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Hello All,
So the car in almost out of paint. Two weeks, fingers crossed.
What to do next? Carbs are rebuilt Reyes Kent, amazing work...
Headlights and taillight refurbished new locks and keys.
Body soon to be done.
I'm looking for repairs and refurbishments that I can do from now until eternity, that are low in cost and can be done in a few hours on the weekends.
Do I start going after the interior? I would like to do the suspension but I suspect there would be some brace and support welding for new shocks, and I need to drive this car sooner than later.
Thanks
greendread
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posted by
someone claiming to be greendread
on
Mon Feb 11 20:46 CST 2013 [ RELATED]
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Hello All,
Thanks for the thoughtful responses....
Seat belts is a great place to start... although I love the originals!
Tail lights/headlights are done. Yes I would like to weld supports on the upper shock mounts. I've not seen any stress there but I only want to do this once. I need shocks, so why not weld in supports now, I figure.
I managed to do most of the poly bushings a few years ago, there are a few left in the box that are about ready to go in- the rear, but I no longer have a press to put them in... so I think I'll the yellow bus shop folks put them in...
Mine is a 68 so 4 ways are in already...
timing gear done on rebuild two years ago...
Alternator- I need one of those!
Water pump, thermostat done...
Ok so my short list is belts, alternator, shock mount supports/shocks
bushings in the suspension... maybe sway bars- Isn't there some extra drilling for sway bars... rear if I remember correctly..?
Thanks a ton to all... All this waiting and not driving is making me a little nuts.
Cheers,
greendread
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That all sounds good. I'd forget the sway bars until you've got the car out and about and reliable. For normal driving, touring/cruising, you won't need them. Money better spent on a good set of tyres perhaps, if needed. If the current ones are over about 5 years old they will be hardening up now and not working their best. If you do decide to buy, then the front bar will give you the most benefit and is by most peoples experience the only one you need. IPD's arm can be twisted to sell it seperately and there are a few rears in peoples garages gathering dust, so cheaper to buy from them.
Pics of the car now and of your progres would be good so we can see how it turned out in the end.
Glad to hear that you have it back after all the drama you've had.
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Hello All,
Thanks derek,
I figured out I'm too nice a guy (read sucker).
I will get some photos up soon.
I'm glad to hear about the sway bars... If at all I'd only do the front.
I bought a set of Goodyear Eagles a few years ago, that were Z rated...
car turned and griped the road like a motorbike, and they looked great on the car. The tire even came with a pair of Adidas driving shoes to boot. I paid $60 a tire... I've been looking for them ever since. I was told that they are discontinued in the US, now only available in the EU an expensive. I'm going to buff out the car as soon as I pick it up this week, and post shiny photos!
Cheers,
greendread
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Alternator belt, good working brakes, thermostat, replace fuel filter, have spare fuel and water pump on hand, spare fuses, new windshield wiper blades, check all suspension components for cracks and wear. And yes, the cost of new interior parts is astounding, to put it mildly...
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Hello greendread:
Check your timing gear.
Cheers,
Pooch
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gd;
In addition to the safety improvements suggested by other posters, particularly Phil's list which I certainly agree with (and thanks for the honorable mention), I would add certain RELIABILITY improvements...namely the Push-button Start Switch which will keep those new keys from accumulating fatigue...and an Alt upgrade to keep your battery charged and system voltage up, so your Halogen headlights are on par with other traffic participants...fact is (and I am careful not to use this forum as a place to advertise), but you might consider a number improvements I write about and kits I offer...they were all developed for exactly the reason of having more modern Safety and Reliability in a vintage Volvo in service today!
Cheers
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Not sure if you will be carrying any passengers in the backseat, but rear 3pt seatbelts are a simple install, relatively cheap, and a safety must. Now would be the time to install, while seats are out and everything is accsessible.
link in swedespeed
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?171298-Rear-3pt-seat-belts&highlight=rear+seat+belts
http://volvoamazonpictures.se/guides/Retractable%20Seatbelts%20in%20Volvo%20Amazon.pdf
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I'm in the middle of the same process of rebuilding/restoring a '68 as my daily driver. I agree with the other posters that you want to be sure that you address safety issues first and foremost.
Be sure steering is completely sorted. Sway bars front and rear definitely improve handling. Also make sure the brakes are in top shape.
Some other important safety fixes/upgrades:
Seat belts - If your car has the original belts, replace them with inertia-reel types or at least get the belts re-webbed. Even if the old belts look good, I wouldn't trust 45+ year old fabric to protect you in a crash. If you plan to carry passengers in the rear, it's not difficult to install 3-point belts there as well.
Taillight lenses - Replace red/red/clear taillight lenses with Euro-spec amber/red/clear. According to Daniel Stern, research shows that amber turn signals substantially reduce the likelihood of being rear-ended while turning.
Taillight assemblies - Take them out of the car, clean them thoroughly, and either paint with the shiniest silver metallic paint you can find, or (what Ron Kwas advises), cover them with aluminum tape. I did the former and it *dramatically* increased the amount of light coming out of my taillights.
Headlights - A relay added to the headlight circuit can significantly increase the amount of juice that gets to the lights, which means brighter and safer. Upgrading old sealed beam lamps to halogen is a good idea, but won't get you much improvement without first adding the relay.
Four-way flashers - 68 came with these standard. You can add them to earlier cars.
--
The other Phil S. | '68 Amazon daily driver
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Why do you think you need welding done? Anything visibly broken? I'm doing the front suspension on my 122 right now, did my 1800 (same thing) a long time ago. It's basically an easy job. Paying for the parts is the hard part. You do need a press or a machine shop to press in the lower A-arm bushings. Then it'll need an alignment check when it's all back together. The rear suspension is just replacing all the bushings, and springs and shocks if needed. Some of the bushings can be difficult but it's a straightforward task.
Interior work is expensive unless you can do it yourself.
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Please, futher detail the front suspension issues. Things that require welding??
Safety first, and A-1 safety issue to address is front suspension problems. It's mostly nut and bolt stuff. If you need welding work, just get it done.
Only welding thing I can think of is the upper shock mounts. A competent welder should be able to address those cracks with the front end in the car. Take the shock out, weld a reinforcement plate on top, re-install shock.
If there are other issues.. yeah, lets hear 'em. If welding is required, I'd have done it before bodywork.
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-Matt I ♥ my ♂
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