So, Just How Bad Of An Idea Is This?

"Snuze: Needs another Swede" (markg)
03/25/2020 at 20:33 • Filed to: None

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DISCUSSION (60)

VincentMalamute-Kim > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:37

ooh, I like those. Can’t go wrong at $1500. Hopefully no mods other than the over-lowering. Not a fan of those wheels.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:37

Are those factory rims?

sony1492 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:38

Do it

RallyWrench > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:39

If it’s not rusty, that’s awesome. Especially if it’s actually an M47 5-speed and not just the M46 4-speed+OD. Love these stupid things.

Cash Rewards > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:41

For that price? Nothing that runs is bad at that price

boredalways > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:45

You'll hate yourself if you don't

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:48

Right transmission, right ignition system, and an estate? this is NP, the jump seat alone could be worth up to 500$. This is a STEAL if its not all rusty.

Aremmes > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:52

Oh, shit, that’s on the other side of town from me.

:thinking_emoji:

fintail > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:54

What happened to the headlights?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 20:56

If it’s not rusty, not a bad idea at all. Parts are rea dily available (though not always cheap) , they’re easy to work on, reliable, and sur prisingly fun with a few easy tweaks to the suspension and engine . Plenty of room in there to mount your throne of choice in place of the ratty old V olvo front seats... I think WRX seats fit without issue... Yeah, you want it and it’s not rusty? G o for it.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > VincentMalamute-Kim
03/25/2020 at 21:05

Right? they look like they should be on a jetta that’s been spray painted black

Cash Rewards > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
03/25/2020 at 21:11

Harsh, but fair

Snuze: Needs another Swede > VincentMalamute-Kim
03/25/2020 at 21:21

Ive got a set of Propus Cs, a similar but factory Volvo/BBS wheel, which would looks much better on it.

Kinja'd!!!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
03/25/2020 at 21:22

I never even knew the jump seat was an option until I saw this. Now I want it!

VincentMalamute-Kim > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 21:25

You have nice wheels. I just think the thin spokes don’t go well with the blocky, slabby design of the car. I like these:

Kinja'd!!!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
03/25/2020 at 21:25

Im very, very t empted.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Aremmes
03/25/2020 at 21:31

Something something PA on lockdown...

Don’t take this from me! But would you be interested in possibly g oing to take a look at it for me? Im down in northern VA, 2 hours away and would like some idea of what Im getting into before I make that drive.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > boredalways
03/25/2020 at 21:31

True

Snuze: Needs another Swede > fintail
03/25/2020 at 21:34

Looks like they swapped in an earlier set of recessed buckets from a 70s-80s 240. Volvo offered 4 different styles of lights on these, I think - recessed round, recessed single square, recessed double square, and finally the sealed beams.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/25/2020 at 21:35

No, aftermarket ASAs. I do have a set of late model Propus C wheels that are factory Volvo/BBS wheels. They look similar but better, in my opinion.

Kinja'd!!!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > sony1492
03/25/2020 at 21:36

I'm strongly considering it.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 21:36

How could this possibly be a bad idea?!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > VincentMalamute-Kim
03/25/2020 at 21:39

Those do look nice!

But I have a dream in my head of my dream 240 GT Estate. Sadly I’m gonna need biggish wheels to clear the brakes I want to run.

Maybe I’ll eventually settle on something else.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
03/25/2020 at 21:44

It can’t... I don’t think. I want a 240 wagon, with a stick. This is it, has the rare jump seat. As long as its not a rust bucket I'm interested. I just don't do body work, so I want something I can work mechanically on thats got a clean shell.

fintail > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 21:53

They look weird, at least to me, I’d need to change them out. Maybe for the flush lights, Euros, or double squares.

