Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

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dragonflyjewels
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Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dragonflyjewels » Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:25 pm

What an exciting afternoon today turned out to be ! I was contacted by club member Arthur (aka oddballer on here) to say that he'd been to see a white turbo in need of saving. He found out about it by word of mouth, so it hasn't been advertised anywhere. It wasn't much money and if Arthur didn't want it, it was likely to be scrapped. It's sat in a field for the last few years and looking very unloved, but the wheel arches are surprisingly good, as are the sills. The mot history has no mention of corrosion, so this is definitely worth saving. The only drawback is that it was originally from Switzerland so it's lhd. I had a look at the photos Arthur sent and had a quick word with Jeff, who was as enthusiastic as me, so Arthur very kindly said he'd go back and do the deal with the seller. Not only that, he's paid for it as a donation to the rescue pot - what a star !

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I rather like those roof rails ! No brake light on the rear hatch, same as the French cars, and the leather seats have no headrests in the rear.

Jeff has no room for it at the moment, and it's not very far from us so we will squeeze it in somewhere. I just hope the brakes aren't too seized on as it will take some maneuvering. Arthur has offered to come and help though so it should be OK. Once here, I can start drying out the boot and rear footwell (how surprising it should be wet!) and we'll give it a good deforestation clean although the hose won't reach the likely parking place.
Last edited by dragonflyjewels on Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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

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MisterH
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by MisterH » Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:41 pm

Wow, what an oddball indeed! I hadn't noticed the lack of high level brake light before but now I can't miss it!

This car is definitely worth saving, any idea of the story?

Well done, another one if not saved then certainly given a chance! :hopping: :hopping:
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

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dragonflyjewels
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dragonflyjewels » Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:03 pm

It's the usual story with a sound car - apparently one owner from new so he must have relocated here and brought it with him. I believe now deceased so his son has it and doesn't really want it. He did get work done on it and mot'd in 2018, but it's still just been left.
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

Helmert3
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by Helmert3 » Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:06 pm

Gotta love a 480 Turbo in white. Glad this one isnt going to the scappers :hopping:

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MisterH
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Re: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by MisterH » Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:07 pm

dragonflyjewels wrote:
Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:03 pm
It's the usual story with a sound car - apparently one owner from new so he must have relocated here and brought it with him. I believe now deceased so his son has it and doesn't really want it. He did get work done on it and mot'd in 2018, but it's still just been left.
amazing what 3-4 years outside would do to an MOTed car
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

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Oddballer
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by Oddballer » Thu Jan 14, 2021 2:03 am

As far as i know in terms of back story this was the sellers fathers car that was in regular use until about 4-5 years ago. Its a one owner car bought new at the Häusermann volvo dealership in Zurich Switzerland where the family were resident for a number of years.

Anyway fast forward a few years it came to the UK with its owner and was driven here for a bit.

It then got laid up for a while, not exactly sure how long, but after a spell off the road had some work done to make it roadworthy again and seems it was last MOT'd in Jan 2018.

However, around then the owner decided to purchase a newer car and it was laid up again. I believe he sadly died soon after at which point the car was inherited by the original owners sons.

My mothers partner came across it by chance while working at the sellers property and mentioned it to me. On further enquiry it seems it has mostly lived under a carport for the last 4 years and has only recently been moved outside. Unsurprisingly the rear passenger footwell now resembles a footspa but hopefully the worst of this is only recent water ingress due to being outside.

It was pushed into its current position so i'd guess it hasn't been run since its last mot in 2018. I thought it was a bad idea to try to start it until its been looked over in more detail and had some fresh fluids/filters/ belts etc.

From a quick inspection the sills and arches are really surprisingly solid and pretty damn clean, underneath looks pretty good and solid too. Bar soggy carpets and mouldy headliner the interior has survived ok and the leather seems to be pretty good.

On the downside after adding some electrons it looks like the info centre is dead and the instruments may need a holiday to the Netherlands, one pop up works and one of the rear lamps maybe polished back to life assuming it comes out whole but the other is cracked pretty badly.

It should be getting moved to Sylvia's in the next couple of weeks with a bit of luck so watch this space.

jifflemon
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by jifflemon » Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:20 am

Just to say very publically, a HUGE thank you to you for saving it!

The tip off would have been enough, but to pay for it and transport it too really does humble me; I'm glad I'm not the only person that believes in saving cars for no other reason than for the love of the car.

This place is, without doubt, one of the best places on the internet!

Norm57
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by Norm57 » Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:34 pm

jifflemon wrote:
Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:20 am
Just to say very publically, a HUGE thank you to you for saving it!

