Welcome Seymour
Moderators: jifflemon, coyote1980, Rachel
Welcome Seymour
Benjamin Franklin once said that "if you want something done, ask a busy person." When I invent my time machine, I'm going to go back and find Benjamin, then slap him, because I AM that busy person (although, maybe the time machine would actually help fix some of my problems?). So for a man who's already busy with his real life job (yes, I have one that's totally unrelated to 480's!), has 3 480's of his own, 3 other cars and a couple of rescue cars, the absolute last thing I needed was yet another project.....
And then up popped this one.
I genuinely did try to find a home for it - But it became very apparent that it needed saving immediately or it was scrapped. Once again, it was a "If not me, then who?". The garage were vague on the details; it "needed an engine" and couldn't expand further on the why. Speaking with the previous owners it seemed like they did genuinely love the car. The garage had apparently "tried in vain" to find a replacement engine for it (despite Lakes Volvo, the UK's largest Volvo breaker being 10 minutes up the road) and it'd been 12 months and they'd now given up hope of ever having the car back on the road. Whilst sorting out the V5, I was given a folder of "stuff" as well as a spare set of wheels and headed off back home to see just what had been delivered onto the driveway. In the dreary October light of 2021, this is what greeted me - It was referred to as Seymour, because every time I open the front door, I see more bloody Volvo 480's!
Much thinking was going on about what I should do with it. Break it? Fix the engine? Swap the engine? Mad engine conversion? However, as we were in the depths of winter of 2021, I instead started by going through the folder of stuff, expecting the usually crap (you know, damp musty copy of the Haynes book of lies) and was instead greeted with this.
I haven't yet tried playing the tape of course - It's first play will be direct into a PC to record it digitally for prosperity! The gifts kept on coming though - Sure there was a Book of lies, but there was also pretty much full service history, details of all previous owners, MOT certificates - A full on treasure trove. It would appear that the 44k miles were very genuine. By the time it moved to it's second owner, some 21 years after being registered, it had covered a dizzying 22k miles....
Then I stumbled upon this:
Now sadly, the details are somewhat lacking, but why would you suspect a Head Gasket? Classic Head Gasket symptoms would be emulsified oil when you remove the filler cap, but you'd also find that on an engine that does short trips (as condensation builds up inside the engine which is typically dealt with once the engine gets hot). The sort of short trips that would see a car covering less than 1000 miles per year.
Even more interesting was this, 12 months later......
Now, call me Mr Cynical, but if you're dealing with a Head Gasket issue, particularly a repeat Head Gasket issue, the first thing you look for is the root cause. So I very quickly whipped off the oil cooler and pressure tested it. It wasn't leaking. This made things a whole lot more interesting....
Next was a quick rummage through this box of bits.
Everything seemed to be present and correct, so I figured I'd see if it was possible to rebuild the engine.
Block was checked for flatness - No faults found.
Head was sent away to be pressure tested and checked for flatness - No faults found.
Injectors were sent awat for pressure testing and cleaning
Oil drained, sump pulled off for inspection
At each of these points, I'd expected to have discovered a smoking gun, something to explain why a garage thought they had to change a Head Gasket not once, but twice! then I potentially stumbled upon it....
I'd ordered a set of headbolts and a new head gasket and stumbled upon something. The Head bolts. Obviously headbolts have to be tightened to a specific torque and in a specific sequence. Well, the headbolts had the Torque and sequence handily written on the box.
Only that was different to the Haynes Manual.
Which was different to the Volvo manual......
My gut feeling is that they misdiagnosed the first headgasket (or simply believed the customer), then didn't use the correct torque settings for the headbolts, which caused the gasket to fail prematurely. Now why admit fault when you can bill for repeat work?
and so we pressed on - New water pump and timing belt
Rebuilt a spare turbo 70Amp alternator
Removed and cleaned both the washer bottle and expansion tank
Removed the radiator for flushing, which obviously meant cleaning the lower slam panel......
Before putting it all back together.
With fresh plugs, oil and volvo filter. It burst into life on the second crank.
No knocks, no noises. Happy Jiff.
There followed many, many coolant flushes.....
Until it was at the point of running clean.
And then up popped this one.
