Builds The Volvo C304 restoration. (1 Viewer)

[cicak]

22 September2017

3 days work on the Volvo coming up.

Friday public holiday - our 7th of the month.

Oh there's a catch my wife is away I'm informed I have to return home each night to feed the fur kids each morning and night. I have to return to Kuala Lumpur each night and drive back up each morning.

Wake up late for the long drive to IPOH. The 190k takes me 90 minutes there is not much traffic people have no money left to travel lol.

The factory is open and working when I arrive at 8.10am.

My goals for the next 3 days are the knee pads finish. The speaker panels mount and sand and ready for powder coating. The door panels mount and ready for powder coating.

First the kneepads. Damn one has gone missing. The template is found and the old kneepad but the alloy cutout is gone I hav e to make another. Fark no guillotine its been under repair for some 4 weeks. I cut it out by hand and then the old console plate and the gear lever cover.

I then get help with the bender and they bend up the speaker panels and the knee pads.

Then the knee pads are welded up.

At the end of the day I also get given the air conditioning compressor the air cond workshop gave it back to them unable to get the parts to make it work can I get the parts. What sort of air cond shop is this?

The left side kneepage welded up ready to mount.

The right side knee pad is ready to mount I had to chop the steering wheel part out and make it 2 parts instead.

Old console cover cut out. However the rivnuts are IMPERIAL I cannot find nice bolts to fit. I might have to drill and retap.

I have the door panel the little end cap bent and need to file it down still down.

I have the other door panel the little end cap it bent and filed down and now it fits perfectly.

I have the rear door locks to sand down and some welding needs to be added there is stress cracks in the alloy from over bending.

The speaker panels are bent up ready to trial fit.

The centre console has been alkaline cleaned and powdercoated and looks ace.

Then the long drive home. I floor it and arrive in KL 80 minutes later including a refuel lol.

The smallest furkid gets her special food with guard on the ironing board to stop the others stealing it.

 

[cicak]

23 September 2017

The day starts of bad the new phone's alarm sucks and would notwake me up. Damn I leave late after packing the kit I need for today the padding for the knee pads. Feed the furkids etc.

I make it (the 190k) in very good time and get to have breakfast and arrive in time for hte factory to be opened at 9am.

I spend the morning buying RIVNUTS and RIVNUT tool as the workshop one does not do 4mm rivnutz.

I work on the door panels and then realise I have to go do the air conditioning compressor. The hydraulic shop points me to a little hole in the wall air conditioning supplier shop and they are very helpful and replace the complete cylinder head with commonly available parts. Made my day

The repaired compressor ready to back into the Volvo.

Back to the door panels one is almost finished I have 3-4 little cuts to make to make it perfect and work out the spacer needed for the door handle. If only I could find the inside door handles.

The other door panel is also nearing completion.

The knee pads are now bolted in awaiting the padding.

The state of the old Kneepads

Mr Brown did not want his photo taken he wanted to fool around.

Home time 7pm - step on it I'm hungry the 190k whizzes by real fast.

Feed the cats have a meal then gotta do it all again tomorrow. The Isuzu trip meter shows 846k for the weekend when I roll up at the gate.

 

[cicak]

24 September 2017

Wake up late again - feed the furkids and head off 190k to go. I arrive at 8am and then fall asleep in the car I'm so tired.9.30am I eventually start work. The arduous task of mounting the speaker panels by myself.

The speaker panels marked ready to mount.

Takes me till 1pm to mount the first speaker but its up and looks cool.

Another 3 hiurs and I have the second speaker panel mounted.

At the end of the 3 day weekend what do I have.

Kneepads bolted in

Centre console base bolted in.

Door panels almost ready but they are bolted down

The first foam pad gluing to the alloy kneepad base.

I have to remember the big picture yes its getting there.

Mr Brown finally sat still for 10 seconds on his favourite workbench.

Home time 6.30pm the workshop is clean. 3 and a 1/4 hours home it's a nightmare of traffic accidents and nothing over 120k.

Arrive home after 10pm needing a meal and rest. The poor Isuzu has 1250k on the weekends trip meter.

