even when turning sharp over bumps; Steering geometry is mystifying...



You can barely even see the spring between the lower A arm and the frame pocket! The front end still has a little over two inches of travel at the tire though, which is enough for a decently comfortable and very usable ride on the highway.

Another Volvo blog! Some cool cat from the Bay Area is doing nearly the same thing with his 142 as I am, and it is a pleasure to know someone else is sharing the Volvo 140 passion. Check out Nick's two-door at:

http://originalsquare.blogspot.com/

The 145 has been doing fine for a quite a long time, with the exception of the misfiring when hot; but of course, when we are 900 miles from home, that is the time when everything goes wrong. The misfire came back with a vengeance and the exhaust header disintegrated. This is the second time on less than two weeks that the car is virtually undriveable.

A lot of expensive parts from IPD (which is local here in Portland) later, the rough running seems to be all sorted out (I said that last time too, I know), and I have a new header that I will be installing sometime today. POOP! This has turned into quite the expensive trip...

A couple of thoughts on the experience gained from this adventure:

First lesson:

Header tape is the devil. The tape I put on the wagon less than two months ago has completely destroyed my perfectly good header. I discovered this fact after we developed a severe exhaust leak a couple of days ago that was blasting the side of the engine block and the oil filter with hot exhaust. It worried me, so I started cutting off the tape, and underneath the pipes looked as if they had been bathing in salt water for years---nothing left but rust and big flakes of peeling metal, and splits in two of the four tubes, on of them 4 inches long! I wish I had known that this stuff was actually insanely destructive instead of cool and helpful.

Second lesson:

Pertronix magnetic pick-ups for distributors and vintage Volvos just don't work well together. I was on my third set, which is why I was in disbelief that my problem was in the ignition, especially since the car ran well 90% of the time. But I coughed up the money for an infrared pick-up from Crane Cams anyway, and the problem is gone. Man! What is with companies selling sub-par products?!

Well, I am off the replace the header, and I hope we can get through the rest of the trip without further mishap. And I still love my old Volvos...

For the first time in months and months, I am really and truly SICK! Severe fever, headache, the works...I slept almost all day, but now that I am feeling marginally better, I have a chance to post about the 142 suspension rebuild project, which has proven to be much more involved than I originally thought it would be.

I purchased the various parts for the job over a period spanning the past few months in order afford to do everything I wanted to, and I just sold a beater car for our church which brought a little bit of profit as well, which was mostly devoted to the IPD order; this endeavor has not been cheap.



A little before the holidays I took care of brake pads front and rear, and replaced any hoses that seemed less than great. I also bought new tires around Christmas. I also finally replaced the fuel sending unit from Swedish Treasures---dammed expensive, but I don't have a working odometer either, so avoiding running out of gas was a bit tricky. However, the project still stood as follows:

The bushings were completely disintegrated in front on both sides, and they were getting bad in the back as well; Both sets of shocks were completely blown and leaking oil; E-brake didn't work; The diff cover and pinion seal were leaking badly; The rear springs had been torched (before I got the car) to lower it and were weak and uneven; The front springs had problems too---every time I hit a big bump the passenger side of the car would dive and hit the rubber stopper, while the driver's side stayed pretty stiff; and finally, I wanted to put a good set of anti-sway bars on it to properly complete the suspension.

Here are some pictures of where I am so far. Rear suspension is completely finished with new polyurethane bushings from VPD, an IPD sway, an e-brake cable I found on ebay that shipped from Israel, adjusted e-brake pads and repaired actuators, new diff seals (IPD), Skandix springs, and Bilstien shocks. Out front I have the new bushings installed in the upper wishbones, and almost everything else disassembled: I am still waiting on the ball joints (another lucky ebay find---$35 for all four, brand new!), but once I get those in and the bolt removed from the lower wishbones things should go back together quickly.

A lot of work has gone into both the venerable Volvo 140s in my possession over the last month or so. I have been trying to get the rest of the interior and suspension work on the 142 done so I can drive it regularly again, and the 145 has gotten a quite a lot of attention as well, mostly in an attempt to make it run better.

The wagon had been struggling with a mysterious and ever worsening problem that seemed to be related to the fuel injection, causing it to cut out and die when it was warmed up, backfire, idle too high, and all sorts of other annoying things. The list of adjustments made, parts replaced, and brains racked in the process of chasing down the issue is much too long to put down here, but I think I have gained a lot of knowledge about the workings of the D-Jetronic fuel injection system! And I think (I hope and pray) that it is finally all sorted out.

