Left Front Brakes: as found

Left front suspension: as found

Right Front Brakes: as found

Right Front Suspension: as found

Right Rear Brakes/Suspension: as found

Left Rear Brakes/Suspension: as found

10/30/08: New Battery Installed: also a new positive terminal, anti-corrosion felt washers under each cable end, as well as a battery mat that sits underneath the battery.

Close up of new battery shows the in-line fuse holder also installed

Exhaust system: To be replaced with a Stainless Steel system

Some views from under the car

Bogus engine oil drain plug looks like trouble. That dark brown drop on the bottom of the bell housing tells the story. The rear engine seal is history.

"Goop"-not good-this is a vain attempt to seal the interfaces between the transmission and over drive unit. This picture shows before cleaning. To repair this leak will require the transmission be removed from the car, disassembled and resealed.

Remains of clutch fork boot. Hot, dry climates are great for keeping steel parts from rusting but devastating to synthetic materials (like rubber and plastic).

Rear engine oil seals and the speedometer drive is leaking oil down onto the muffler-a big fire hazard. We have since eliminated the problem part of this scene by replacing the 'angle drive' with a longer speedometer cable. The angle drive has been a design problem since day one. There is a short piece of speedo cable which typically brakes. Another problem with this set up is that it positions the cable too close to the hot exhaust causing it (the cable) to fail.

Driver side front suspension: view from under the car. This is what "rust free" looks like on a 37 year old Volvo

Passenger side front suspension: view from under the car. Love those unrusted California cars

11/3/08: Steve refurbishing the fresh air inlet doors. Here he's freeing up and lubing the cables and linkage pivots. If this doors doesn't close properly, or if the gasket is bad, the floors will get wet every time it rains. This is another reason these great cars frequently have no floors left.

11/4/08: Old exhaust has been removed. Next will be dropping the transmission to do the transmission seals, then the new exhaust will be installed.

New, Stainless Steel exhaust to be installed. The blue is a protective sticker to keep the exhaust pieces looking good until installation

11/5/08: Transmission ready for new gaskets

New speedometer cable installed. This is a great improvement over the original "angle drive" which was historically the weakest link in the speedometer drive system.

New braided oil pressure line installed

New wiring for the oil temperature switch and oil pressure switch

Clutch fork boot replaced

New rear brake hoses installed

11/5/08: Steve pressing off the old rear axel bearing and seal

Rear brake disc being prepped for painting. It has been sand blasted. These are raw metal-a coat of brake caliper paint keeps them looking good for their service life

Rotor painted

11/6/08: New rear axel bearing and seal assembly being pressed into service

Old parts that have been replaced: transmission mount, brake flex lines, track rod bushings, washer pump, directional shut off cam, engine oil pressure line, etc

Emergency brake shoes

Axel out of housing for seal replacement

11/11/08

Upper control arms off  to replace the bushings

A control arm frame swung out of the way to replace the bushings.

New front brake flex hoses-a must for these cars as the hoses soften from the inside out4 and restrict the passage of fluid-sometimes causing the brakes to stick on. This condition is difficult to diagnose-easiest to just replace hoses every 30 years or so.

New steering rods

Idler arms re-bushed at center of the picture

11/20/08: Gooseneck as found-note the heavy amount of sealant that was used previously to try to prevent leaks. The gooseneck, hoses, and clamps will be replaced with new.

Radiator as found. Removed to be sent out for reconditioning and testing.

11/24/08: New coolant hoses installed

Reconditioned radiator installed, new gooseneck and hose installed.

Trunk area where gas tank sits

Gas tank removed to have the inside reconditioned and sealed.