 

[cicak]

30 September 2017

Oh my have to do some urgent stuff at 5am when I wake up. Typing up documents at 5am is not fun. 6.30am on the road for the 190k trip, this time I have the boat on the back it needs some surgery so I can load up the boat myself when on the boat ramp.

Arrive IPOH 9am.

My only focus get the first layer of pads onto the rest of the kneepad pieces.

Cutting the foam to shape takes ages.

Then the disaster I needed to get my car fridge checked so off to get some bolts and the air cond shop. Fridge they have no idea. The Isuzu air cond needs attention it ain't blowing cold air out. However, my Isuzu air conditioning they need to pull the radiator out. 5 hours later i'm back in the workshop air cond in the Isuzu fixed and the broken light bulbs replaced.

The day is ruined. I shut up shop at 7.15pm just before sunset.

 

[cicak]

1 October 2017

Progress is good the first layer of padding is all done. One of the pieces is finished and sanded and looks pretty good and is ready for PVC covering once I work out how to get clean holes drilled in them.

The speaker panels are all bolted up all holes drilled and rivnuts finished. However 2 rivnuts need to be redone I have pulled the thread - crap.

I have the old console hole covered and bolted in. However it exxposes the bumps and marks in the top of the tunnel. Now I need to weld an alloy cover to the console cover to cover the top of the tunnel also.

Home 1.15pm to attend the kids kayaking adventure presentation BBQ. I get 13 new kids from the Orphanage volunteer to join next years 2 kayaking adventures. The 15 kids from this years trips well they have all changed. Confident. Cheeky. Assertive. Grown. Achievement. One of them brings her new friend for me to vet and see if I approve - touching.

The deadline of 15 November can I make it to be able to take the Volvo to the RFC2017.

 

[cicak]

23 October 2017

Back on the Volvo after 7 days of living on the lake with the boat drinking beer and swimming in 29c water, kayaking, fishing and sleeping in the hammock man it was tough leaving I can tell you. Then the clutch started dying on the long return journey home - left the boat in the boat factory in Penang for surgery 220hp inboard engine and jet propulsion conversion.

2 days at home and then the loud early morning 5.40am call to pray rings out over the valley waking me up I realise i'm late for the IPOH 190k run. The ISUZU is in the shop getting the gearbox pulled. I have the RED jungle truck instead - stereo dissappears at 20kph replaced by howling tires, Engine and gearbox noise. 2 hours 15 mins of torture later I arrive in IPOH at 8.00am 1 hour late.

So todays progress is sanded down all the knee pad edges then started on the left dash panel it all must match.

spent 2 hours trying to get a air cond contractor to turn up since the last one has gone missing for 2 months and closed his shop doors.

Mr Brown was really happy to see me and would not get off the workbench.

The left kneepad and new dash panel are starting to become seemless. Drilling the holes for mounting is the most difficult part.

Then the sky's opened and a huge storm came through at 4pm we could not work rain was blowing through the workshop wall panels and water running down the inside walls so all electric tool work stopped. I moved onto the switch panel and fitted all the switches except the 2 air cond switches.

2 more days of my holiday remain lets see what I can finish on the Volvo.

 

[cicak]

24 October 2017

Day 2 of the Volvo visit.

Make the dreaded template for 3 covers in one takes me all morning to prepare this. Finally I have something I can use. Also fix the gear lever over the handbrake issue by extending the gear lever linkage 30mm with a quick cut and weld in an extension.

By 4pm it's cut out and with the assistance of one of the staff we complete the tricky double bends to match the Volvo's "form". I make a ring for the gear lever skirt with a soft hammer and a 4" pipe.

Near the end of the day the ring is welded to the cover.

Then I drill out the hole and a test fit proves it all works. More finishing and fitting tomorrow including the tricky getting the holes drilled to match the existing mess.

Meantime Brett did some work on the switch panel and mated the lid to the body and strarted the relay connection.

At home time the big picture is staring to look more and more complete every day.

The factory doors close 6pm. I run of and get my cut finger treated.

 

[cicak]

26 October 2017

Last day of my long holiday. Half day - then return the 20hp engine to the boat factory in Penang 165k from the IPOH factory. Mr Brown greets me at the gate he knows the howl of the jungle trucks turbo.

