Hi All,

Well, the Volvo is still at the shop. With the body work that has to be done for the rust, it'll probably be there next week, too! Oh well...

While it's at the shop, I'm thinking of, well, the cosmetic aspect.

CARPETING

1. First, I am going to remove some carpet from the cargo area and wash it either in an industrial size washer or at a carwash. This way, I can see if it will work for me before I take apart the insides. If it doesn't work, I'm ordering new carpet or looking at the junk yard.

2. So, now that we know what we're doing (cleaning old carpet vs. purchasing new), let's say that we take the carpet out using all of the instructions that I can find on this board. Then what?

2A. Where can I buy new padding? Can I just use carpet padding from Home Depot?

2B. I know that once the carpet is up, I should clean and inspect the floor for rust. Fix anything that is rusted (or, gulp, have it fixed). Should I then paint the flooring with an anti-rust agent? If so, what?

2C. Anything else that I should look for or take car of while I can?

RIPPED VINYL

The driver's side seat is too far gone. So I am going to purchase some real sheepskin seat covers for the front seats. The color matches, so that's good. However, there are some puncture holes in the back seats. There are small, but I notice them. I got this vinyl and leather repair 'kit' at an auto parts store. Will this work or does anyone else have a better idea? The map pockets are pretty much gone. I am not going to replace them because I find them to be very inconvenient. So, whatever I use, I'll also use to patch up the holes left from the hardware.

DASHBOARD

It's cracked. Not very noticable. Should I leave it or is there a way to repair it? Besides duct tape, of course.

CENTER CONSOLE/EBRAKE HANDLE

It's currently tan, filthy, and cracked. I want to replace with black. Interior is two-toned, so this should look okay. Anyone have anything they are looking to be rid of? I don't believe that the heated seats are working and I am not going to invest in fixing them. In this case, there shouldn't be a problem with me getting the console without the switches or cut outs for the switches, correct?

CONVENIENCE

There are no cup holders. What does everyone else use for a cup holder? Between the kneew while driving a manual just won't work for me!

OK, I think that's it for now. I've got all of my washes, polishers, and goodies awaiting a homecoming. I'll post a 'before' photo and then later, when it's pretty, an 'after' photo. I'm sure you're all just dying to see the now infamous "eBay Wagon". LOL.

Thanks,

Julie

well as far as rug belive it or not i use windex blue window cleaner on all rugs if stains are bad i use 50% water 25% red hot or simple green and 25% liquid fabric softner and a stiff bristil brush simply dip a rag in the solution and get rug wet rub in a circle motion with a bristil brush than shop vac that area. only do a 3ft by 3ft space at a time when the whole rug is done close the windows start engine turn on a/c and heat so heat is blowing out the bottom vents the a/c will remove the water/moisture the heat will dry this way to dry will keep the musty mildo smell out it will get hot and like a sona in there and usually takes 45min to 2hours been doing this for 20yrs and never had a stain get slooshed around it works on grease coffie and red lip stick even on fresh grease hope this helps for old hairy rugs i use carpet installers sisers to trim old hair and revail a good rug i think itis called matted/worn (hairy)

For the dash get a dash mat[fabric cover,maybe at the local parts store or JCWHITNEY catalog. For the smell, leave a few "drier sheets' in the car, change periodically.You will be surprised how well it works! Good luck.
Nelson