Aremmes > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 21:56

Getting to shop cars without spending my own money? Don’t mind if I do. :D

I’ll see what I can do. We might be in lockdown but I’m still working from home. Fortunately Fleetwood is about a half-hour’s drive from me now that I’ve moved to my new house , and I have to go out to pick up Mom’s car from the shop (who knew that putting the coolant overflow tank next to the engine oil dipstick would cause confusion?).

coqui70 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 22:12

Do it, however it will need a Safari conversion to be appropriately prepared for any emergency situations.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > fintail
03/25/2020 at 22:15

Id do the round headlight conversion. And maybe a full euro grill with the flat rally hood, if I can find one. Thats my favorite look for these cars.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > coqui70
03/25/2020 at 22:17

That would be fun, though I have some other ideas for it.

Saracen > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 22:21

Do it. The wheels alone are worth at least $1k.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Aremmes
03/25/2020 at 22:28

Oh my, that doesn’t sound good. Hope they got everything sorted on your mom’s car.

As far as this Volvo goes, I’ll message the seller and see what the story is. I ’d appreciate having someone local who could look at it for me, but I don’t want anyone, let alone a fellow Oppo, getting sick or getting in trouble over this.

There may also be complications on my end coming to get it even if I were to buy it. My wife is immuno compromised so I need to be careful about bringing something home to her, and on top of that I have to work anyways. Im with DOD and deemed essential so Im already running a risk there, and they are really clamping down on travel - all official travel is canceled and they are “ highly discouraging” us from traveling.

I need to think about the logistics some more and talk to the seller, but I do like it and am super interested if its not a rust bucket (or torn to shit on the drivers side - hoping that’s not why they didn’t include a drivers side pic).

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Saracen
03/25/2020 at 22:30

I ’m strongly considering it. At this point trying to work through the logistics since I’m down in VA, I don’t want to potentially s pread or bring home Corona, and PA may be on lock down and I don't want to get in trouble or arrested.

gmctavish needs more space > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
03/25/2020 at 22:39

What’s the right ignition system again? My 240 knowledge is rusty in some areas

gmctavish needs more space > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 22:41

“Needs the rear bumper delete/shave finished” is....questionable. Other than that, basically if it’s not rusty that’s NP

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > gmctavish needs more space
03/25/2020 at 23:07

Straight efi, no mechanical fuel injection shenanigans, also makes the flame trap MUCH easier to do, it can be done with the intake on with on that intake on the 87

Snuze: Needs another Swede > gmctavish needs more space
03/25/2020 at 23:09

That did stand out to me a bit... that said, I think it might look really cool with a rear bumper delete. If i can finish it! Haha

S eriously though, those giant 70s/80s bumpers kill me.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > RallyWrench
03/25/2020 at 23:23

I need to learn a bit more about the trans, though in the long run I don’t see it staying in there. I have plans. Silly, stupid plans.

Aremmes > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/25/2020 at 23:39

The thing with Mom’s car isn’t worrisome. One day she was checking the engine’s oil level, saw that it was low, and dumped about a quart of oil down the overflow tank because the cap is shiny, not labeled, and located right next to the dipstick. She realized the error before she started the car and called me, and we arranged to take it to a shop to flush the cooling system.

Feel free to shoot me an email about the Volvo - my kinja username at google mail - if you decide to follow on with it. I wouldn’t mind a weekend delivery trip.

Grindintosecond > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 01:17

Its rust free? That's a goddamn unicorn. That's the best start you'll ever see.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 06:08

So Are you going to buy the car?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 08:02

I’m going to contact the seller after work today - I can’t have my cell in the office so I can’t carry on a conversation at the moment . But I’ll talk to her tonight and see what’s up. I want to get some more pics of it. If it looks good anot her Oppo lives in the area said he’d be willing to go take a look at it for me.

The biggest issue I’m going to have is getting it home. It’s about 175 miles, and 2 states, away from me. Pennsylvania, where it’s located, is supposedly on lockdown. And since I still work for Uncle Sam, I still have to abide by the current travel limitations (currently 50 mile radius) .

Snuze: Needs another Swede > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
03/26/2020 at 10:10

You should see the profile of the seller. They very well may have come off a car matching that description. Except she posts a lot of VW hate, but maybe a VW let her down and she’s bitter .

