Beater Volvo 240 and it's quest against the odds to visit all 50 states

[IDAFC21]

Dude. Keep up the great work man, I know a lot of us don't post about it but watching you keep this old wagon alive is invigorating.
I admire your willingness to bite off a big project like this and see it all the way through!

You've accomplished way more than I ever would have And it may be a slow and frustrating process, but you're getting it done. I can't wait to see it done. Just try and keep yourself in a good headspace and it will all fall into place.

 

[Five-0]

I don't post much, but I check in daily. I enjoy the updates and pictures of the process, keep up the good work!

 

[v6buicks]

Thanks guys.

I spent most of the morning screwing around with trim fitment and I'm glad I did. I had to make a new bracket for the mudflap and butt cheek cover because the old one was rotted out. I made it to the same exact dimensions as the original. Yet, my mudflap wouldn't fit at all. I fidled a while and remembered that the wheel arch was completely missing at mudflap level before I started... It's not the new bracket, it's my poorly stamped arch. I ended up hammering and cutting a bunch to make it semi-acceptable.

I've seam sealed most of my joints, and I've been sanding filler all afternoon. I think it's going to look pretty good when I'm done. It's time to run Crunchy (Camaro) through the car wash to get all the salt off while I'm waiting for another coat of filler to dry. My goal for the day is to have the interior buttoned back up. I also want to be ready for primer. That may be lofty considering how thick my third coat of filler was laid on...

Yeah, I'm dealing with some ugly warp issues. ?

 

[cap42]

Looks like you did a decent job, nice work keeping the ole girl alive.

 

[v6buicks]

Looks like you did a decent job, nice work keeping the ole girl alive.

Thank you! That means a lot coming from you! Nice work on the Nova. That things gonna be beautiful.

I just got done showering after sanding filler all afternoon. Fun stuff. I'm glad I didn't run into the wall where I thought "filler will fix the rest of this" and then realize that my whole panel is so warped that I can't sand any of it down. That happened last time on the other side. Here's one example of that, but I eventually got it good enough.

gross.

Much better. Primer in the morning.

 

[IDAFC21]

Yesssssss

 

[Mr_Roboto]

That looks like you could use a shrinking disk or a torch if worse came to worse to knock the spot down. I'm guessing you're going to try to match the paint?

 

[v6buicks]

That looks like you could use a shrinking disk or a torch if worse came to worse to knock the spot down. I'm guessing you're going to try to match the paint?

I've heard of shrinking disks and never once bothered to find out how one worked or get my hands on one. Oh well. Maybe next time.

I have some paint left over from last time. I got it from automotivetouchup.com. I'm super impressed with how well it matches for the price.

 

[v6buicks]

Allie grabbed allllll the Kroger ads while she was at the store. lol

 

[v6buicks]

You can even tell in the picture how much different the reproduction arches are in relation to stock. ? From now on, I'll search for parts cars and have somebody ship me rust-free stock metal.

 

[v6buicks]

Here's a better look at what I'm talking about. I could have blended the difference in lip size, but I'm neither ambitious enough nor rich in time. I still plan to have this car done for the Monday morning commute! The Hummer goes home tomorrow. I think with paint and trim reapplied, hardly anybody is going to notice this. I still have rust holes in the fenders.

 

[Jon01]

I wouldn't sweat it man. It's way better than it was. Iif/when time affords later and you so desire to make it better you will have the experience to build upon to do so.
Keep it up!

 

[v6buicks]

I wouldn't sweat it man. It's way better than it was. Iif/when time affords later and you so desire to make it better you will have the experience to build upon to do so.
Keep it up!

Thanks! I certainly hope that if I'm ever at the point to be that picky about the body on this thing that I'll be able to pay somebody else to do it. lol I hate this!

 

[IDAFC21]

I know it probably sticks out like a sore thumb to you, but to my untrained eyes thats something I would probably never notice. Looking great!!

Screw paint. Just plaster the whole car w/ kroger ads and clearcoat over them

 

[v6buicks]

I know it probably sticks out like a sore thumb to you, but to my untrained eyes thats something I would probably never notice. Looking great!!

Screw paint. Just plaster the whole car w/ kroger ads and clearcoat over them

Lmao there used to be a recurring joke on turbobricks about making fender flares out of paper mache. Clear coated Kroger ads would be hilarious!

