Refurb Diary !!!CONTAINS SVM!!!

[davidfowler2000]

Just thought I'd do a refurb / tidy up diary of my inaugural Autoshite - my Volvo 740. As we know when I got the old bus nearly 2 years ago it was very tidy for it's age. A few scabby bits here and there but stuff to work on in the future. Well it seems the future has arrived. Every time I go out to the car I notice something else needing sorted with the bodywork. Anyways I'll stick a few old shots up and some new ones as the tidy up process goes along.

 

!!!SHAMELESS PLUG!!!
Any other old Volvo owners out there? Don't bother with your Volvo main dealer for parts. My local one won't get anything for anything older than an 'S' or 'V' hundred. Go to www.skandix.de instead. €21 shipping from Germany but all you have to do is put your VIN into the vehicle type box and it'll filter the whole site to your car. There's virtually nothing they don't have in stock or can't get.

 

 

 

In the beginning....we had this...

H211 GPC by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

That was the delivery run at Gretna services. Rather tidy but the rain masks some blemishes.

 

That winter, I decided it was time for a shite photoshoot. I do believe this one became a favourite of Mr Corsaviour...

H211GPC Glencoe Trip by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

Even at this stage you can see the bumpers starting to fade. *Sadface*.

 

Later... - At Not-Cholmondeley (Arley Car Show) 2013.

Arley Concourse Comp - 90s Class by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

Upsetting the concourse man and a few other folk taking themselves too seriously. So...fading bumpers, dings in the door and the reflections nicely hiding the stone chips.

Also - look at the nick of those wheels!!!

 

Earlier this year. The day we went to get Adrian's (rml2345) current Swede Brick from eddyramrod.

Adrian's New Volvo by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

It was round about this time when it was becoming obvious at how less than perfect it was.

Adrian's New Volvo by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

 

Then of course we had the grand tour to Sweden a couple of months ago. It was around this time when I noticed some of the paint chips starting to rust.

DSC_6713 by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

 

 

That's us up to date on pre-tidy up. So what's the plan now? First thing to get done - the wheels. The were making my shit itch as to how horrible they were. £240 for a full strip down refurb.
Before and After
    

 

Then to get new wheel trims / hub caps. My local Volvo dealer (Taggarts) were completely hopeless. They said old stock was being discontinued since the Chinese takeover. Skandix managed to get me some brand new ones...
         

 

I've also resprayed the wiper arms as they were starting to bubble with rust. No photos of those (yet).

Further updates will come as they happen. Need cash to do this. Thankfully doing Park and Ride shuttle buses for the Commonwealths is paying rather a lot so it'll get done when the games are by with.

 

---ENDS---
-Dave

[Lacquer Peel]

It's amazing what a difference refurbished wheels make, transforms the car.

Pining for another RWD Volvo now.

[Shep Shepherd]

I concur that Skandix is a brilliant source of obscure old Volvo parts

 

What do you plan to do with the bumpers? The Volvo's are in a similar condition and can only be revived with proprietary trim cleaners for a couple of weeks before they start to fade again.

[davidfowler2000]

For the bumpers I have been using a product called Highstyle as provided by fellow SVMist cms201. It looks like apple juice and has the consistency of olive oil. You brush it on and everything goes black / dark but it seems to fade or wash off very quickly.
Look at the middle photo in the last row of 3 photos and the O/S of the bumper. See the dark strip? Know how I did that? The edge (NOT THE JAGGY BITS) of a cone shaped wire brush on a power drill. The several layers of Highstyle I've used seem to have worked their way into the plastic but have oxidised / faded on the outside. Scratching the layers away make it dark again AND IT LASTS. I've been careful on that spot to not remove any plastic, only the layered Highstyle. I'll try some fine grade wire wool on another spot to see if that helps. Was also told by someone at work the best way to get a decent length of time out of the bumpers is to gently use an electric paint stripper. Something to do with the heat remoulding a miniscule amount of surface plastic.

[xtriple]

Don't know if it will work on Volvos but I've had a lot of success on plastics using a heat gun/hairdryer. Seems to revive and last.

[r.welfare]

Linseed oil works well for me.

 

My brother had a saloon, same spec, age and colour, as that. Usual buggered headlining and knackered instruments aside, a lovely old bus.

[davidfowler2000]

I think Highstyle might actually just be Linseed oil. Will try the abrasive approach first then the heat treatment. Of course my headlining is starting to sag. Might just see about a new one rather than bodges.

[Sloth in a bowl]

If all else fails, I did get very good results with Halfords own brand exterior trim spray on turning grey plastics back to black. Just wear a face mask when using it, as it is hideously bad stuff for a headache.

