Swedish wedge - No ikea parts inside

[Jifflemon]

So, as announced in the anti-dote to grumpy thread, I've gone and bought a 480 turbo.

 

There won't be a collection thread, as I've had it about a month, but also, I didn't collect it; Let me explain..

It was on the bay for unrealistic money, and I'd asked several questions, received very sensible answers and photos. It looked in quite poor condition, but most importantly, rot free. Imagine my surpise then, given that the auction finished on a Thursday, when the seller offered to drive it up on Saturday for me to view it.

 

Thursday came and went, not a single bid was placed. So Saturday, he drove up (2 hours journey) for me to veiw it. My friend (who runs a bodyshop) was there to quote me happy on repair costs. On viewing, he just stood there and shook his head in that "what are you doing?" way. The only panel that was ok was the tailgate - mainly because it was glass. The roof was undamaged, but the paint felt like sandpaper. The windows were full of condensation so clearly, it was leaking like a sieve (common 480 fault). There were some positives (which I kept VERY close to my chest). The rear arches felt good underneath, with no obvious rust blisters. The interior was in good condition too, with minimal wear to the seats. It was the top spec (Sunroof, aircon, leather), It drove ok, and had a huge wod of paperwork.

 

We haggled in the pub; everything was on my side; I didn't have to drive the car back 2 hours, his insurance also expired that day, the cost of paintwork repairs was more than what he wanted for the car. An hour later, he folded and I was running him and his friend to the train station. The Volvo was mine.

 

So time to see just how bad it really was

 

 

Very flattering shot - its FAR worse in the metal.

 

 

 

Seats - You can just make out the wear on the drivers bolster

 

Oh joy - the front indicator units are no longer available - when they were, they were £250 a side.

 

 

OSF wing

 

OSR wing

 

rear bumper.. Looks like the rear bumper has rotted away; another un-obtainable part..

 

NSR wing

 

NS Door (and its dented below the rub strip too)

 

Bonnet

 

And an under bonnet shot for good measure - Suspicious wiring to be investigated...

 

So apart from looking rough, the plan looks like I'll run it for a while whilst waiting for a slot in the bodyshop - A rolling restoration as it were...

 

 

 

 

[Jifflemon]

So, strippage commenced.. 

 

First thing to tackle was the steaming up inside - a sure sign of damp, and low and behold, rear passenger footwell is sodden. However, I suspect (and hope) it's just that the half empty screenwash container behind the seat has leaked and its not actually damp! However, all the carpets will have to come out for a proper check.

 

Went to move the passenger seat forward to investigate further and cant... OK, there's something else for the list!

 

Took the boot carpet out, just on the off chance that we've got leaks going on, it'll make it easier to chase down (although obviously start with the rear lights!).

 

 

Also took the volvo winter trays out of front and rear - carpets dry everywhere else,

 

Pulled the heater knob off and cleaned off several years of "I really don't want to know" - It's not gone back on yet, as I might give it a coat of paint.

 

Will need a replacement dashboard too - cracked in several places.

 

Opened the bonnet and gave it a bit of a scrub - Needs a whole lot more still! Sounds pointless but if I'm going to work on it, it needs to be clean!

 

Then finally moved to the front and took out both indicators and the O/S drivers lamp. Also noted that the OS headlamp was flopping about, so will probably need some new mounting points.

 

OS drivers lamp was full of condensation - as a started to take it apart, it was obvious why; the seal had failed. Operation scrub and clean commenced.

 

 

[Jifflemon]

Something bothered whilst cleaning the engine bay. The water didn't seem to be draining away from the bulkhead area. At the time I just thought it was suds, but it played on my mind. So out I went and checked and lo and behold!

 

Blocked drain Valves.

 

 

Other side was as bad too. Cleared them both out then I got looking at the wiper cover; there was a lot of dirt behind it too, so off it came. I'll let the pics do the talking.

 

 

 

 

and after a scrub...