My goal is to get the knee pads mounted and down to the "cushion" "kussen" (Bahasa Malayu spelling) shop. The spelling took me ages to find a shop lol.

Mid morning the first goal is done the left new passenger dash panel is fitted and bent properly with some assistance from the ever helpful expert bender Mr Yap.

Then the knee pads are mounted using RIVNUTS from behind. Taped up the gear lever cover so it doesn't get scratched.

Drivers side with the split knee pads due to the new mid column power steering unit is mounted.

Scrubbed the panels and cleaned up and went down to the "Kussen" shop. The nice couple called their daughter down to speak English to me as they only spoke Cantonese and my cantonese is limited to ordering food and bartering and directions, so they gave me stitching options etc and we agreed on the work and it will be ready Saturday lunchtime.

Headed up to IPOH in the Jungle TRUCK - god the noise I forgot how bad it was dropped the engine off and headed back the 385k home not without dramas when the new turbo in the jungle truck decided for 80k to leap the EGT gauge to 900 every time I put the foot down. It all settled down as it got to dusk and I arrived home 8.57pm. Only good new is Isuzu is being dropped back home in the morning with a new clutch.

Roll on Saturday where I have the old gear lever cover to bolt in and trim up and a ever deceasing amount of work left for me to do.

RFC 2017 in the Volvo is gone so maybe we will finish it by XMAS. Maybe.

 

[cicak]

5 November 2017

Work on Volvo stopped for last weekend and yesterday due to that Apple Iphone x launch which caused a bit of chaos resulting in me working 8 days straight.


Long drive to IPOH god im starting hate it 6.08am I depart home and its raining. I limit myself to 140k even that is dangerous. The overturned bus 15 minutes later which crossed 6 lanes of highway and 4 barriers ending up on its roof is a gentle reminder to slow down as I cruise past the wreck.

Arrive IPOH 95 minutes later, it rained all but for 30k on the way up with a few slippery moments to remind me of my New Zealand superbike back country touring bad days.

Share a load of butterscotch bread and a yoghurt drink with Mr Brown.

Workshop is opened for me and I commence the days work.

Takes me 3.5 hours to line up and drill the 10 holes to bolt in the gear lever cover. But they all line up and it looks ok. Next weekend I will prepare it with the vaccum switches for the PTO levers. Trim it more then it can be sanded for powdercoating.

First a visit to Volvo 2 Chassis shop on Friday night after the Apple x launch on the way home and they unveil the new guard dog. Man he is cute 2 months old I wanna adopt him.

The paper template which took me hours to get the holes lined up correctly.

For a break I decided to try and fit the LED headlights one LED light was fitted into the old headlight ring. The other no hope WD40 would not free up the screws. More work is needed as nothing is ever simple. I need to mount a new tab for the bottom of the headlight to bolt to the other has been half ripped out during strip down. An hours work has just turned into 3-4 hours work or more.

Drilling the holes fopr the left dash proved harder than I thought when I got 1 hole 4mm out of alignment resulting in it having to be welded up so I can redrill it. Damn SOB.

The gear lever bolted down looks ok.

Further inspection of the LED light Monday reveals I need to make a internal bracket to stop the wiring flopping around and a broken bracket I also need to repair. I'm going to order new headlight rings from Sweden instead. The arrow indicate the issues.

Home time the traffix chaos yet again and 2.5 hours go by before I can stop at the bar near home and have a burger and a beer.

 

[cicak]

12 November 2017

After losing 3 weekends of my life to Apple x launch and then the Alipay 11.11 Sale. I finally got a day to work on Volvo 1.

Stupid me decides to watch the All Blacks play France at 3.45am then drive to IPOH straight after By 5.30amI realise the game will spill into my driving time and breakfast time.

6.15am Leave home and refuel and then sit on 140k the whole way to IPOH another 190K gone a nice dry clear road. Arrive in IPOH with enough time to have a 20 minute breakfast and start work as the door is unlocked for me.

I have to cleanup all the Volvo stuff to enable the huge trailer order to start Monday. I fit the 4 shocks to get rid of more boxes and then start cleaning up by 7pm it's home time and I have everything cleaned up in and around the VOlvo and biffed a lot of rubbish stuff out.

