*!Build of the year candidate!* Strange PNW Build: E30+Volvo

[adam.nonis]

I always love when this thread gets updated. And it looks like it is nearly done. So, will this be running by the end of the month? If not what is the plan/eta?

It’s getting really close. Last few things are throttle actuation, IACV mount/tubes, fuel rail mounts, brake booster vacuum feed, timing belt cover and then vehicle stuff (intercooler/radiator mount, radiator hose and wiring harness). I’ll just keep chipping away at it. My first event of the year is always the iPd Garage Sale in Portland on the third Saturday of May. That’s all I’d like to be ready for. If I’m being 100% honest, I’m getting tired of working in the rain under tents, so I plan on keeping my eye on the weather and trying to get the bulk of it finished when it’s at least somewhat clear out. I’m going to get it completely mocked up (hopefully running) in the E30 front clip in my driveway then try to handle the swap in a weekend (maybe a long weekend).

[adam.nonis]

Ordered a new shirt for show season this upcoming year. Seems to fit my build well.

[LateFan]

That reminds me of something I just ran across.

I found a pic of our old Volvo mechanic Oddvar. He was attached to a Carrera Panamericana Volvo 122 race team as a consultant. He had a little unmarked shop called Oddvar’s Volvo in very old Ballard. No one knew he had a last name.

He was great. He was very crusty and could be rude. He swore like a sailor. Had an American-Norwegian accent. White ponytail down his back. Big tall Viking of a guy. Once rode his bicycle around Norway. His partner had a Phd and was a University of Washington administrator, as well as doing his auto shop books. She died years ago and he retired.

Didn’t much like customers but of course you need them. Would scold people about the way they took care of their cars. Always complained about “all that luxury shit” like electric windows on new cars. Had a backlog of new and vintage Volvo customer cars in the small yard. He would fix things we didn’t ask for because he knew we were going on another trip to MT and he wouldn’t let us out on the road like that - “Just pay me when you can,” he’d say.

I'd try to be friendly and ask some mechanical questions, hoping he would feel I knew a little, and he would go off, F this, F that, SHIT that GAWDAM car iz goe-na run off da road if you keep drivin’ it like that!

He had a perfect 50's Volvo P544 coupe in black, all the chrome stripped off and very low. Gave me a ride in his 242 coupe with a Ford 302 manual in it and diesel springs up front. Had a sweet Studebaker V8 coupe. Liked to go fast. I mentioned thinking about an old vintage Volvo. He said, they’re fine, if you like tractors! Nothing he owned was stock.

Didn’t warm up to people, but I showed up in the Alfa and he liked that car. We talked some about cars. We talked about bikes and Campagnolo. I bike-commuted to work. One time he showed up at our house (in Ballard of course) on his sweet steel-framed bike (huge frame, all Campy) to show it to me. A fellow customer neighbor said, “He never does that.”

When my wife wrecked our 240 wagon, he said he could straighten the frame and rebuild the front with a complete used nose he found. He lent us a crappy old brown 240 sedan to use for free for a couple of months while they fixed it. The “brown turd," we called it. He came to tow it a couple of times when it quit in traffic. He got our 240 ready to move to MT 20 years ago.

I wonder what he’d think of all the engine fixit projects I do now, and that I still have the Alfa and I'm rebuilding it, motor swaps, E30 rebuild....

He's one of the greats -

[adam.nonis]

That reminds me of something I just ran across.



I found a pic of our old Volvo mechanic Oddvar. He was attached to a Carrera Panamericana Volvo 122 race team as a consultant. He had a little unmarked shop called Oddvar’s Volvo in very old Ballard. No one knew he had a last name.



He was great. He was very crusty and could be rude. He swore like a sailor. Had an American-Norwegian accent. White ponytail down his back. Big tall Viking of a guy. Once rode his bicycle around Norway. His partner had a Phd and was a University of Washington administrator, as well as doing his auto shop books. She died years ago and he retired.



Didn’t much like customers but of course you need them. Would scold people about the way they took care of their cars. Always complained about “all that luxury shit” like electric windows on new cars. Had a backlog of new and vintage Volvo customer cars in the small yard. He would fix things we didn’t ask for because he knew we were going on another trip to MT and he wouldn’t let us out on the road like that - “Just pay me when you can,” he’d say.



I'd try to be friendly and ask some mechanical questions, hoping he would feel I knew a little, and he would go off, F this, F that, SHIT that GAWDAM car iz goe-na run off da road if you keep drivin’ it like that!



He had a perfect 50's Volvo P544 coupe in black, all the chrome stripped off and very low. Gave me a ride in his 242 coupe with a Ford 302 manual in it and diesel springs up front. Had a sweet Studebaker V8 coupe. Liked to go fast. I mentioned thinking about an old vintage Volvo. He said, they’re fine, if you like tractors! Nothing he owned was stock.



Didn’t warm up to people, but I showed up in the Alfa and he liked that car. We talked some about cars. We talked about bikes and Campagnolo. I bike-commuted to work. One time he showed up at our house (in Ballard of course) on his sweet steel-framed bike (huge frame, all Campy) to show it to me. A fellow customer neighbor said, “He never does that.”



When my wife wrecked our 240 wagon, he said he could straighten the frame and rebuild the front with a complete used nose he found. He lent us a crappy old brown 240 sedan to use for free for a couple of months while they fixed it. The “brown turd," we called it. He came to tow it a couple of times when it quit in traffic. He got our 240 ready to move to MT 20 years ago.



