Volvo 240, Jimny, Corsa: Ever heard of a Toyota Paseo?
- Thread starter lbpomg95
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- A field in England
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005BP5I7E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These. The car takes H4 bulbs, much like a lot of vans and older cars in general seem to. If your car takes H4 bulbs, make sure you get 60/55W. Some places sell 100/90W or something similar and from what I'm told, they burn themselves out really quick.
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- A field in England
Some of you (okay fine - none of you) may have been wondering why I've gone and bought myself a van - with a Fiat engine, too!
Well, I've started my own business, mobile car valeting. It's going well and I'm enjoying myself for the first time in 2 years. Times are good for me! I'm not used to it at all.
Anyway, the Vauxhall Combo van is my mobile valeting station. And it needed a good valet, so I spent a day.
Well, I've started my own business, mobile car valeting. It's going well and I'm enjoying myself for the first time in 2 years. Times are good for me! I'm not used to it at all.
Anyway, the Vauxhall Combo van is my mobile valeting station. And it needed a good valet, so I spent a day.
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- A field in England
Well, business is going well. I haven't posted here for a while; The 240 has been in storage for nearly 8 months, and the Corsa? Well she's not looking very well at the moment. I gave her a proper clean for the first time in months yesterday, and it's not good, really. Faded paint on the roof, blemishes from tree sap and bird droppings, stone chips, scratches, dents and a few months ago I killed a muntjac deer that ran out in front of me. Well, I hope it died, damn thing.
This photos show the car from one of the very few decent angles. Either way, the bodywork's not good. This is the last update we'll see for the Corsa for some time, now. But believe me, the car's going nowhere. She'll get the same treatment as the 240 one day.
This photos show the car from one of the very few decent angles. Either way, the bodywork's not good. This is the last update we'll see for the Corsa for some time, now. But believe me, the car's going nowhere. She'll get the same treatment as the 240 one day.
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- A field in England
Well, this is a bit of a non-update, but I put one of those tacky stainless steel exhaust trim-finishers on my van the other day, and bizarrely it kinda looks okay!
Before...
After...
I'm finally in a position now where I can start getting the Volvo 240 back on the road for the summer (yeah summer started weeks ago. Believe me, I know). So, hopefully, the next time this thread is updated, there'll be some changes for the old barge!
Before...
After...
I'm finally in a position now where I can start getting the Volvo 240 back on the road for the summer (yeah summer started weeks ago. Believe me, I know). So, hopefully, the next time this thread is updated, there'll be some changes for the old barge!
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- 1,934
- A field in England
Strap yourself in, my children - this one gets tasty.
Since I bought it, the 240 has always had a problem: the driver's side front caliper kept seizing, so basically the brake was stuck on. It may have nearly caused a fire. So, Shaun the mechanic, a good friend of mine, finally got his own workshop after nearly 25 years working as a technician. So, finally I could get the brakes replaced. Why him? Well, I don't trust anyone else. He's the main reason this car's still going.
So, we got it on the hoist.
And, the wheels off. Observe the rusty old calipers.
After everything was removed.
All the old components.
To give you an idea what 25 years worth of corrosion looks like, here is the new brake disc backing plate next to the old one...
To prevent some future corrosion, we sprayed the new plates in some alloy wheel spray-paint that had been lying around.
Now, while the car was in the air, I took the time to clean the underside of the engine. Now, older Volvos like this used the trusty 'Redblock' 4-cylinder engine. So, I thought I'd try and make it red again.
With one patch cleaned...
And all cleaned up...
Now, whilst some of the parts were salvageable, the hoses certainly weren't. So...
Eventually the whole system was replaced...
Next was the new wheels...
With the new wheels on, my pride and joy is finally back on the road, for good this time. And she looks tasty. See? I told you it got tasty...
To give you some idea of how far this old girl has come, here's two photos of when I first got her...
And as a side-note, she celebrated her 25th birthday today! She's aging better than me and I'm only 22...
Since I bought it, the 240 has always had a problem: the driver's side front caliper kept seizing, so basically the brake was stuck on. It may have nearly caused a fire. So, Shaun the mechanic, a good friend of mine, finally got his own workshop after nearly 25 years working as a technician. So, finally I could get the brakes replaced. Why him? Well, I don't trust anyone else. He's the main reason this car's still going.
So, we got it on the hoist.
And, the wheels off. Observe the rusty old calipers.
After everything was removed.
All the old components.
To give you an idea what 25 years worth of corrosion looks like, here is the new brake disc backing plate next to the old one...