 

 

You can see how the trapped mud has held water, causing the screen to start to delaminate. It's under the cover, so for now, I'll leave it alone and change the screen when I have too. 

[Jifflemon]

Took the rear wheels off - Thank heavens, no locking wheel nuts - and gave the inner arches a scrubbing. I'm quiet pleased!

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like one of the previous owners attempted some rustproofing - Shame they left the wheels on when doing it!  :rofl: 

 

 

Even after some pretty expensive chemicals and lots of scrubbing, they both looked like this:

 

 

 

I think petrol may be the next thing I try to clean them with!

[Jifflemon]

Removed both front seats. Boy that was fun. I mentioned the passenger side one struggled to slide, so getting to the T50 Torx bolts was "fun". And boy are they tight.

 

Anyhoo, both seats moved to the kitchen and the interior of the car is looking like this:

 

 

The carpet and underlay will be coming out too

 

So.... that passenger seat. Once out and indoors, I gave the rails a gentle tap with a BFH. Out dropped this:

 

 

It now slides like a dream! May have also resolved the lack of seat heater - one of the pins had dislodged from the plug.

 

Finally, I took the opportunity to give the leather a good treatment of Gliptones Liquid leather. It's the best leather treatment I've found. Seat looks like this now:

 

[Jifflemon]

More strippage and we've a typical 480 fault! Yes, I've leaking rear clusters!

 

 

Coming in, running down the body and into the footwells. Got some Butyl tape, so will seal them up and monitor. However, need to get the insides dry, so.... Out with the carpet! 

 

 

 

The Sounding deadening is quite damp, but the floor's still good underneath. Carpet in the airing cupboard drying out too. Whilst removing, I may have also solved why the aircon only worked on certain settings.

 

 

That orange Vacuum pipe should be connected to the servo!

[Jifflemon]

Finally, I HAD to sort the backs of the wheels... It's been bugging me ever since I put them back on; Don't like doing half a job!

 

So.... Here's what we started with.

 

OSR

 

 

NSR

 

 

And here they are after dosing them in petrol!

 

OSR

 

 

NSR

 

[Jifflemon]

OSF arch liner removed (although the lower two screws wanted to put up a fight.

 

Underneath looks like this after a quick degrease and rinse

 

 

 

And I'm sure you can guess what the wheel was like!

 

Before

 

 

After

 

 

Also thought I'd check the brake fluid...

 

 

Yuck! But surprisingly, according to my fluid tester, there's <1% water in there!

 

 

Anything more than 3% water and you should change it. I'll be flushing it through regardless, so it'll be interesting to take a reading from the calipers, rather than reservoir.

 

Also placed an order with a guy in the netherlands and these should be arriving soon!

 

[Jifflemon]

Just because I could, I bled both calipers on the O/S (its the side I've currently got jacked up) - this little fella makes it a simple one man job

 

 

Then it was on to something that's been worrying me.... You can see in the picture below that the side strip on the wing sits higher than the one on the door;  Oh and the one on the door is coming away...

 

Oh the horrors....  

 

 

They were held on with a combination of Bodytape, bathroom sealer and builders caulk. 

 

That's going to be keeping me busy for a fair few days, and I've still the rear and the N/Side to remove!

[Jifflemon]

Some of you may have spotted a pattern to the way I work - That is, there isn't really one! I tend to flit from job to job without really planning... One friend commented that I'm great at pulling things apart, not so good at putting them back together!  :rofl: 

 

My argument is that I have to understand the big picture - I know what I want to achieve, so need to know the extent of the work required.

 

As such, i had to tackle the back bumper. It's been niggling at me for far too long now! So, I went underneath with the WD-40 and gave everything a good soak. Then commenced battle, expecting everything to round or snap off. They didn't.

 

Bumper came off without too much of a struggle and I discovered the foam bits that other owners warned me of...

 

 

Thankfully, the metal was good!

 

 

So, to the bumper bar.... 

