Volvo C202 Laplander - 7 years on - on the move again

[loserone]

This is amazing.

 

Amazed.

[doug]

I have the Scottish made equivalent of this truck. Can't post pics but google image search Q501JKN and you will get pics.

It's currently off the road as the gearbox chewed itself to death.

[warninglight]

Even without googling for a pic of your Stonefield I thought I'd best check my old Instagram posts... Almost a year ago to the day, 25th June 2017, spotted you at The Green Welly! Lovely thing, and small world! Yours is quite a bit bigger than mine, though.

 

 

What gearboxes do they use?

 

 

[Zelandeth]

For random bushes and stuff I imagine having a dig around the parts books for common Volvo bus chassis from the time (B58/early B10M spring most readily to mind) might be worthwhile?

 

Depends how specialised they are...but there are quite a lot of buses in preservation built on Volvo chassis, so some bits that are easier to get hold of might be adaptable depending on application.

 

Looks a fantastically fun bit of kit...

[warninglight]

I can measure up the one in my 164 if you want.

 

If you wouldn't mind! Length is the main thing I think, as they should be similar in width and height to the B20 (I assume, though I guess the fannymoulds might protrude a bit further out)

[doug]

Aye that was me going to Fort William to climb Ben Nevis. Averaged 8 mpg. Its a torqueflite gearbox fitted to a Chrysler 318 V8. It's going to cost a bit to get the gearbox fixed but I have owned this old bus for over 13 years now and I just can't scrap it off even if that's the sensible option. I am sure folks around here will understand this.

[warninglight]

You absolutely can't! Even if you did, I'd give you scrap value for it...

 

We were off to Mull and then Islay camping for a few days, out of the back of my old V70. Laplander would do the job much better.

 

 

 

 

[doug]

As a side note Volvo and Stonefield have a strong connection. The guy that set up Volvo trucks in Scotland was also behind the formation of Stonefield Trucks.

[Noel Tidybeard]

Also, does anyone recognise the indicator units as matching those on another model? I'm missing a lens and can't find anything, even from the numbers on the lens or in the original parts lists. If I can't find it I'll have to find the nearest equivalent to fit both sides, to keep the looks.

 

 

ovlov F7?

 

also ask dave "the chrain" fowler to measure the ones on the big yeller fun bus

[warninglight]

Roof is off! Bit heavier than a Landy one...

[wuvvum]

B30 is almost exactly 3' long from bellhousing to fan.  Probably knock about 5" off that if you're using an electric fan.

[Jon]

Nice C202! The condition of it makes my SIIA Land Rover project look like a Pebble Beach contender, so thanks also for that!

 

Here's a bit of inspiration/ pure escapism I uploaded a while back:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus Bedford Bush Bosh bearing bloody big BFs. Bonkers.

[warninglight]

That's amazing! Thanks for sharing it.

 

Mine was originally that colour scheme, and I was trying to visualise how it would look with a black roof rack on it, as I may make one myself and it won't be worth getting galvanised. That top picture seals the deal, and it'll be worth measuring up old Landy and Rangie racks too!

[warninglight]

Back when I was teasing you lot that this very vehicle had appeared on autoshite in the past...

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/28586-tell-me-about-this-volvo-please/?hl=laplander&do=findComment&comment=1251847

 

Looking at the old V5, both UK owners (since 1982) were in the same Hampshire village. I'll write to the original one, though 1982 was a long time ago!

 

Edit: No i won't, Zoopla says that house was last sold in 2010. A cold trail, then.

[bezzabsa]

I reckon a 109 landy should provide a close enough fit roof wise looking at it...or at least repair panels..

[warninglight]

Landy panels are mostly aluminium, this is all simply folded steel, and I have a nice MIG and a new folder to keep me interested. Hopefully start cutting rot out in the next week or two.

[warninglight]

I've done a bit more stripping, and finding more rot and seized screws holding it all together...

 

Body needs to come off, and I've been wishing I had one of these for ages, so here is last night's building job. It goes much higher and with a chain block on it will make a good job of getting the body onto my trailer and out of the way while I sort the chassis.

[warninglight]

Do any shiters have a Volvo 740/940 diesel manual gearbox kicking about? Must be the M46 (4 speed overdrive), only really want the bellhousing and maybe input shaft so I can mock up something when the body is off...

[warninglight]

Probably due an update here, even though it's a shameful lack of progress in 2 years. Life in the way etc.

 

Still stripping it down and deciding what I want to do with it, I've gone through ideas from completely standard, to a chassis extended to perhaps 100", and BMW/Land Rover engine and running gear. The body can easily be made into a chassis cab, with a habitation box fitted to the back.

I've gone back a bit from that, plan is now to sort the (pretty rotten) body, build a pop up roof into it, to make it a useable albeit diminutive camper.

Engine-wise I'm looking at the VW 1.9tdi lumps, maybe manual pump, maybe PD. I have a 740 5 speed box which can be mated to the transfer box, keeping the driveline all Volvo but allowing a useful extra gear to keep diesel revs down.

There's still a long way to go though, the steering column/box is one piece, through the chassis. This has to be removed to allow the body to lift off. Finally last weekend, with a lot of heat, I got that off. It felt great to finally have some progress, until I crushed my thumb with a boat trailer the next morning. Keen to get back in as soon as I can though, I promise to update more! Keen on opinions about VW TDI swap options and donors.

