Big THANKS to volvo forums for all the pics and info found here. (even if no-one responded to my initial inquiries!)

My "before" pics didn't come out!???...here are the after's anyway...

240frt600x450.jpg picture by andre4999 - Photobucket

240frt600x450.jpg picture by andre4999 - Photobucket

240frt600x450.jpg picture by andre4999 - Photobucket

Needless to say, if you can picture what may be a vovlo covered in green "growth" with no rear lights, smashed in rear right tail light area, no outside trim and no front plastic bumper or front trim AND no grill, air dam etc... etc...
You might get close, that was my car 4 weeks ago.

4 weekends netted me what you see now.
Because it was a '92 w/only 103k on it, a lot of parts I replaced were actually VERY GOOD and needed no replacing.
I replaced them anyway as I had ordered them in a bulk from FCP.

Anyone that wants the "used" parts can just pay for shipping and get'em free (only one shipment however...it's all or none!...about $13 usps prob)

New bagged parts:
Assorted bushings (i think I have the trailing arm bushings, and some assortedfront bushings)
R and L front ball joints

Used parts kept as they seemed to be in very good shape
Front strut mounts (appear to be in great shape)
Front strut bump dampers
Bougicord spark plug wires (less than 2 years service)
Radio upper mount dash surround
regular aisin fan clutch w/less than 2 years service
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If interested, this is what was done...all for about $500 or less
Washed green slime off car, applied Meguires 7 to faded paint and let sit...brought out the "wet" look very well
"waxed" with nu-finish..the clay bar didn't really work for me!

Cut front springs (2) back springs (1) with new kyb shocks (don't listen to the dissers, these shocks perform very well and this is compared to my buddies Bisltein tourers...maybe not as good as billys but for the price...LOVE"EM.

New front suspension bits, tempted to replace anti-sway but really, my bud's 240 has the ipd and my factory sway seems as good after all front suspension replaced...it definitely hugs the corners with the spring and strut job.

New ignition bits all round and new relays in cab. The bosch copper PLUGS plugs did wonders and the Belden 7mm wires are Great...no need for 8mm...really, bosch rotor and cap and coil etc....

SOme exterior trim from the junkyard (need to get a few more pieces)

A new rear "spoiler"? little lip from ebay....audi

4 cans flat black lacquer for all rubber/trim

Seafoam and new gas filter...natch

Rear lights from ebay (estonia)...very nice!

trop. fan clutch, new starter, fresh trans. fluid and syn oil (that oil filter's a PAIN)

moved hot air intake from air box to front

and a very nice volvo badge from dave bartons on the grill (junkyard) after painting it

Pioneer powered receiver/cd with 4 kenwood speakers...a little tricky to mount but after using factory mounts, it came together quite nicely


Verdict? sip=sold in peace
Not as fast or near as comfy as my peugeot 505 turbo (sip)
Not as much legroom nor better handling than my '90 prelude (of course) (sip)
Not as gas-friendly as my Merced. 300 diesel OR past nissans/yoda's/VW's (sip)

Conclusion?
I will NEVER sell this car (unless I can't get the AC going!) because it has a nice balance of all the above AND>
Very easy to work on (though I still can't get the odometer going even after replacing 25 tooth wheel)
Very easy to troubleshoot
Non-interference timing belt!!!!!! (not like my mitusbishi that blew up on hwy 5 at 75mph)
Lot's of parts at junkyard (for now anyway)
HEAVY is GOOD!
Really getting to be a classic and the "brick" style lines just keep growing on me
People smile at it when going fast!
WIth minor mods, this thing takes corners like a rally car
It's not from asia!

My wifes '05 camry really bugs the crap out of me with it's locking doors, only one keyhole entry, insane dinging when no seatbelt used or door ajar and generally "made for idiots" electronics.

The 240 is/was a real piece of work, I love it!

 

if those KYBs are anything like the ones I used to use on my jetta, they won't last 2 years of 'fun' driving if your roads are rough. bilsteins will last nearly forever.

otherwise, looking sharp!

btw, on that Camry, you can reprogram the car to not auto-lock the locks when you start it. I forget the sequence, its in the owners manual, I believe. there's 3-4 different lock modes on that generation, one of them is NO autolock or unlock. the only catch-22 is, the mode will reset to the factory default when the battery is disconnected :-/

 

Ah thanks for the camry info!

As I have the ol' company car, I'm hoping the KYB's will last for many years of every other weekend driving.

Really wanted to get the tokico blues but were out of stock at the few sites that advertised them.

Guess I have a bias on bilstein for a bad reason...my peugeot had sachs and replaced them with billy's....and didn't care for them...a bit too mushy....but I thought the sachs were initially TOITE....so maybe they were special racing french-only sachs?

Thanks...and as with anyone who has hubcaps...any virgos or 14" alloys that aren't the "turbines" for sale...gimme a shout!

Though these wheelcovers are actually the best looking covers on any car I have ever seen.....

 

i had Boge (sachs) progas on my 89 jetta gli, after wearing out a set of kybs in 18 months, and they were awesome. of course, when I installed them, I also upgraded to Neuspeed 'sofsport' springs and medium-heavy sway bars. was a very nice mix, handled fantastically, and the boges lasted as long as I owned the car (250000 miles, but the boges went on at about 100k). I drove that jetta *hard* on mountain roads, used every ounce of its 1800cc 16v engine.

Bilstein's for volvo 2/7/9's come in two types, 'Touring' or TC, and HD (Heavy Duty). the HD are very stiff, and would best be matched to stiff sport/lowering springs, while the TC are pretty close to the stock ride.

 

Yep, I debated both billys
Came away wanting tokicos
Then saw the kyb sale and that sealed the deal

Gotta save $$ for the upcoming last 2 projects...find some alloys, and the dreaded...find out what's wrong with the A/C and fix it! Old receipts show the a/c was fixed 4 times!....and last one stated there was a leak in the piping through the firewall!!!

I do commercial A/C work but even this has me a bit daunted!