I just bought my first Volvo - a 1993 240 in very nice condition. Cosmetically, the car looks great. See pics here if you like: http://www.vikingautobrokers.com/car_pages/1993_volvo_240_sedan.htm

The only thing that looks really bad is the rear deck where the rear speakers are located. The blue surface is badly faded and very uneven. Anyone have ideas on how to pretty the thing up? I tried to find a replacement part but could not locate one. It seems there would be an easier solution. Of course, I could remove the speaker mounts and install some indoor/outdoor carpeting but I am afraid it would look so non-stock (crappy).

Thanks.

Bob

I can't add any further advice on the rear shelf but I have a question.

So you came down to get a FL car? How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking?

I probably overpaid a bit. It was the nicest 240 I could find. Paid $5,300. All service records, one owner, very, very clean.

For the record, I purchased matching blue felt at a fabric store and attached it using spray adhesive. It looks perfect.

zoom zoom

I've always had good luck with several LIGHT coats of plain old spray paint.

By "light", I mean I lay the deck on the ground and spray from a height of 3 feet or so. The goal is to avoid getting the deck wet with liquid paint.

It's a learned technique, as for the first few coats, you don't see hardly any coverage at all.

I used blue trim carpet...$10 at autozone, matched well. Blue vinyl trim paint for the seatbelt retractors. Looks good.

I didn't look at the pics, but back when I lived in South Florida, I always had my windows tinted.
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1985 240 DL, 1989 245 DL

Great lookin' car! Good luck with it.

I found a rear deck in a boneyard awhile back that had been recovered with a good quality automotive carpet. Find some material you like and use 3M spray adhesive or a good carpet glue right on the old surface. Get one out of a boneyard to experiment with.





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don hodgdon '89 744ti, '81 242t, '71 D-35

You could try your luck at a boneyard- or maybe fabric dye? If they don't have it at Autozone (or whatever) maybe there's an arts & crafts store in your area?

Hey, Bob -
Congrats on your car. It looks great. Get that thing to 200K and beyond!

The rear decks are good candidates for sun damage, fading, spills,etc. It seems as though people rarely clean this area. I would visit a pic and pull yard to see if there is a blue one that looks better. You may also give it an industrial cleaning. Your other two choices would be to fill the rear deck with stuffed animals, or install astro-turf and set up a nice little golf scene back there to entertain other drivers in traffic.

Good luck - welcome to the club.
-pu
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((1993 245 Classic, 93K)) ((1992 244, 105K)) ((1987 245, 271K - RIP)) San Diego