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 10:15

Interesting. You said it has a manual. There were some Volvos from the '80s that had an electric switch right in the top of the shift knob that shifted the overdrive in and out. That is a long way to go and a lot of hoops to jump through for what seems like not a lot of car...

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 10:36

Someone mentioned that in another comment - you could get this cars with a 5 speed manual, or a 4 speed + electronic overdrive. I’m not sure which one this has, I’ll have to ask.

I wouldn’t say it’s not a lot of car - it’s running and mostly there. Its rough, but certainly usable. As someone else pointed out the wheels are worth close to $1,000 and the jump seat in the back is a rare factory option that’s probably worth $500, so in theory I could sell 2 things off the car, recoup 100% of my money, and still be left with a serviceable , running car.

But given all the crazy Corona virus stuff going on and restrictions in place, it is a lot of effort. I’m just going to talk to the seller, try to get more pics, and take it from there.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 11:26

If you don’t plan on keeping it put it up for sale, I don’t think many people want these with an auto anymore

Snuze: Needs another Swede > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
03/26/2020 at 12:06

I absolutely would. In fact I’d sell as much off of it as I could that I didn’t need in order to recoup costs. Like those wheels? Su pposedly they are worth some money and I already have a set of Volvo factory Propus-C wheels that I think would look better on it , so I’d sell the rims and use the wheels I already have.

But I’d drive it around as-is for a while, which would give me a chance to work on some other things. I am taking a systems engineering approach to this, doing things in a logical, ordered fashion. I’m not going to just mullet it out and shove a big motor in it and say it’s good.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 12:57

I like that car a lot. It’s not one that I would buy, but I would say that if it suits you, it’s worth some effort to obtain it. I’d interview the seller and try to get a feel for how she’d feel about taking it on a trip. You might find out if there’s a shop in her neighborhood and what they’d charge to perform a pre-sale inspection. Then, perhaps you know some college kid who is out of school right now that you could dispatch to go and pick it up for you. Is this a mission that Mrs. Snuze might be up to?

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 13:11

Yeah they’re not the worst wheels I’ve ever seen but they’re not to my taste, and I’d usually rather have the money the bling wheels are worth. That sounds very interesting, I can’t wait to see more.

If you do end up getting the Volvo keep in mind the Volvo dealership will still sell you parts for it for VERY reasonable price. I got a weird grommet for the windshield wiper motor, and the Oil Separator Box and a new shift knob was like 50$ CAD. Worth a look

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 13:23

You know... If you find yourself in serious talks with the seller, you might feel them out about what it would take to get them to drive it to you. Depending upon how desperate they are for cash and how few potential buyers there are during the Contagion.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 13:26

Yeah, I’ll try to talk to the seller tonight. I’ve got a plan formulating.

Mrs. Snuze, although generally supportive of my shenanigans , is not up for this adventure due to COVID-19. She’s immunocompromised and is doing her best to avoid any public places. I have to be careful as well not to bring anything home to her. I’m already taking a risk by going to work, but needs of the Navy and all that.

Needless to say, if I do get the thing it’s get ting a Lysol bath! And if I have to go get it I’m driving home in gloves and coveralls and all that, at a minimum .

Or maybe I’ll go full Anti-C’s and MCU-2/PA. That might get some strange looks on the highway. I can see the headlines now, “ Mad man in old ass Volvo in full NBC gear, barreling south down I-95" . The only thing to make it better would be to paint some apocalyptic stuff on it; “THE END IS NEIGH! ” “REPENT HEATHENS!”

Honestly I’ll probably try to wait till things calm down, if the seller is agreeable, or figure something else out. Or wait. There’s other Volvos out there. It’s not worth anyone’ s health or safety.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
03/26/2020 at 13:36

Good to know the dealerships still stock, or at least can get, parts for these. I’ve been fixing up the 850 with mostly mail order parts (IPD, FCP, Rock auto, etc.). But I also haven’t been using OEM parts - it was a $400 car, I’m not about to buy OEM shocks that cost more than the car.