The tip off would have been enough, but to pay for it and transport it too really does humble me; I'm glad I'm not the only person that believes in saving cars for no other reason than for the love of the car.

This place is, without doubt, one of the best places on the internet!
Hear hear!

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MisterH
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by MisterH » Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:43 pm

I holeheartedly agree,

No other forum I use has this same level of commitment to goodwill, I have seen so much honour and kindness on here, and I am proud to be a part! :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

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brinkie
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by brinkie » Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:05 pm

Well done, this one is worth saving as there are almost no 480 Turbo left, even on the Continent. They're all thrashed by the boy racer brigade or used as donor for a Renault 5 Turbo.
Arthur, were you the one who brought an instrument cluster at my place (well sort of), donated several spare units and picked the repaired cluster up at my workplace, while you and your mate were on vacation here?
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

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dragonflyjewels
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dragonflyjewels » Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:50 pm

It has crossed my mind that this one might end up in France. Most of the club members over there have turbos (I suspect to keep them out of the Renault brigade's hands)and white seems to be a popular colour. I will mention it to their president - I have to email him anyway. We shall see.
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

arthuy
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by arthuy » Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:34 pm

If you need any LHD parts let me know I still have a load of parts attached to the remains.

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Murf
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by Murf » Thu Jan 14, 2021 10:32 pm

Great work saving another one from scrap 😁
Kia Pro'ceed GT 1.6 Turbo
1992 480 Turbo
2007 Focus ST

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Oddballer
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by Oddballer » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:34 am

brinkie wrote:
Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:05 pm
Well done, this one is worth saving as there are almost no 480 Turbo left, even on the Continent. They're all thrashed by the boy racer brigade or used as donor for a Renault 5 Turbo.
Arthur, were you the one who brought an instrument cluster at my place (well sort of), donated several spare units and picked the repaired cluster up at my workplace, while you and your mate were on vacation here?
Yes indeed, that was me. :D

Was nice to meet you and your Paris blue!

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brinkie
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by brinkie » Fri Jan 15, 2021 3:07 pm

The Paris Blue is no longer in my possession, but got new wheel arches under my ownership and was sold to a friend who works for a Volvo dealership. The car got some upgrades. :)
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Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by Jay-Kay-Em » Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:25 pm

Turbo numbers are critical! If it was an animal, Chris Packham would be going mental.

brinkie wrote:
Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:05 pm
Well done, this one is worth saving as there are almost no 480 Turbo left, even on the Continent. They're all thrashed by the boy racer brigade or used as donor for a Renault 5 Turbo.
That and the extra maintenance headaches.... two ECUs.... corroded oil lines.... complicated PCV system.... who'd want one eh? :wink:

I have always said the Turbo is a flawed concept for the marginal the gains it brings over the 2 litre. But, any 80's Volvo with a Turbo badge is cool by default, so there endeth the discussion :D

The only good news about footwells full of water is that it means the footwells are not holed by corrosion (yet) :rofl:

Big praise to the salvors (Sylvia, Arthur) and I look forward to R4 updates.
Jay-Kay-Em
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dragonflyjewels
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dragonflyjewels » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:51 pm

The co-incidence:

Once upon a time, there were two men, one in the south of England and one in Zurich. Both bought a new Volvo 480 Turbo in white. Both loved their cars, kept them dry stored, and never sold them. Both men died. Both men had a son who, as executor, was tasked with finding the 480 a new home. The sons lived just 5 miles apart. One car became my Lily, the other R4. In a few weeks they will be one each end of my front garden.

It was real deja-vu this afternoon driving down the same lanes to visit R4 as when we looked at Lily. We went over to complete the paperwork and start the drying process. Pleased to say the rear hatch went up enthusiastically, so gas struts fine. The boot had less water in than I had anticipated, so the boot carpet didn't need swathes of giant plastic bags to stop it leaking on our Saabs carpet. It is now residing in the bath until it stops dripping, at which point I will shampoo it. The boot was pleasingly sound with just surface rust, but the toolkit had been wrapped in a canvas sack which was obviously home to a mouse. The resident shot out and disappeared under a back seat as soon as I touched the nest (thanks to a warning from Arthur I was wearing thick rubber gloves) Stinky nest went into a plastic carrier bag as well as the remnants of the book of maps that had been chomped up for nest lining, and the slight wet patch under the left indicator cluster was dried with a towel.