I wonder what he’d think of all the engine fixit projects I do now, and that I still have the Alfa and I'm rebuilding it, motor swaps, E30 rebuild....



He's one of the greats -



[ATTACH]125053[/ATTACH]

There’s nothing like an old timer. I cut my teeth running around Ballard as a pup. My dad’s shop was on the corner of 65th and 24th. Communities just aren’t the same these days. I could jump into the Viking Tavern at 11-12years old and grab a free pop on a hot summer day or kick bolts around Mike’s Texaco station and sit in the demolition derby cars. My dad was good friends with the owner of NIX wrecking yard and I could just wander around the yard and mess with stuff. The owner told me once, “ya know..... people like being yelled at. It makes them feel important”

I do not agree. lol

[LateFan]

Was Mike's the place at Market and 24th? I went there all the time. There were always old Corvairs and Studebakers and shit. Surrounded by apartments now I think.

NIX I remember. There was a Volvo wrecking yard across from the old Ernst at Leary and 15th as you came off the bridge. I think he was a crook, I'm not sure. I'd try to buy some piece and he'd stare at me with this angry face for a long time, then finally give me a price..."since it's you." What? I didn't even know him. That place was weird.

I loved Ballard. Brick Shirt House.

[adam.nonis]

Was Mike's the place at Market and 24th? I went there all the time. There were always old Corvairs and Studebakers and shit. Surrounded by apartments now I think.



NIX I remember. There was a Volvo wrecking yard across from the old Ernst at Leary and 15th as you came off the bridge. I think he was a crook, I'm not sure. I'd try to buy some piece and he'd stare at me with this angry face for a long time, then finally give me a price..."since it's you." What? I didn't even know him. That place was weird.



I loved Ballard. Brick Shirt House.

Yeah, just a block or two north of Market. On the East side of 24th. I have no idea if it’s still there at all.

[Spyke]

I just want to say this has been one of the most interesting and forehead-wrinkling-from-my-eyebrows-being-so-high 1.5 hours of my whole life.

As someone who's worked on cars everywhere BUT a garage, laughed at the mere thought of purity, and tried to never pay someone else to do something I could do or learn (okay besides alignments and smog), I feel simultaneously very close to you and yet in a whole other solar system as yourself.

Thank you for the inspiration to work harder, do better, and follow my dreams.

Please NEVER leave us and share absolutely everything you do, no matter how mundane you think it is (because you're wrong).

You're a damned gift to humanity.

[adam.nonis]

I just want to say this has been one of the most interesting and forehead-wrinkling-from-my-eyebrows-being-so-high 1.5 hours of my whole life.

As someone who's worked on cars everywhere BUT a garage, laughed at the mere thought of purity, and tried to never pay someone else to do something I could do or learn (okay besides alignments and smog), I feel simultaneously very close to you and yet in a whole other solar system as yourself.

Thank you for the inspiration to work harder, do better, and follow my dreams.

Please NEVER leave us and share absolutely everything you do, no matter how mundane you think it is (because you're wrong).

You're a damned gift to humanity.

You’re making me blush. I really appreciate it. Also, can I use you as a reference if I ever need to get a new job?

[adam.nonis]

Taking a break from engine stuff for a bit. Just working on a timing belt cover and then back on the interior.

Started by drawing the pulley positions and belt routing in CAD first. I was going to put the grille hexagons in the cover, but it looked too busy.



Then I cut the outside shape (flipped for front and back) out of MDF and sealed the MDF with BIN primer. Don’t know what’s in that stuff, but it dries fast and seals MDF quickly.



I wanted some bumps where the pulleys are even though it doesn’t “need” them. The back plates are made out of HDPE cause resins don’t stick to it.



Then I made an HDPE ring that will act as the step to make the two halves fit together. There’s clay in the corners as a fillet and the whole mold is sprayed with PVA mold release.




I took some acrylic rod pieces, sharpened them and placed them where the bolt holes in the head are.



I did two layers carbon and one layer of fiberglass with a middle layer of baltek mat in the back part to aid rigidity. Then vacuum bagged it.



Pro tip: if you want the weave of loose carbon to hold it’s shape when you’re cutting a template spray it with Super77 3M spray glue lightly.



Then demolding



Two halves fit together




Test fitting



Now I just need to fill voids, paint and finalize.

[adam.nonis]

Took some time on a brisk Seattle morning to let my buddy do some drone photos

[Spyke]

You’re making me blush. I really appreciate it. Also, can I use you as a reference if I ever need to get a new job?

Abso-frigging-lutely lol

Anyone would have to be insane to let someone of your talents and resourcefulness go, however.

[adam.nonis]

Some in-progress stuff.



Then I decided that instead of having a radio blank and a clock blank and rear defrost blank and fader blank, etc. that I’d just cover that part too. It’ll become a panel to relocate the idiot lights from the dash (more on that later) and put in digital boost gauge.



Because the Amazon firewall is so close to the driver there’s not enough room to push the E30 cluster as far back as it is in an E30. What I’m going to do is pull the clear plastic face off the front, trim off the idiot light panel across the bottom, relocate those to the center stack, make individual bezels for the four dials (to look sort of aviation style) and have each bezel have it’s own acrylic face.



Also won an auction for a used Nardi from Japan. Now I need to track down an adapter hub.

[adam.nonis]

Little further.



I’d kind of like to add a green tint to the numbers. I don’t know if I’m gonna take it that far though.

[jeenyus]

Looks awesome.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[lukeADE335i]

Great work Adam - the retro look will suit the car well. The dials do look like the cockpit of an old helicopter or something!