Julie,
I think we are on the same mission... so try this link www16.brinkster.com/towerymt/links.html... there is a ton of 240 information at this web-site.
As for the carpet, I say take it out and wash it in an industrial machine. If the results dont meet your expectations then accmats.com has what you want, the carpets they sell for the 240 are excellent and have a great fit.
Good luck finding a used seat in good condition...I live in New Jersey and, after searching all the salvage yards in my area, was only able to find a semi-decent replacement in New York. Which, by the way, is starting to fall apart after 4 months and will soon be on its way out. The end result is to rebuild the seats when the cash is available, however the cost is around $800(without labor) for the foam and the covers alone. There is still the question of the grids, lumbar support, and springs. On the other hand, it is something that can be done at home by a fairly handy person. I would also note, that you may be able to salvage the foam (the most costly aspect of a seat rebuild) from two passenger seats just for the simple fact they are used less. My old & "new" driver seats were/are/is in terrible condition, but my passenger seat is fairly tight.
After replacing the blower motor in my ride, I recovered the dash board with a dash cover from IPD. I like the cleaner look, it was fairly cheap $, but there is something cheesy about it I just cant explain readily. However, could not find a newer/clean dash in any junk yard...so it's better than cracks.
Interior parts can be readily found. Plus, with the advent of plasticized paints & primers (which work well) you can find what you need and carefully paint it. Or, if you like the hunt, you can find the pieces in the color you need easily.
As for cup holders, my friend told me his German mechanic says in regard to this: “keep both hands on the vweel!!!”
Peace, Love, & Boogie on....Jon

detail shops have a device its called a ozone machine its used for fire damage and smoke smell it works and it even cuts the smell of cigars dodge dealers have it its allso used in homes after a fire it takes 15 to 24 hours to do and all it is is a little box that plugs in to wall the ones that plug in to the cig lighter dont work there is one downside to this is that for 2 to 3 days the car will have a different smell but this goes away and than there is no smell at all well worth it it uses radio waves to break down the smell so people with pace makers should not be in the vacinity of it while its working hope it helps it allso gets rid of stail water as well ozone cost around $50.00 give or take

Actually, I don't need to get rid of the seat. It's just the vinyl that's ripped. But I just can't see fixing it because I think that it would just a) look 'fixed' and b) rip again. I sort of like the sheep skin covers. Also, I am going for the 'interchangable' insides. Meaning...I am assuming that when this Volvo is time to go, it'll be done, finito, parts car. I want to be able to take some of my investments back to use on the next car. For instance, I won't be getting custom Volvo cargo mats, but a universal mat and when I get my new stereo, it'll come with a way to get it out. Stuff like that. Make sense?

I know what you mean about the dash cover. I think they are a little weird. I'll probably leave it since it's hardly noticable. More of a hairline sort of deal.

Thanks for the link!

Julie

Julie, "Aye Roll" gives very good advise. The only thing I might add is that you need to make friends with the guy at your local salvage yard who has a stock of Volvos. It is not uncommon to find a salvage yard who "specializes" in Volvo. After all, from 75-93 Volvo made about 2,000,000 240's and some of the parts from a '75 would interchange with the '93! For the parts you are looking for, a good salvage yard with a knowledgable person on site is absolutely your best resource.

And, as far as the split dash . . . well, of the 2 mil cars I mention, probably 1.9 mil have at least some splitting in the dash. ipd (ipdusa.com) sell coverings for this, but just recognizing such splits as a "range mark" which adds character is about as good.

1) The cargo area floor is basically carpet glued to wood. Heavy-duty vacuuming and maybe a spray carpet cleaner ought to bring it back to life. Those big vacuums at pay car-washes are really good for this. If you try to remove it and power-wash it, I think you will find that doesn't work real well. The side carpets are panels with a cardboard or maybe masonite (wood) backing. The ones over the rear wheel arches are pretty fragile. If they break or already are broken, some sheetmetal screws should reattach them pretty well. Again, I think the best plan is to leave them in place, and spray and vacuum them thoroughly. It may be easier overall to have a detailing shop do the whole car for $100 using their chemicals and extractor vacuum. If the car's going to require a lot of work both in and out, that might be worth your while, if you assign much value to your time.
2) Your interior carpets CAN be removed after pulling the seats. There is foam padding under most of it, and if it hasn't been wet, it will be reusable. If it's damaged, yes, any kind of carpet underlayment will work fine. Track down the water leaks though. Remove the plugs along the rocker panels to look for leaves/twigs/dirt/rust. Big plastic plugs- can't miss them with the carpet out. IF these aren't ripped in the driver's area, I'd keep them unless the color's horrible. Again a good detailing may bring them back to life.
2B) If you find surface rust only, there's a product called "Extend" that's a rust converter- it turns rusted metal black and prevents further oxidation. IT should be painted afterward with a good primer ,at least. The wiring covers under the carpet are probably rusty anyway- don't worry about those as long as the floor is solid. Usual starting points seem to be the outside edge of the floor, and right under the back of the driver's seat.
Seats- there's lots of good info here about fixing split foam in 240 seats. The vinyl upholstery is often too far gone, BUT you can rebuild using a good passenger seat- if you find one the same color, swap the bottom upholstery and foam pad (and maybe get a working seat heater too!) Of course, it's vinyl, and as good as Volvo's vinyl was, it's still sweaty and sticky. You could probably find a decent set of cloth seats from a sedan, in a matching color (the tan is very common). Lots of options. IF the foam is wrecked, the seat covers won't really result in a comfortable seat, just a non-sticky broken seat. BTW when installing covers or repairing seats, the headrests pop out by pressing 2 release catches just under the top edge of the frame in back. Press through the back upholstery and you'll find them.
Cupholder- the only one I've seen that worked was a kinda Wal-mart-cheezy plastic thing that screwed to the parking brake handle. It's in a good spot and stable when you're driving. When parked, obviously you don't want a full cup in it when you pull the handle. Kinda shaped like a 4-leafed flower and it expands to fit different cups. Beyond that, the front part of the missing map pockets does ok for cans or bottles. People have gotten creative too....
Good luck and we'll be looking for it in the gallery!
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: "Roterande Fläkt Och Drivremmar!"

