1979 Volvo 343 DL - recommissioning

[345DL]

Hi

 

In February, I bought a 1979 Volvo 343, and I've been documenting my efforts in getting it back on the road over on the Volvo 300 mania forum. However, it struck me that some autoshiters might appreciate a look at what I have been up to over the past few months...

 

Here are some pictures from when I went to Kent to look at the car:

 

It's a 1979 model year, manual 343 DL with 73,000 on the clock. It's had the same owner since 22 February 1980 who is now 89 and had given up driving. It has been standing for a couple of years in his garage.

 

It came with a big folder full of receipts and all the old MOTs and tax discs. On looking, the receipts are all for fairly small amounts (mostly service bits), and so he has serviced the car and looked after it himself. Indeed, the engine sounded beautifully sweet.

 

Unfortunately, it needs quite a bit of work doing. On initial inspection, the sills are pretty ropey in places (especially where they have already been patched up), and the front wings in front of the front wheels are in pretty rotten shape. The inside of the front wheelarches will also need some attention. Oh and also the crossmember near the fuel tank. So pretty much all the places that mk1 340s rust! If it was any newer I'd have walked away, but the pretty little black badge on the wing saying '343 DL 1.4' was just too much to resist.

 

Original dealer tax disc holder FTW:

 

Bits in the boot:

 

Some interior details (the missing clock is in the boot somewhere):

 

The bad bits:

 

Spare instrument cluster:

 

Locking fuel cap...:

...with its original box FTW:

 

Halfway through some t-cutting of the bonnet (can you tell where hasn't been done yet?):

And finished:

 

Next to Bjorn (they are actually different shades of red if you look closely):

 

Some crunchy bits:

 

Then the 'fun' started...

 

Here is what's left of some of the rust areas I found. Oh dear!

 

I spent quite a bit of time carefully sewing the driver's seat back together where it had developed a tear, I'm quite pleased with the result. The seat also had the entire contents of a spray bottle of Vanish upholstery stuff sprayed onto it and sponged off, so it's much less grubby than it was.

 

We've also managed to push out the dent in the rear off-side quarter, which doesn't look too bad for free (apart from blood and swearing).

Before:

After:

 

We painted the wheels to make us feel better, and I think they have come up rather nice:

 

We decided to be brave and remove the rear window in order to get at the rust underneath it properly. It was surprisingly easy to do:

 

Oliver had a bit of an exploration of the very dodgy looking weld on the passenger rear sill, and this is what he eventually found:

I suspect that this has been caused by the holes under the rear window.

 

Here's the general scene of most of the day when we did this work. The grey paint you see on the rusty bits is Por15 rust preventive paint, which I'm hoping will protect it until they are properly attended to.

 

And some photos of just after we cleared up, hopefully you'll agree that the painted wheels make the car look lovely and fresh.

 

Since then, I have refitted the clock, and happily, all went without a hitch and it works perfectly:

And also sourced and fitted a correct radio, in MW/LW glory:

 

I have managed to sort the hesitation in the accelerator - a little well-placed WD40 sorted that and the accelerator now runs nice and smooth. Unfortunately, trying the same technique didn't sort the heavy clutch, so I'll have to investigate that more thoroughly one day.

 

I also took the car down the private driveway which runs from our house to the road, and managed to get up to second gear speed. At the same time though, I noticed that the brakes are really quite poor and are probably in need of a bit of an overhaul.

 

The only other couple of things that I have done are re-fit the air filter which Oliver kindly painted for me, and I've given the engine bay a good scrub as well, although it needs more work:

Before:

After:

 

And I have also sorted out the rust that was behind the number plate and re-fitted it. I got the paint from Halfords this morning (although I had to go back after I tried yesterday but the incompetent young lad behind the counter tried to convince me that the bright purple he had mixed up really was Volvo 129 red) and the colour match is really rather good. My edging technique isn't as good as I'd like it, but maybe with a little practice it might improve.

 

Next week, a MIG welder is being purchased, and the week after I am off work so I'm hoping to be able to spend some time learning how to use it!

[dollywobbler]

Great stuff. These early ones seem to have virtually disappeared.

[Albert Ross]

I spent many an hour in one of these, KGK 148T. It was my Mother's car, and I took driving lessons in it, and also passed my test in it. Poor brakes may be the quadrants on the rear backplates for the handbrake cable. Also corrosion wise, check the front strut spring base... I have seen a number collapse, fouling and bursting the tyres. Otherwise, nice find! Ours ended up with a later boot floor due to a shunt at Gillette Corner.... So we could carry 2 spares! The front was also replaced due to a hit and run... we ended up with all nice shiny lamps in it!