Some work has been done on the centre console looks about 50% wired up.

I find the old centre console - huge difference now in Quality and presentation.

The cleaned out Volvo.

The new spare tire covers.

The left side headlight I need to sort out how to bolt in the headlight bolt.

The right side headlight I need to sort out how to weld in the missing half of the clip.

The cleaned up parts table and the rear of the Volvo except for the window glass.

Hometime yet another 2.5 hour drive for the 190k find the local bar have a beer and meal realising even XMAS is looking difficult to finish the Volvo.

 

[cicak]

18 November 2017

Roll out of home 6:03am I try to sit on 140kph however my mind is not on driving and I have the Apple x launch issues going through my mind as I whizz past the known speed camera 90k from home at 145kph - damn rats. Arrive 7.30 am for a long breakfast. Then start work at 8.30am.

I am presented with this box of air cond parts. Your mission Jim should you choose to accept it is to assemble the air conditioning piping ready for connecting. I get an air cond diagram from the internet and commence work.

Then I go out and collect the knee pads. They look good

By 8.30pm I have all the hoses layed out ready to crimp during the week and make a bracket up to hold the drier behind the cabin and been out and bought a new cordless drill. Time for dinner.

 

[cicak]

19 November 2017

Todays task drill out the headlight locking tab as the top half of the clip has been broken off due to rust etc.

The right headlight now hangs properly on the ring, The left will not as there is not enought lip for it to grab onto. Moew issues sigh.

Then help arrives and I get assistance from the boat builder who drops in for lunch in tacking in the indicator plates

I make up new headlight locking clips and put in a rivnut. The workshop can weld these in next week.

Hometime almost the headlights look like they will work eventually.

I mount the air cond blower but it will not bolt to the newly painted brackets damn.

Home time and 8.03pm I head home 190k to go. I don't get far 40k in one hour the traffic is crap and i'm exhausted I pull over for a 3 hour sleep and eventually crawl in home at 1.30am

 

[Hugh Heifer]

I have not checked in here for a while but this has been a super cool build and a true labor of love. I can't wait to see this in action.

 

[scrapdaddy]

I'm with you Mr. Heifer, what a great build. Truly amazing what everybody is doing there.

 

[cicak]

Saturday 25 November 2017

Assist the boat builder looking at a Volvo 4 hours away from home so no work on my Volvo.

He makes the offer and he is the proud owner of the worst Volvo I have evr seen. Bent up front of the chassis. Cabin smashed up 3 inches shorter on the right side. Smashed in rear of the cabin where the czrgo rammed the Cabin and oh yeah its running Toyota BJ40 Axles

Sunday 26 November 2017

Todays task drill out the headlight locking tab as the top half of the clip has been broken off due to rust etc.

Then the boat builder turns up and helps me by welding in the indicator fillers then grinding them down.

The headlight rims are almost ready

The headlights finally are bolted in I still need one more clip on each to finish them.

Side view

The two workers for the day

 

[cicak]

Friday 1 December 2017

Public holiday so up 4am and reach IPOH 190K away 22 hours later as I have the pocket rocket 1.5litre Suzuki Swift while Adam borrows my Isuzu to collect his "Volvo" and will drop by when he has collected it some 8 hours later. Later I realise I have left my mobile phone at home so I head back to wonderful Kuala Lumpur 7pm.

They have not got back to KL with the Volvo till late due to the traffic hell which is public holidays. So it becomes a bar session instead. The Volvo is outside my house on the trailer.

Saturday 2 December 2017

I head to Penang (365k away) with Adam in the Isuzu towing his Volvo.

Unload time at the boat factory.

We rebuild the fuel tank for the Volvo it will be tig welded during the week.

Then it's time for Kuala Lumpur 365k away and return the trailer and hit the bar before 12.00am. Then the crap starts. We have to repack all the trailers wheel bearings there goes over an hour. Then the lights fail on the trailer and we blow a fuse in the Isuzu more lost time. Then a fast 10k test on the trailer makes the wheel bearings hot. So it's a slow trip back to KL we arrive in the time at 1:53am to be told bar closing lol. I sleep in on the Sunday morning no Volvo work.

