welding project Juular's Scandi Noir. Volvo C70, 240 &122. De-fuming, denoising, and 240 update.

[juular]

A test drive before it bucketed down.

Had to top up the dashpots with ATF as it wanted to stall when floored. 

Something is rubbing at the back. In between downpours I had a look and moved one of the rear axle straps out of the way.

It's also really stinking of fuel. Seems to be coming from the carb throats, but the plugs look bang on so it's not running rich.

I'm sure I'll iron it back out again.

[danthecapriman]

It’s looking absolutely cracking though👍

I must admit, I do like the colour of the new paint and the blue bonnet.

[Ronkey]

I've had trouble with the dash pots overflowing after using nitrophyl floats. Put the originals back and all good. Could that be the source of the fuel smell?

[High Jetter]

ATF? Mebbe a bit thin?

[juular]

9 hours ago, Ronkey said:

I've had trouble with the dash pots overflowing after using nitrophyl floats. Put the originals back and all good. Could that be the source of the fuel smell?

Doesn't really smell like raw fuel to me, more like a very rich exhaust, but up front.

I'll have to check that the manifold gaskets are still intact I think.

[juular]

9 hours ago, High Jetter said:

ATF? Mebbe a bit thin?

I'm using richer needles, I felt that anything thicker created a rich spike and it bogged down.

The throttle response is instant which suggests it's close enough.

[warninglight]

1 hour ago, juular said:

Doesn't really smell like raw fuel to me, more like a very rich exhaust, but up front.

I'll have to check that the manifold gaskets are still intact I think.

Now you have windlace seals you presumably don't have a draught blowing right through the cabin? It could be an issue that's always been there, but more obvious now if the air isn't flowing through the cabin?

Great to see it back on the road, and looking all the better for the work you've put in, too.

[juular]

Bugger.

The scraping noise turned out to be a wheel bearing.

Turns out the brand new seal I fitted in autumn last year has already failed and let water pool in the bearing.

While I was in there I noticed the new wheel cylinder is leaking fluid as well.

New parts, great bunch of lads.

[juular]

Since the Amazon is currently up on a stand waiting on a new wheel bearing I may as well sort a couple of other things.

New seatbelts arrived. These were made in China and half the price of the other ones, but the quality feels much better.  The plastics are less brittle, the mechanism is smoother and the retract spring is much stronger. They also came with caps for the B pillar and buckle stops to prevent the buckle dropping onto the floor.

I've written to the sellers of the previous belts so I'll give them a chance to reply before I name and shame.  Place your bets now - I'm predicting they will blame me for installing them wrong and tell me they've never had an issue before.

@MrsJuular finished one side of the windlace and it looks amazing.

One of those things that really makes a difference to the feel of the interior being complete.

It's made from foam garden tie and a short length of upholstery fabric. Total cost for both sides is about £10.

I don't think there's anything lacking from that in comparison to the £200 off the shelf trim.

A brief diversion into 240 land.

Last week I noticed the wipers were getting slower and creaking from the linkages.

The left spindle that goes up through the bulkhead is seized to the point it's blowing fuses. 

I tried to remove the assembly from behind the dash. It's an absolute pig of a job.

Sadly after unbolting it the aluminium plate crumbled to pieces and the wiper spindle was still jammed solid.  I even put it in the hydraulic press to see if it would come out, and that couldn't shift it either.

It needs a new spindle but they seem to be no longer available except for LHD cars.

Not sure how to sort that one.

[Dyslexic Viking]

26 minutes ago, juular said:

It needs a new spindle but they seem to be no longer available except for LHD cars.

 

Is there any chance that the LHD part can be adapted to fit RHD?

[mat_the_cat]

Surely the obvious answer for someone of your skills is to convert the whole car to LHD, and move to a drier country?

[captain_70s]

The 144 in the Bellshill breakers still had its wiper arms. I've no idea if the linkage/motor was present, or if any bits are 240 compatible though. They could also be burnt beyond repair...

That windlace looks ace. I'll need some for the Cresta in 2058 when I'm ready to do the interior...

[juular]

49 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

The 144 in the Bellshill breakers still had its wiper arms. I've no idea if the linkage/motor was present, or if any bits are 240 compatible though. They could also be burnt beyond repair...

That windlace looks ace. I'll need some for the Cresta in 2058 when I'm ready to do the interior...

That is a decent shout, thanks.

Unfortunately the 140 linkages are more like the Amazon design - in other words sensible, reliable and more like industry standard.

Whoever designed the 240s linkages was high the entire time.