[Angrydicky]

Fantastic, love these early pre-facelift ones. What you've done so far looks great! I particularly like the 'giffer' type reflective strips on the front and rear bumpers, a sure sign of an OAP-owned car and one that has virtually disappeared. All you need now is a 'Vehicle Watch' sticker!

 

If I'm honest I think the rot on the sills looks beyond patching, you can see loads of blobby MOT-type welding there which will probably be straight over the rust and what you see there will most likely be the tip of the iceberg. I think replacing the whole sills would be the best way forward, if you can find some!

[r.welfare]

Lovely - Volvo Accessories stripe on the bumper (white for the front, red for the back) is always a pointer of a 'sensible' first/early owner.

 

Albert saying about the rusting strut bases reminded me that my first car, an '84 340 like your red one, had the same problem - definitely worth looking at if the car has sat for any length of time (mine had, for about a year). Funny to see the rear interior quarter panels have had the vinyl unstick from the backing, I forgot they did that, too.

[Split_Pin]

Great stuff, that was a good read, thanks for sharing.

 

I've always had a soft spot for these, Fatha_L had a later 340 series 5 door A442ESX which lasted to 2004!

 

Keep us posted on your welding progress!

[maxpower]

top job... was offered one of these in mid 80's for beer money but didn't have anywhere to keep it at the time so had to pass on it

[Albert Ross]

Dicky, the reflective Giffer tape was standard fit........... It was often never refitted after accidents, when the bumpers were replaced.... I had a roll of each, after ours was repaired!

[theorganist]

What a wonderful motor. I haven't seen an early 300 series for many years.

 

I remember in the eighties my friends parents had a pale blue X reg 343DL, can still remember sitting in it now, it was very grey inside but I thought the headlamp wipers were funky!!

[walk]

That looks spot on, well done fella. Don't know why but I've always has a hankering to drive (not own!) one of these - my Uncle owned a couple in the early eighties and loved them.

 

Keep it up!

[ProgRocker]

Nice work.

[boobydoo]

Just seen this...what a superb little save! I much prefer the front of these pre-facelifts..and they were still a bit of a novelty in the 70s.... before they became the 'car of choice' of the blue rinse brigade throughout the 80s. They really were the Honda Jazz of that decade.

 

We used to call them 'Wizzers' when I worked at a Volvo garage because of the strange whirring sound the auto-box made. You'd be sitting in the showroom, all quiet , when suddenly someone would shout 'WIZZER!' and lo and behold a few seconds later, one would appear on the forecourt. Pensioners ahoy!

[trigger]

I meant to post on this the other day and then forgot, Well done on saving it, i love threads like this with a story and lots of photos.

 

I agree with Boobies, These earlier models seems much better looking to me but you never see them any more.

[kinkersaab]

Ace! I have fond memories of a baby blue one a family friend had, theris was a "wizzer", with the reflective stripes too. My lasting memory was how the front seats leaned towards the centre of the car when folded forward to help access.

[greengartside]

That is one beautiful machine, looks very well despite the initial grot-points.

 

My dad had one of these, a blue 343 DL too with that reflective striping on the bumpers. Was an automatic and he bought it in 1991 (I think) and drove it to Manchester and back without hitch, but was vandalised while it was there and all the badges were stolen (obviously some Volvo pervs were the culprits). Ended it's days in town when it was smashed into by another car. XEX 481S R.I.P...

[345DL]

Thanks all for your kind comments - this car seems to generate a lot of love for itself!

 

It's the oldest Volvo 300 in the country that I am aware of. There really aren't many of the earlypre-facelift ones left in the UK, I think I know of about 10 in total (although there are probably more hiding away from the internet). I'm actually the owner of two of them, here is the 343 with my 1980 345:

 

The 1979 model year was the first where manual transmission was an option, it also had a revised fascia as the very early one on 1976-1978 models was known for being of very poor quality. There's actually quite a lot of little differences between the 1979 and 1980 models - wheels, seatbelts, location of courtesy light, boot struts, wing and boot badges, interior door handles, door lock buttons, and I think they have a different rear valance too.

 

Anyway, I have been doing a litle retail therapy and I have some welding goodies:

I have a week off work next week, so I'm going to find some scrap metal to have a practice on and see how I get on!

[345DL]

Oh I meant to respond to some posts too.

