Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2007 12:33:59 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Volvo reliability , Bah Humbug
In-Reply-To: <663579.83081.qm@web82704.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hey,
Yes, - the Bertone Coupe.
Low roof line.
I'd do a Nissan V-6 ....millions of those engines out there. Very, very
good engines, and put into vanagons too.
There's a really unusual model volvo I consider related to, or rather ,
inspired by, your car.
The volvo 780 I think it is.
It's a 2 door coupe like yours, but 740 derived. ( not 240 derived like your
262C )
One guy, a professional car tech, put a corvette 350 engine into his.
I have a whole write-up on it somewhere. It was well over 300 hp - like a
sleeper street car.
The engine is a joint Renault/Peugeot/Volvo effort. It's the engine used
in the DeLorean sports car, btw.
It is an aluminum block. Wet liners do stand up in the block, and 'float'
at the top ....yeah, pretty sure ....it's not a closed deck design at the
top of the block. They have a 'real' head gasket, not the joke that vanagons
have. The bottom of the heads are flat like they should be.
The volvo V-6 is nothing to get excited about of course, pretty wide and
heavy, only medium power....like 160 hp. Not that great on gas mileage
either I don't think. A luxury car with a so-so engine. I still have a
cast aluminum intake manifold from one. Makes a great little 'table' to
put a potted plant on outdoors.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: David Kao [mailto:dtkao0205@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2007 12:19 AM
To: Scott Daniel - Shazam; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Volvo reliability , Bah Humbug
Guess Friday isn't over yet. I have to talk about my Volvo too.
What I have is a 1980 262C. In the 80's there were a lot of 240's.
And there were some 260, 262 and 264's. Mine is a 262C. The letter
C doesn't tell much about how special it is. It is made (or modified
and assembled) in Italy by Bertone. Two door, 6 cylinders and automatic.
You have to look at it to realize that it is a different kind of Volvo.
Unfortunately the V6 engine short lived. I mean very short lived. I
purchased
it used from a Volvo dealer when it was below 50k miles. After I added
30k+ miles the engine quit. Coolant leaked into oil. Major disaster.
I had the head gaskets replaced. But the new gaskets lasted only a few
months and coolant leaked into oil again. I drained the coolant and changed
the oil then put it into storage. Has been in storage for about 6 years
now. I believe I need a new engine for it. Instead of rebuilding it, putting
in a Japanese V6 engine probably makes more sense.
Believe it or not, its chassis looks like a new car still. Shiny paint all
over. Alloy wheels and square head lights. It looks really nice except the
engine reliability was rather poor. I heard that the V6 engine was actually
a French motor. It has wet cylinder liners similar to Vanagon's. I know
the engine is still pretty rebuildable. But I would rather put in a Japanese
v6 conversion. I would consider a small v8 if possible.
David
--- Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
> Ok, my two cents.
> Having worked on volvo's for years.
> 140's - good tough strong car - a bit much from the carburetor era.
> 240 - they just will not die. The OHC B21F inline 4 starts in 1976
> ....There are still countless 240's, mostly wagons, soldering around.
Made
> up to 92.....I don't' like them, but many do and they have many 100,00's
of
> thousands of miles in them.
>
> 740's - expensive to own once they get older unless you do your own work.
> My personal 740 is an 88 Turbo Sedan - absolutely the best car I've ever
> owned - a factory hot rod with special suspension and brakes to go with
the
> turbo - loaded with safety, performance, and luxury features. Bought it
for
> a few hundred bucks. Had to rebuilt everything in it from engine, to
trans,
> to rear end, all shocks etc. Goes 80 like it's going down hill, steers
like
> a fighter plane, and does not blow around in gusts at all. ABS brakes,
> etc......LOVE that car, but you don't seem many of them on the roads
anymore
> - due to the expense of getting them repaired professionally when they get
> old. I'm up to 217K miles.
> Reliable as could be, AFTER every thing is up to spec and refurbished as
> needed throughout.
>
> I 'wish' there was more 'volvo' in Vanagons. Very well made cars -
volvos.
> Bosch electricals and electronics. Big focus on crashworthiness and over
> all safety.
>
>
> The newer Volvos - fwd 850's and above .....a whole other world, more
> complex, more 'modern' , not even related to traditional front engine,
rear
> drive volvo's.
> And I think they 'like money' too much when they are above a hundred K to
> 150K miles.
> Scott
> www.turbovans.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> neil N
> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 6:23 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Volvo reliability , Bah Humbug
>
> The following is "said" with a PhriDaye kinda "bent".
>
> Ok. I'm not trying to start some kind of Swedish War here, ;) (Oh
> yes. I am part Swede) but IMHO, almost any $1600 car bought offa CL,
> is likely going to cost the owner muchos $$ whilst doing a long,
> heated, trip. And.,.....
>
> ..... being a former Volvo 140 series owner, but I'd have to say that
> the Volvo 140 (and liekly the 240 series from what I've heard) had
> solidly built/designed engines. They were also quite comfortable.
> Plus, that wagon-o-mine was a great little hauler. At one time I
> thought I'd "have it made" if I could keep my collection of Life-Gear
> small enough to fit in that green wagon. Cha. Right! And I have truly
> digressed.......
>
> I miss my old 145S wagon. It didn't have the electric OD, but it was a
> good vehicle. I beat that thing silly, running it low on coolant,
> revving it too high etc. and it finally developed a REALLY LOUD
> intermittent "whack" in the engine. It actually ran fine. It just
> whacked a little now and then. (eh..... I'll leave that one alone ;)
>
> Not trying to start a Volvo flame, but I guess I did rekindle an "old
> flame" Volvo memory.
>
> Neil. The PartSwede.
>
>
>
>
> On 9/7/07, Pensioner <al_knoll@pacbell.net> wrote:
> > If one googles "The Frugal Road Trip New York Times" you can learn how
to
> > spend gobs of cash herding a decrepit OvLov across the fruited plain.
Fun
> > to read. Keep me away from vintage OvLovs. Rather have a Vanagon.
> Wonder
> > if Chris Dixon knows this guy?
> >
> > Vanagons rule most of the time.
> >
>
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson. 1981 Air Cooled Westfalia -
> "Jaco" (Bustorius)
>
> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
>
> Please send fav Vanagon/Westfalia links to me at:
> musomuso1963@hotmail.com
>
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