On opening the rear left door I found the puddle in the footwell considerably deeper than anticipated - I think the water must have got into the boot in the bad storm we had just before Christmas and now drained to the footwell. it had even started to flood the front footwell. The top edge of the left rear cluster is broken off and was full of soggy sludge so probably the culprit. Al used a small plastic tub to bail out the worst of the water then put thick wodges of newspaper down with the toolkit on top to encourage the water to soak up ready for disposal when the car arrives here. I went all round the car scooping composted leaves, twigs, moss etc off to try to remove as much wet stuff as possible, then used towels to dry the worst of the wet off the insides of the windows before giving the outside a wipe down. The battery had been charged and disconnected so we didn't need our jump leads to open the windows (both worked - another bonus). We have left it with a microporous cover on in the hope of no more water getting in, and maybe even some getting out through the windows, plus Al propped the rear hatch up a few inches having disconnected the battery again. I was delighted to see the full leather interior looking in good condition - even the driver's bolster has minimal wear and so far there is no sign of mould growing on it.

I'm hoping once it's here we can get it running so I can move it about - the parking place it will occupy is too far away from the house to reach with even our longest hose or extension lead. Getting it properly dry and cleaning it up will be so much easier if we can get it into the carport but it's a very awkward turn when pushing.

The bodywork will need some attention - there are various bits of surface rust here and there as well as just starting on the arches but hopefully either R1 or R3 will be sold in the not-too-distant future to return some of the cash spent on them back to the donation pool. That being the case we can treat it to a bodyshop visit once Jeff has worked his magic on the mechanical side of things. The worst damage is on the driver's door (left that is), which looks to have been hit fairly hard by something small and solid, leaving a dent and some distortion. Possibly, the white breaker our northern rescue team are hoping to aquire will have a rust free door we can swap. Fingers crossed on that one.

mouse swimming pool
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swimming pool overflow
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driver's bolster
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very little rust here
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rust above the damaged left cluster, invisible till I scooped the thick layer of sludge out
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rust above the good right cluster
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rust under the rear hatch
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n/side door damage
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split seal off side
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split seal n/side and delamination in the corner of the screen
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hope it doesnt blow away !
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Pleased to see it's parked on gravel instead of left in a field (it's at a farm)
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

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dragonflyjewels
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dragonflyjewels » Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:49 pm

Having 4 480s and only 2 garages, we bought a Carcoon last year which turned out to be excellent, so long term the plan is to buy a second one. We don't need it this winter as Sven is luxuriating in an airconditioned and de-humidified bodyshop and won't be home for a few months yet. Eva is starting to show signs of needing the same treatment so her turn will come next winter but after that it's Carcoon 2. The only place we have power outside is under the carport but behind it is a 480 sized area that the builders turned into a tip when they were working on our new extension. Back in the summer, Al and I started clearing the undergrowth and levelling it just to tidy it up but the imminent arrival of R4 put pressure on our available parking. I'd always said we'd pull all the stops out to save a turbo if the rescue group was lucky enough to get one. So, an urgent order went in to the builder's merchants on Thursday for a ton of soft sand as our house was built in the bottom of a disused gravel pit - gravel and carcoons are not a good combination. The sand arrived Saturday thanks to a very helpful young lady who manages the branch, much to the disgust of the men who work for her. Luckily, today was dry and sunny so Al spent the morning barrowing sand to the target whilst I did the spread and tread to make a nice firm base. A spare piece of thick weed mat went over quite a bit of it, and an old and leaky car cover did the rest. Note to self - get down to the garden centre tomorrow for some more weed mat. We now have a parking place for Eva to sit out the rest of the winter in the Carcoon once she comes home from servicing, with the carport left free for the Saab. That leaves our other 2 spaces for Junk the breaker and R4, so we are all set to take delivery. Happy days !

Image
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: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dragonflyjewels » Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:51 pm

arthuy wrote:
Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:34 pm
If you need any LHD parts let me know I still have a load of parts attached to the remains.
Great ! thanks arthuy :D :D
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

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dcwalker
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Re: Rescue Car: R4 - our first turbo rescue !

Post by dcwalker » Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:03 pm

I'll echo the others, Sylvia, well done on jumping in and saving this one. I look forward to helping return her to her former glory!

From what you've said and shown there's a lot to do but nothing mindbogglingly heavy duty or life threatening (to the car, that is), which will help.

Loved the story about the two white 480s though. My Lily, too, was sold to me by the son of her one previous owner from new, who had passed away - after 2 years the son decided he would part with it, complete with cherished plate that has his mother's initials. I specifically asked if she was ok about that and was told she was just pleased to see the car going to a good home, and could wear that plate with her blessing.

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!

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