1970 Volvo 145S – Back from the brink

volvoclearinghouse said:

I have several.  Could box one up and ship it to you.  

I'm looking for one of those reverse switch housings with screws and switch. My m40 doesn't have any of that.

Lemme check and see what I can come up with.  

I've got some candidates for a rebuild. One pops out of fourth and another worked but was making shiny confetti. If you want one as a core to rebuild - let me know, I'm tired of tripping over them.

Here's a reference that I saw for doing the actual rebuild - but grad school has been inhaling all of my spare time; http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/volvo-m40-transmission-rebuild.641530/

In reply to sporkfan :

I hear ya on the tripping.  I must have a dozen of them.  Cool website- thanks for sharing that  

Here's my plan for the next couple of weekends.

1. Distributor vacuum advance

   1. Hook up vacuum line from carburetor

   2. Research distributor model number and vacuum specs

2. Carburetor

   1. Install air filter

3. PCV

   1. Reroute the hoses for positive crankcase ventilation (http://sw-em.com/pcv_diagrams_and_notes.htm)

4. Oil leaks

   1. Order new gasket for oil cap

   2. Consider ordering vent filter for oil cap

   3. Order check valve

5. Gauges

   1. Mount oil pressure gauge

   2. Install copper tube for oil pressure gauge

   3. Order new split junction to support gauge and sensor

   4. Install oil pressure sensor

Hood and grille are back on. It's almost respectable.

I bought this Volvo in Virginia but I live in North Carolina. Bringing any vehicle older than 1980 into NC requires a check from the License and Theft Bureau. Basically, before they'll issue you a new NC title, an inspector has to come out to see and photograph the VIN. They run checks in their system to ensure it hasn't been reported as stolen and, pending a clear background check, you'll be issued a new NC title in 2-4 weeks.

Good news, the car passed the check and I got my NC title in the mail. I'm a step closer to putting plates on it! Bad news, someone at the DMV tried to auto complete Volvo by typing "Vol…" and it entered Volkswagen instead because alphabetically that comes before Volvo. Sorting this out should be interesting.

A few changes have happened since July 2018, the biggest of which is that I live in VA again. Moving was a huge headache, between selling our home, buying a new home, uprooting our family, relocating our life, and changing jobs. This had the extra variable of getting a project car 170 miles north as affordably as possible. Fortunately I have AAA and they allow a once-per-year 200 mile tow! It took some convincing and paperwork, but AAA towed the 145 the whole way, for free, and left it at Delta V Motorsports in Richmond, VA. I've known the owner, Glenn, for a few years and he was kind enough to accept delivery knowing there would be long-term storage attached.

While the 145 was in Delta V's care I enlisted their help tuning the carburetor and taking care of the basics to get it through VA State Inspection. While they were working on inspection I was able to take care of titling, registering, and insuring the car. As of today, just over a year after the move, the 145 is fully street legal and mostly road worthy.

For the first time since the car was last registered in 2004, it has been driven, and not just around the block. Three miles from Delta V to work and thirteen miles from there to home. The engine has a little pep but it's still running break-in oil so I'm going easy. Brakes feel surprisingly good considering how old they are. One of the headlights failed on the way home, so it's a good thing I left work a little early as a precaution.

Now that it's home I need to unload all of the spare parts from the back-back, then I'll replace the front wheel bearings and dust caps. It's been a little over three and a half years, but it was worth the wait. I couldn't be happier to be driving it around.

yesssssssss

In reply to nharperc :

Congrats! These are wonderful cars.

I was just sifting through old photos and saw this one of me and my brother back in the 80s hanging around dad's wagon. Don't recall what year it was (I want to say mid-late 70s)....