-
Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software hereThank you for being a part of our community!
(another) '83 Beige 242DL that isn't actually beige!
- Thread starter vwbusman66
- Start date
oldschoolvolvo
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2004
- Location
- Lancaster, PA
Lucky dog. Looks great!
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
Made the car look less like poo tonight with "new" sealed beam bulbs, (incorrect) turn signal housings and lenses, and not shot up 5 panels out back. I still would like to find a better set of tails than what I have right now. I have a replacement reflector for the passenger headlight bezel.
I have 3 US-spec 5-panels that you can have but you must pick them up at mountain meet. Are you going this year?
I'm still hoarding these in hopes of one day swapping them onto my 6-panel car. Maybe never, but that's fine. They'll be even more priceless when I finally sell them.
propav8r
F*ck Edgar
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Location
- Franklin, NC
$1, Bob! (rip)I have 3 US-spec 5-panels that you can have but you must pick them up at mountain meet. Are you going this year?
I'm still hoarding these in hopes of one day swapping them onto my 6-panel car. Maybe never, but that's fine. They'll be even more priceless when I finally sell them.
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
I'll be there.I have 3 US-spec 5-panels that you can have but you must pick them up at mountain meet. Are you going this year?
I'm still hoarding these in hopes of one day swapping them onto my 6-panel car. Maybe never, but that's fine. They'll be even more priceless when I finally sell them.
Good. These will hopefully go home with you. For $0.00 final best price, I cannot go any lower.
dl242gt
The world of the smiling Dogo
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2002
- Location
- S NJ, a suburb of Phila.
ermit had a set of the ecode 5 panel lights for sale. They were appropriately priced but they are a bit of Volvo gold nowadays.
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
I've been recovering from Mountain Meet all week and stewing on the future of my fleet of cars.
While I was in NC I traded @propav8r an M41 and driveshaft for "the second crappiest flathood known to man" (his words not mine) and a replicca homologation grille, was gifted 5 panels from @towerymt, and traded @stick70 a W210 sunroof cassette for more quarter glass and a pair of light beige rear interior panels.
A '90 244 showed up at the U-Pull in Pontiac and my buddy Dan and I headed there to grab some parts for our cars. He came out empty handed but I snagged a pair of strut assemblies with hubs to use as cores to build coilovers or to send to Ben at some point in the future. The hubs will probably get re-drilled to 5x114.3 to match the 8.8 this car will eventually receive.
After I got home, I decided to try and one-man the flathood swap so I could feel some type of way about the car. After spending way too long chasing/re-tapping the hinge threads, I got it slammed on and I'm not sure how I feel now that I'm looking at it.
Something seems missing with respect to trim above the headlight bezels. A local buddy has an early euro square headlight setup that I'm going to try later this week.
Good thing I'm doing the important stuff instead of making it run or sort out the suspension/brakes.
While I was in NC I traded @propav8r an M41 and driveshaft for "the second crappiest flathood known to man" (his words not mine) and a replicca homologation grille, was gifted 5 panels from @towerymt, and traded @stick70 a W210 sunroof cassette for more quarter glass and a pair of light beige rear interior panels.
A '90 244 showed up at the U-Pull in Pontiac and my buddy Dan and I headed there to grab some parts for our cars. He came out empty handed but I snagged a pair of strut assemblies with hubs to use as cores to build coilovers or to send to Ben at some point in the future. The hubs will probably get re-drilled to 5x114.3 to match the 8.8 this car will eventually receive.
After I got home, I decided to try and one-man the flathood swap so I could feel some type of way about the car. After spending way too long chasing/re-tapping the hinge threads, I got it slammed on and I'm not sure how I feel now that I'm looking at it.
Something seems missing with respect to trim above the headlight bezels. A local buddy has an early euro square headlight setup that I'm going to try later this week.
Good thing I'm doing the important stuff instead of making it run or sort out the suspension/brakes.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2009
- Location
- Monterey/Falun
Is the old grill in good shape?
FYI, my '90 had strut tubes with the integrated spacer in the bottom, so DeCarbon/Bilstein HD don't fit. Check before you spend too much time/effort on them....if you're using a Bilstein standard length strut. If shorter inserts or Koni, should be fine.
adomz
I own!
