Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, July 10, 2009
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."
"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."
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