Garage Makeover

Dear Friends & Family, Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog. I've been getting emails from some of you guys, wondering if I sold the Volvo. No, that's not the case. I've been really busy with the day-job, hence the lack of activity and updates. Although I've not been working on the Volvo, I have been driving it a lot. Also, I've been a little occupied with my garage makeover. The wife's been complaining about the clutter and the dull depressing color of the garage interior. I've since added a touch of color to brighten up the garage and to draw more ambient light to work on the Volvo. What do you think ... too much?

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Sightings in Melbourne, Australia

What a treat! I got an email this morning from a buddy of mine in Melbourne, Australia with these attached photos. He spotted this beauty on his way to work and snapped some shots for me. Thanks Hans!

Back To The Future

This is for all the "Back to the Future" fans out there: Today is the day that Marty McFly INTENDED to arrived at in the future after hitting 88mph in a pimped out Delorean in 1985.

I say "intended", because as anyone who has seen Back to the Future knows that Marty McFly never got to the future in Back to the Future ... and when he does finally make it in Back to the Future II, it is year 2015.

I never really got the titling of this movie. Why call it "Back to the Future", when he didn't go to the future, but back to the past instead ... unless they're referring to McFly going back to the future in reference to him being in the past. Besides, isn't it back to the past and forward to the future? Can't really go back to the future when it hasn't happen yet right? I'm very frustrated right now ... calling it a day.

Cold Start Relay

For several weeks now I've noticed that It's been increasingly difficult to start the Volvo from a cold start. Warm starts are fine, but that first start of the day usually takes about 6 tries while keeping the throttle sightly open. Suspecting a faulty cold start relay, I performed a barrage of electrical tests on the unit to see if the terminals would open or close - nothing ... it was dead. Good thing, Bosch still makes new replacement relays! Unfortunately, they look too modern for the Volvo; black plastic and all. Fortunately, I was able to source a working, used, "old school" unit from iRoll Motors

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Above and below are some before-and-after shots of the replacement cold start relay after sanding and polishing. The car now starts on the first or second try, but I still have to keep my foot on the gas pedal to keep the throttle slightly open ... must be an old car thing.

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New Quarter Window Seals

After almost a year since I purchased a pair of new quarter window seals from iRoll Motors, I finally worked up the guts to tackle this project. I've been spending lots of time researching a) how to remove the old dried-up rubber seal without breaking the windows, and b) how to install the new seals. Turns out, it wasn't that difficult at all! The first challenge of removing the old rubber seal was simple. Mine were so weathered and brittle, they just broke off when peeled by hand. Anyone attempting this should take note that the rubber seal is the only thing holding the quarter window glass in place, so make sure you hold on to the glass!

The second challenge was even easier ... I paid the local auto glass shop $40 to install the new ones. After reading countless articles and forum posts on using the "rope technique", and perfecting the manuever in my mind, I decided to have the professionals do it for me. Here are the before and after shots:

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While I had the glass off, I took the opportunity to have the quarter window trim pieces re-chromed. Notice, the "before" photos show the black residue left from the old dried-up rubber seals. I got these off using what else? ... but another tool from the kitchen - a bamboo skewer. Yes, the same kind used for shish-kebab and barbeques. They're hard enough to scrape the dried rubber off, but more importantly, they won't scratch the surface of the trim.

Quarter Window Trim - Before:	Quarter Window Trim - After:

The "rope technique" of installing the window and the new seal obviously requires some finess ... a word that is not in my vocabulary. The way it works is as follows: The rubber seal goes arond the glass first. A length of rope is then inserted between the glass and the lip of the seal. The whole thing (rope, glass, and seal) then goes into the window opening. Rope is then pulled, thereby pulling the lip of the rubber seal outwards to form a seal against the body of the car.

My advice: pay the local auto glass shop the small amount of cash, sit back, and have them perform the rope trick for you! They'll even seal the windows with that black waterproof stuff as part of the install. Here are more before-and-after photos of the trim pieces after I had them re-chromed and reinstalled:

Quarter Window Trim - Before:	Quarter Window Trim - After:

Here's a photo of the bamboo skewer used to scrape the old dried rubber from the quarter window glass. Bamboo skewer + Windex (or some other glass cleaner) = no dried rubber + no scratches! As for this last photo of the truck ... the place that I go to, to have my stuff rechromed is in some back alley in a dodgy part of town. This place doesn't even have proper business signage. Every time I have to make an appearance, I feel like I'm either going to get mugged or made into some transient's bitch. Anyway, the owner of this five-star plating establishment is always in a foul mood. He's this old timer who looks like a salty old sailor or Captain Ahab, has a permanent scowl on his face, never speaks unless spoken to, and when he does, it's alway gruff and in short sentences. I've always tried to be warm and friendly to the guy, even tried breaking the ice a couple of time ... but nothing ... no love ... you could hear crickets chirping in the background. I'm now pretty certain that he doesn't just wear his "grump on" just for me. On my last visit I took this picture of his truck. Click on the photo to view it enlarged and take note of his license plate.

