My beautiful ugly duckling

Here you can talk about the joy owning a Volvo 480 brings. Non-technical discussions take place here, like what is the difference between an ES and a S version.

Moderators: jifflemon, coyote1980, Rachel

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:48 pm

A while back I owned up to having strayed - all the way across the 480's family tree to her first cousin, the 440 :lol:

Anyway, I am very aware that I have been silent on the subject since then, and this is because Wilhelmina the 440 was very much an ugly duckling, and as per the fairy story she was hiding away a bit ashamed to show her face on here...

Granted, structural rust issues were resolved with welding for her last MOT, but having lived by the sea for years it has been a case of surface rust everywhere; numerous other issues to fix that I won't go into here, other than to say since July I have spent hours and hours and hours on her.

And now? Well, she's nowhere near fully sorted - I am doing temporary rear arch repairs pending getting replacements welded in when funds allow, and still have the O/S to deal with, plus some rust in the O/S sill which I think needs welding, but otherwise she is gradually transforming. So, since she seems now to be growing in confidence, I thought it was time to start a thread with some pictures of how she was looking by late afternoon today.

Arguably as a 440 she will always be a tad ugly - they were never good looking cars. Yet in that metallic blue, with her ever-so-comfy velour interior, the 2.0i engine that means she can easily belie her looks as a pottering Volvo, she is gradually seeming beautiful to me!

Image

Image

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:49 pm

And a couple more...

Image

Image
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
dragonflyjewels
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1584
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:38 am
Location: Norfolk

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dragonflyjewels » Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:03 pm

She's looking well pampered already ! Pud will be jealous....
Sylvia

Snazzy - 1993 Paris Blue ES red dipstick 2.0i bought 2001
Lethal Lily - 1991 White Turbo
Paris the Unicorn - 1991 Paris Edition
hubby has
Sven - 1994 Racing Green GT
Evil Eva - 1992 Paris Blue Turbo

no previous 480s - can't bear to sell any

User avatar
dragonflyjewels
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1584
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:38 am
Location: Norfolk

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dragonflyjewels » Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:05 pm

What's the C70 called ? Biggles ? :lol:
Sylvia

Snazzy - 1993 Paris Blue ES red dipstick 2.0i bought 2001
Lethal Lily - 1991 White Turbo
Paris the Unicorn - 1991 Paris Edition
hubby has
Sven - 1994 Racing Green GT
Evil Eva - 1992 Paris Blue Turbo

no previous 480s - can't bear to sell any

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by MisterH » Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:22 pm

I always liked the look of the 440, indeed today I have debfriended a young chap in France with a 440 turbo that he restored as his first car, on Drivetribe. His dream car is a 480 Turbo so I pointed him here :D
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:02 pm

dragonflyjewels wrote:
Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:03 pm

She's looking well pampered already ! Pud will be jealous....
:D Pud should see it as a promise of good things to come!

Close with the C70 (and well done for noting the registration/name link ;) ) but she is called Bridget...

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
Jay-Kay-Em
480 Rookie
Posts: 428
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:42 pm
Location: Huntingdon
Contact:

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by Jay-Kay-Em » Tue Oct 20, 2020 8:22 pm

Lovely to see... and look forward to updates!

David
Can tell where the 480 was built
Posts: 362
Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:03 am
Location: Cork, Ireland

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by David » Wed Oct 21, 2020 11:08 am

Personally I think the 440 is quite a handsome car! Enjoy :)

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:05 pm

I am very pleased to report that following her visit to Hutton Brothers today Wilhelmina has a nice shiny new MOT :hopping:

Advisories for headlight reflectors being a tad dulled reducing light output, rust patches on N/Sill, and a slight oil leak.

The oil leak I know about - it appeared a few days ago and hopefully I just need to tweak the sump plug where I did the oil change. Mind you, I have a horrible feeling it might be coming from the transmission end crankshaft seal, which is a real pain if so because I have already had everything to bits to change the clutch a few weeks back!!

The sill is in hand anyway, as mentioned above in this thread.

The headlights seemed poor first time I used them so I changed the bulbs for slightly upgraded ones and cleaned inside the lenses - much better I thought! Steve, the service manager, believes what tester is getting at is that the cut off lines for the tops of the light beams aren't as crisp as they could be, but certainly takes the view it's nothing to worry about. New headlamps are unobtainable like all things 400, and although there are some on ebay it would be very hard to tell whether they're any better or not before buying. I think I'll just see how it goes for now.

So - happy bunny here! On with the restoration work...

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Mon Dec 14, 2020 9:42 pm

Just been out for a quick spin around our local lanes in the pitch dark.

Obviously they are never going to match xenon or led standards, but I reckon Wilhelmina's headlights are a lot better than many I have seen driving around!

Don't think I am going to worry any further on that front...

Phew!

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

arthuy
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 562
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 pm

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by arthuy » Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:37 pm

Well done on the pass.

Many years ago my P5 was in the ownership of Hutton Bros.

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:04 am

arthuy wrote:
Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:37 pm
Well done on the pass.

