Myles' '79 242 __ Honey Dijon

[SIZE="4"]Meet Honey Dijon...[/SIZE]


I found her February 16th, on craigslist...waited like 8 hours before calling, to find out that I was the first inquiry. Asked some quick qualifying questions before agreeing to meet in Fairfield, CA in an hour. This car came rolling into the parking lot like your quintessential '70's Volvo. Sure she rides high, but who could resist the sleek likes of the coupe with the back windows cracked open, especially in that mellow mustard yellow.

This car was it! 183K on the dial; 4 speed manual with flip-switch overdrive. There's even a working cd player...wired to some 6.5" drivers, that are poorly retrofit in the doors. The original owner was based out of Travis AFB, and seemed to take meticulous care of the mechanicals...oil was kept clean, no leaks, grinds, whirrs, or nonsense...just a well kept 242!

So, after finding out that the seller is a starving country musician, set to throw down a track with a friend of E40, we celebrated my new car with some celebratory chronic and parted ways! All points considered, I'd say she's a great find...especially for $500. No real committed plans, as of now; I just wanted a clean, simple, old skool sled for a daily driver...this is the ticket!

Just trying to cover maintenance stuff for now...fluids changes, balance & rotation and alignment. So far, I've changed the motor oil; I put in a new filter and some 20w-50...which I'm not so sure was the best idea. I'll post more pics later, but I've had the diff welded and cut the springs so she can ride real low!

Enjoy...

I spent an afternoon at the exhaust shoppe the other week...wanted to get my diff welded. Coming from a Mazda Miata with a 6-speed and Torsen LSD...the open diff just wasn't cutting it.

So I loaded up a drain pan, some gear oil and a pump, and headed on down to the shoppe!

Welding the diff didn't seem too complicated, so they were down to do it...and they said they'd be cool tack welding my bumper shocks, to complete the bumper tuck I did. SWEET!

When he finished welding one side of the gear, he went to roll the car a bit to access the other side of the gear. I caught focus just in time, as he let the car roll off the lift with my dog and I right behind it...almost took the both of us out, had I not realized what was going on. Fortunately the car got caught on the rack and didn't come crashing down.

So, I got my diff and bumper shocks welded, and I got him to put on a cool exhaust tip...for free, and pay for my replacement door.

Here's how she looks after the trip...








Oh yeah, and in my spare time that week, I removed the chrome trim and test fit my 15" ugly's on the left side...just cuz! I'll update later this weekend with the latest on my stance!

From the Junk Yard with love...




I went looking for a manual ZF steering rack to swap for my depowered CAM rack, but there were none in the two dozen 200-Series Volvo's at the Windsor P-N-P. I couldn't go home empty handed, so spend $50 on the 850 bumper cover for some test fitting. Some day, a mustard yellow 850R front bumper!

So I really wish I could say I went to the junk yard and dragged one of these home...


But I can't.

I blew my middle u-joint and let it go so long that I destroyed the prop; now you try finding a prop for a '79 242. They are the really skinny type and searched 5 junk yards with no success. Finally decided to hit the Fairfield PNP where I found two; I took both just to have a spare. While I was there, I noticed a 2000-ish Z28 Camaro that was clean as a whistle that sustained a heavy front end impact. I guess it was running well enough to hit that wall with some speed.

After speaking with the attendants, they said it was part of the week's "Fantasy 5," so I couldn't pick anything until 8am, Saturday morning. I went home to think things over and rallied all I could; I got my friends 3/4-ton pick-up, a portable, gas generator, impact gun, sawzal and all the tools I could find. I showed up at 7am, Saturday, to find two other guys waiting around...after breaking some ice, I discovered they were waiting to pick the engine of a Ford Focus, so I thought it safe to leak I was coming for the LS1...one of them told me they were camping out the past few nights in the parking lot, waiting to pick the LS1 first...but apparently it had sold, complete, before anyone could come. I thought he was bluffing, and I didn't want to waste my efforts for nothing, so I waited till they opened, paid my $2.00 entrance fee and saw for myself that the Camaro was gone.

Not leaving home empty handed, I thought I'd take a lap in the yard and see what I missed since Thursday. To my surprise, there was actually a Volvo with a complete set of four wheels...sweet BBS wheels! The tires aren't bald and the rims are straight. It was the most 80's out 760 sedan I'd ever seen; maroon with a lot of chrome around the windows and trim and a matching set of maroon BBS 16x7.5" et18 wheels, with all four center caps. Couldn't say no to these...








So, I'm sittin, sorta, kinda, almost, not quite flush.

Oh, and during the half-off sale, last weekend, I managed to find a pair of IPD sway bars, 25mm and 22mm!

Got the front on...


Feels way better...



Cleaned the rear, but haven't put it in yet...



Between the wheels and sway bars, not a bad $200 spent!

Sweet!

How did the prop work out?

Once more with feeling..
Do the wheels have steel inserts?

Redwoodchair wrote:

Sweet!

How did the prop work out?

Once more with feeling..
Do the wheels have steel inserts?

prop works excellent...don't think the wheels have steel inserts.

Fuck!!!!
Good job on the rims & sways.

I bought the camaro just so you wouldn't do it.
It's burning now in the field.
I get up very early in the morning.

I was telling you at davis. Purple & yellow is the theme for this car.
Keep it comin'.

Mylesofsmyles wrote:

Redwoodchair wrote:

Sweet!

How did the prop work out?

