My secret life with a 480

[grafi]

(Well, its definately secret, when the family wants to know how much I spent on the car )

Hello all!

I wanted to make this topic for a long time, but general laziness was my big enemy..

Anyways, I was a big 460 fan since years, when I participated in a 4xx meeting in May, 2009, where I first saw a 480. I had the opportunity to drive a '89 white Turbo around an airfield.. After 3 minutes of driving I knew that I want one.

..After two weeks, my first 480 has arrived from Germany. It was a '95 ES 2.0L *(wich is actually a 480 S Modell 95, as it turned out) modell. The engine didnt worked, the fanbelt was broken.
The car was in a good general condition, it had a lot of extras: tracs, abs, heated leather seats, aircon, etc.. but with a lot of small flaws wich seemd not so serious (okay, the engine problem was seriousl. ) I wanted a Turbo, so I've decided to replace the engine to a B18FT.

..After a couple more days later, the donor has arrived, a '92 Turbo. One week later, the work has began.

(After a long, painful, expensive process ) The car is running, it is still far from my expected state, but I keep getting closer and closer.

I made a photostream on flickr, I already have some pictures, but I will keep uploading more:

Here you are

[grafi]

Some of you asked:
That is my "wannabe" noise reduction stuff to the back of the car, ('szonyeg' folder in flickr) (yes, the carpet went back above it. )
It has noticable advantage, I swear. For instance, it goes under the plastics, prevent them from shaking. easy to remove (unlike those soundproof sealings wich you have to stick) and cheap. (This was made from the material under the carpet of a Saab 9000 wich I found in a salvageyard. )
Strongly recommended to solve water leaking problem as well, if it present, because the sponge will start to rot soon.

[grafi]

New set on flickr, about getting the dashboard out.
I had a leak from a spot what you cant see normaly:



These are the holes to fix the dashboard upper edge.
You can check it from the outside by remowing the windscreen wipers, and the plastic covers:



Normally here should be the bolt's heads with rubber sealing.

Unfortunately the little beams of the dashboard like to broke during the years, so be careful.
Out of the four, one is broken at mine, so I am going to find out something to fix this,
because with the proper fixing its very massive.

[grafi]

Well, here is snowing again, since yesterday afternoon.. I hate driving in a weather like this.
But anyways, I started to use the car daily since mid december, and I must say its absolutely cool.
I tought I wont need the rollo to the back, and in daily use I realise that I hate bother with the four little clip of the cover. I need a rollo! Aargh..
Soon, the car will go to a bodyshop to repair the corroded parts, then it'll get a full repaint. In the meantime I am planning to renew the complete rear running gear and still have to purchase the missing parts of the cruise control.. It will be a busy month ahead..

[grafi]

I sold my 460. He had to go, I could not afford two hobby cars.
Besides that not much happened, I got a spare engine and gearbox,
just for safety reasons. The clutch plate will get a kevlar layer and will be built in to the car soon.

[grafi]

Well, long time, since I checked the forum, I will have a lot of reading it seems.

Anyways, the car is at the garage, repairing the rusted parts, replacing the clutch, and some additional stuff wich needs to be done.
Hopefully the car can go for repaint in June.
I will post some pictures soon.

[grafi]

Work in progress..






The rear arches are in quite bad condition, the most desperate situation is the edge of the roof and windshield. The idea is to cut out the rusted edge pieces, and replace it with a mint piece from one of the donors... Will make pictures about it.

[grafi]

I think there is a certain moment in every car restoration progress, when you suddenly stop for a second, overlook what've you done, and realise, ...that it wont be a proper car again. Ever.. At all...
Of course you keep going and everything will be okay, (hopefully..) but this moment is hard. Real hard. It happened today, when I looked at this:



And yes, the rest will be removed completely. Everything. Just, because I want to be 100% sure, that every rust spot cleaned and treatened.
After that, will come the roof. Then the car goes for some "sandblasting" (I hope this is the correct name, I dont know), to clean the tresholds, and the back-bottom of the car.

[grafi]

I made a set about the restoration progress:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kisgrafi/sets/

when I saw the roof, I was desperate...

[grafi]

The roof edge is done, some inner rust spots are handled. (more pictures)
Only two things left, and the work is done.
Then we get out the engine, change camshaft, clutch, maybe gearbox etc.
And after that finally the car can goes to the paintshop.

[grafi]

Phase One complete. The bodywork is amazing, every rust spot cleaned, replaced, etc.. (pictures will follow at the weekend)
Now, the car goes to the paintshop.

[grafi]

Some new pictures added to the restoration set.

At the moment, the car is in the paintshop, but before it left the garage, the engine had been taken out (again)...
So poor B18FT is laying in the garage now, waiting for the new clutch, seals, belts, a gearbox, and so on....
The painting will be finished within 3 weeks, so I have time to work on the engine.

Thats all for now.

[grafi]

More than a month passed since I visited the site. Unfortunately.

Not much changes with the car, the paintwork is not finished yet, but almost.
I put some pictures to flickr about the present state. The hood, doors, bumpers are ready, the body itself needs a paint and done.
By the end of next week it will be ready. I threw out lot of ideas wich were planned to make.
Lot more pictures will come when the paintwork is finished, and the car comes back to the garage, much more closer to me.

[grafi]

Most of the car is painted. Only some little pieces left. The paint is the original 323-22, it looks fantastic as it did before.
(some new pictures about it in the set )

So, the finish line is quite close now, next week the car comes back from the paintshop. By that time the engine should be ready, and goes back into the car. Then comes my part: put everything back exactly the same (or better) as it was before. I am intend to do this during a weekend, so the scedule will be strict, I guess. I want to do some sound proofing on the doors and on the roof, sponges under the plastics, etc. In the meantime I got almost every additional extra I wanted (palm beach, tempomat, armrest cupholder, rollo, drl, etc etc..) wich needs to be built in as well.
See you next week.

[grafi]

Painting is finished, awesome! (see new pictures in the set)
The plan is to finish the rest within 10 days. (I am sure it wont happen. )

[grafi]

Two days from now on, and the car arrives back to the garage. The engine is still in parts, new seals, gaskets, valve gaps has been fixed, etc. etc.
I've just realized, how much things I forgot. I will have to buy new bolts, sound proof panels, wires, pipes, and god knows what. I have to fix tons of little things wich were not working properly, before we build back them to the car. But I want to finish latest on sunday. The plan is on: work all day at weekend, and sleep in the garage if I pass out.

[grafi]

Well, the project is delayed due to unforseen circumtances: My friend (who owns the garage where my car is being built) bought a 480 in Germany on friday evening. The problem was, that the car must have been picked up until Saturday evening... So, next morning we headed to Hamburg.. to buy this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kisgrafi/s ... 131700382/ I guess everyone agrees that this beauty worth to delay every program we had at the weekend, and drive 2700 km in 24 hours... Well, I know now what will be my new project next year: make a replica from this set somehow...

Anyways, there are some bad news about my engine as well: when the head was removed it turned out the the block itself is in not so good condition as we expected, and my spare engine is crap too.. So I have to get a B18FT asap, in good condition..

[grafi]

Complete engine renovation in progress: new pistons, rings, joint-pins, honing the cylinders, new bearings etc etc etc...
New deadline: next weekend..

[grafi]

it looks like this at the moment:
http://picasaweb.google.hu/szevrichard/Volvo480#

[grafi]

Its been for a while.
I've finished rewiring both cable looms, fixed little flaws and stuff. Then unfortunately I had to take a little break with the car, but in the meantime the crazy scientists finished the engine, almost. New pictures.