Maybe things are a little different in Canada, but back home it was always the passenger side that rusted first; the passenger side is always in the ditch, if you like, and gets a lot more abuse in terms of stone chips, puddles, dirt, or if you live in Canada, perhaps more slush (with all the crap of the day embedded in it)!

I'm no expert but that hole looks like a relatively straight forward fix if you know someone that is handy with a welder and could fabricate a neat little folded plate to patch that area. I'd be more worried about the door bottoms (are they repairable?) and the spots on the drivers side as there's more work (after repairing!) trying to paint them then color code with the rest of the body! I think that's going to be one of them colors that's hard to get an exact match, along with the fact that the rest of the paint will probably need a really good buff to bring it up as near to fresh as you can get it!

Will you need a new fender and bumper trim or can they be pulled out? It looks like the corner of the bonnet, sorry hood (!) is slightly creased; Is it lining up straight along the four edges?

I also love them wheels by the way, always have done on the 700s. I think they are a pre '86 item also? I have a large 300 odd page dealer accessories brochure that covers the 700/900, V/S90 models, it's sadly not for sale but you'd like it; plenty of inspiration for modifications. I also have the same brochure for the 200s. Volvo really loved their accessories in the 70s through to the 90s!

That rocker doesn't look that good. Does Volvo make a replacement? It's nothing to weld one in, but I'm not convinced about the patch. If it's had snow/salt inside there (and it looks like it) then the best remedy is to cut it off and weld in a new replacement part. If they are available of course. If not, then you'll have to patch it. I'd be sure to check that inner rocker (sill) as well, these are structural parts on the 740.

Not too sure about welding in a patch and still need to dig further in to check the sill as Craig suggests. I have zero body experience but am hoping I can pull the fender out. There is a 740 at the local PNP with a straight bumper so that could be a cheap fix once the fender is pulled/replaced as required. The hood is creased at the front over the latch (like it got slammed with something underneath??), and there is another crease up near the top so it's far from perfect all over. I "think" the doors are repairable, they feel solid enough although I haven't ground on them yet or given them a rap test. Yes, matching the paint is going to be a bear, I spent some time buffing half the hood to see what might be underneath. Not sure yet with the lighting in the garage but some panels look lighter than others, although I don't think it looks like a repaint, time and more buffing will tell.

I think you're right that the Sirius wheels were 85-, fairly rare and popular with the auto-x crowd due to their light weight. They are going to require the "Coburn Method" of wheel repair as they are badly curbed. Would love to borrow your catalog one day, unfortunately finances are tight so the first order of business is to get it on the road without spending too much.

.

For a BC/Calgary car I am surprised how bad it is. Without digging any deeper yet I think you're right as the exterior of the rocker is rusted, and it generally feels soft over most of the forward half of it's length. There is also some rust bubbling on the door sill, it doesn't "look" too bad but I will know better once I test grind a spot or three. Based on all of that I am afraid the inner rocker is weak as well. I noticed a little while ago you were getting replacement rockers for your 242 so I am hoping the same exists for the 740. Your point on it being a structural component makes me want to spend the $$$ on a new one if they exist, if not it could be a very long patch.

Calgary and BC (depending on where) can be very rough on cars - not Ontario/Quebec rough, but they use salt like a performace adative in Calgary (which it is in a manner of speaking). IMHO 740's are NOT worth doing body work on as there are lots around that are in unrusted states. So I wouldn't fix that fender (well, I would, but I'm sick) or the hood as you can find them at the PYP. The rocker is another story.

And seriously, once a 700 starts to rust, it's seen LOTS of abuse. One thing they're not prone to doing is rusting, except for the sunroof and wagon hatch (aluminium corrosion). You may find lots more hidden rust on that car when you start digging.

You may want to consider it a parts car. I wouldn't have even towed it home. Sorry if I sound like an ass - I sure don't mean to be mean, but before you sink too much money into it, maybe you should look around some more?

Craig is right....there are so many of these cars around, doing bodywork on pieces that are easily replaced it isn't worth it. For how cheap it would be to pull a new fender or hood, I would just do that.

That said.....I think Matt is dead right with his assessment. If you're just doing this to learn on, and don't mind dropping the coin to do the learning, go for it. But from a pure cost/time perspective, you'd be much better off finding a car in better shape to start with. There's lots out there for cheap. I don't want to be an ass either, but I'd hate to see you waste a bunch of money when better examples can be had that would be far better starting points.

I was going to ask if you meant not fix the whole car and then i saw Matt's post...



Ouch!!! Ok first, no problem with how you sound, if it's what I need to be told by people that know that's why I'm here. For the km compared to our 86 it's like 2 different cars so I have been looking at this car thinking that it's been rode hard and put away wet (probably the cause of all the rust)?? In hindsight I guess getting it for free (aside from u-haul and gas) made me overlook checking it out more thoroughly as compared to something I paid money for.

I guess my thought process was that I don't have the money for a decent car like say yours, so this gave me the ability to pick it up park it for nothing and put it back together slowly with as many PNP parts as possible. However, I see your point that when it is all said and done I may have a ton of money in to a beat up old nag. Based on the above where would you go from here? Craig, would you have a couple minutes to give it a quick once over? I think getting it running first and at least doing a compression test to see what kind of shape the motor is in would be a good start to making the keep/scrap decision?

I was so excited, and now this..

Hi Greg, sorry I must have been composing at the same time you were. Therefore see my comments to Matt/Craig above. And absolutely no offense taken, I would rather hear the bad news now before spending myself in to frustration.

Edit: Hey Alex, are you still feeling bad about missing out on this car?? I know I'm starting to...

Yeah man, although it wouldent be mine... it was for a friend. but free is still free.