Once more with feeling..
Do the wheels have steel inserts?

prop works excellent...don't think the wheels have steel inserts.

You need shoulder lugs then so they don't dig into the wheels.

I have some
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000COMX9K/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&cloe_id=c53d78fb-58ff-4972-abcd-ede096395147&attrMsgId=LPWidget-A1&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000CMH59U&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=11W2D6TWT1BM5BBWK9B5
From the seafoam car that need cleaning.

k, cool...i'll come get those soon...this setup scares me with the stock lugz. i'll bring the bbs lugs so you can see how they're supposed to work. worth tracking a set down?

^ just so long as I get the LS1, we're cool.

No biggie, LS9 is way more my style.

Nice< there is just something about a clean 2 door.

Myles: I'm keeping an eye out for a door for ya.

Pop outs are awesome. This car is totally awesome.

s_r_c wrote:

Myles: I'm keeping an eye out for a door for ya.

Pop outs are awesome. This car is totally awesome.

It's got to be Cardinal Yellow! hit me up when you see one.

What's the paint code?
There are repaints and variations...
The car I got my louvers from was your exact car though.

s_r_c wrote:

What's the paint code?
There are repaints and variations...
The car I got my louvers from was your exact car though.

dunno where to find my color code, but once I know, I'll post it.

I made time for more Volvo luv time, which is always a good time, cuz it's trickin out my volvo time.

I'm just ballin' on a budget, so all that I've really got are some more JY parts; oh, and those adjustable torque rods and panhard from CMonkey...just gotta put em in and get bushings for the panhard. I do still have an IPD 22mm rear and Manual CAM steering rack.

FYI...until this point, I've been driving the past few thousand miles with a ghetto depowered steering rack...dropped the pump and lines. steering was ridiculously heavy and next to impossible to bear under 5mph; I have the biceps and forearms to prove it.

after a little cleaning, cuz I don't tolerate dirt...




rust-free, california bolts




out with the old, and way, way, WAY HEAVY!!!



gross...





problem solved, but gotta clean that subframe better...



oh yeah, i forgot to mention I did a e-fan conversion. i pulled an electric fan off a Volvo 850, along with the fan relay and associated wiring. it looks ghetto now, because I'm dumb with wiring and it took me like 6 tries to get it to work right. i plugged the fan to the relay, grounded the lead from the fan, ran the lead for low speed from the relay to a fan switch on the radiator...had to get a radiator from a later model 240, and grounded the other prong on the fan switch. the relay gets power from a lead to the battery, with a fusiable link on the end, to protect the fan from a power spike. it works better than the clutch fan, and way quieter and a marginal increase in throttle response...a geeky cool mod!




and my cone filter...matched it with higher flowing exhaust by removing the resonator, so just a cat and muffler now.



my washer stack to take the place of the clutch fan.



more junk to get rid of....



junk extracted, meeting its replacement; IPD 22mm...




tucked away, neatly...next to an oily diff...



sittin' pretty...

Pipp'n Fo De Mo.

Jesus I'll give you some m6 bolts! lol

So this is not the ZF rack, correct?
(Not admonishment, just curious)

s_r_c wrote:

So this is not the ZF rack, correct?
(Not admonishment, just curious)

nope, this is the manual CAM rack. i really wanted a ZF rack and get the quick steer internals, but try finding a manual ZF rack in your junk yard...not very common. i found the manual CAM rack and took it...compared to my depowered setup, this feels awesome, and considering the car's application, and considering I have the Miata, I prefer the slower steer on the 242.

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/paint_colour_codes.shtml

look at the ID plate on the front strut tower.

It should be xxx-1

Heavier springs/shocks/struts and it ought to be nice, flat and predictable w/ those 16"s & sways.

& you wont carve the tires in the fender well.

PS I think the code is 128.

s_r_c wrote:

Heavier springs/shocks/struts and it ought to be nice, flat and predictable w/ those 16"s & sways.

& you wont carve the tires in the fender well.

PS I think the code is 128.

gotta check that code...

as for the suspension; i think the sways made a huge difference...like the difference between this car actually handling well or not. the 25/22mm combination works for me...it's got that pivot around the driver feel, which I love! I just need to do something about the rearend now...the welded diff is getting old. I'm getting a set of Billy HD's to start with...dunno about aftermarket springs yet, cuz i can't find anything that'll keep me this low; so I might just try the Billy's with my cut stock springs for a while. next is my adjustable torque rods and panhard and some poly bushings all around.

No rush, no new 242s in the yards.
The 140 mustard paint is close, but not a match. There's a less intense 240 mustard that leans more toward beige; I can't tell the difference in pictures.

You'll get by with those springs and having a smaller bar in the rear.
Andy was saying though that the HDs still rebound quite high and tourings were better in the rear IIRC.

Yeah, suspension bushings. I have the time, but not the bucks. And they're relatively cheap. Argh.

How do you mean the diff is getting old?

s_r_c wrote:

How do you mean the diff is getting old?

as in having a welded. locked, diff isn't quite as amusing as it used to be...now that i have a car that can properly handle, it'd be nice if i didn't have to fight the way that axle snaps. i know i could go get a jeep locker diff and pay some rear end shop to slap that bitch in there, but I'm thinking I'm going to hold out for the next 31-spline Explorer LSD axle I can find and modify that to take my Dana 30's place.

the welded diff was fun when i first got the car and couldn't drift with the open...now i'm way past that with this car and want something that isn't so childish. LSD!!!