You can read more about the details of my epic trouble-shooting adventure here.

The 145 also received some header exhaust wrap to keep underhood and firewall temperatures down, and an IPD cowl vent scoop, something I have wanted for the car for a long time. The cowl scoop is actually made for an early 240 (they don't make one specifically for the 140), so the windshield wiper cutout is in the wrong place by just a little bit---but it still looks really good!





I am also very pleased to say that the door panels on the 142 are finally finished as of yesterday; they are very imperfect, but then again so is the entire car, and I am able to retain the pride of having made them completely from scratch myself. At this point the interior is finished to my satisfaction I think. After all, this is a driver, not a show car. I am now gearing up for a complete suspension overhaul: shocks, springs, bushings, differential seals, and e-brake shoes and cables. The sway bars will have to wait until I have more cash, and I already did the brakes.

I am dreaming of how it is going to look really slammed over those Virgos...I'll be posting before and after pictures when the job is done.

A frosty morning with the 145

This makes me think of the OVTuners member talking about his daughter going 100MPH on the freeway in her 142...

After putting the Sirius wheels and new tires on the 142, it became clear that something unexpected was going on that confused me at first: these new wheels had the same size tires as the Virgos on the 145, and the car was not even lowered as much as the wagon, but tire-to-fender clearance was very limited; so bad in fact, the tires were hitting the fender wells on big bumps---we are talking less than half an inch in the FRONT and BACK of the arch, not to mention the top. The right angle of turn + a bump = impact. Some measurements showed that the fenders on the 142 actually have significantly smaller fender arches. Crazy. I guess there were some subtle changes in the bodies of 140s between 1968 and 1972. Being that the tires on the 145 were completely worn out anyway, I decided to put the Sirius wheels with the new tires (the same size as the old ones) on the 145, and slap the Virgos on the 142, with some new, smaller tires; (because I really want to slam the 142---as low as I can get it and still maintain some level of drivability). A set of 195/55/15 seem to fit just right, and though I may possibly still be at risk of hitting the top of the arch at full lock over a big bump, I think I should be okay in most circumstances. Before the Sirius 10-spoke rims went on the wagon however, I tried out the old wobbly steelies in black to see what black rims would do for the car. HOT! So out came the rattle-can in gloss black for the alloys, and the result was very satisfying! An order of new Polyurethane suspension bushings for Faye Valentine has finally been placed, and I have new sport springs as well. Next project: bushings, springs and a new, super-low stance!

Steelies



Black 10-spoke Sirius

It has been a while!

Posting here on 140 Bricks has definitely fallen off of late, but work on the two 140s in my stable has not. Bringing things up to date, I have finished one of the door panels for the 142 and just have the fitting and covering to do on the passenger side. While working on the doors, I lubed all the latch and lock mechanisms and replaced all the window channel seals and door seals, installed new wing window glass (the old ones had been very messily glued in), and put in some IPD wing window locks. I replaced the blown-out trunk shocks---you can't find new ones (except maybe through a dealer for a mint), so I just brought my old ones down to AutoZone and the guy obligingly went to the back and found some that would work---score! Tackling the neglected trunk, I built a wooden floor piece for the right side of the trunk, a new Masonite center section, and carpeted them both, as well as the driver's side piece, which was in good shape. The trunk looks great now! I also moved the battery back there and installed a quick-disconnect switch under the driver's seat; Feeling ambitious, I modified the brakes to function without the booster, (which was leaking badly), and bought some differential seals from IPD, which I have yet to install. It also has all new brakes, a new front brake line (to replace a slightly leaking one), and new Falken tires on the 10-spoke Sirius wheels I bought recently. I'll put up more pictures of all the finished work next post, but here are a couple for now:





