I picked up this '81 DL Wagon a few months ago for $200. It had been sitting for a few years beside this guy's house after it developed an intermittent starting problem.

I got it running, and was having fun with it until the aforementioned problem cropped up again. Dang. It wasn't getting an ignition signal for some reason. I took the ICU to a reputable Volvo shop to see what they could tell me. They said they had never seen one of those go bad, that the problem was probably in the distributor. So I replaced the pickup coil. Didn't fix it.

I finally bit the bullet and purchased a new Mallory ignition system and bypassed the Volvo ignition, also fabricating a relay setup to run the fuel pumps when the key is in the "run" position. Presto, it works great.

I also used brickboard info to fix things like a corroded fuse problem and rear tailgate wiring. Now I'm having fun driving the thing, foiling my original plans to sell it and make a few bucks.

It rides nice, has comfy seats, and enough room in back to haul the Hindenburg. Dang. It's lacking in power, but it's kind of fun driving like I'm in a race whilst never breaking the law.

It's gonna eventually need a clutch, and I have a rebuilt A/C compressor to install next spring when it gets warm again. I don't need this car, but I like it. I never thought this would happen to me. I'm not a Volvo guy.

I'll have to counter the Volvo stigma with my proposed bumper-stickers for the back window:

OLD VOLVOS NEVER DIE.
THEY JUST IMPEDE TRAFFIC.

OLD VOLVO OWNERS DO IT AT FULL THROTTLE
AND STILL GET THERE LATE.

I'M NO LEFT-WING WACKO.
I JUST GOT A DEAL ON THIS VOLVO.

VOLVO. #1 CHOICE OF NERDS, GEEKS AND PhDs.

OLD VOLVOS ARE VERY SLOW.
DON'T GET BEHIND ONE. OOPS.

VOLVOS ARE VERY SAFE--
BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE IN ONE.

CIGAR-SMOKING REPUBLICAN
TOO CHEAP TO BUY AN SUV

LESBIANS FOR BUSH IN '04

Okay, that last one was tacky. Actually drove around with that one in the window for a while. I replaced it with:

10 out of 10 Terrorists Agree:
Anybody but Bush in '04

LOL! And I thought I was the only Republican on this forum...

My wife and I are both right-wingers, so my love of Volvos has been a great source of consternation to her. Since both of our ancient 240s are still going strong, it's looking like she'll have to remain mortified for awhile. At least both the cars have National Rifle Association stickers in the rear window.

Two of your stickers reminded me of an amusing incident:

I'M NO LEFT-WING WACKO.
I JUST GOT A DEAL ON THIS VOLVO.

VOLVO. #1 CHOICE OF NERDS, GEEKS AND PhDs.


I was in grad school at UCLA, sitting for the oral exam for my doctoral dissertation in political science. The panel of professors was quizzing me hard about how voters use various information to make up their minds. I gave an example, from my research, of a female judicial candidate with a hyphenated surname. "Just going by the name," I explained, "you'd think she was a liberal. And in a low information contest like that, you'd have expected a lot of voters to have used that cue alone. But, in fact, she got a lot more support from Republicans than Democrats, so she must have gotten her message out."

One of the professors commented, "With a name like that, you'd get a picture in your mind of her driving a Volvo around Malibu."

Thinking fast, and thinking of my own 1978 244, I added, "With National Public Radio blasting out of the stereo."

Another professor burst out laughing, then made a "boom, boom, boom" noise to simulate the stereo.

When the laughter died down, another professor (himself a Republican and resident of Malibu) commented with a completely straight face: "It was my understanding that National Public Radio is the only radio station you can pick up in a Volvo."

>>another professor (himself a Republican and resident of Malibu) commented with a completely straight face: "It was my understanding that National Public Radio is the only radio station you can pick up in a Volvo."<<

Hey! My Volvo could only get NPR until recently. Now it also picks up Air America, Al Franken's new ultra-liberal talk-radio network.

But seriously, your story was very funny.

Or you could try these out:

WHO KNEW JEB WAS THE SMART ONE?