Many years ago my P5 was in the ownership of Hutton Bros.
Thanks Colin - small world!

Huttons are somewhere I would strongly recommend - they are friendly and very helpful to deal with.

Plus they are actually interested in the cars, so rolling up with an old one generates interest and a willingness to help you keep them running, rather than the usual main dealer pitch of either complete disinterest or else just trying to sell you a newer one...

I do as much work and maintenance as I can myself, but when I do need a garage/MOT they are the only people who get their hands on Lily (and moving forward Pud and Wilhelmina)!

And the MOT pass means Wilhelmina is likely during 2021 to get more in-depth restoration now I know she is a practical proposition and not on the verge of death... :D

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
edie_fox
480 Rookie
Posts: 415
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:05 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by edie_fox » Tue Dec 15, 2020 6:15 pm

You've probably seen these but as we're 480 owners, £70 seemed a steal for a brand new set of headlights! :lol: 'Christmas gift to self' perhaps? Possibly a faff but maybe worth it?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Genuine ... SwCVhc0L-x

User avatar
jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by jamescarruthers » Tue Dec 15, 2020 6:26 pm

I'd not be able to resist those lights at that price.

The later 440 and 460 are pretty handsome for normal cars, in my book.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:14 pm

edie_fox wrote:
Tue Dec 15, 2020 6:15 pm
You've probably seen these but as we're 480 owners, £70 seemed a steal for a brand new set of headlights! :lol: 'Christmas gift to self' perhaps? Possibly a faff but maybe worth it?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Genuine ... SwCVhc0L-x
Thanks Edie - I hadn't seen that one but shall definitely pursue!

Thank you James - the more I live with her, the more the 440's styling grows on me...

David
Last edited by dcwalker on Wed Dec 16, 2020 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by MisterH » Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:39 pm

Sure is looking a stunner there David, well done for saving it, 440s get even less love than our wedges!

What's the driving comparison between wedge and block?
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Wed Dec 16, 2020 8:27 am

MisterH wrote:
Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:39 pm
Sure is looking a stunner there David, well done for saving it, 440s get even less love than our wedges!

What's the driving comparison between wedge and block?
Thanks Ben. Silly I know, but your point about rarity is what drove my moment of rashness back in the summer - I'd been getting quite concerned that the other 400s would become completely extinct if someone didn't act now (as if it's my problem really, but there we are!!).

The photos do flatter her (I'm not a serious amateur photographer for nothing ;) ) but she is coming on in leaps and bounds. Her future is now secured and I will press on in 2021 with some deeper restoration work.

To drive compared to the 480? Interesting question - the engine is a 2.0i like both my 480s, and the 440 suspension set-up for certain of the supposedly "more sporty" models (including this one, the ES, the clue being in the big spoiler) is identical. Weight is much the same too.

So in terms of that feeling of being sprightly, or nippy, they are both very similar. That's the fun part as other drivers expect the 480 to be, if anything, more potent than it is, whereas they are often surprised to see this old 440 speed away from them :lol: . The big differences lie in the facts that the 440 is slightly taller and boxier. So it is less aerodynamic through the air and its centre of gravity is higher. This means it loses speed far more quickly if you ease off the throttle, and you can't fling it around the tight bends without the car objecting and trying to pull out off course, in a way that the 480 just doesn't.

But I have to say, for £400 and - granted - a lot of further investment in time and money - she is a very nice, well-mannered drive. I just hope the spoiler goes some way to dispel the "pipe and slippers" image!!

Just need to make sure I can see where I am going at night now... ;)

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

User avatar
dcwalker
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1522
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Location: York

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by dcwalker » Fri Dec 18, 2020 9:56 am

Thanks so much for the heads-up, Edie - I bought the lights and will hopefully have them in the next day or so.

Another problem solved! :D

David
Current: 1994 480 GT, 1996 460 CD & 1997 440 LE with lots of optional extras & 2007 V50 SE Sport
Previous: Celebration 331 (re-homed with Richard S), Celebration 467 (returned to Martin Mc); Celebration 346 (re-homed with Alan480); Celebration 269 (scrapped abandoned project), Celebration 73 (sold on after 6 years), 1992 ES, 1988 ES - and numerous other non-480 Volvos!

NillerGT
Started learning about 480
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:31 am

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by NillerGT » Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:02 pm

Another nice story on this forum. Thank you 😊
Just got my first 480 (August 2020)!
1990 ES 1.7, Superwhite
I have ticked off around 45 items, cosmetic and mechanical
Remaining:
- Vibration at 1500 RPM (hard to locate)
- Rough idle (harder one)
- Touch-ups
- Change rims (Pollux to slightly fresher Atlas)
- install my “new” flawless door pocket
I also just bought a 2004 XC90.

User avatar
edie_fox
480 Rookie
Posts: 415
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:05 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: My beautiful ugly duckling

Post by edie_fox » Fri Dec 18, 2020 4:45 pm

Oh awesome. :D

I hope it's not too much of a difficult job what they said you need to do!

At least they can't get you on that the next time it goes in for MOT!
Last edited by edie_fox on Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Post Reply