But we aren't finished yet! The '72 wagon was not content to let her sister get all the attention, especially since she was the one hauling our butts around every day while F.V. sat in the garage primping. No, the 145 has been losing third gear for a while now, and I have been getting more and more uncomfortable with the thought of her transmission giving out and some very inconvenient time. Driving up Denison Grade in the morning in third sounded like dragging a bag of bolts over rusty steel grating during a mild shale avalanche. It didn't have a lot of time left. I looked into rebuilding it, but parts are very expensive, and I couldn't afford the transmission shop price anyway. Ordering the parts and doing all the work myself, that still takes a lot of time and money...I needed options. By a stroke of good fortune, I found a fully rebuilt M40 on ebay, and the owner happened to be in LA. A few emails later he met me at 6 Flags and I drove home with a new tranny, overdrive (also rebuilt), bellhousing, release fork, and new clutch kit for $225. (Basically, I stole it from him). The next night, Friday, I did a record-breaking transmission swap---under 4 hours from jacking it up to letting it down, all by myself too; and it runs awesome now. All quiet and crisp the way a transmission should be. I have rarely had a job that big go so smoothly. And what was the secret? A little bit of good luck, a large dose of simple car with sensible design, and an experiment with a risky method: separating the transmission at the bellhousing and leaving the starter, clutch, and cable bolted to the engine. The problem one usually runs into doing it this way is that the transmission input shaft can very easily push the clutch disc off-center, making it impossible to put it back together without taking everything off after all. Well, either I was really lucky, or on the 1-to-Awesome scale I'm Super-Great, because it worked! Finally, I installed some new window channel rubber in the rear doors from leftover scraps from the 142 job so the windows would stop rattling when you roll them down. Busy times. I wish I had more photos of everything, but sometimes you just forget.

Volvo 140 electric fan install

Occasionally I have seen questions on forums or heard folks ask about converting a B20 to electric fan, and now that I have done it on my own car, I'll share my experience for all the DIY-ers.

To begin with, the first thing I did wrong was to get too small of a fan---a 12-incher---which is about the size of the stock pulley fan. What I didn't take into account was the blade width and pitch, which is significantly reduced on the electric fan. It just couldn't keep things cool when the outside temp rose above 75 degrees. Some more careful measuring revealed that Summit Racing's largest economy fan (16") would fit just perfectly in the space between the front of the radiator and the grill. It is certainly worth getting the biggest fan that will fit---after all, overheating is as damaging to your engine as it is frustrating. With right fan this time, the installation was very simple, and wiring was a straightforward relay with a Flex-A-Lite radiator probe (also from Summit) to give power to the relay, adjustable between 160 and 220 degrees. Everything has been working great, just as well as the stock setup, even in 100+ degree SoCal summer weather (ugh). I recommend the swap: a bit more HP, gas mileage and super-clean engine bay. E-mail me if you want to know more about this project.

(For those of you sharp enough to notice that the temp sensor is bypassed in the photo, the switch broke, and I am waiting for a new one---don't why it quit, just a dud I guess---and in the meantime, the car's gotta stay cool!)

Wheels for Faye Valentine

At long last I have acquired an unnecessary but much dreamed-of upgrade for the 142: those awesome 10-spoke Sirius wheels came stock on some 740 Turbos. Ever since I saw a picture of a blue-and-white 145 wearing a black set of these on OVTuners a while back (I posted a picture of it on Vintagebrick in February), I have been daydreaming of installing some on Faye. They haven't been impossible to find, but a bit expensive when I have seen them---even when I found some really dirty ones at the local Pick-A-Part. So they remained one of those 'someday' hopefuls that occasionally sooth me to sleep when I have insomnia.

With that preamble, I have been at home for the past few days with AC and our new baby boy, Charles Daniel. While out on a ride on my fixed gear Trek this morning I stopped by a crummy old Volvo repair and sales shop called 'Gabriel's Imports' that must have looked exactly as it does today in 1976. I had caught sight of a junker 740 on blocks with a full set of the wheels of my desire in the back of this place, so investigation was clearly necessary. After some haggling, a trip the bank, and a quick car-for-bike swap at home, I was driving home with them nestled beside my dual 12" Rockford-Fosgates---for a great price too---and as an added bonus, the tires are almost new! (Well two are, and other two are about half). The wheels are in need of a good cleaning of course, but they are in great condition, without any curb rash or corrosion. I haven't decided whether I will paint them black as I originally intended...they look pretty as they are, but I'm sill torn. The old guy who owned the place I bought them from threw in an old grill for free (which you can see in the picture), because as far as he is concerned the 140 series is dead, and he could care less about old parts.

Not sure where this shot came from or where it was taken, but props to you man, whoever you are---sweet ride, sweet flames; sweet picture...