If I'm honest I think the rot on the sills looks beyond patching, you can see loads of blobby MOT-type welding there which will probably be straight over the rust and what you see there will most likely be the tip of the iceberg. I think replacing the whole sills would be the best way forward, if you can find some!

I'm way ahead of you - I have a pair of fresh new sills in the spare room, although I think the offide sill is fine:

 

I also have a nearside wing, which I think I will use to patch up the original one rather than replace completely. Unfortunately I couldn't find a reasonably priced offside wing, so I'll somehow have to construct the missing bit myself

 

Funny to see the rear interior quarter panels have had the vinyl unstick from the backing, I forgot they did that, too.

Yes, I'm going to have to work out have to fix those, I think a hairdryer and some glue might sort it!

 

My lasting memory was how the front seats leaned towards the centre of the car when folded forward to help access.

Yes, I love that touch, one of my friends has a 2011 BINI and the 343 is much easier to get into the back of.

 

We used to call them 'Wizzers' when I worked at a Volvo garage because of the strange whirring sound the auto-box made. You'd be sitting in the showroom, all quiet , when suddenly someone would shout 'WIZZER!' and lo and behold a few seconds later, one would appear on the forecourt. Pensioners ahoy!

My 1985 model (the other red one in the pictures, B-reg) is a Wizzer, and they really do have a distinctive sound, which I think is fantastically quirky. It is incredibly loud when you drive it though - we drove from Cambridge to Southampton and back last year, and were both rather exhausted by the end!

 

I'm also loving all your stories about early 340s.

[dollywobbler]

I only discovered this week that the Wizzers (and DAF/Volvo 66) actually had a differential, unlike earlier Varios. Not quite so GR8 4 DRIFTIN perhaps. (but apparently better for tyre wear and transmission life!).

 

It is great to see early ones. Nicely quirky!

[Split_Pin]

I'm very much enjoying this thread

 

If I can be so bold, how much did all your welding gear set you back? I intend on getting this for my cars! Already got a scrap Astra door from my mate to practice on!

[345DL]

Somewhere in the region of £350 including an auto-dimming helmet which isn't in that picture. It's not cheap, so it means I really better actually do it! But it's certainly a lot cheaper than getting someone to do it for me, and I can use it again - I do have quite a few cars!

[Split_Pin]

Nice one, well thats probably the price of one job at a garage and as you say, you can use it again!

 

Meant to say, I picked up a brochure for a really early 343 from e-bay some years back. Its the one with the coffin-type front seats and no numberplate recess in the front bumper

[Shep Shepherd]

Nice save. Reminds me of the 1980 model that the woman who lived over the road from where I grew up owned in the 1990s. It ended up in the local scrapyard around 1998 or so

[Shep Shepherd]

Nice save. Reminds me of the 1980 model that the woman who lived over the road from where I grew up owned in the 1990s. It ended up in the local scrapyard around 1998 or so

[ashmicro]

Top man! I have fond memories of a mate's 1.4 (a later one)

[ashmicro]

Top man! I have fond memories of a mate's 1.4 (a later one)

[stuboy]

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

hope this helps you with your welding

[stuboy]

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php

 

hope this helps you with your welding

[AnthonyG]

Good stuff, that looks really nice in red. You still see the odd late 340 (87 onwards) about, but it's been a long time since I've seen a 'Mk1'. Your welding and painting skills are certainly better than mine!

 

My mate who owns a Volvo specialists has broken a lot of 1970s/80s Volvos in his time, send us a PM if you're looking for anything. Last time I looked in his shed I saw two variomatic transmissions out of 343s, condition unknown by now though (he's been breaking them for 10+ years)

 

Sorry to divert from shite for a moment, but what's your opinion on the new S60? Is it really a 'naughty' Volvo as was advertised?

[AnthonyG]

Good stuff, that looks really nice in red. You still see the odd late 340 (87 onwards) about, but it's been a long time since I've seen a 'Mk1'. Your welding and painting skills are certainly better than mine!

 

My mate who owns a Volvo specialists has broken a lot of 1970s/80s Volvos in his time, send us a PM if you're looking for anything. Last time I looked in his shed I saw two variomatic transmissions out of 343s, condition unknown by now though (he's been breaking them for 10+ years)

 

Sorry to divert from shite for a moment, but what's your opinion on the new S60? Is it really a 'naughty' Volvo as was advertised?

[HillmanImp]

Looking good, not sure how I have missed this excelsior thread. Keep the updates coming please.