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2010
- Location
- Lost in Wales...
Nice work!
So, let me ask... The euro 5 panel rear lights, that i got on my 242, same as Towery posted, they rare?
Thankyous MeGents!
So, let me ask... The euro 5 panel rear lights, that i got on my 242, same as Towery posted, they rare?
Thankyous MeGents!
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
Somehow yes
Honestly I will most likely send these to Ben as cores for shortened coilovers. Good info regardless if I wind up trying to avoid spending money on fancy stuff.
DD Ranch
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2010
- Location
- Tampa Bay, FL
I've been recovering from Mountain Meet all week and stewing on the future of my fleet of cars.
While I was in NC I traded @propav8r an M41 and driveshaft for "the second crappiest flathood known to man" (his words not mine) and a replicca homologation grille, was gifted 5 panels from @towerymt, and traded @stick70 a W210 sunroof cassette for more quarter glass and a pair of light beige rear interior panels.
A '90 244 showed up at the U-Pull in Pontiac and my buddy Dan and I headed there to grab some parts for our cars. He came out empty handed but I snagged a pair of strut assemblies with hubs to use as cores to build coilovers or to send to Ben at some point in the future. The hubs will probably get re-drilled to 5x114.3 to match the 8.8 this car will eventually receive.
After I got home, I decided to try and one-man the flathood swap so I could feel some type of way about the car. After spending way too long chasing/re-tapping the hinge threads, I got it slammed on and I'm not sure how I feel now that I'm looking at it.
Something seems missing with respect to trim above the headlight bezels. A local buddy has an early euro square headlight setup that I'm going to try later this week.
Good thing I'm doing the important stuff instead of making it run or sort out the suspension/brakes.
If you are going flathood the square euro headlights do line up better with the lines of it IMO.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2009
- Location
- Monterey/Falun
If you want to sell it let me know 
I am a coffin hood for life kinda guy
I am a coffin hood for life kinda guy
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
I'm probably going to go back to coffin hood until the car is otherwise done(ish) so I can get away with a truck intake and suck to save costs. If something changes I'll let you know.If you want to sell it let me know
Anywho, I finally sold all my OM606 stuff and got it shipped out of here Monday after a hellacious amount of effort. The garage is still a mess but I'm planning on spending quite a bit of time tomorrow on cleanup. All of that money is getting rolled into this car along with some tools to support the build.
The biggest single cost of this whole project is going to be the transmission. On a whim yesterday, I drove 4 hours south deep into Oh*o to pick up a broken F body T56 that'd been for sale forever for $1500. I told him I'd show up last night with $1k and that was that. The story is that it was in a 22k mile 2001 WS6 firebird that was making about 750whp and was fine until the input shaft twisted. He had the input shaft replaced, and about 30 miles into break-in, it got stuck in 4th gear, and he bought a brand new magnum. Internet wisdom said breaking/kicking synchro keys is common and I figured worst case scenario I can use it for mock up and then sell it as a core.
After watching a few teardowns, I drained the transmission, plopped it on a pair of G60 corrado rollers, pulled the tailhousing, and started shimmying parts and snap rings off until I decided to look at the two garbage catcher magnets. I was greeted by this sight:
That is a synchro slider key. I don't have the right lock ring pliers to blow this thing apart completely tonight, but if I'm lucky that may be the whole reason this thing got shelved.
Once the transmission is sorted, I'm planning on picking up an LM4 and all other other stuff to make this happen. Gotta decide on the suspension/brakes/wheels/tires plan still, along with whether or not I'm using a stock Volvo axle.
Duder
Watch it man, there's a beverage here!
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2009
- Location
- Torrance, CA USA
Nice score, on the car and trans! I'd keep the yellow coffin hood and quad square setup. A yellow sleeper with decent paint and a LM4 & T56 hiding underneath would be cooler than a rat rod with a rusty flat hood 
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
Today I was able to get the transmission completely torn down.