12 hours. I started working on the wagon at 6:30 AM on Saturday, and didn't finish until 6:30 PM. I always overestimate how much I can get done in a day. It didn't seem like that much...finish converting to an electric fan, change out the shocks, replace one trailing arm bushing and change the u-joints...okay, it does sound like a lot, but I thought I could get it done in six hours or so. And it would have been almost that fast except everything that had a possibility of being really difficult, WAS; it started with the front shocks fitting so snugly into the holes in the A-arms that were supposed to let you change them out, that they had to be wiggled and tapped and prodded quite persistently both to get the old ones out and the new ones in; then the trailing arm bushing proved to be far too tight of a fit for my abilities and the tools on hand---after extensive heating with a MAPP gas torch to expand the arm and about a half hour of using a small sledge with tremendous gusto, I got it in---a little mangled, but functional. (Please, never ever do this job the way I did: i just about shot myself). Finally, of the three u-joints, two had never been changed and required breaking them to get them out; and the third had indeed been changed at some point, but was the wrong size---too small. No wonder the car had issues with vibration. The good news (for me) is that everything works properly now, so much smoother and quieter, and none of those things should need attention for a few years at least.

A final comment: Bilstein HD shocks are unbelievably awesome. They are expensive, but the difference cannot even be described. The car feels brand new, and so much better than it ever has before that I can't even tell it has been lowered more than 4"! I will never put anything else on my Volvos.

We have finally gotten around to fixing up O.B.'s '67 144S after it sat all summer while he was gone. It needs a lot, but it's solid, like an old Volvo should be. The car runs awesome---there are 270,000 miles on the clock and it is still not burning oil! Unbelievable...

Yesterday I finally got around to checking out the odd clunking in the rear suspension, the irritating squeak in the rear hatch, and the unnerving rumbling vibration that occurs in the drivetrain from around 2,700 RPM to 3,300 RPM. Poor old 145. She hasn't had a real rest in 36 years! Once on jackstands, I began pulling and prodding around underneath; this is something I have been meaning to do for months. The inspection revealed: 1) a bad u-joint. 2) blown shocks front and rear(I sort of already knew that by the way it drove), and shrunken, rotted shock bushings that were the cause of the rattling. 3) Under the panel inside the rear hatch I discovered the source the annoying squeak---the lock mechanism had a loose screw---and that was it. Time to buy some parts and get cracking. Worn out as she is, this old girl just keeps running better!

I have been missing working on Faye Valentine lately. I was looking at some pictures of the beautiful new red upholstery and awesome steering wheel and realizing that I basically haven't driven her since I made those improvements. Not that she is going anywhere, and she's under a cover for protection from the cruel SoCal sun...still, I miss her.

This is the first time I have ever waxed our car!

It's nice.

Sadly, Faye Valentine currently rests submissively under a cheap AutoZone car cover, waiting for gas prices to be kinder and bank accounts to grow sufficiently for her engine rebuild. She still runs fine, but now that classes are over for a while and gas has risen 30% since I needed her so much this Spring, I just can't justify two cars on the insurance. Well, hopefully the Fall will bring some new options.

However, I did recently stumble across a few pictures of some very hot 140s, mostly in Sweden...

















...And finally, our own beloved wagon under an Oregon sky...

Ever since I bought my 145 a year and a half ago I have been somewhat annoyed at how stiff the suspension is, especially in the front. The guy who owned it before me had done all the suspension work, including lowering it, and I figured that well, it's really low, its got stiff springs and shocks---not much I can short of changing out those parts. Then AC began to gently insist that we really needed to find a way to soften it up a bit. So the next time changed the oil I started looking closely at the front suspension and quickly discovered something I should have noticed since the first time I looked under the car: The springs had been cut a LOT, like 3+ inches, but the bump-stops were still at full height, so when sitting still, unladen, the car was resting on the bump-stops, not the springs. No wonder it was so rough! After taking some measurements to make sure the fender wells could accommodate more wheel travel, I took out an old razor blade and carefully cut about an inch off of both stops. The result? Without the extra support from the stops, the car now sits about 1/2"-1" lower in the front, which is great because it closes the gap between the top of the tire and the fender, giving the car a much meaner look---and the best part: we now have over 1 inch (out at the tire) of travel before the lower wishbones hit the stops!!! (Most normal cars have no less than 5" of travel---looks and handling do come with a price). However, the difference in ride quality after trimming the stops is really significant, and handling is actually improved slightly since there is greater sensitivity to the contours of the road. Nice, easy fix. I like.