Bamboo skewer to remove dried rubber:

Mr. Grumper's Truck:

Sightings in Malaysia

I would like to thank all my pals for their hospitality during my recent trip to Malaysia. Turns out, the timing of my trip was perfect. Had I been there a couple weeks later, I would be right smack in the middle of World Cup Football (Soccer) madness, and none of you guys would be sober enough to pick up the phone. Having said that, there was still quite a lot of Pre-World Cup drinking going on, however I did sober up for a day or two to take these photos of classic Volvo sightings in town.

The first two photos are of a beautiful ivory Volvo 122 4-Door sedan, followed by a striking blue Volvo 123GT. As a kid, there were these two Amazons in the "old neighborhood" that I've always admired. I wanted one then, and I still want one now. The P1800 of course was a "must have" as soon as I saw one available. If Roger Moore had one, I had to have one too! As for the Amazon ... I'll get one right after I move into one of those houses with a 4-car garage. Unfortunately, as with most other home owners in California, I'm upside down with my property values, so I'll be staying in this house for the next 130 years. The last photo is a sighting of a stripped P1800 in a paint shop waiting to be repainted silver.

Volvo 122 4-Door Sedan:	Alternate View:
Volvo 123GT:	P1800 at the Paint Shop:

Glamour Photos

Fuel Pressure Regulator

I'll let the pictures tell the story this time ...

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Fuel pressure regulator shown below was restored using a polishing wheel attachment on the Dremel rotary tool and Mothers Billet Metal Polish.

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Mounting bracket for fuel pressure regulator:

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After:	Mothers Billet Metal Polish:

The following photos are of the engine bay when I first got the Volvo compared to what it looks like to date:

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Comfort the Dying!

Hey, I was just thumbing through my Volvo 1800E Instruction Booklet this weekend, and came across this handy pull-out that seems to be a relic from the cold war. It contains instructions on what to do in case of a nuclear attack. Step 7. is kinda vague - "Comfort the Dying", but it doesn't tell you what to say. Some pointers would be helpful, like "the bad news is if you survive this, you'll be a radioactive mutant ... but hey! The good news is you're most likely going to die within the minute - so it's all good! Does anyone else have this pull-out, or do I just have the special edition? Was this part of the Volvo safety sales pitch?

Volvo 1800E Instruction Book:

In Case of Nuclear Attack:

Auto Detailing Clay

Okay ... I know this stuff isn't new to the veterans out there, but to a newbie like me, it's new religion ... auto detailing clay! I recently learned that if there's not enough things to do in a day and you'd like to add another step between washing the car and before polishing and waxing the car - there's always removing paint contamination with a clay kit! The yellow paint on my Volvo is riddled with tiny black spots (road tar me thinks), tree sap, and other contaminants that can't be washed off. It looks flawless from 5 or even 3 feet away, but any closer and you'll notice the black specks - hundreds of them. Polishing and waxing the car at this point would only seal the contaminants in. Enter, the clay kit. This stuff really works! Used with a lubricating fluid like Meguiar's Quick Detailer, rubbing the clay back and forth on the vehicle's surface will remove contaminants and leave the painted surface smooth for wax to better adhere to.

The kit that I got is called Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit. The kit came with 2 clay bars, a spray bottle of Meguiar's Quick Detailer (for lubricant), a microfiber towel, and a bonus sample bottle of cleaner wax. Griot's also sells the stuff. Boy, I tell you what ... talk about killing a whole day! As miraculous as this stuff is, it takes forever to get it done. I spent an entire weekend working clay back-and-forth over a 1 foot section at a time, and I'm still nowhere near done ... and then there's the polishing and waxing that's to follow! Come to think of it, if you're reading this and this is new to you too, you might want to forget about ever reading this - it's too late for me, but you should run for the hills boy ... save yourself ... save your marriage!

Seat Belt Catch

Here's another recent eBay find: A very decent looking seat belt catch. I usually get a lot of comments from people wondering what this thing is ... "it's a vintage 2 hole punch I tell them", or "those are levers for the ejector seats." There's nothing functionally wrong with the one I have ... just cosmetic issues, so when I stumbled upon this fine looking specimen on eBay, naturally I had to have it!

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