I'll keep an eye on that breaker as they are local and look like they get classic stuff in a lot.

 

[juular]

Last year I managed to get the Amazon back on the road on exactly the longest day. I thought it would be nice to do the same again.

The stuff to do the wheel bearing and brake cylinder arrived, and I got to this point having started to put everything back together.

Then my heart sank as I went to install the brake adjuster and the adjustment screw simply fell out.  The threads had stripped clean off.

These aren't difficult to get but it did mean waiting another 4 days for parts.

Sitting there in the pissing rain with tools strewn everywhere and covered in oil and bruises, I had a bit of a moment.

At this point I am not afraid to admit I had a bit of a tantrum, threw all the tools in the garage and went in to drink gin.

The next morning I woke up with an idea.

This is the brake adjuster.

This is how it works.  The screw pushes the cone in, which pushes the other two parts out against the brake shoes. You screw it in to adjust the shoes up to the drum.

I threw the screw / cone away and set about making some kind of replacement.

Firstly, the housing got tapped out to an M10 thread.

I then filed an M10 bolt into a conical shape.

I thought this would work, but it's not chunky enough to give much adjustment range.

I decided to build the size of the head up with weld.

Then file that down into a cone shape.

This worked better than expected. Not only does it replace the stupid square drive screw with a nice chunky 17mm head, it has just enough adjustment range to deal with the brake wear you'd normally expect.

Since I was dismantling everything again this gave me the opportunity to do a step that I'd completely missed: shimming the driveshafts properly.

The side to side play of the driveshafts against their bearings are measured on one side only and shimmed to get a play of 0.1mm.

Mine always felt a bit dodgy and you could pull one wheel out with an audible clunk.

In this case I used a digital caliper to measure it and noticed there was indeed too much, so I pulled a couple of shims out and it was bob on.

Doing the bearings, I had to work the brake line a lot to get the brake backplate off and I felt I'd started to work harden it. For the sake of ten minutes I'd rather not lose my brakes.

It was just a short bit, so I replaced it.

At this point I'd been out in the rain for hours, then got eaten alive by midges when the rain stopped.

Then sitting in the Amazon wondering if I could please drive it now, the rain finally stopped and I had a nice moment watching the sun go down over piles of assorted scrap.

At half 10 at night it was still daylight. Not quite midnight sun but quite pretty nonetheless.

Today I stole some fuel from the now disgraced 240 and chucked it in the Amazon. Then gingerly took it a drive a mile up the road and back.

No problems.

Time to kick the shit out of it with complete abandon.

A very pleasant 90 mile drive out for coffee and cake.

The exhaust manifold gasket is leaking and I think I've killed a few brain cells.

However it's tremendous fun and I really missed it. It goes so well and steers and handles so accurately. It's brash, quick and endlessly entertaining. Every little drive feels like taking part in a rally.

Worth it.

Guess I now have to start fixing the BX.

[dome]

Excellent work, putting most of us to shame as usual.

Is the option there to replace the 240s wiper mechanism with something completely different?

I was contemplating upgrading the Mantas wipers and it just so happens the distance between the spindles is the same as my Kangoos🤔

[juular]

14 hours ago, dome said:

Excellent work, putting most of us to shame as usual.

Is the option there to replace the 240s wiper mechanism with something completely different?

I was contemplating upgrading the Mantas wipers and it just so happens the distance between the spindles is the same as my Kangoos🤔

It's an idea worth exploring. The 240s wiper mechanism is a bit of a liability as almost none of it is still available in RHD form. I'm already using a wiper motor from another car hacked to fit.

Guess I'll need to start carrying a tape measure round car parks. 🫣

[danthecapriman]

Volvo themselves must’ve decided the 240 wiper mechanism wasn’t great as it was completely different for the 740, much simpler.

There must be used replacements around from the banger racers considering how many get raced these days?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I have no advice or really anything useful to say other than I love watching you go about your business with these old Volvos.  The Amazon is just wonderful, even if it can be a totally ungrateful bastard.

[artdjones]

On 20/06/2026 at 19:02, juular said:

Last year I managed to get the Amazon back on the road on exactly the longest day. I thought it would be nice to do the same again.

The stuff to do the wheel bearing and brake cylinder arrived, and I got to this point having started to put everything back together.

Then my heart sank as I went to install the brake adjuster and the adjustment screw simply fell out.  The threads had stripped clean off.

These aren't difficult to get but it did mean waiting another 4 days for parts.

Sitting there in the pissing rain with tools strewn everywhere and covered in oil and bruises, I had a bit of a moment.