Really good things have been happening to dear little Faye Valentine. After many weeks of careful saving and many quotes and comparisons at various shops, I finally had the original seats re-upholstered in the original color---and they are BEAUTIFUL. And oh-so comfy. The high-quality vinyl looks a lot like leather too, I was impressed. I did some carpeting on my own and added rear speakers, and I also am working on building some front door panels; baby steps, baby steps...
The steering wheel was an ebay find ($36) and is pretty old (1960s or '70s); a bit battered, but it is still pretty, and it fits the imperfect nature of this car perfectly. I also broke down and bought the clear turn lenses for he front. I LOVE the way it looks. It's all in the details...

I got bored and drew our 145 while sitting in class...we were talking about perspective.

My wagon is turning into a toggle switch car! Since this old brick is my daily driver I can't afford to have it down for any real length of time, and things like headlight switches and hazard buttons are pretty hard to come by; and now that the F---ing California DMV has harassed and threatened us sufficiently to make me get the car registered here (ever though my current tags are still good I am moving back to Oregon in less than a year) I have to have everything functioning for the $80 state inspection. What a DRAG. The switches don't look too bad though...

My cars have role models now. As a vintage Volvo owner I have, of course, been dreaming of all the various cool things I want to do to my cars; how much to keep original, how much of a performance look to give them each, etc. Well, I found this wagon on the Oregon Volvo Tuners site, and though some you may scratch your heads, this pretty much sums it all up for me---it just doesn't any better---a little '60s race car glam, some faded American hot rod bits, and just a little touch of '90s Euro-tuner/alternative rocker thrown in to round it all out.(I would perhaps keep it a little cleaner in the grill area though, and just one color please!):



And when I can finally afford to paint it, this is the selected color:



As for Faye Valentine, she is going to stay an ivory/off white color when I paint her, same color as the one below, and unless I find a REALLY good deal on some REALLY cool rims, she will keep her red and polished aluminum steelies; but in terms of trim, those sweet clear turn lights and finish quality, this one from Sweden sets the standard for my Faye. (I'm not going to air-bag the suspension though!):

Well, I have answered some of my own questions---way too much time researching online---about some of the Volvo parts I have been looking for: VLVworld and Skandix both carry the clear turn lenses; they are spendy, but worth it I think when I finally get a new paint job. I also found the right steering wheel hub for the pre-'73 140: it is made by the Italian company Volanti Luisi, part number 7702, and fits Momo wheels. This is exciting because, despite my earlier complaints I have been able to find used Momo wheels on ebay for pretty cheap on occasion...we'll see.

Volvo 140 Questions

I very much doubt that this blog has enough visibility that anyone reading it will know any more than I do about some of the obscure questions I have, but just in case you do, please impart your lore! (1st: will a 240 steering wheel hub (say, Momo or Nardi) fit the 140 steering column splines? (2nd: Where can I find belt-line chrome for the doors on a 142? (3rd: I am planning a Celica 5-speed conversion. Any advice, helpful hints? (4th: Where can I find those kick-ass clear front turn lenses I see on the 140 pics from Sweden?

Volvo pushrod performance dreams

I thought it might be nice to have pictures on this blog that are not of my own cars for once---so here are a few shots of some beautiful hot-rodded B20 motors, mostly from Sweden.







Those Swedes know how to make an old Volvo look good...and the last shot is perhaps the hottest 145 in existence. I saved the picture from a craigslist posting in the Bay Area. It sold immediately.

Surprisingly, some long and detailed carb tuning, involving a lot of guesswork and a real seat-of-the-pants touch, reduced Faye Valentine's life-threatening illness to a mild cough in the morning and some slight issues maintaining sufficient breath at some occasional inconvenient intersections ('puff-puff, Faye-Faye' -Ed). An added bonus to this this unexpected surge of new life is drastically less tailpipe smoke, partly from a much leaner fuel mixture, and partly from dumping half a bottle of 'Tune-up in a Can' into the engine oil *shudder*. I know that stuff is evil, and murder on an engine, but I guess she is more or less beyond feeling pain at this point. She will probably linger in the twilight of her years for some time, beautiful to the end, and at long last (hopefully months and months from now) she will pass away quietly in the night when no one is around. And in the meantime, I have roughly an 87% chance of making it to class and back for the rest of this semester. But it's okay, I'll chance it. Because it's Faye: 'hottest granny in the galaxy!'