I genuinely did try to find a home for it - But it became very apparent that it needed saving immediately or it was scrapped. Once again, it was a "If not me, then who?". The garage were vague on the details; it "needed an engine" and couldn't expand further on the why. Speaking with the previous owners it seemed like they did genuinely love the car. The garage had apparently "tried in vain" to find a replacement engine for it (despite Lakes Volvo, the UK's largest Volvo breaker being 10 minutes up the road) and it'd been 12 months and they'd now given up hope of ever having the car back on the road. Whilst sorting out the V5, I was given a folder of "stuff" as well as a spare set of wheels and headed off back home to see just what had been delivered onto the driveway. In the dreary October light of 2021, this is what greeted me - It was referred to as Seymour, because every time I open the front door, I see more bloody Volvo 480's!
Much thinking was going on about what I should do with it. Break it? Fix the engine? Swap the engine? Mad engine conversion? However, as we were in the depths of winter of 2021, I instead started by going through the folder of stuff, expecting the usually crap (you know, damp musty copy of the Haynes book of lies) and was instead greeted with this.
I haven't yet tried playing the tape of course - It's first play will be direct into a PC to record it digitally for prosperity! The gifts kept on coming though - Sure there was a Book of lies, but there was also pretty much full service history, details of all previous owners, MOT certificates - A full on treasure trove. It would appear that the 44k miles were very genuine. By the time it moved to it's second owner, some 21 years after being registered, it had covered a dizzying 22k miles....
Then I stumbled upon this:
Now sadly, the details are somewhat lacking, but why would you suspect a Head Gasket? Classic Head Gasket symptoms would be emulsified oil when you remove the filler cap, but you'd also find that on an engine that does short trips (as condensation builds up inside the engine which is typically dealt with once the engine gets hot). The sort of short trips that would see a car covering less than 1000 miles per year.
Even more interesting was this, 12 months later......
Now, call me Mr Cynical, but if you're dealing with a Head Gasket issue, particularly a repeat Head Gasket issue, the first thing you look for is the root cause. So I very quickly whipped off the oil cooler and pressure tested it. It wasn't leaking. This made things a whole lot more interesting....
Next was a quick rummage through this box of bits.
Everything seemed to be present and correct, so I figured I'd see if it was possible to rebuild the engine.
Block was checked for flatness - No faults found.
Head was sent away to be pressure tested and checked for flatness - No faults found.
Injectors were sent awat for pressure testing and cleaning
Oil drained, sump pulled off for inspection
At each of these points, I'd expected to have discovered a smoking gun, something to explain why a garage thought they had to change a Head Gasket not once, but twice! then I potentially stumbled upon it....
I'd ordered a set of headbolts and a new head gasket and stumbled upon something. The Head bolts. Obviously headbolts have to be tightened to a specific torque and in a specific sequence. Well, the headbolts had the Torque and sequence handily written on the box.
Only that was different to the Haynes Manual.
Which was different to the Volvo manual......
My gut feeling is that they misdiagnosed the first headgasket (or simply believed the customer), then didn't use the correct torque settings for the headbolts, which caused the gasket to fail prematurely. Now why admit fault when you can bill for repeat work?
and so we pressed on - New water pump and timing belt
Rebuilt a spare turbo 70Amp alternator
Removed and cleaned both the washer bottle and expansion tank
Removed the radiator for flushing, which obviously meant cleaning the lower slam panel......
Before putting it all back together.
With fresh plugs, oil and volvo filter. It burst into life on the second crank.
No knocks, no noises. Happy Jiff.
There followed many, many coolant flushes.....
Until it was at the point of running clean.
Re: Welcome Seymour
Then the usual Jiff stuff started to happen.....
You know..... Good scrub behind all the usual dirt traps, remove the sponges of doom, properly seal all the lights, Give the dashboard a health check, change all the bulbs, add some LED's for good measure and convert the window switches to LED to match the seat belt ones. We ALL do that right??
You know..... Good scrub behind all the usual dirt traps, remove the sponges of doom, properly seal all the lights, Give the dashboard a health check, change all the bulbs, add some LED's for good measure and convert the window switches to LED to match the seat belt ones. We ALL do that right??