At this point I am not afraid to admit I had a bit of a tantrum, threw all the tools in the garage and went in to drink gin.

The next morning I woke up with an idea.

This is the brake adjuster.

This is how it works.  The screw pushes the cone in, which pushes the other two parts out against the brake shoes. You screw it in to adjust the shoes up to the drum.

I threw the screw / cone away and set about making some kind of replacement.

Firstly, the housing got tapped out to an M10 thread.

I then filed an M10 bolt into a conical shape.

I thought this would work, but it's not chunky enough to give much adjustment range.

I decided to build the size of the head up with weld.

Then file that down into a cone shape.

This worked better than expected. Not only does it replace the stupid square drive screw with a nice chunky 17mm head, it has just enough adjustment range to deal with the brake wear you'd normally expect.

Since I was dismantling everything again this gave me the opportunity to do a step that I'd completely missed: shimming the driveshafts properly.

The side to side play of the driveshafts against their bearings are measured on one side only and shimmed to get a play of 0.1mm.

Mine always felt a bit dodgy and you could pull one wheel out with an audible clunk.

In this case I used a digital caliper to measure it and noticed there was indeed too much, so I pulled a couple of shims out and it was bob on.

Doing the bearings, I had to work the brake line a lot to get the brake backplate off and I felt I'd started to work harden it. For the sake of ten minutes I'd rather not lose my brakes.

It was just a short bit, so I replaced it.

At this point I'd been out in the rain for hours, then got eaten alive by midges when the rain stopped.

Then sitting in the Amazon wondering if I could please drive it now, the rain finally stopped and I had a nice moment watching the sun go down over piles of assorted scrap.

At half 10 at night it was still daylight. Not quite midnight sun but quite pretty nonetheless.

Today I stole some fuel from the now disgraced 240 and chucked it in the Amazon. Then gingerly took it a drive a mile up the road and back.

No problems.

Time to kick the shit out of it with complete abandon.

A very pleasant 90 mile drive out for coffee and cake.

The exhaust manifold gasket is leaking and I think I've killed a few brain cells.

However it's tremendous fun and I really missed it. It goes so well and steers and handles so accurately. It's brash, quick and endlessly entertaining. Every little drive feels like taking part in a rally.

Worth it.

Guess I now have to start fixing the BX.

One of the nicest things about working on older Ladas was the rear brake adjusters, with a nice solid 17mm hex head instead of a flimsy square that rounds off for almost nothing. A useful upgrade.

[juular]

Must've had a premonition or something as a manifold gasket plopped through the door on Saturday.  I'd ordered a 240 one last week and tagged an Amazon one on the order just because.

Clear to see the leak from the middle.

Upgrade to rayscaur with some exhaust wrap.

This is mainly to protect the alternator which is very close to the exhaust, and to try and prevent the float bowls getting too hot.

I think I found why the gasket was leaking in the first place.  The upgraded 4 branch manifold's flange is about 1mm thicker than the intake manifold and so neither were being clamped properly.

I set about sorting that with a power file and vernier caliper.

In the process I knocked the heater pipe which started pissing water from the daft seal that goes into the water pump. A smack with a rubber mallet and tightening of the bolt seems to have sorted it.

Went out a drive to a fellow enthusiast's place to do an assist on another stubborn Volvo.

Noticed an immediate improvement in the idle, which suggests the intake was leaking before.

For the first few miles it seemed quieter and less smelly. After that, less so and I felt I was getting wafts of exhaust / fuel occasionally again.

Not really sure what else it could be but I would like to sort it.

No Amazon at midsummer sunset photo this time round, as I wandered out in my slippers to watch it instead.

[artdjones]

58 minutes ago, juular said:

Must've had a premonition or something as a manifold gasket plopped through the door on Saturday.  I'd ordered a 240 one last week and tagged an Amazon one on the order just because.

Clear to see the leak from the middle.

Upgrade to rayscaur with some exhaust wrap.

This is mainly to protect the alternator which is very close to the exhaust, and to try and prevent the float bowls getting too hot.

I think I found why the gasket was leaking in the first place.  The upgraded 4 branch manifold's flange is about 1mm thicker than the intake manifold and so neither were being clamped properly.

I set about sorting that with a power file and vernier caliper.

In the process I knocked the heater pipe which started pissing water from the daft seal that goes into the water pump. A smack with a rubber mallet and tightening of the bolt seems to have sorted it.

Went out a drive to a fellow enthusiast's place to do an assist on another stubborn Volvo.

Noticed an immediate improvement in the idle, which suggests the intake was leaking before.