Poor Faye Valentine. First, the conversion from a Bosch alternator (externally regulated, and therefore complicated) to a Chevy unit (internally regulated, three times the amp output and FREE from a friend) has proven to be more difficult than first imagined. However, after several attempts at wiring and getting everything mounted properly, the project is done and healthy. Now there are deeper problems. We must face the fact (she and I) that her piston rings are so badly worn that there is practically no compression left, meaning that the amount of oil she is burning would cause any self-respecting, environmentally-aware person to lose consciousness. Worse than that, the 'performance' SU carburettors are running too rich, and like all English-built automotive components, are a tuning nightmare; which presents the problem that when Faye has been running long enough to be warm, the combination of no compression and over-gaseous mixture means that no amount of coaxing will induce her to start again---until she has cooled down for at least an hour. This makes simple operations such as filling up with gas or stopping for a quick grocery-run a matter of extreme embarrassment and frustration. *Sigh* Well, I guess now I have an excuse for a high-performance engine rebuild...A costly, time-consuming project to slip in between classes, work and SoCal-style living costs. Hmmmm. Maybe I will just never shut the car off. That way, every time I stop somewhere and run inside I can come back past the burbling, sputtering, belching exhaust pipe and count how many bodies have been asphyxiated and fallen twitching to the sticky pavement...

Finally! The wheels are painted and back on the car. I hate to boast, but you have to admit they look prrreeeeeeeettttyyy nice.



Well, here is an updated interior shot; the road-sign-turned-steering-wheel-center is looking decent, and the dashboard is about as fixed up as it can be without a bunch of new parts. Still need to work on getting the seats redone (or install others); and eventually, redo the carpet, door panels and rear seat. But for now I am satisfied. (Most likely suspension and engine work will come before interior, not to mention paint!)

I couldn't get air filters for this car by normal means, and the only ones I did eventually find cost $70! Building assemblies to accomodate washable K & N style filters seemed like a much better plan, soooo...

The necessary pieces:



The remains of the old units after being cannibalized for mounting plates:



A splash of red paint:



The finished product. Not quite as gnarly-looking as I has hoped, but they will do just fine.

More fun stuff with Faye Valentine today; a piece of aluminum road sign makes a great replacement for the missing center on the steering wheel, (alas, no one makes an adapter for the Volvo 140 steering column except MOMO, whose steering wheels go for $200-$500 dollars). Poop. Well, I have made up my mind that this wheel can be cool too, so it's getting some hand-brushed aluminum bling. I'll put up a better picture of the finished job when it's done gluing.



When I got the car someone had broken off the headlight knob, flush with the dash. I could still get my fingernails in there enough to pull it on, but it was annoying to say the least. So I spent some time thinking about the problem and poking around among the random spare parts in the shop when I was hit with a great idea: Volvos run for time eternal, right? And odometers attempt to log this progress toward infinity, ya? Well, it just so happened that my dear old VW Rabbit had one last favor to give: I disassembled her broken speedometer that was still in a box in the back room of the Tack House, extracted one of the one mile wheels (black) and the one-tenth-of-a-mile wheel (white), drilled them out a bit, very carefully drilled a hole straight into the broken-off stem of the headlight switch and put it all together with a long screw. Clever, no?



The first coat of red paint on the wheels. They will get another coat on Thursday or Friday. Then the hub caps go back on so that all you see is a nice little stripe of red between the aluminum cover and the tire.





The air filters are in a bad way...

Scraping off old nasty window tint with a razor blade is not really one of my choice pastimes, but it had to be done. An hour or so later I had clean windows that were all the same color!



The interior is looking markedly better, but I would love to find a steering wheel adapter for something a little more racy (if you know what I mean, and I think you do...)



The car came without rubber pads on the padals, and no gas pedal at all. I found these on clearance at AutoZone, and normally I think they look cheesy, but they look alright in this car---it goes with the vintage Euro-racer look. AND, by an interesting glitch in the system, I got them for only 1 cent. (No joke!)



Amazing, the transformation some soap and water can bring about...





If you want a nice-looking older car, it is all about the details...I am sanding and painting this oil cap which happens to be one of the more prominent things under the hood.

I love the way this car looks without bumpers. I took off the front mud flaps as well, (they were hitting the ground every time I went over a bump), and have been doing tons of little things to the interior and engine the last few days. There seems to be an endless supply of odds and ends that can be improved, but that is one of the reasons I love this car!. A new crankcase breather is a lot better than the old busted PCV valve which was sucking oil into the carbs, and the old vacuum hoses were full of holes. All better now; one of the next absolute necessities though, are front seats, the current ones just won't do at all...

