I'm anyone!

I wanted to take this car off your hands, I really did! If I hadn't just cleared out my own garage I might have, so next best thing is to watch and cheer you on....

Go Matt!

+1.

I did, however, manage to get something effectual done: The 960 uses a driveshaft with a nifty CV joint going into the differential (and a much firmer diff mount bushing), and I thought I'd use it and try to eliminate some driveline vibration I had in my car with my poly diff mount bushing. With a swap of the input flange, converting the diff was easy.

I bought a rubber diff mount bushing from FCP, but it's way wrong.

Changing the driveshaft proved a little harder, though: though the shaft is assembled like anything else, the "slip yoke" just behind the support bearing is glued to the front half. It's splined and everything, but for love nor money could I get it out of the front shaft. So, I had to disassemble the u-joint, clean it up and regrease it, and install that u-joint in the slip yoke from the 780 shaft. Took it to F.K.A. Drive Systems Inc (now Drive Products) and $125 later, it was STRAIGHTENED and balanced. Maybe the fact that the front shaft was bent was why I had the vibration? Who knows.

No way...bent driveshafts don't vibrate. Not in a Volvo...

Long time no update. I've been absolutely disgusted by the thought of going into the garage lately, so anything that's happened in there has been coincidental and minor. Today was the first day in a while that I've felt alright in there.

The last thing I got done on the headers: a starter tube, to plot out where everything was to go and to give reference to how much clearance I had around things. Driver's and passenger's side are both done similarly.


The plan. I plotted it all out on CAD, and the angles & straights are all planned out & tabulated. By design, all tubes are +/- 0.05", and the clearance SHOULD be adequate.


First steps, driver's side #1 and #2 tubes.


#2 in and tacked up. I had to adjust it a little bit on the bench later.


On the bench later.




After a few test fits, all the welds are pretty much done and ground as smooth as I'm thinking I want to do. At this point the tubes are +/- 0.25", due to bend radius tolerances and cutting errors, but I'm very happy with that.




Collector entrance.


Fitted:






Collector tacked on:


Final shots, for now.






I'm really rusty with my welding, and my concentration/patience is lacking a little bit too. However, this one's done and I'm quite happy with it. All I have to do is to remove the steering shaft and get the car up high enough (due to the extra-long collector extension) and the header SLIPS RIGHT IN. I had to dent one tube a little to miss the transmission dipstick - I'm not too happy with that but I'm also not too bent out of shape either. The passenger side is next, and there's LOTS more room to work with so I anticipate no troubles. I will be adding braces to the transmission mount to provide some support and to keep the tubes flexible, but for now it's done.

Haven't decided yet if I'm ceramic coating them or just painting them with header paint. I don't know how many repairs I'm going to have to do in the future, and paint would be the way to go if I have to do any more welding.

Looking good sir! Glad to see you had a little inspiration- it's an inspiration to all of us!

I guess there's another update, the wheels are done. The idea is to use the small cap and chrome lugnuts, but I was surprised by how much I don't hate the "proper" center caps.

Beautiful work Matt.
I appreciate CAD ... you know my headers were trial & error, tack & cut tack and ...

I want that CAD drawing...to frame and hang on a wall in my man-cave...

Those headers! Awesome work..

Took me awhile to get caught up on the rest of the project, also impressive!

Nice! I could have carved mine out of solid metal for all the time it took to get them from John Parker....

Brrrrroooommmmmmmmm!

Second header is done. Looks very much like the first, only backwards and with some ever-so-slight tweaks. Support brackets are getting mounted tonight, a pressure test and some cleanup, and they're off to Top Gun tomorrow.

Ironically, the passenger side, with all that extra room, is tougher to fit. Without the tranny cooler lines in the way, it would probably be very easy. Oh well, one bolt and a bracket, and they're easy to move out of the way.

What's the overall status? When will this beasty be tearing up the streets again? I cannot wait to hear/see it.

Overall?

Status is that it's mostly done, but I've been awarded another project with an actual deadline, though it's a somewhat soft one. I got these headers done and it'll take 2 weeks to get the ceramic coating done, so if I get them to Top Gun tomorrow I might have them in time for IPD, if not just afterwards.

Once I get them back I can start building the exhaust... can't start until the headers are mounted. The headers will get warmed up at least once without the exhaust on it, but that's just for nipple-hardening fun. Before that happens I have to finish putting the engine compartment back together - plug in a bunch of wires, connect some fuel lines, install the AMM, etc. After that I want to paint the roof & trunk and polish the rest, and I have a bit of reassembly to do in the trunk itself.

The soft deadline for this other project is June 1, though I don't know what kind of flexibility there is there. Our kitchen arrives June 4, but we weren't going to start installing it until the beginning of July, so if I can get everything done between June 1 and July 1, that's when you'll see it. If not, I'll sacrifice the paint. I've got a lot of other stuff to do before installing the kitchen, so it's not like I've got a whole month to work on those few little things.

Bling Bling!!!





And for some wall art:



So now that Ray's car is done and my headers are coated, I can get started on building an exhaust and buttoning everything else up.