Re: Welcome Seymour
By this point, summer was going to be soon upon us. and that means show season. Which meant rip all the interior out to clean it properly
And then whilst the interior was out, it would be rude NOT to add some soundproofing to the door cards right?
As well as pressure washing all the internal cavities, yes, that means rear arches and doors!
before adding copious amounts rust killer and Bilt Hamber S50 cavity wax.
The seat belts had suffered the classic 480 thing whereby the rears fade in the sunshine as they rarely move, so you end up with a huge stripe when you finally do use the rear belts! So, It was the excuse I needed to do this (oh and this was the TAME version!)
And then whilst the interior was out, it would be rude NOT to add some soundproofing to the door cards right?
As well as pressure washing all the internal cavities, yes, that means rear arches and doors!
before adding copious amounts rust killer and Bilt Hamber S50 cavity wax.
The seat belts had suffered the classic 480 thing whereby the rears fade in the sunshine as they rarely move, so you end up with a huge stripe when you finally do use the rear belts! So, It was the excuse I needed to do this (oh and this was the TAME version!)
Re: Welcome Seymour
and so back together it went, cleaning as we go....
Even gave the wheels a spruce up and some nice rubber as well as a wash and polish
Only, before i knew it, we were back in winter, and it still didn't have an MOT.
Even gave the wheels a spruce up and some nice rubber as well as a wash and polish
Only, before i knew it, we were back in winter, and it still didn't have an MOT.
- dragonflyjewels
- 480 Is my middle name
- Posts: 1613
- Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:38 am
- Location: Norfolk
Re: Welcome Seymour
When this came up for sale, I looked at the photos to see if was a prospect for the rescue group. All the engine parts in the boot made me think 'no, can't expect Jeff to sort that lot out!' Little did I know it would be on his front drive the next time we visited...... Talk about dedicated
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
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
Re: Welcome Seymour
Holy fuckamoly that is some serious work, I honestly am in awe. Reminded me of the fact that in addition to the Left-wing nature of my car at the moment, most of the dash lights are out and I could do with adding to the rust protection. What is the plan with Seymour now?
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild
- WillC9303
- Can tell where the 480 was built
- Posts: 343
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:46 pm
- Location: Surrey
Re: Welcome Seymour
Seymour Butts looks fantastic. I believe you showed me this car the last time I visited your place - had no idea so much work had been done to it!
What’s your secret with the dashboard bulbs? They look incredibly bright compared to my dim ones (even after I replaced them). Are they LEDs?
What’s your secret with the dashboard bulbs? They look incredibly bright compared to my dim ones (even after I replaced them). Are they LEDs?
William
1993 2.0i Limited Edition
1993 2.0i Limited Edition
Re: Welcome Seymour
Brilliant work Jeff, as always. And having seen Seymour recently I know how good he's looking!
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!
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!
Re: Welcome Seymour
Other things I forgot to mention as it was going back together..
Obviously, the head got valves re-lapped in, new valve stem seals and re-gasketed throughout!
Front long range lamps got resealed, cleaned and new super bulbs. DRL's are original so got LED bulbs
If you didn't spot it at the front, the car came with an original front splitter (told you it'd been loved!)
I also added stealth yellow bulbs to the foglamps!
Speaking of being loved, the car had the optional Atlas wheels, so they were given some love - bonus nerd points for the beady eyed!
and the inside got not only a new set of heater knobs, but a Volvo VC-963 to replace the VC708.
and also a nice Momo steering wheel.
I also gave myself a bit of a talking too, and MOT'd it! So yes, Seymour is Tax'd insured and being used!
Why is that a problem? Well, there's the minor issue of 3 personal Turbos to sort out, 2 other personal cars and a long list of rescues/friends cars....
Obviously, the head got valves re-lapped in, new valve stem seals and re-gasketed throughout!
Front long range lamps got resealed, cleaned and new super bulbs. DRL's are original so got LED bulbs
If you didn't spot it at the front, the car came with an original front splitter (told you it'd been loved!)
I also added stealth yellow bulbs to the foglamps!
Speaking of being loved, the car had the optional Atlas wheels, so they were given some love - bonus nerd points for the beady eyed!
and the inside got not only a new set of heater knobs, but a Volvo VC-963 to replace the VC708.
and also a nice Momo steering wheel.
