Well...I finally had time to get it off the ground and take a peek under it today. I think it's one of the most solid 240 series cars I've seen. There are a couple of rust spots behind the rear wheels but that's the only obvious rust. There is a little surface rust at the back edge of the door jamb but it's strictly surface.





















Of course, it's not all good news...

The driver's front fender will need some work and the bumper is toast...



But...that's not the worst. The front subframe is wrecked. It's been run into a parking barrier or something. The subframe is pushed right back into the oil pan. I assume the steering rack is bent as will be the control arms. No worries though, There's a silver wagon waiting to donate all of the above, if need be. I took some pictures of the damage but my camera doesn't like low-light focusing so they're blurry except for these few...













So...I know why it was there now and it wasn't the rusty front spring perches. Someone smacked a curb and bent the bumper/fender. They did a seriously bad Maaco paint job and tried to sell it. Finally they towed it to PYP and took their $125 and went home. It's a good thing they never took it to the insurance company. They would've written it off...

Overall, I'm a little disappointed Ian would consider selling me a car like this but I think I can make it right...

Other pictures can be seen here...

http://www.calgaryvolvoclub.com/gallery/v/Pylon/New+242/

I really wish they would've left it silver as I'm sure the paint was reasonable. Of course, they couldn't get a $49 Maaco in metallic silver so white it is. Not that I mind white but I would rather have silver...

Damn man, looks like its gonna be alot of fun.

Dant wait t see the GrpA replica!

Sheesh, what a mess. When do you want me to bring over the pressure washer?

Undercarriage looks nice and rust free! Can't wait to see this come together Dale! Sweetness.

Is that an oil temp sensor in the oil drain plug?

Yeah...I'll definitely want to wash it before I get to work on it. That'll be after the 245 is stripped. Perhaps we should have a 245 stripping party...

And I'm backing away from the Group A replica...at least a little bit anyways. I'm starting to think the Nordic War Stripes aren't going to be suitable for a daily driver. I'll put the rear wing on it. Maybe drop it a touch. It'll get the flat hood but it's not getting the round headlights. I did a little horse-trading and have a flathood grill coming from Australia. I'll stick with the 4-square look with upgraded wiring and bulbs in the headlights.

It's going to need a stereo install but no big amplifiers, etc. I want to keep the weight as low as possible while still keeping it comfortable to ride in and drive. I plan to install the GT front seats that are currently in the wagon, although I'm going to try to find some better foam for them.

I can't believe how quiet the engine is. The buzzing inside is from the oil pan sitting on the subframe, or vice versa. From outside the engine hardly makes a sound. All the small gauges work. The tach isn't working right now but I'm sure that's just a minor thing. I think this is the only 240 series car I've seen with a tach that didn't work. If all else fails, there's a tach in the 245 that works just fine.

Anyhow...it's going to be a little work but it should be good for a few hundred thousand km after...

Looks good! I can't believe how clean that engine bay is. Almost as clean as mine was after I degreased it many times.

Bummer on the white...silver rocks! Oh well, the white looks clean. Not that I can talk, my 242 is pukey redwood metallic and coated in sand at the moment.

I'm sure you already know this, but it would probably be wise to check the seam under the hood hinge and maybe pull a fender. On my totally straight 242T, I found a couple of stress cracks on the outer panel of the inner fender and two broken spot welds. After lifting the car and prodding at the front of the frame rail, I found that these cars really are kinda flexible fliers and some of the fatigue on one side of mine was notable. Anyway, once I have more energy and recover from blasting much of the shell and welding it in a day, I ought to be able to post up some pics of the fatigued areas of mine and how the welding has been going.

On the plus side, they do seem to get a nice bit stiffer once you sandblast all the seams and undercoating off and stitch them together.

I'm about half way done stitching mine up and have a lot more rustproofing work to do to beat on it in the winter. That combined with a kalfunke chassis brace should hopefully help me turn my flexible flier into a proper mullet abuse contraption.


Any plans to delete the sunroof, or will that be staying?

Anyway, looking great! I hope to be sorta back to where your 242 is at (running) in a few weeks.