Too late though. Wet sanded with 1000 and 3000 after letting the primer dry through dinner. I would normally wait longer, so hopefully I don't find any water droplets!

Oof.. That spot looks a lot worse. I still have to paint the "pinch weld" black and apply the trim, so I still think it will go unnoticed.

Also did one of my favorite parts of this kind of work. Applying undercoating so thick that you can barely tell how badly I hacked the body work is so satisfying. ?

 

[IDAFC21]

Damn thats lookin good

 

[Outlaw]

Looks great! I’ve got rockers to do on my Yukon, what would it cost me? Lol

 

[v6buicks]

Damn thats lookin good

Looks great! I’ve got rockers to do on my Yukon, what would it cost me? Lol

You guys are too kind.

Outlaw, have you seen those stick on rocker caps? I'm genuinely interested in how good those are. I figure if you cut everything out, treat the inside, and install it with a good panel bond, a plastic rocker may end up being better than the real deal. Of course that depends on how bad the rust is.

 

[Outlaw]

You guys are too kind.

Outlaw, have you seen those stick on rocker caps? I'm genuinely interested in how good those are. I figure if you cut everything out, treat the inside, and install it with a good panel bond, a plastic rocker may end up being better than the real deal. Of course that depends on how bad the rust is.

I have seen those! This truck would be a good test mule for it. It has rust starting above the drivers wheelwell as well that I’m hoping to treat and cover with OEM flares. Truck will have 300k on it here soon, not looking for perfection lol. Just trying to keep it presentable.

 

[v6buicks]

I got the interior back together. Of course that didn't go without a touch of heartbreak though. I thought I had the seat back installed in it's lower catch but it wasn't. When I went to fold it upright it shattered the plastic C-pillar trim on one side. Then I tried folding it back down and it shattered the other side. It was total amateur hour, and they looked mint before all this. I can only find them for $75 a piece used. Nobody seems to be repopping them, so I'm kinda screwed. Even if I could get one shipped in one piece, what are the odds that I could install them in the same manner? It's 80s plastic, so I think those odds are slim to none. Cracked is how they'll stay.

I did replace the seat bottom with the one from my old wagon though. I have no idea why I still had it, but it's in better shape than the one that was already in the car. The piping is straight and there are no holes in the vinyl. Why not?

I finally replaced that obnoxious tag light lens. It should actually shine downward instead of backward now.

And we're in the clear! ... Get it?

 

[IDAFC21]

Ugh, sucks about the plastic. Everything else is coming along nicely tho

 

[v6buicks]

Ugh, sucks about the plastic. Everything else is coming along nicely tho

Yeah I'm kinda bummed about that, but I'm going to keep telling myself that it was bound to happen eventually. We use this wagon, and we don't plan to stop that. Considering how brittle that trim is and it's location, luggage could have easily caused the same damage. It doesn't hurt the functionality of anything either.

 

[v6buicks]

I think the paint match looks a lot worse than it is because that door is dirty AF. Same goes for the fuel door. I'm pretty happy with the outcome so far! However, I'm a bit worried about tomorrow's situation. I didn't really account for allowing everything to cure. I don't feel right putting masking tape on it yet to mask the parts I'm not painting black. I also have to hang the trim with 3M double stick foam trim tape. It's not gonna adhere properly if the paint isn't ready for it.

I'm dropping the Hummer off and having dinner with Allie's grandpa this evening, so I might mask after that and put a couple coats of black on there. In the morning I'll mount the rear diffuser with clips only. After work, I'll stick everything on with the tape. I'll buff and seal it in a few days or so.

 

[Outlaw]

That looks great! You did great work with that car.

 

[v6buicks]

Thank you again.

I'm going through with my little plot. The Hummer is gone, so the 240 is on-deck. This is certainly not the debut I envisioned, but it's also going to be on the road much sooner than I initially planned.

Painting the lip and rocker black like Volvo did.

And this is how I'm rolling to work in the morning. lol Don't freak out over the poor masking. A small 1/4" trim piece gets stuck over it tomorrow.

I couldn't resist. It was so satisfying to take a picture of the rear in the dark without glare from that pesky tag light!

I hope the weather holds off for me. I'm not particularly excited to be driving the car in this state, but I think it will be stable enough for it not to matter.