Using PNP parts is the way to go on this kind of car for sure - I'm not sure how many 700s you get down there, but we do get the odd one up here. Trouble is, the plastic bits don't seem to hold up as well as they do on 240s. Handily they're more common than 240s these days.

If I had to advise on a 700 to start out with, I'd say get a 940. Wagons in these years are getting rare since most of them are sedans (duh), but it seems like you're interested in a sedan anyway. These cars will have the fewest miles on them for starters, will have the least accumulated abuse on the interiors & bodies, but more importantly they're equipped with all the goodies. In '91 or '92 the 940 turbo got the "jumbo" front brakes, the locking rear end, the better engine block/crank/rods, better exhaust manifold, better intercooler, and more adaptable engine management. Adding an M46 to one of these cars isn't difficult, provided you can get the proper flywheel (I might know of one). They're the most aerodynamic, the most comfortable, and have prettier bumpers/hoods/fenders. The headlights are nasty but aren't anywhere near as bad as the pre-90, and you can get the sexy Euro headlights Stateside.

If you're dead set on keeping your 740, you should know that the '85-'87 are the least desirable, due to the lack of equipment. They're everything the 940 is not: They've got the smallest brakes, the most fragile engines, the lesser of the exhaust manfolds/intercoolers/injectors, etc. They've got the biodegradable wiring, so unless your car has been upgraded with one from a mid-'88 to late-'89 (or brand new), it'll probably give you some electrical troubles at some point. They ARE sharper and more distinctive looking, and I do like the pre-'90 body quite a lot (mine is an '89). Sometime in '88 they switched from a cable clutch to a hydraulic clutch, which IS quite a bit nicer... They also added ABS at this time, which isn't worth worrying about in a project car, IMHO.

I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention to the Roj thread regarding this car, but you shouldn't feel bad about keeping it - you've got an '86 that'll probably need parts at some point. I wasn't aware that it was free - I'll be honest and say that I was wondering WTF you were thinking, but since you made the trip anyway and it WAS free, I would have taken it home too. Do the compression test, drive it around and see how the transmission feels, see if everything works, and see if you can find enough parts for it to fix it up and make it pretty from 5 feet. It shouldn't be difficult to do. I'll have available a few parts you'll probably be interested in, shortly. If you need us to keep an eye out for stuff at the Calgary PNP, we'll do it. Dale or I are out there at least once every 2 weeks, usually more often. As it was free, though, you shouldn't feel bad about blowing it apart for the good stuff and scrapping the rest, and looking for something that's a few dollars but in better shape.

Damn, making long posts on this board is a PITA now...

Thanks Matt, you hit a number of nails on the head as in PNP parts, worst case parts for the 86, play around with it dump it after awhile etc. Like i said before being free and less than, ahem, perfect gives me the opportunity to play around without having put out alot of cash up front. The body and paint are poor which is good and bad, good b/c I can learn to repair w/o having the expectation of having it perfect the first time.

Right now we only have 2, 740's at PNP so if you guys can help with a few things would be greatly appreciated. Like you were thinking, for now I am going to get it running and see if I can get to OOP ready for not too much money and drive it for awhile then go from there. Even if I toss it in 6-12 months the learning experience will have been worth it.

Here is the car I would love to have, I think it meets your criteria above.
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=149767

P.S. If you're ever thinking WTF again just let me have it

Sorry gents, I had a rough day at work and then hockey tonight - so wasn't able to follow the thread. I'd be more than happy to have a look when it suits you. Give me a call and we can set something up. My number is listed.

Craig

Dang, it needs an OOP too? With the rust in the rocker panel, it's going to have a really hard time passing one. If you fix it, it had better be REALLY GOOD because if they see the patch they'll start looking all over the place.

That black car is very nice, but the Kijiji one you found is nice too. The thing about the '88+ 760s is that they've got independant rear suspension. Good and bad: the ride is improved, and with the proper rear springs & shocks the handling can be quite good, but rear sway bars are stupid rare so you've got to build one and the rear diff is quite weak. I'll be worrying about this in my '88 780 (a 760 under the skin). If you get a 760 and the self-leveling Nivomat suspension is failing, you don't want to know what a replacement pair of shocks will cost you. WAY better to do the Toyota Previa rear springs & hack up a pair of Bilsteins to fit, like is in my car. 940s have the same live axle rear that your 740 has, and if it does have Nivomat, all the non-Nivomat stuff bolts right in so it's a cheap and easy improvement.

Thanks Craig, much appreciated, I will track you down and you can see if this car is better suited for parts or carry on with getting it in on the road.

Jim

P.S. We have a cat and the last time I looked he was still alive...



I just posted the 760 up as a PSA, and to make light of my comment in another thread recently that there are no Volvo's for sale down here. It's a Grampa car so it doesn't really light my fire, although I guess the same could be said of Julio's car on tbrix before he modded it and that car REALLY lights my fire. Also your comments re: the Nivomat make it less appealing to keep as is or mod. With that car once again it comes down to price. This leads me to thinking maybe it would make more sense to just sell my truck, which has been discussed before, and buy a decent 7/9 car that is roadworthy now and start "playing" with it. That could take a while as the p/u truck market is pretty soft/saturated, so I can work on the "beater" for the experience and strip/sell/crush it when the time dictates or it looks unlikely to ever pass an OOP.

One last thing, has anyone dealt with these guys? http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/volvo.html They show replacement rockers for a 740 for $53 and fenders from $101-198 (not sure why the price range?) in Ontario so shipping and no exchange/brokerage is nice.

Thanks for all of your help on this, I really appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions.

Jim

$53 is worth it to snag a set just to see how they look. It's not worth your time to fabricte something with prices that low. Sometimes these panels are thin and more there to hold bondo than anything. Sometimes they are the correct gauge and to specification. The fender is worth $20 or so at the PYP.

Craig