DON'T BLAME ME
I VOTED WITH THE MAJORITY

SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS
A VILLAGE IS MISSING ITS IDIOT

THE LAST TIME SOMEONE LISTENED TO A BUSH
FOLKS WANDERED AROUND THE DESERT FOR 40 YEARS

RE-DEFEAT BUSH!
--
Michelle (HELP I CAN'T STOP BUYING VOLVOS) -'89 244 GL auto 188K / '85 244 DL auto 136K / '86 240 auto 148K / '85 244 DL manual

Those are funny. Really. I can laugh at my own party. But try these:

VOTE JOHN KERRY INTO THE
WAFFLE...er...WHITE HOUSE!

WAR HERO OR WAR PROTESTOR?
GET BOTH WITH JOHN KERRY!

THIS COUNTRY NEEDS A BANDAID FIX-IT MAN
VOTE FOR PURPLE HEART WINNER JOHN KERRY!

KERRY--EDWARDS. BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ENOUGH
LAWYERS MAKING DECISIONS IN THIS COUNTRY!

I BELIEVE JOHN KERRY CAN FIX THIS COUNTRY
(WITH THE HELP OF MY HEROES SANTA AND THE EASTER BUNNY)

Don't you just love election years.

Funny! I can laugh at Kerry, too. (My last suggestion pretty much covers my voting Democrat this year.)

REMEMBER 9/11 - WHEN YOU WASTE TIME WORRYING
ABOUT CROOKED EX-CEO'S THE TERRORISTS WIN.

JOHN KERRY - BRINGING COMPLETE
SENTENCES BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE

11/2/04 - THE END OF AN ERROR

ANY MAN WHO CAN RENDER HIMSELF UNCONSCIOUS WITH
A PRETZEL ISN'T SMART ENOUGH TO LEAD THE FREE WORLD.

SMART WEAPONS, DUMB PRESIDENT

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED MY ASS

ANYONE BUT BUSH!
(VOTE DEMOCRAT 2004)

--
Michelle (HELP I CAN'T STOP BUYING VOLVOS) -'89 244 GL auto 188K / '85 244 DL auto 136K / '86 240 auto 148K / '85 244 DL manual

Until I met my wife to be in 2003, I had never been in a Volvo, and wouldn't get in one either. Now I have three in the drive and a growing Volvo repair and sales business started. My 245 even has a "Not Fonda Kerry" sticker in the back window which really hacks off the other Volvo owners around me! Good work on Americanizing the ignition. I am working on a relay system for the brick that will mimic my 940 using Omron automotive relays, and am designing a retro wiring harness with over the counter connectors. The trick is to "think outside the brick".

Liked the stickers except the last one.
I have one that says "All good terrorists go to Hell,Thank God I am an "Infidel"

Will
www.willdallas.org

>>Liked the stickers except the last one.
I have one that says "All good terrorists go to Hell,Thank God I am an "Infidel"<<

That last one, "Lesbians for Bush in '04" is all tongue-in-cheek. (Forgive that pun too.)

See, there's a double entendre there, if you actually think about what lesbians like.

No lesbians ever drive my car, and no lesbians were harmed in the making of this bumper sticker.

It's just a little way to tweak liberals.

I have a couple of bumper stickers on my old Jeep Wagoneer:

Criminals Prefer Unarmed Victims

and

AMMO: The Currency for the New Millenium

I think that we are on the same side of the political spectrum. I'm having to be a little less conservative to vote Republican than I like.

Will
www.willdallas.org

I'm incredibly jealous of such an excellent deal on your car! Even with the costs to replace the ignition, you still probably spent less buying the car than I did buying books for college this past term! I don't know exactly what I would do with a second Brick, but I'd still love to find a really cool one for cheap.

Those bumper stickers are great! I think I'm going to have to save some of them somewhere. My friends will certainly get a kick out of them.
--
'89 244 GL -- 105,XXX miles (see profile for info on car)

If you don't like that underpowered feeling, keep your eye out for a cheap Volvo that has the letters T-u-r-b-o on the rear deck lid, they keep up with traffic quite nicely.

--
Volvo Farmer:

20 Volvos '58-'91

I love this one...
OLD VOLVOS NEVER DIE.
THEY JUST IMPEDE TRAFFIC.

Reminds me of ym 1st car after High school, it was an 81 245DL with a constant problem of hesitating and bucking when it was cold. It was so bad, that I commonly got bad looks as ppl passed me in traffic.