For the first few miles it seemed quieter and less smelly. After that, less so and I felt I was getting wafts of exhaust / fuel occasionally again.

Not really sure what else it could be but I would like to sort it.

No Amazon at midsummer sunset photo this time round, as I wandered out in my slippers to watch it instead.

 

 

Whats the manifold to downpipe joint like?

[juular]

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

Whats the manifold to downpipe joint like?

On this the manifold and downpipe are one unit. It joins further back under the floor.

Anyway, seems ok. No staining or obvious leaking there. I'd expect any leaks under the floor to end up being blown away while moving.

[Six-cylinder]

On 20/06/2026 at 19:02, juular said:

Ami's are great as everyday cars at this time of year, 39 mpg from mine. Just Saying!

 

 

[juular]

21 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

@MrsJuular needs to get a move on with her engine build!

[juular]

Some more de-fuming has been done.

Last year I modified the oil cap by welding a tube on top and closing off the vented areas with foil tape, redirecting any oil vapor into the air filter.

The foil tape was a temporary thing to see if it worked but that temporary has now caught up and the foil has started to gain a few holes, so some blowby is definitely getting out.

So I've now plugged the cap vents with some polyurethane sealant. 

The cap is packed with a dense mesh so there shouldn't be any way of loose sealant getting into the valve cover.

I've also given the bulkhead seals and bonnet seal a good going over, gluing and repairing bits where necessary.

The bit where the steering column goes through the bulkhead is always a problem. The bit of foam I glued here keeps coming off, so it's time to stop asking nicely and screw a new bit of foam on.

I also gave the exhaust manifold a nip up and wrapped a couple of joins further back with foil tape just to see if it made any difference.

Then to test it out, a scenic evening drive.

I can see my house from here waaaaay in the distance.

Here's looking back, the car park is on top of the hills in the right.

So, I think I've reached a point where the smelliness is as good as it's going to get.

On heavy acceleration and overrun there's a puff of fuel smell but that's pretty much par for the course for an old car with a pair of SUs.

I think the sticky, eye stinging exhaust leak smell has gone.

There's a bit of petrol smell in the boot, but as it has an open breather in the cap that's probably normal in hot weather.

As an added bonus the unpleasant boominess at motorway speeds has all gone which is a huge relief. After spending significant time and money on the exhaust system without any effect, I still can't say for certain what it was, but it was something I've done in the latest round of updates.

I think a combination of the exhaust manifold leak, the front wings being a bit loose, the bonnet buffers missing and the pancake air filters being loud created a resonance in the front of the car that came to a head at 70mph.

I never really did report back on the new custom airbox, but it works quite well. I'm in two minds about it as it hasn't really fixed the smell, but the car is a lot quieter.  Some might say too quiet, the snort of the twin pancakes did sound absolutely filthy.

I knocked the noise killer insert out of the back box a couple of months ago and this has proved it wasn't exhaust drone.  The exhaust is actually quite nice sounding now as well.

In other news I have a plan to fix the 240. A RHD wiper spindle was sourced from Sweden.

Those are big numbers but it translates into about 112 King Chuck Tokens which isn't bad.  Will just have to see what bill customs send me.

[Supernaut]

SUs are indeed noisy as fuck.

I'm still trying to figure out a proper solution for the one on the Land Rover. Any pointers appreciated!

 

It's actually surprisingly quiet (for a series Land Rover) when tootling along on the flat or on a downhill section, but under load up a gradient it BOOMS through your head, it's unbearable.

[juular]

29 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

SUs are indeed noisy as fuck.

I'm still trying to figure out a proper solution for the one on the Land Rover. Any pointers appreciated!

 

It's actually surprisingly quiet (for a series Land Rover) when tootling along on the flat or on a downhill section, but under load up a gradient it BOOMS through your head, it's unbearable.

SUs themselves aren't intrinsically noisy but the filter setup can either make the induction roar in your face or further away.  Basically the sound will be where the opening is. Route the opening to the front grille and it will be quiet. Route it up a snorkel and it's going to be at your head.

Reproduction engine mounts are also rock hard.  This land rover place does OEM quality ones that are quiet. These are the ones I have in the Amazon and the difference is incredible.

https://www.glencoyne.co.uk/own-parts

Anything loose will vibrate and make it boom in the cabin, sound deadening panels make a huge difference.

Some of it might simply be Because Land Rover M7.  They are known for being noisy bastards.

[Supernaut]

That Glencoyne place do an E10 conversion kit for Zenith carbs too!

If only we had the original Zenith carb.

 

However, surely someone does similar for SUs...

To eBay!