1985 Volvo 360 GLE + 1987 340 GL

[Jim Bell]

 

 

Proof that Varios can have rear wipe.

[Inspector Morose]

Just bought a B-reg Variomatic too 'cos I need my brain looked at.

SWAP 4 BX MISTA?

[derskine]

I'm jizzing over all these 300 series pics.

[cms206]

SWAP 4 BX MISTA?

Let me see how I get on with it first...

[Inspector Morose]

So I'll be bringing the BX with me later on in he month then?!

[derskine]

So, the temp gauge on the 360 hasn't been working, I assumed the temp sender was faulty.

The gauge is fine, as if it was gauge related, the fuel gauge also wouldn't work (ask me how I know).

I was in a drive thru yesterday and the needle moved up slightly.

The heater isn't what I've come to expect of a 300 series so I believe the thermostat is stuck open.

Will get one ordered and changed asap.

[dugong]

You're making me want a 340/360 again. 

This goes against my 'no more tragic old heaps, only fast stuff from now on' (with one exception). 

[derskine]

Do it...

[dugong]

Can't. They're too expensive round here. Everyone's gripped by OMFGDRFITWEAPON fever and price accordingly. 

Plus, I have another piece of chod cued up, provided things line up at work (at the moment, they're not). 

Weirdly, I came within an ace of buying Sam Glover's 360GLT (to the point of sending a deposit) only to ask for it back because I lost my hours at work. 
Sam, being a fine and upstanding gentleman, refunded the money and sold the car on elsewhere. 

[Jim Bell]

I think the 300 drift ship has sailed. Other than being rwd, from stock there's too much you need to do to make one decent for that purpose. The bad news is that so many have been stacked or ruined and scrapped in the process. I think prices are returning to reasonably sensible. There's chancers asking for £1000+ but I don't see much selling high.

 

Id have a 1.4 or a 360 again.

[JohnK]

If only I had more space, I would start hunting for one now!

[derskine]

I've recently hounded a few people on the volvo300mania facebook page for asking £2k for a 1.7 etc...

I've not had a 1.4 properly, that red one was but it was a shed obviously.

FOAD has one, I drove it, and it feels okay, but I think now I prefer the 360.

[Eddie Honda]

Id have a 1.4 or a 360 again.

Not tempted by a 1.6?

 

 

(Just noticed the date of that clip, 4yrs FFS! Must get finger (and welder) out...)

[Jim Bell]

Absolutely.  Welder up, get a ticket on it and i'll bring you the equivalent of £400 in those Euros that they ave these days.

[derskine]

If I remember correctly the diesels also have the shit propshaft, and I think there was issues with omgtorque (still more than a 1.4 or 1.7 I think) ripping them to shreds?

[Lacquer Peel]

I think the 300 drift ship has sailed. Other than being rwd, from stock there's too much you need to do to make one decent for that purpose. The bad news is that so many have been stacked or ruined and scrapped in the process. I think prices are returning to reasonably sensible. There's chancers asking for £1000+ but I don't see much selling high.

 

Id have a 1.4 or a 360 again.

 

Is the 1.7 shite?

[Jim Bell]

More prone to engine issue, but popular because its easiest to convert to F7R/P.

 

1.4s and 360s in my experience are genuinely bulletproof.

[quicksilver]

These things are genuine* bona fide classic* museum* pieces. The Stondon museum shed o' chod of blessed memory had this one.

1989 Volvo 360 GLE 2.0 by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

And this one lives just down the road from me.

1987 Volvo 340 GLE 1.7 by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

Excuse me for being thick but what exactly is the difference between a 340 and a 360? I thought the second digit was the number of cylinders on the bigger ones but obviously not here.

[Eddie Honda]

They do have a shit prop, but also remember a pez moves quicker, as does a glacier. In fact the max torque of the B14 petrol is more than that of the dizzler.

 

Absolutely.  Welder up, get a ticket on it and i'll bring you the equivalent of £400 in those Euros that they ave these days.

I'll keep it in mind. Alternatively you can just live with it a month or two then send it back. Only prob at the moment is that it doesn't have a Bob Bosch pump, but then I wouldn't be bothered at the current rate of 84ppl for dizzle here.

[Jim Bell]

The 340 uses Renner engines with a terrible prop that spins its rubber coupling jobs when you try and use it to transfer power to the wheels.

 

The 360 uses genuine Volvo 2.0 engines and a torque tube to transfer power.

 

Shells are generally the same bar a rear spare wheel well (340s have the spare in the engine bay.)

[Eddie Honda]

^^^^^

 

Generally, but there are 340s that have 2.0 engines from the factory...before they bothered* dreaming up calling them 360s.

 

http://www.volvo300mania.com/uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=16352

 

 

*or they had bothered, but saved it for the shite-spec B19s.

[Lacquer Peel]

Has anybody 'done' one with a 1.9 TD out of a 440?

[Eddie Honda]

Yes there has been the odd home-brew, but what's the point? A dayshul should be dirty, smelly and slow.

[Lacquer Peel]

Lombardini diesels all round.

[Jim Bell]

I'd love a 360 with an XU or Isuzu dweezil.

[andrew e]

I had a 1.7 at the turn of the century, £140 out of Boreham auctions. They were worthless then, I ran it for a few years a a spare (had work vans) they stripped and scrapped it. The front seats and carpet went in my T25 nicely - the rear boot soundproofing went perfectly on top of the engine cover.

 

I do remember it eating distributor caps, and them being a bugger to prize off though, being that close to the bulkhead.

[barrett]

I always thought the 360 was the saloon and the 340 the hatch. I'm a thicko, obviously. I would like a go at a really early one with the frogface, they look ace I reckon.

My uncle once bought two in one weekend, a knackered frogface for £150 and the a much better late five door for £200 two days later. I remember thinking they both looked pretty crummy at the time but my rose tints are in full effect now and I regret not at least getting a ride in the older one (which was scrapped the following week)

[Six-cylinder]

I'm jizzing over all these 300 series pics.

This was one of three saloons I had, notice how posh this one is with a factory sunroof and body decals.

 

I got it in Oct 1987 and ran it until Feb 1988.

[dugong]

Has anybody 'done' one with a 1.9 TD out of a 440?

Yes. Classic Swede in Anglesey has done one - I'll ask him for the photos if you like. He said it went quite well and the engine was well up to the task of dragging the car around.

I'd quite like to give a 440 \ 460 dizzle a go at some point.

[derskine]

A TD 340 would be great - as I say the only beef I have with at least the 1.7 and the 360 is the fuel economy.

 

I really can't get along with 440s, they just feel shonky and cheap to me, the 300 series is a bit more Volvo-like.

I've still got the 440 I took the 2 litre engine out of, no one wants to buy anything from it!