Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

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Fred
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Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

Yes, it's a damn weird looking little car, but:

1) It's RWD
2) It's 5 speed manual
3) It's bell-housing compatible with all of the Volvo redblocks, turbo & DOHC
4) It's got the trans at the back and engine at the front = 50/50 weight distribution
5) It's 300kg lighter than any of my other Volvos, so modest power can make it a lot of fun
6) It's straight. Almost no rust in it, probably galvanised, a few dents, decent interior, most stuff works.
7) It was cheap, 700nzd, for my 7th Volvo vehicle! :-D

Now that that's cleared up. A couple of pictures and some progress already:

https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 4247318528
https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 0668214273
https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 5461003265

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And the story of the inspection, purchase, and pick up:

I saw the thing advertised on facebook for 600 and got in touch with the seller that way.

We agreed to meet at the location of the car for an inspection and I got a tour, then took a short drive up the road and back.

Mostly it was all good, except the obvious head gasket issues, and a few dents/scratches/quirks.

I ummed and ahhhed and thought about the mortgage and so forth, then did it anyway.

Others had offered 650, 666 (me), 675, and finally he "let me have it" for 700.

What's a hundred bucks here or there at the end of the day? A tank of gas. Which was full, BTW :-D

So I checked the bus routes, and then it started to really piss down with rain. Phoned a friend, and the adventure began.

Got over there in the dark in the pissing rain and found a sheltered building entrance nearby to use for topping up coolant. No worries.

Drove it back across town and found the following:

1) idling/trailing throttle LOTS of white coolant smoke
2) WOT for short periods of time, eg 0-100kph, instant needle pinned and flashing warning light
3) Cruising at steady throttle at 50-100kph, some sort of coolant pressure cylinder pressure equilibrium, no worries :-)

Tried to start it the night before last to take it to the supermarket, no dice. Cranked and cranked and cranked. No dice.

Pushed it over to my drive yesterday and gave it a charge with my aggressive china charger, all good, back to where it should be.

And tonight, the list above and pics below:

https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 2973766656
https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 4020862976

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Comments welcome! Especially from sentimental dutchmen, patriotic Swedes, and jealous Americans (not available in the US!).
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

At it again this evening: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 3681487872

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Short video with caption: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 0698893316

Things will get serious after the weekend, off with the head in minimal time with manifolds still attached, ideally.

Into the boot unless it looks rooted, then cleaning surfaces, and sourcing a new gasket with the right bore.

Then back together, hopefully for a lot of fun driving it around :-)
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

I should definitely test fit a B234F head on this block while I have the SOHC head off!

I know the bore won't match, but the clearance should match the 2.3 block clearance.

Exciting! :-D
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by ehb »

I like this car. :)
Such an odd thing, looks and technical wise (transaxle - never knew Volvo used those). Talking to a buddy about it, I learned Porsche 924, 928, 944 and 968 had transaxles too. I enjoy knowledge like that.

Good buy, and I'm starting to believe you (that you're a true volvo-guy).
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

Ha ha! Yep, I fell in love with Sim's 245 wagon, and never looked back. I never really fell in love with my 740 wagon in 2009, but it was a good car that served me well. I love my 240 wagon as much as my wife, though, and she knows it. The others I like a lot, or quite a lot, or a bit. Some I could trade in on a better similar one with the right price, others I'll likely keep until I'm old.
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

Also, it's not *really* a transaxle. The diff is bolted to the gearbox, but does not share oil nor casing. Quite unusual and interesting.
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 6820937728

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Ventilated! And probably better off for it, too. Bung was, and still is, out. Dip stick was popped up a bit.

Oil filter may still be on the engine - I should pull that off tomorrow night and put a dry fresh one on there, even if just to keep dust out.
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

Tonight:

Pulled the filter off - clean oil only in it = double flush worked well
Rinsed out the filter housing anyway
Fitted a new filter with oiled oring
Put the bung back in the bottom
Put 2 or 3 litres of 15w40 diesel oil in it
Pulled the plugs again, and crank sensor plug
Cranked till oil pressure built
Watched oil light with key on, not cranking: stayed off for a long time = bearings are good
Plugs back in, crank sensor plugged back in
Fired it up and took it for a short dry drive
Pulled filler cap back off and covered with container again to allow breathing without dust ingestion
CRCed and then oiled the ex manifold studs/nuts in prep for removal

So the studs are soaking and hopefully getting easier to remove,
and the bottom end is freshly lubricated and free of water/coolant
to corrode with oxygen, so it's just a matter of sourcing a new head
gasket, and pulling it down, cleaning it up, and putting it back together!

Not 100% sure if that will happen in the next 2 months, or not, but after that, for sure.
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

Last night I also had a measure up for the 16v head, and here's the result: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 4847155201

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The vertical tape was pushed down by the bonnet, so although it'd be super close to the bonnet, it would clear.

The horizontalish/block-deck-parallel one is roughly where the top of the cam gears would lie, plus 10mm or so (the cover).

The master cylinder reservoir will foul the back of the cam cover/head, though, and will therefore need relocating a little.

B234F + ITBs + 300cc increase in displacement = quick little Volvo :-D
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Re: Fred's 1989 Volvo 360 5-door Hatch

Post by Fred »

Tonight I pumped up the tyres, and took it for a short drive from cold to hot, without coolant.

There's enough of a glycol residue to lubricate the pump seals, so no bother there.

But... I forgot to put the oil filler cap back on first, so there was some smoke when I returned: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 4043353088

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Ooops! :-D drip, drip, drip.

And I bought a head set for it, though I don't know when I will get around to installing it: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 3237115908

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