[forddeliveryboy]

Once tried old engine oil on grey bumpers, worked a treat and lasted well.

[Split_Pin]

Meguairs trim wax is worth the extra plus it smells of banana.

[Inspector Morose]

Pure silicone spray, not silicone grease as that doesn't work too well but you can get a very high silicone lubricant found in most bus garages . It's like back to black but it lasts longer.

[davidfowler2000]

Update - 15/08/2014

 

Bumper Refresh!!!

So I've asked here, checked elsewhere and done my homework and I have seen / heard the biggest possible variance in products to use in bumper restoration you could ever dream to think of. However, although one or two products had a couple of shout outs from one or two folk, there was one that was touted by just about 50% of the people I asked - heat treatment.

 

So I purchased a heat gun at everyone's favourite DIY shop - Block & Quayle - for the princely sum of about £17 and gave it a blast. What is there to lose? Best case scenario, it doesn't work and I just try a liquid product to get results, worst case scenario I buy new bumper covers. Yes...Skandix stock brand new, genuine Volvo plastic bumper mouldings.

 

Anyways as cms206 usually says - "PITCHERS OR IT DIDNAE HAPPN!" - take a look for yourselves...

 

 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Be interesting to see how long it takes for them to revert back to gray.

[Skizzer]

Oo-er, that looks much posher.

 

Stupid question: it doesn't bubble the surrounding paint, then?

[Spiny Norman]

Be interesting to see how long it takes for them to revert back to gray.

 

Aye, that's always the problem with the fancy liquid potions/peanut butter/weasel snot etc.

 

Looks good though.

[davidfowler2000]

Oo-er, that looks much posher.

 

Stupid question: it doesn't bubble the surrounding paint, then?

 

Seems not to and I wasn't being particularly careful around the paint. The paint's biggest saviour is that it's attached to metal with dissipates the heat quite nicely.

[Skizzer]

I shall give it a go on the Yeti's sill covers then.  Might try it on the Golf petrol cap too, which has the advantage of being removable from the car anyway (obviously).  I will avoid pointing the heat gun at any petrol fumes, by the way - I'm quite dumb, but not that dumb.

[davidfowler2000]

The biggest issue I found is that the heat gun can be a bit concentrated so you get heat swirls in the plastic a bit like tarnishing on a stainless steel kettle the first time it's used. Solved by going over the plastic with my bare hands when still warm. You don't have to get it particularly hot for it to soften and go dark.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

i heat gunned the bumpers on my Argenta, nowt else would touch them, sadly even the heat gun treatment only lasted a few months.

[hairnet]

is it me or do the wheels look good without the caps

[davidfowler2000]

!!!UPDATE!!!

 

Paintwork refresh time.

 

Housekeeping. Things to be done :
Rusty rear arches...

   

H211 GPC by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

 

Rusty bash on one of the doors...

H211 GPC by davidfowler2000, on Flickr

 

Plus various stone chips, dents and general dullness of the whole thing. It cost a few quid to do what I got done (£650) but as stated above, I got a vastly inflated wage for doing Park and Ride shuttle buses at the Commonwealth games so I'm still up on cash after it all got done. Now for the results...

 

Fresh metal in the arches...

 

Bash in the door? What bash?

 

OSF wing completely resprayed...

^^^ This is going back though 'cos the manny's forgot to do the coachlines!!!

 

General posing. The manny at the paintshop did various stone chip touch ups on the bonnet (it looks resprayed from about 2 feet away). I gave it a wash to get rid of the polish remnants and clean the wheels. Once it's dry I'll wax and seal it to keep it all good.

           

 

---ENDS---

[Spiny Norman]

Yaaaay!! Shiny Volvo Massiv.

[cms206]

SVM STATUS: APPROVED.

 

Does this mean I have to get the Sigmund Cox 740 painted now?

[Sudsprint]

Classy looking Volvo - love it

[Minimad5]

Cracking thread.
Is it just me, or have the RWD Volvos become the new BX around here ?
Either way WANT.

[Jim Bell]

Top threading. Car improvement approved!

[davidfowler2000]

SVM STATUS: APPROVED.

 

Does this mean I have to get the Sigmund Cox 740 painted now?

 

It is not a requirement, Andy. H211 started off good and got tired so it was time to refresh. The CEO of SVM Industries needs to have at least one swankymobile.

[davidfowler2000]

My my. Nearly 3 years since the last post?

Not really much has happened worth sharing however that has changed. The front brakes needed a major overhaul so last week I was assisted by mr rml2345 who took the following pictures.

 

Warning. May contain brightly coloured Hammerite.

[hairnet]

funnily enuff i did similar to the front of the bike earlier clean caliper and brass brush pistons

 

no hammerite tho