 

The rear view:

 

 

The bumper bar itself:

 

 

 

 

Errrrr.... It's not supposed to look like that !!? I'm meant to have the rotting remains of a bumper bar, just like every other poor volvo 480 owner has.

[Supernaut]

Top work!

[Jifflemon]

I was still getting a dribble of water in boot after heavy rain (and yes, we've had heavy rain!). However, it wasn't coming in from the light seals, so was a bit confused.

Then whilst doing some cavity waxing on the back arches.

 

I noticed the near side was like this (this was after Cavity waxing) - We're looking in through the hole the plastic flappy vent normally occupies.

 

 

when I went to the OS, it was like this:

 

 

Now, if you look carefully, there's a hole on the "floor" of the section, but on the O/S, you can just make out a drainage hole, on the side, running parallel to the floor hole. Not so on the NS!

 

So, under heavy rain, water would build up here (its a drainage point for the sunroof amongst other things), drain for the floor hole into the bumper sponges, and the Side hole drains out into the bumper cavity behind the arch liner. However, as it couldn't drain out to the side hole, it would fill up, and very slowly work it's way through the seam.

 

Needless to say, the hole is now cleared (build of debris) and both areas thoroughly cavity waxed!

 

 

The plastic side vents then went back with some butyl tape sealing the edges for good measure.

 

Speaking of Butyl tape, I've got plenty to remove as I'm now running without side bumpers...

 

 

[Jifflemon]

So.... washer jets. Simple little part, which, surprise surprise, they're no longer available from Volvo and snap the moment you even look at them.

 

Well, I've now tested using Land Rover Defender washer Jets. They're a nice double jet and they work!! Would I recommend them.... Well, sort of.. Read on!

 

I foolishly started with the N/S one - Oooo look at that! It's quite nice!

 

 

It's a little bit tight at the bottom, but certainly workable. 

 

 

Then I went to the O/S.  

 

It became apparent the only way to fit it, was to remove the wiper motor mechanism, because the thread for the washer jet is right in front of the motor.

Then having removed the wiper, it became apparent that to refit, you need to half install the washer jet, with enough space to move the windscreen trim piece around, because the washer jet clamps down slightly on this piece (and the rubber grommet below). Once half tightened in place, you can then refit the wiper mechanism (because the two bolts holding it are under that windscreen trim) but DON'T refit the two bolts that are on the bulkhead.

 

This is because you need ALL the space you can get, super slim fingers, the patience of a saint and a plentiful supply of swear words to now tighten down the nut on the washer jet.

 

 

See that nut in the middle? THAT's how little space you've got! You're also working blind and at a back-aching angle.

 

Once tight you can fasten everything back down...

 

 

Looks quite nice doesn't it? I had to pull a little excess tubing through to the washer jet and need to clamp it down to the bulkhead floor, as there's a chance that when the wipers are operating, the pipe could rub on the moving arms.

 

Now the final check.... Bonnet down!

 

 

Ooooo that's close! Is there clearance? 

 

 

Just!

[Jifflemon]

And that's us all caught up with a months worth of work!

[SamR380]

Brilliant! This is another on my list of 'one day' cars. Good to see it being brought back from the brink.

 

_{(Sell it to me when you've finished fixing it? )}

[Jim Bell]

Exellent thread. Like watching a whole tv series on catch up. Thats a cool looking and pretty rare car now. Most turbo lumps were raped for omg v300 drift cars. Nice to see ine getting this amount of attention and care. I bet your kitchen is fucking spotless.

[cms206]

Jealous. That'll be a peach when it's done.

 

The lack of spares availability is surprising; Taggarts Volvo in Glasgow have managed to get me just about everything I've needed for the 740s and 850, anything else has been gettable from Skandix online.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[beko1987]

I used to have the serious horn for these when I was 15/16, they still look lovely now! Top work, wish I had the time to be that thorough with a car nowadays! Sort of did it with the Puma and my first ZX, then children came along and now I'm lucky if I drive my car anywhere else than to or from work!

 

Amazing read, top work! When is it going to Scotland?