 

[cicak]

Saturday 9 December 2017

Long Weekend again - I'm up and on the road 5am and miss the traffic the 190k zips by fast on 140kph

The new tank (3mm 5053 alloy) is delivered to me from Penang all TIG'd up we have to cut 22mm out of the filler to make it fit without hitting the pullout step.

Air cond pipe is recut and recrimped with 6" removed.

The indicator holes are welded closed and body filled and sanded down by the boat builder/

The Centre Console is progressing

Then it was dinner time and I crawled out of a bar with the boat builder at 2am lol.

Sunday 10 December 2017

The body filled parts are undercoated and top coated.

Mr Brown supervises the operation.

At the end of the day I have the headlights mounted with one clip in each still required to be obtained. The speaker panels are in the powder coating shop.

The fuel tank is bolted back in, just the tank protector to go.

16-20 December Holiday on Lake Kenyir - we lived on the Boat factory junk boat and camped on it and cooked etc on it - the perfect holiday. My boat well the boat factory still to install the 2JZ 2220hp engine and the JET unit. It's booked to be finished by mid February as wife has demanded a trip away together in it.

Part 1

The drone followed us during our trip - it missed the 3 hour night cruise however.



Part 2

 

[cicak]

23 December 2017

Up 4am and on the road to avoid the traffic. 7am I'm sitting having breakfast 190k has whizzed past with the help of ZZTOP and BLONDIE.

The speaker panels are back and I test fit them. Still have to get the smoked Perspex and the LED light for the gecko fitted.

I finish 8.30pm and find a hotel - really expensive like 4 times the rate I normally pay.

Sunday 24 December 2017

I get some help and we fit the 50" LED light then we realise the bottom panel needs to be remade with some more reinforcing it drops 5mm in the middle. Rats!

The speaker panel is bolted down with 1 rivnut to replace.

It's 3pm time to head back to KL for XMAS dinner. Mr Brown will not let me pat him as I leave. 6pm I’m sitting back in KL getting cleaned up for XMAS dinner.

 

[cicak]

30 December 2017

5am on the road head off to Ipoh again actually the drive is getting to me. This is bad damn motor bike groups thousands of them heading north on their 150cc scooters then it rains making it even worse and I need new front tires. The mighty little Isuzu since I have started 2 years ago reassembling the Volvo has done 98,000 killer meters

I work on the roof panels by lunchtime I have carved one out. Meantime Brett comes in and starts making the bracket for the wiper motor. He has also made the left side of the air cond ducting only the right to do and made the new top for the blower. I realise I have also left my phone at home again.

I start on the rear panels also and get long ways then realise I need to fix up the design a little.
7pm home time back to KL I cannot be bothered with the excessive overnight rates for a holiday weekend. I end up in the bar with my mates and it’s a long night.

31 December 2017

6am I wake up late and just step on it to IPOH the 190k goes past not so nice I need new front tires and it gets dicey rapidly after 120kph in the rain.

The right roof panel is done.

The finished wiper motor. Just need the arms and the wipers completed.

I toil away all day and get the rear panels ready and then realise I need a little redesign on the top portion. Doing big panels by myself is not easy on the guillotine.

Final pics of the year before I head home.

 

[cicak]

6 January 2018

I wake up late 6am I'm on the road and I have a set of Volvo axles in the rear to deliver to Penang tonight.

9am at the workshop fed and ready to go.

Lunchtime it’s down to get new front tires and a visit to the bolt shop for 150 rivnuts to fit the rear panels.

Bolt down the gearlever cover - it's marked ready for final cut and prep. The rear panels are now split into 3 parts a top 100mm piece (4"), the middle part (in the next pic) and the bottom piece.

8.30pm I finish up after spending 4+ hours making the top rear panel twice - first one ended up as an alloy template.

7 January 2018

Mornings work, make the middle panel.

Mid afternoon I have the bottom panel bolting down started but I need a double fold done to finish it.

The middle panel fits finally but needs the bottom panel and top panel bolted in to finish it.

I bolt in the centre console and slip the steering wheel on and the engine cover. Gear lever cover is cut and trimmed and the holes all drilled to test finally bolt down

It actually looks really good.

Time for home its 6pm