The Project Car

Let's Ride!!

Just when you thought the work ended! You'll be happy to know that I have weeks and weeks worth of stuff to tell you about. Grab a beer and sit down, we're gonna be here a while...

Wrapping up the Inside

I have a confession to make. My last blog post was a lie. You might have noticed in one or three of the pictures that the driver's side door looks a little sparse. That's cause I didn't finish it. 'Cause I'm a liar. And you all sit here and listen to my lies and cheer me on. Man, how can you people sleep at night?

Anyhow, rest easy tonight. The door is done. The B-pillar panels are up. Now if only I could get the new windlace seals to wear in so the doors will shut smoothly! I'll try stealing the lovely lady's hair drier to use a bit of heat. Don't worry, I'll be safe and do it when she's not home to yell at me. Hi sweetie!

Prince of Darkness

I'm no electrical engineer, but that's OK because whoever designed the wiring for this car sure as heck wasn't either.

Let's go on an adventure, shall we? We'll start off like any proper adventure, at the battery and a normal every-day stroll down a big fatty wire to the starter. Disregard that wire heading off to the headlight switch, taking all the current through the switch and then back out to the lights. It's a strange path, but we will stay the course across the engine bay to the voltage regulator, where we should be. From there it's a short hop to the fuse box like any good wire should do.

However, here's where things get really wonky. Instead of a jaunt through the fuses, we've got two other wires heading unfused off to the clock and igntion switch. The ignition switch wire takes all of the current for the ignition and accessories, and routes them both back out to the engine bay for the coil and accessories fuse. Yes, just the one fuse. Spose I should have mentioned the main fuse is singular too. It's OK though, because the parking lights have their own dedicated 35 amp fuse between the light switch and the bulbs.

As you might have guessed, when I got this car nothing worked. One fuse was blown, another fuse box had a bent tong, and none of the fuses actually made an electrical contact. It took many hours drinking beer and studying the wiring diagram (because studying the diagram sober would have driven me to the asylum), and another thirty minutes to clean the fuse holders to get things working.

Don't you wish your gas gauge was hot like me

Oddly enough... Everything seemed to work. Except for the courtesy lamps. They had no voltage at all until I slammed a door. Then they went on and wouldn't go off until I pulled the damn bulbs out. Ah well, what's the fun of a hobby if it can't keep you out of trouble?

So, what's next?

Well, with my almost not quite ready Volvo almost running, I took my lovely girlfriend for a ride to a dinner party at a friend's home. I learned two important lessons. First off - be sure you have a fire extinguisher in your classic car, particularly for it's maiden voyage. Secondly - when you forget your fire extinguisher, under no circumstances shall you say aloud "Oh shit, I forgot my fire extinguisher." Your date, who is already unhappy that you made her late because you spent all day working on the car instead of performing basic hygiene before the party, will not be amused.

None of this was helped by the fact the car rode like an old man with Parkinson's. Which brings us to the next task, suspension overhaul.

Aww Geeze, Not This Shit Again

The joys of the project car.