I also gave myself a bit of a talking too, and MOT'd it! So yes, Seymour is Tax'd insured and being used!
There's LED's in the heater switch, lights on and Main beam (which is a blue one) - Its actually been a while since I swapped them, so there may actually be more! Half the battle is finding decent LED's in the sea of Cheap Chinese sh*te......
Well, there in lies a problem - For now I can just use it, but I'm very conscious it's another car I'll just keep fettling with. Current plans include renewing all the brakes just because (fear not, I've already flushed the brake fluid out!) as well as new exhaust because I can hear a small blow somewhere.
Why is that a problem? Well, there's the minor issue of 3 personal Turbos to sort out, 2 other personal cars and a long list of rescues/friends cars....
- Jay-Kay-Em
- 480 Rookie
- Posts: 488
- Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:42 pm
- Location: Huntingdon
- Contact:
Re: Welcome Seymour
Jeff, as always, a pleasure to read and stellar work as always.
Another 480 saved beyond doubt.
I doff my cap.
Another 480 saved beyond doubt.
I doff my cap.
Jay-Kay-Em
-------------------------------------
Click here for My 480 Turbo Diary
Click here for My Cars
-------------------------------------
Click here for My 480 Turbo Diary
Click here for My Cars
Re: Welcome Seymour
I had only just noticed it has the Uber rare unpainted front splitter, must be the only one left surely?
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild
- WillC9303
- Can tell where the 480 was built
- Posts: 343
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:46 pm
- Location: Surrey
Re: Welcome Seymour
Was wondering what engine Seymour has. Being a Phase 1 on a G-plate with plain B-pillar covers I'd have thought it was a B18E. Although it seems to have the inlet manifold from the later B18FP? I suppose whether it has a catalytic converter or not will be the giveaway.
I came across a picture of this car posted on Twitter at a car show in June 2018 simply by chance yesterday which lends credence to the theory that it was enthusiast owned at some point.
Before you swapped it out with the MOMO, it looked to have had a leather steering wheel & that would have to have been added after as the leather wheels were only available with the full leather seats option from factory.
/nerd_mode_off
I came across a picture of this car posted on Twitter at a car show in June 2018 simply by chance yesterday which lends credence to the theory that it was enthusiast owned at some point.
Before you swapped it out with the MOMO, it looked to have had a leather steering wheel & that would have to have been added after as the leather wheels were only available with the full leather seats option from factory.
/nerd_mode_off
William
1993 2.0i Limited Edition
1993 2.0i Limited Edition
Re: Welcome Seymour
Remember that before the B18FP came the B18EP - the same engine without the cat. I think you'll find that's what's in Seymour...WillC9303 wrote: ↑Sat May 20, 2023 2:19 pmWas wondering what engine Seymour has. Being a Phase 1 on a G-plate with plain B-pillar covers I'd have thought it was a B18E. Although it seems to have the inlet manifold from the later B18FP? I suppose whether it has a catalytic converter or not will be the giveaway.
/nerd_mode_off
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!
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!
Re: Welcome Seymour
Wow. So fookin cool! The knowledge you have is awesome! And your tasteful mods are nothing short of excellent! The seatbelts, wow! And that steering wheel, stunning!! If ever you want to take on a celebration for this level of pampering, my darling motor is about to fail its MOT at the start of next month and I dread to see the countless things it fails on! 🥲 again, what a great job you’ve done! Made me realise why I bought a 480 in the first place! 🥰
Re: Welcome Seymour
Minor Update:
Obviously, Seymour wandered off to the Festival of the unexceptional, but apart from the occasional drive into work (where people are genuinely amazed by him), he's not really done anything.
However, one thing that was apparent, was he'd need a new back box. And with the Stony Classic on New Years day, I had to do what I'd previously vowed never to do again - Fit an exhaust without using the lift at the workshop....
I went for a standard exhaust, but chose to weld on a better tailpipe - It's all about the tailpipes for me!
And one of the mounts had failed - Luckily, I know a bloke who keeps these in stock....
If you ever have to fit an exhaust, there's a couple of tips I'd share.