 

 

[warninglight]

As said in the last post, I had just got started into this again, and I managed to break my thumb. That was 2 months ago now, so I'm just about back in action, with (I think) a fairly good idea of where I'm going with this.

I had intended to keep the boxy body, and incorporate a pop top, maybe like this:

There's a Dutch guy rebuilding one with the original steel roof panel working as a hinged pop top, I really like that design as it's invisible when down, so that would have been the preferred option.

Unfortunately there's no getting away from the fact that the body is utterly knackered. All 5 doors need extensive work to the frames and skins, the floors are knackered throughout, the rear section of the roof is full of holes, and even stuff like the switchgear in the dash is rotten and seized.

At this point it's worth remembering how I first saw it, in this photo, posted on here by Nigel Bickle. It was parked up around 1993, so I'm probably 20 years too late to be able to save it in an original guise.

As bad as the body is, the chassis seems (so far) fairly sound, and I managed to score a spare set of axles, springs, gearbox, transfer box, steering box and even a B20A engine from a guy in Manchester who is building one with 300tdi Landy bits throughout. So I'm confident that I can build a driving chassis without too much trouble.

One very handy thing is that I can reduce the amount of bodywork I have to contend with, as they also made a pickup version, and even an ambulance version which left the factory as a chassis cab. All I need to do is drill a few spot welds, and fabricate a flat panel to bolt onto existing holes behind the seats, and I can have something like this...

Apart from the engine cover (and most of that is battery, which I will relocate to save space) that leaves me with a useful chassis to play with.

I can get it roadworthy much like that, and then fabricate a flatbed body to suit, so it can be really useful. I'll have that so it can be lifted off with a few bolts, with the intention of, in time, building a lightweight insulated camper body to plop on as and when.

If it's going to have double duty as a workhorse and a long distance travelling toy, then it really needs an engine to suit. My plan for that is to modify an M47 gearbox (the 5 speed version of the same family the original 4 speed M45 came from) to fit the original transfer box, giving me an overdrive gear, and, by sourcing that gearbox from a diesel 740, it'll bolt straight on to a VW TDI. I'm a bit short on space, and I'm not that keen on the 6 pot used in the 740s, but I love the 5 pot used in the 850s and V70s. It'll take some work to convert to mechanical injection, or to get it working with original ECU (my preferred option) but when it's done, it should be characterful, useable, and still have some Volvo heritage! Thanks @scdan4 for measuring his spare, I reckon it'll fit with a modern slim radiator.

With all that in mind, stripdown work is continuing every spare hour I get...

Hoping to have a chassis on the lift and the cab on a stand by Christmas! Then the hunt will be on for an 850/S70/V70 TDI donor...

 

[Volksy]

Damn that's a hard route to follow. I would love one of these, but cannot win the lotto. I'd go overlander with the chassis you have and once the mechanics are sorted will be a mega tool. Also instantly sellable to the new tarquins.

[cort1977]

Sounds like a lot of work but you engine and gearbox plan makes sense.

[Macscrooge]

Fabulous!  Old Volvos are good, military vehicles are good!  I’ve sat in a Bv-202 - the articulated tracked thing - and was entertained to see the same auto gear selector as in a 740. 

[juular]

Ovlov..

Old Ovlov..

Old off road Ovlov camper with a vag 5 pot diesel..

This is probably the most amazing and ambitious project I've seen, I am following with enormous interest, not to mention a large slice of envy. Please update frequently!

[Volksy]

1 hour ago, Macscrooge said:

Fabulous!  Old Volvos are good, military vehicles are good!  I’ve sat in a Bv-202 - the articulated tracked thing - and was entertained to see the same auto gear selector as in a 740. 

A friend of mine in Switzerland has one of these to service his hotel and bar, this is due to it being in a 'White Zone' where no cars are allowed. 

Great way to arrive!

I believe that his is fitted with a Ford V6, it does make an awesome howl!

  

[cort1977]

1 hour ago, Macscrooge said:

Fabulous!  Old Volvos are good, military vehicles are good!  I’ve sat in a Bv-202 - the articulated tracked thing - and was entertained to see the same auto gear selector as in a 740. 

They are, but I've never looked at them in the same light after I once heard a Royal Marines Sergeant refer to them as 'fooking Sooty wagons'!

[scdan4]

Mega. 

 

😁

[Asimo]

Papped locally 6 years ago. I must wander casually past and see if it is still there.

[warninglight]

Where in the country is that? It looks as rough as mine, and has likely had an axle swap 

[warninglight]

A bit more progress with the stripdown, with a fight to get the heater out, the windscreen off, and the first cut in the body as I'm getting ready to lift it off the chassis.

The heater is going straight on the scrap pile. I'll work out a better solution than this...

With the heater and windscreen removed the cab doesn't have a whole lot left to do. The pedal box will be a bit of a pain. It has a weird brake master cylinder arrangement, with 2 cylinders for the early twin circuit system, 2 fluid reservoirs visible on the dash top, 2 servos behind the rear bumper etc. I'm going to look at making it a more moderns etup, with one master, one servo and a check valve...

The first rough cut behind the cab, making sure to cut aft of the body mounts so the cab is held with 4 bolts as per the factory ones, not 2! The Makita recip saw is great for stuff like this.