To prevent some future corrosion, we sprayed the new plates in some alloy wheel spray-paint that had been lying around.
Now, while the car was in the air, I took the time to clean the underside of the engine. Now, older Volvos like this used the trusty 'Redblock' 4-cylinder engine. So, I thought I'd try and make it red again.
With one patch cleaned...
And all cleaned up...
Now, whilst some of the parts were salvageable, the hoses certainly weren't. So...
Eventually the whole system was replaced...
Next was the new wheels...
With the new wheels on, my pride and joy is finally back on the road, for good this time. And she looks tasty. See? I told you it got tasty...
To give you some idea of how far this old girl has come, here's two photos of when I first got her...
And as a side-note, she celebrated her 25th birthday today! She's aging better than me and I'm only 22...
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- 1,934
- A field in England
This past Wednesday, I spent a day cleaning the old barge ready for a motor show this Sunday. The outside is shiny, predictably.
But the engine is what I've been having some fun with.
Anyway, here's how it started.
It wasn't too bad to be honest, I'd cleaned the engine about a year ago. But, I wanted to remove the sound insulation this time around. With that gone I set about cleaning...
The photos don't really do it justice. However, I've been spending a lot of time on some very small things...
See that metal strap holding in the coolant reservoir? All dull and oxidised? Well I removed it and had a go at polishing it, using a mix of a wire brush, a Dremel rotary tool with a wire brush head, and Autosol.
Not perfect, but much better. This is fast going to become a new pass-time...
As a side-note, Autosol is pretty much the best thing ever. I don't think I've ever used anything as utterly satisfying. It's one of those really OCD anal things. Like buffing polish off a car's bodywork.
But the engine is what I've been having some fun with.
Anyway, here's how it started.
It wasn't too bad to be honest, I'd cleaned the engine about a year ago. But, I wanted to remove the sound insulation this time around. With that gone I set about cleaning...
The photos don't really do it justice. However, I've been spending a lot of time on some very small things...
See that metal strap holding in the coolant reservoir? All dull and oxidised? Well I removed it and had a go at polishing it, using a mix of a wire brush, a Dremel rotary tool with a wire brush head, and Autosol.
Not perfect, but much better. This is fast going to become a new pass-time...
As a side-note, Autosol is pretty much the best thing ever. I don't think I've ever used anything as utterly satisfying. It's one of those really OCD anal things. Like buffing polish off a car's bodywork.
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- 1,934
- A field in England
Today has been the highlight of the entire year! I've ticked off one of my life's goals: Exhibit a car at a classic car show. Yeah, I'm easy to please.
The night before the show...
And at the show!
Today has been a good day. I think the next photo sums it up...
The night before the show...
And at the show!
Today has been a good day. I think the next photo sums it up...
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- 1,934
- A field in England
Another classic car show in Suffolk at a birds of prey reserve (great place even without the motor show) called Stonham Barns. It's not as big as the one I went to last week (though it is literally about 2 miles away), but I've been invited by the Volvo Enthusiast's Club to join them on their stand. Can't turn that down!
http://www.stonhambarns.co.uk/showground-events/classic-car-show/
I might go onto the reserve part for a while. They have a few horned owls (one of my favourite animals) among others. I love to see nature like that up close.
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- 1,934
- A field in England
Yeah, 2016 wasn't a great year for me... come to think of it, it was pretty much the worst year of my life, but oh well.
As for the Corsa, they're T1-Rs (so cheaper, less grippy I think) but they're fantastic. I don't know if it's because the tyres are 20mm wider than before (the car used to have steel wheels on 175mm tyres, now they're 195) on all corners but I did notice that the old tyres had trouble in the rain. These ones stick to the road in all conditions and it feels the same in the wet as it does the dry. Considering they were about £10 more per corner than the cheapest tyres available I would highly recommend them.
Efficiency is lower but then the car still does nearly 50MPG so it can't be that bad.
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- 1,934
- A field in England
- 1,934
- A field in England
Well, two weeks ago was Helmingham Hall festival of classic and sports cars (neither of which applies to my car, but they let me in anyway). Today was the Stonham Barns Classic Car Show, and I was invited to join the Volvo Enthusiast's Club (yes that really exists) on their stand at the show.
As you can see, it was basically an Amazon-fest. Mine was the only 240 Estate/Wagon there, and there was one sedan (not on the Volvo Enthusiast's stand mind). Great show, and it was nice to have something that stood out! I paraded the car around the showground as well, in between old Beetles, Camaros, Rolls Royces and so on (y'know, actual classic cars?).
