Here I am back for my every two year update. I swear one of these days I'll remember to keep up with all of this stuff. Last post was almost two and a half years ago. A lot has happened since then. I bought a new house, bought and sold several cars and continue to enjoy working on old euro trash.
The big upgrade though, a MaxJax in the garage. This was a dream come true and I am very happy with it. Land with a real shop is still in the 10 year plan but this will work for now. Feel very grateful I was able to install this.
So here's an update of where the fleet is at:
My girlfriend's ride and nice new car for our house, a 2021 Volvo S60. Great car, really like it a lot. My better half is thinking of getting rid of it soon for something that rides a bit higher. Current ideas are a Mazda CX-50, Rav-4, CRV or the like. We're still deciding.
Ol reliable, the 05 Sequoia keeps on truckin along. I love this truck and it is the second longest tenured vehicle in the fleet behind my burgundy E30. Here it is towing one of my current projects, a 1987 535i I got in a trade for a bunch of E30 turbo parts.
The E28 is pretty cool, currently an automatic with some leaking transmission lines. Unlikely that will change any time soon since the other half likes it a lot and wants to keep it automatic. It had been sitting for a least five years in some field somewhere before the guy I picked it up from snagged it in some other complicated trade. Threw some wheels and tires on it.
Interior was pretty roached so I ordered up some basic Corbeau seats and sliders since it was much easier than finding some E28 seats in decent shape. I like the seats but I think they could be better honestly. If I were to do it again I would probably cash out on some GTS instead of the basic ones I got. I also later picked up a used black backseat to match and a Momo wheel.
Redid the suspension with Bilstein's and H&R sports, replaced the old fuel tank with a good used unit, fixed the gauge cluster lights and odo gears, new fuel pumps and filters, bunch of tune up parts, new stereo and speakers, front end suspension redone. Goal is just a nice driver that's not my 12 mpg Sequoia. Next is fixing the blower motor that only runs when the A/C is on, replacing the A/C belt and recharging the system. The body is straight but paint is totally gone. Will be addressing that later on I suppose. Here's how it currently sits.
My girlfriend wanted to join in on the car project fun and she decided she wanted an old Volvo wagon. Picked up this 1985 240 locally for a thousand bucks. It had been sitting for about 10 years in someone's backyard. Needed a new distributor to fire up again. Replaced the timing belt, water pump, brake distribution block, brake master and a bunch of other stuff. Starts and runs great even with 280k+ miles on it. Needs some more love tho, the lights for the cluster don't work and it needs odo gears. Here is how it looked when we picked it up:
It had the full IPD suspension on it when we got it. Springs, shocks, trailing arms, sway bars, the whole nine yards. Threw some wheels from a Volvo C30 on it with some BIG spacers and it looks pretty good I'd say.
This brake distribution block is the bane of my existence. I replaced it with some parts from this write-up: https://turbobricks.com/index.php?threads/build-your-own-volvo-200-junction-block-diy-brake-junction-block-bypass-1991-240-style-brake-octopus.373513/ and have been very happy since.
We love our little brick even though it's non-turbo. What a fun funky little car.
In the midst of all of this I also drug down a 2006 530i wagon from a friend of a friend in Washington. I replaced a bunch of stuff on it and fixed some other things in an effort to flip it for some extra cash on the side. I learned I do not like the newer BMWs and I should stick with 80s and 90s cars. I maybe made 100 bucks after everything but it was still fun.
Nevertheless it was a fun little road trip with my Dad and we were able to register it and sell it with not much hassle.
The Green turbocharged megasquirted racecar is currently down with a blown headgasket but we have an engine ready to swap in. Will be trying to get that done in October.
The silver car I got for free out of a field is going in a different direction. The plan was originally an M20 turbo to be a twin of the green car but after lots of thinking I've decided to K24 swap it. Will be ordering parts for that soon and hopefully get started in earnest before the end of the year.
And last but certainly not least, my burgundy S50 E30 is still awesome and I love it. I pulled it out of the backyard after sitting for about a year, filled it up with gas, drove it to the smog station, it passed, and I registered it with no problem. What a great little car.
That does it for the update on my fleet, I will try and keep up with this thread more than I have previously but my track record isn't great. Thanks for taking a look!
