Well, I figured it was high time I start an actual project thread for the YROG, sort of to consolidate everything that has happened with this car, and also to accompany the Project Smurf thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1505

I'll probably get some background info added about the car later, but for now the main bits are that a couple summers ago I was driving the car and noticed I had zero oil pressure, and that the car was struggling to make any power. I drove it into my garage, and put it on stands where its been sitting ever since. A leakdown and compression test confirmed the engine was pooched. Since then I've been humming and hawing about whether to build a proper engine, or just find something to drop in, and finally decided to wait to build something serious and find a temporary replacement engine. Enter Jim's 740T which is now in my garage.

The starting point:


The goal here is to pull the engine, and swap in the LH 2.2/EZK bits from the donor car into YROG. Since I've had a bit of time on my hands, I got going on the YROG this weekend. The end result:



The head and turbo had already been pulled, but I managed to strip the rest of the bay and get the engine out. I've never pulled an engine by myself and without a hoist, but it can be done with some struggle.

More to come...

Geez...Matt is coming down this weekend and could bring an engine hoist, if need be...

Epic, I love old wagons. cant wait to see those wheels

Matt's truck is going to be pretty full, but I'm sure Matt can fit the hoist in there somewhere. It's going to stay down there for a while, 'cause I won't be able to wait for it, so as long as that's okay with all parties involved...

This is, of course, if the flu that Amber currently has doesn't transfer to Matt or Roberta.

Flu bad. I hadn't really even thought to ask if you had a hoist you could bring, but now that its out there, I'm thinking if you could fit it into the truck that would be awesome. No idea when I'd have it back is the thing....or even if it would fit into one of my cars. How big is it? But I've got room to store it for as long as need be.

It fits in the back of a Volvo wagon. BTDT. I'm not going to need it until the end of May at the earliest unless someone knows something I don't...

We'll find some way to get it back up to Dale in time...so much easier than trying to rent one. How did you get the old engine out of the YROG by the way? Gotta make a coffee table out of that engine.

Jacked it up, removed the motor mounts, pulled until it came unstuck from the tranny, then balanced it on the crossmember, and lowered it onto some cushions just in front of the crossmember. Then dragged it out. You're welcome to it Craig for a coffee table project...b21f, b21a, b21ft....take your pick.

The world's heaviest wine rack?

is that a b21ft? I've got some new kolby 2nd oversize 8.5:1 pistons that would go nicely in that. Give a medium compression 2.2 liter engine. Lord only knows why i'm hanging on to these things, not like I"m going to build a motor myself anytime soon!

The one in the car was an f, but I've got an ft and an A sitting in my garage currently. Those pistons would be sweet in an ft though!

There's some background history on this car in my original +T thread here...
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=362&p=3337
...but I figured I'd post some more along with some photos.

I grew up with a '73 145. My parents purchased it right before I was born. We also had another 244 when we moved to the UK. Its rear end self-destructed on the highway, but it did get us to Italy and back. Its visible way in the back of this photo...the Koenig Testarossa was my dream car at the time. I visited the Ferrari factory later this same day.



All that to say the Volvos were in my blood. Once I started driving I inherited the '73 (aka. the Wounded Cheesy...it broke down constantly) I drove the piss out of it. But by 1998, I needed something more reliable, as I had planned on driving cross Canada that year.

Enter YROG. I bought it for $700 after it had been inspected by a Volvo mechanic friend of mine. Just under 400,000 k on the clock then. It had been sitting out by a brick plant, so the paint was in rough shape.




I hated the fake wood trim, but now regret taking it off. I found out after inspecting the R-Sport catalogue that the trim was likely a Volvo accessory. Sweet.



After some wax she cleaned up nice.



Also note the flash metallic blue wheels/mirrors/grille. Bling!
I took some shots of all my families Volvos at the time. Some of you will remember my parents sweet '84 760T and its green-ness.




My two wagons:


First trip to Edmonton. It sucked gas bad. It ended up being a bad distributor, but I didn't know better, and it killed my cross country road trip.



Both cars performed wedding duties at my best friends wedding.


My last drive in the Cheesy. Sad times.


Moved to Calgary, and had to get rid of the Cheesy. After getting a job with FedEx, my first paycheck went straight to some Volvo XC70 wheels I found in a pawnshop. Not knowing any better, and without knowledge of spacers, I bought them.


No fit. Tried selling 'em. Being young and stupid, I ended up going down to Valentine to see if they might be interested in buying them. They said "sure." Next day I went back to drop them off, and after waiting 20 minutes, the cops showed up. The wheels were stolen. After questioning, and proving they were mine via purchase, the cops seized them and I never saw them again. Sigh.

Onto Vancouver. This was a '79 244 I purchased (The Silver Bullet) for $200 which ended up being the donor car for the b21f that went into YROG (which I then +T'ed, and just took out). The car was rough but the engine had 120,000 some kms on it.


Some friends at FedEx swapped out the b21a for me. I polished everything.


Engine going in. I put a K-cam in it too.


Other pics from the coast.

Surf trip to Tofino.


Road trip to the prairies.


I joined VCBC while out there, and the YROG made appearances at a few Cate's park meets. Its back there in this pic. Also barely visible is my '84 245Ti which I owned briefly before selling it to Jordan.


Moved to Lethbridge in 2004, and my father-in-law brought the car down for me.


The other threads pretty much document what's happened since then.
+T:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=362&p=3337
Bodywork:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=952&p=8875

Nice history, Greg! Thanks for sharing.

Awesome history, I really enjoyed reading it!

I love that teakwood effect; I wasn't aware it was available here but Volvo UK offered something similar around the same era.

Dude, you were such a skinny kid.