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

There seems to be quite a bit of enthusiasm for these out on the Internet.

[Jifflemon]

Brilliant! This is another on my list of 'one day' cars. Good to see it being brought back from the brink.

 

_{(Sell it to me when you've finished fixing it? )}

 

Been on my "one day" list for years too - realised if "one day" didn't happen soon, there'd be none left. And hopefully, never selling it!

 

 

Exellent thread. Like watching a whole tv series on catch up. Thats a cool looking and pretty rare car now. Most turbo lumps were raped for omg v300 drift cars. Nice to see ine getting this amount of attention and care. I bet your kitchen is fucking spotless.

 

A lot of the turbo lumps found their way into Renaults too. As for my kitchen, the front seats that are currently sat in there are probably the cleanest things in there! 

 

Jealous. That'll be a peach when it's done.

 

The lack of spares availability is surprising; Taggarts Volvo in Glasgow have managed to get me just about everything I've needed for the 740s and 850, anything else has been gettable from Skandix online.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

The spare thing is shocking; And vicious too; Lack of panels mean many saveable cars become breakers instead. Skandix? Thieving sods! Have their catalogue downloaded just for Lol's.. There's going to be some interesting challenges on the way, but I'm not too obsessed with originality (hence the defender washer jets!) - If it works and keeps the car on the road, it'll do. 

[michael t]

Brilliant stuff, I admire anyone who has the skill and mental strength to go removing carpets, seats and fiddly light clusters etc etc, because as you said taking them out is one thing but getting them back in is quite another. Beautiful cars these too. Jealous is an understatement!

[oldcars]

 

Took the rear wheels off - Thank heavens, no locking wheel nuts - and gave the inner arches a scrubbing. I'm quiet pleased!

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like one of the previous owners attempted some rustproofing - Shame they left the wheels on when doing it!  :rofl: 

 

 

Even after some pretty expensive chemicals and lots of scrubbing, they both looked like this:

 

 

 

I think petrol may be the next thing I try to clean them with!

 

If you can get hold of some autosmart tardis that should be rid of the overspray, and autosmart red7 should make short work of the brake dust. Those arches are "detailing world" clean

[garethj]

Fantastic work!

[Jifflemon]

If you can get hold of some autosmart tardis that should be rid of the overspray, and autosmart red7 should make short work of the brake dust. Those arches are "detailing world" clean

 

Petrol removed the worst of it! 

 

I used some proper wheel cleaner before and after the petrol too - Can't remember which, but it was the Iron removing stuff that turns the wheel purple.

 

As it's only the backs of the wheels, I'm happy enough with how they are at the moment. However, I've just googled for both products just in case!

[Eddie Honda]

The lack of spares availability is surprising

Mibbie for you, but not me because Dutch. Ditto 300 series.

[oldcars]

Petrol removed the worst of it! 

 

I used some proper wheel cleaner before and after the petrol too - Can't remember which, but it was the Iron removing stuff that turns the wheel purple.

 

As it's only the backs of the wheels, I'm happy enough with how they are at the moment. However, I've just googled for both products just in case!

The wheel cleaner that goes purple is the same as red7 so that's handy you had some. The wheels have come up well.

[dollywobbler]

Pure Autoshite. Love for the unloved, in the face of OMG SPARES KAOS. Approved.

[twosmoke300]

That's a lovely solid thing !

Water leaks for the bane of those things and in the trade known as the 480 En suite !

 

Are these the cars where the wiring loom was made to short and the rear lights disconnect themselves ?

[scdan4]

It's amazing what a difference some hard core cleaning can do and with the lack of rust it should make you a good keeper.

 

You don't say how much wedge you eventually had to part with for your wedge and clearly everyone else is too polite to ask. But I'd love to know.

[danthecapriman]

Love this. These are great looking cars, I saw a black one the other day on the Motorway in traffic and it stood out a mile off, they look like no other car that's for sure.

 

The more Volvo action on here the better!