I scored this vintage tachometer for Faye Valentine today at the local auto parts store. I saw it on the back wall, and they said it had been there, unsold, for over 20 years. $35 bucks, and perfect old-school styling. Beautiful.

The naughty girl herself...



MY Faye Valentine---slightly less naughty, but no less sexy...Last night I removed the bumpers and side-markers to clean up her appearance a bit. I haven't even had a chance to clean and wash the car, but she's already starting to look the way I wanted. Right now it's something of a challenge to see how much I can do to the car for the least amount of money.



These mud flaps are just too nerdy-cool to get rid of---at least for now...



The beautiful interior...

The day Charles bought his first 140. (Our wagon was very dirty that day).



Kyle's 142.



That which became the Nimbus 2000.



New alternator.



Finished. (We all know that old cars are never really 'finished'...)

I miss Oregon.

And Charlie.

As you can see, we both love 140s...

All it took was one look. Obviously, since I drove all the way to San Francisco for this car, I had to follow through and buy it, but I didn't expect to fall for her quite so hard. A 1968 Volvo 142S, shabby, dirty, and very, very sexy, with a smooth running engine and manual trans. I had to install a new clutch cable to get her rolling under her own power, she leaks water and oil, her steering is extremely loose, and two of the brake calipers seem to be stuck (hence, only two functioning brakes); but I am ecstatic. Driving her is a kind of beater-car thrill I haven't really experienced since high school. Every clunk and thud she utters over bumps or around corners, the smell of oily exhaust and the tired-engine growl in the rusty tailpipe reminds me of those wild days in Washington with loose fenders, broken stereos and muddy fields. This is a wonderful thing.

Her name is FAYE VALENTINE

The way she looks now: new tires, better exhaust tip, a subtle tach where the broken clock was, hidden driving lights, and a nearly endless list of repairs of every sort...

This was our beloved 145 when we bought it in October of '06.

As with any old car there is always something new that needs attention that you aren't prepared for...before our trip the Great Bay City tonight I must: fix a brake light, find a new bolt for the exhaust header, check the axle oil, and get the damn rear brakes to stop squealing! I'll let you know how it goes.

After months of dread I am finally getting to the leaking rear axle seal. I have been putting off the repair for at least six months because it is such a pain; but the leaking axle oil has finally all but ruined the brake pads on the passenger side, so procrastination is no longer an option. After some setbacks in trying to get the parts, I am all set and the axle is currently in the machine shop getting the old bearing pressed off and the new one with the new seal pressed on. For those who are curious, it is not a very difficult job after all, as long as you have a place to take the axle for the bearing swap---the trouble was getting the parts. For future referance, the part number is: Beck-Arny 051-2121, and the place that finally had it was Car Quest (forget about AutoZone or Kragen/Checker/Shucks). It should be all back together this afternoon; it will be nice to have our car back! If anyone has tech questions feel free to e-mail me.

Volvo 140 series: prelude

I am not quite sure how it all happened. Volvos have always had a certain appeal, but it was never anything really compelling. Since I was a teenager I have thought wagons of almost any make and model were sexy, Volvo or not; but I had never had actually bought one. While working in Oregon one average day I happened to see a flat black 145 with massive rims pulling a u-turn while I was on my way home from work, and my attention was caught and held fast. Something about that car struck me as incredibly cool. I guess that was the real starting point, and soon afterword I was half-heartedly surfing craigslist.org for old bricks. After my truck died I really needed a car, and my wife's truck had a sloppy timing chain and was running on three cylinders. The time was ripe. One morning while absently looking though the Portland area car listings, almost by accident, we found exactly what we were looking for: A 1972 145 wagon, lowered, Virgo wheels, rebuilt and gently souped-up engine, manual transmission with overdrive. It was perfect, and my darling wife fell in love with it as much as I did. From then on our interest in old Volvos grew into a fever and is now a full-blown addiction; in 13 months we have put 19,000 miles on our wagon, and it just keeps running better every day. We have had our share of break-downs of course, but that is half the fun. And it is all about the fun. The only reason this blog exists is for the sheer pleasure of driving, repairing, building and living with those cars we can't seem to shake; we're all freaks---but it's good here.