As you can see, it was basically an Amazon-fest. Mine was the only 240 Estate/Wagon there, and there was one sedan (not on the Volvo Enthusiast's stand mind). Great show, and it was nice to have something that stood out! I paraded the car around the showground as well, in between old Beetles, Camaros, Rolls Royces and so on (y'know, actual classic cars?).
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- 1,934
- A field in England
So, last week I used a clay towel to decontaminate my valeting van... and then it's rained every day since.
So yeah, that was a pain. Wasn't much point cleaning the interior this week, but it was something to do.
You wouldn't believe how much dirt gets behind the driver's seat.
In other news, I had a little helper for my most recent job...
So yeah, that was a pain. Wasn't much point cleaning the interior this week, but it was something to do.
You wouldn't believe how much dirt gets behind the driver's seat.
In other news, I had a little helper for my most recent job...
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- 1,934
- A field in England
So, the Volvo's been out for a day! Out of one garage and into another for the rear brakes!
Being honest this didn't actually need doing. The brakes worked fine, but since the front brakes had been done, I wanted to get the rears done to match.
The rear left caliper had already been replaced at the same time as the front braking system since it was shot, but the rest was showing its age.
The other side meanwhile, looked a tad less shiny...
With that caliper off, we got a nice comparison against the new one.
And to the finished product
The backing plates weren't replaced this time around as it turns out the differential has to be detached and drained to get the plates off, and the technician didn't have the time to do it, so it'll be done later. Surprisingly they're still in half-decent condition.
Meanwhile, we changed the engine oil and filter (that time of year again!). Better still, I got myself a genuine Volvo filter!
And while we were under the bonnet, I decided the exhaust manifold heat-shield no longer deserved its place, so away it went!
Lastly, while the old barge was on the lift, I had a look at how the front braking system was holding up after the whole 100-ish miles the car had done since they were replaced...
KerPLoD is back in my garage for now, until I get around to ordering the lowering springs and gas shocks. Until then, she'll remain hidden.
Being honest this didn't actually need doing. The brakes worked fine, but since the front brakes had been done, I wanted to get the rears done to match.
The rear left caliper had already been replaced at the same time as the front braking system since it was shot, but the rest was showing its age.
The other side meanwhile, looked a tad less shiny...
With that caliper off, we got a nice comparison against the new one.
And to the finished product
The backing plates weren't replaced this time around as it turns out the differential has to be detached and drained to get the plates off, and the technician didn't have the time to do it, so it'll be done later. Surprisingly they're still in half-decent condition.
Meanwhile, we changed the engine oil and filter (that time of year again!). Better still, I got myself a genuine Volvo filter!
And while we were under the bonnet, I decided the exhaust manifold heat-shield no longer deserved its place, so away it went!
Lastly, while the old barge was on the lift, I had a look at how the front braking system was holding up after the whole 100-ish miles the car had done since they were replaced...
KerPLoD is back in my garage for now, until I get around to ordering the lowering springs and gas shocks. Until then, she'll remain hidden.
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- 10,835
- Belgium
- bramturismo
Awesome to see a fellow detailer, and one that makes a living from it at that!
May I ask you how you started out, and if you have some tips for those looking to start with detailing for a profit?
I'd like to start with detailing myself, but the most logical starting point for me would be mobile detailing. My starting concept was to look for customers that can offer water and power, so that I could carry my own power washer, and cables to feed the machine. I'd like to start with basic wash & wax, engine detailing, and basic interior cleaning, and go on from there. I would like to start really small with these services, and see if I can create a customer base before I offer any additional services like polishing, etc.
My plan was to start with giving my friends' cars a service, who are petrolheads, and hope to kind of spread the word from there. During this time I wouldn't complete this as an official company, but rather "help" out my friends for a small payment.
May I ask you how you started out, and if you have some tips for those looking to start with detailing for a profit?
I'd like to start with detailing myself, but the most logical starting point for me would be mobile detailing. My starting concept was to look for customers that can offer water and power, so that I could carry my own power washer, and cables to feed the machine. I'd like to start with basic wash & wax, engine detailing, and basic interior cleaning, and go on from there. I would like to start really small with these services, and see if I can create a customer base before I offer any additional services like polishing, etc.
My plan was to start with giving my friends' cars a service, who are petrolheads, and hope to kind of spread the word from there. During this time I wouldn't complete this as an official company, but rather "help" out my friends for a small payment.