Thanks for the tips! The last owner was a smoker (we even found a CIGAR in the car when we bought it!). So, the car reeks...and I mean reeks. It's disgusting. When I first got it home a few weeks ago, I'd get up, open all of the windows and pop the back hatch at 9am and let it sit till it got dark. The ocean air did help a little bit. Taking out the ashtrays and giving them a soak and a scrub seemed to help a tad. So funny...the ashtray has a cigarette holder on it! In any case, do you think that the heavy duty vacuum and spray cleaner will work for this? The back is going to be covered with a cargo mat and will end up smelling like dog anyway, so I am not too worried about this area...besides contributing to the reek of smoke. But the front and back are in pretty bad (stinky/stained) shape.

I think that we'll probably end up taking up the front and back carpet so that we can anti rust and clean it properly. But I think that your advice about leaving the back stuff in is a good point. I think it's the least stinky of the whole car, so the vacuum and cleaning will probably be okay.

Thanks!

Julie

to power wash a carpet and blow the backing apart or to put in a wash machine only to wash out backing glue is not the (proper) way to detail a rug it could shrink as a 20yr detailer for a liveing i also worked for 2 major auto mfg co and 1 auto rug mfg co. also auto seat mfg co. and they will agree that these items should be cleaned in the fashion noted in my post and all DETAILERS not car washers will agree with me i under stand to take out rug to do other work is a good thing but to powerwash it is not carwashes power wash floormats yes floormats have a rubber backing to hold it all together and keep it from shrinking. rugs dont they are not as strong as mats 6mts after powerwash every time you vaccume it it will lose fibers this is from the cutting action of powerwasher not to mention the 300 degrese of heat as well that can melt a rug powerwashing also strips the rug of its color and nateral moistness it drys it out i hope who ever told you power washing is proper (told you all this) im sure and you knew this . at least my interior is cleen the proper way

to power wash a carpet and blow the backing apart or to put in a wash machine only to wash out backing glue is not the (proper) way to detail a rug it could shrink as a 20yr detailer for a liveing i also worked for 2 major auto mfg co and 1 auto rug mfg co. also auto seat mfg co. and they will agree that these items should be cleaned in the fashion noted in my post and all DETAILERS not car washers will agree with me i under stand to take out rug to do other work is a good thing but to powerwash it is not carwashes power wash floormats yes floormats have a rubber backing to hold it all together and keep it from shrinking. rugs dont they are not as strong as mats 6mts after powerwash every time you vaccume it it will lose fibers this is from the cutting action of powerwasher not to mention the 300 degrese of heat as well that can melt a rug powerwashing also strips the rug of its color and nateral moistness it drys it out i hope who ever told you power washing is proper told you all this im sure and you knew this . at least my interior is cleen the proper way