Sketchy 5th gear puller that I cobbled (I was full pucker using this):
All that remains:
The aftermath:
All in all, everything I've looked at seems alright aside from that one missing key. I haven't found the key spring yet for 3-4 but I didn't really look. The bearings and races all look great as do the gears. I'm gonna go ahead and spend the money to get the complete refresh kit with new sliders/billet keys/brass fork pads while I'm in there instead of just one single set of keys and a spring. The good news is this being a 2001 transmission means it already has the steel 3-4 shift fork and the Viper 2nd gear.
Sketchy 5th gear puller that I cobbled (I was full pucker using this):
All that remains:
The aftermath:
All in all, everything I've looked at seems alright aside from that one missing key. I haven't found the key spring yet for 3-4 but I didn't really look. The bearings and races all look great as do the gears. I'm gonna go ahead and spend the money to get the complete refresh kit with new sliders/billet keys/brass fork pads while I'm in there instead of just one single set of keys and a spring. The good news is this being a 2001 transmission means it already has the steel 3-4 shift fork and the Viper 2nd gear.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2009
- Location
- Monterey/Falun
I was about to ask for your address to send you the puller I have! Looks just like mine haha. Good work man!
vwbusman66
Stößelstange über alles
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
- Location
- SE MI
I am once again updating this thread with no substantiative updates.
The T56 is still in pieces on my garage floor, I still need to order the complete parts kit from somewhere and get it put together so I can clean up the garage.
I went down and saw Jared the weekend of the 16th. Aside from the bench racing and general debauchery, I picked up some more (useless) bling for the 242. This is a set of (I think) Ferrari 308 fitment 16x~8/16x~9.5 Gotti J55Cs. The fronts are 225/50R16s and the rears are 255/50R16. Napkin math puts them at 0 offset front and rear.
The not so bad news is that the front wheels need the center bores enlarged. The worse news is that the rear tires needed to make these wheels work on the car are not manufactured, which means that these are pretty much shelf decor. The offset on the rear is actually perfect if I could find a 245/45R16, however those don't exist from every source I've looked at. If anybody has a source for 17" Gotti lips/barrels, let me know.
In other, drastically more exciting news, I purchased @CTechLite's LQ4/4L80e swapped 1981 242. It's got a stock LQ4 with cam/springs and gapped rings, a 4L80e with a 3800 stall triple disc converter and HD2 shift kit, a custom hybrid 8.8/1031 rear axle, and some other goodies. It makes good noises and will make for a good basis to get the whole LS 242 thing perfected before I blow the yellow car apart in the garage. I'm unsure if I'll make a thread for the '81 or just update here.
My brother @vwbusman69 drove the car the hour home to my parents' house in MD.
Obligatory Wawa night shot
Freedom noises
The T56 is still in pieces on my garage floor, I still need to order the complete parts kit from somewhere and get it put together so I can clean up the garage.
I went down and saw Jared the weekend of the 16th. Aside from the bench racing and general debauchery, I picked up some more (useless) bling for the 242. This is a set of (I think) Ferrari 308 fitment 16x~8/16x~9.5 Gotti J55Cs. The fronts are 225/50R16s and the rears are 255/50R16. Napkin math puts them at 0 offset front and rear.
The not so bad news is that the front wheels need the center bores enlarged. The worse news is that the rear tires needed to make these wheels work on the car are not manufactured, which means that these are pretty much shelf decor. The offset on the rear is actually perfect if I could find a 245/45R16, however those don't exist from every source I've looked at. If anybody has a source for 17" Gotti lips/barrels, let me know.
In other, drastically more exciting news, I purchased @CTechLite's LQ4/4L80e swapped 1981 242. It's got a stock LQ4 with cam/springs and gapped rings, a 4L80e with a 3800 stall triple disc converter and HD2 shift kit, a custom hybrid 8.8/1031 rear axle, and some other goodies. It makes good noises and will make for a good basis to get the whole LS 242 thing perfected before I blow the yellow car apart in the garage. I'm unsure if I'll make a thread for the '81 or just update here.
My brother @vwbusman69 drove the car the hour home to my parents' house in MD.
Obligatory Wawa night shot
Freedom noises