Funny enough, my wheels look similar in design to those, although I think those are 18s, and mine are 17s, but I’m not 100% sure. Mine have a bit more lip on them, at least, and they are a 2 piece. I’ve been disassembling them, I want to powder coat the center and polish the lip. I’d love to put a 16 on it, the cars only came with little 14s, but I need a 17 to clear the brakes I want to run.

I’ll post a lot on here if I get it, naturally . I’m also considering doing a YouTube channel, b ut I’m kind of dumb about that stuff. I have no desire for fame or to be an internet star, but I do think it would be fun to document, and maybe teach people about systems engineering along the way . But I’d need someone to help me film and edit and stuff, so that may be a non-starter.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 13:38

That’s also crossed my mind, the ad even says “can deliver” but I don’t know if they are imagining 3 or so hours away. But I’ll find out later tonight and of course keep Oppo informed of any potential apocalyptic pandemic car purchases.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 13:50

I bet they’ll do it. But I’d probably want to pay a shop to inspect it first.

Please keep me posted.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 13:59

Editing you may need help with, but filming can be done with a tripod or maybe some kind of headlamp go-pro mount like RCR does? I think it would be an excellent teaching oppourtunity, I LOVE YouTube for being able to see how a job is done even if the instruction isn’t even in English.

I wouldn’t worry about dealer parts especially when you can get lots of OEM stuff like Sachs from RockAuto. The dealer is just good for weird stuff like the shift knob or things you can’t get from RockAuto.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
03/26/2020 at 14:28

Yeah, I do think I could figure out filming, but editing is way out of my wheelhouse, and frankly not something I’m hugely interested in. Maybe I could find a local high school or college kid to help me? But I’m the same way, I love YouTube as a source to learn how to do stuff. It’s how I learned to do a lot of the work on my 850.

And I know what you mean, it’s just good to know the dealer can still get that stuff. The 850 was more of an impulse purchase and I’m gonna sell it if I get the 240. The 240 I’d plan to keep for a long time so I’d definitely be putting higher quality parts in it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 15:01

I will keep all of Oppo posted, especially if this happens. And I’m hoping it happens (as long as the car checks out).

I was telling someone else, I’m also considering starting a YouTube series about it. I have some plans for the car and I think it might be fun and informative to document everything. I have a face for radio and don’t really have any desire to become famous, but I do think I would enjoy teaching people stuff.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 15:25

I did a major front end rebuild on my Safari last summer and there were literally zero YouTube videos covering that and I thought I might try and I found it to be a major PITA and I gave up. But I was wrenching while you can be more narrating. I’d be curious to see it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 15:44

My goal is to turn the car into my ideal “Grand Touring Estate” - imagine if you will something analogous to a BMW M5 Wagon. I want to re-do it and modernize it in some ways but retain the Volvo 80s feel . For example put a really nice stereo in it, but keep the head unit low key, maybe use Android Audio so I can just stream off my phone, so I don’t have a big obnoxious LCD sticking out of the dash. There are some really cool retro head units now.

I also want to do it with as many factory Volvo parts as possible. Barring that, using junkyard parts. For example Ford Ranger axles are really popular for these cars, and if you look hard you can find a certain Ranger axle that has heavy duty 31 spline axles and a Torsen limited slip.

I don’t want to do a “this is how you replace your shocks” video series. I want to teach people about systems engineering - this is my vision for the car, this is how I’m going to get there, these are all the parts that interact. If I change one thing, it affects these other t hings. For example, the Ranger rear I mentioned above has a different bolt pattern than Volvo factory. How do I deal with that - change the front, the rear, or just run 2 different pairs of wheels? What are the trade offs for each? Also, that affects brakes, brake rotors etc. That means I need to be looking at the whole braking system, the ABS, the brake bias, etc.

But yes, the struggle would be finding someone to edit videos for me. I also just realized I’m gonna need a big whiteboard!!!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede
03/26/2020 at 16:07

I’m trying to edit a video right now and my head is about to explode.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/26/2020 at 16:24

I saw your post on that. No idea how to help you, but good luck!