1. Put the hangers on the exhaust first, then, after threading the pipe over the cross member, hang the OS side mount, then the N/S (tailpipe) mount. WD40, or even better, red rubber grease will make your life much easier here.
2. The positioning of the exhaust before you clamp is critical. I use an old mount sitting between the crossmember and exhaust for spacing, then use a scissor jack to press the centre section into the joint. Then, and only then, do you fasten the clamp. If you get this wrong, your centre section can hang low, or you'll be getting a thump over bumps as the exhaust hits the crossmember or boot floor.
The result? Well, lovely and quiet (it is only a standard exhaust!) but looks wise?
Obviously, Seymour wandered off to the Festival of the unexceptional, but apart from the occasional drive into work (where people are genuinely amazed by him), he's not really done anything.
However, one thing that was apparent, was he'd need a new back box. And with the Stony Classic on New Years day, I had to do what I'd previously vowed never to do again - Fit an exhaust without using the lift at the workshop....
I went for a standard exhaust, but chose to weld on a better tailpipe - It's all about the tailpipes for me!
And one of the mounts had failed - Luckily, I know a bloke who keeps these in stock....
If you ever have to fit an exhaust, there's a couple of tips I'd share.
1. Put the hangers on the exhaust first, then, after threading the pipe over the cross member, hang the OS side mount, then the N/S (tailpipe) mount. WD40, or even better, red rubber grease will make your life much easier here.
2. The positioning of the exhaust before you clamp is critical. I use an old mount sitting between the crossmember and exhaust for spacing, then use a scissor jack to press the centre section into the joint. Then, and only then, do you fasten the clamp. If you get this wrong, your centre section can hang low, or you'll be getting a thump over bumps as the exhaust hits the crossmember or boot floor.
The result? Well, lovely and quiet (it is only a standard exhaust!) but looks wise?
Re: Welcome Seymour
Wow. Looks like a nice car now you've fettled it. Top work.
Which Lead's do you use for switches, and dashboard Jeff?
Which Lead's do you use for switches, and dashboard Jeff?
White 1990 480 Turbo Auto
Caspian Blue 2015 V70 D5 SE Lux
Previously G reg 480 ES Black and D reg 480 ES in Silver
Caspian Blue 2015 V70 D5 SE Lux
Previously G reg 480 ES Black and D reg 480 ES in Silver
Re: Welcome Seymour
Stony Classic 2024 done!
Ended up post event getting some lunch and have a conversation with a chap who simply couldn't believe the car was a) 34 years old and b) a Volvo.
He spent a good 20 minutes walking around it, taking photos and asking questions etc.
Ended up post event getting some lunch and have a conversation with a chap who simply couldn't believe the car was a) 34 years old and b) a Volvo.
He spent a good 20 minutes walking around it, taking photos and asking questions etc.
Re: Welcome Seymour
Honestly, I’ve given up with LED’s now. The problem is trying to source decent ones. Everything seems to be the same CCS (Cheap Chinese Shite), so I’ve actually reverted now back to just using decent quality bulbs.
Re: Welcome Seymour
Yes, getting good quality bulbs can be an issue.
I just wanted to brighten up the dashboard for daytime driving, especially the fuel guage as it can be hard to read when it's bright outside.
I saw a car which had had LED's fitted to the dashboard on Wednesday, it looked excellent however he said that they could not be dimmed which is a shame if driving at night.
I just wanted to brighten up the dashboard for daytime driving, especially the fuel guage as it can be hard to read when it's bright outside.
I saw a car which had had LED's fitted to the dashboard on Wednesday, it looked excellent however he said that they could not be dimmed which is a shame if driving at night.
White 1990 480 Turbo Auto
Caspian Blue 2015 V70 D5 SE Lux
Previously G reg 480 ES Black and D reg 480 ES in Silver
Caspian Blue 2015 V70 D5 SE Lux
Previously G reg 480 ES Black and D reg 480 ES in Silver
Re: Welcome Seymour
New standard bulbs would be perfect. LED’s give very directional light and can’t be dimmed. Plus, as mentioned, the amount of CCS that’s flooding the market means you’ll get a lot of practice pullling your dash out….