Volvo C304 (4x4) Restore and fitout - WR7002

[geckoadventure]

25 May 2020

Test run day again make sure everything is working. However the battery start problem plagues us and we need to be jump started by a 1000CC car lol.

It's a reflective mood in the carpark outside the place is full of buses as there is no tourists or planes to the airport they are all stored up more than 300 of them.

Yup I'm not happy why will the fan not cut in.

Construction on the buildings have not restarted yet either its nice and quiet.

Then the radiator thermal fan decides it's time to not work and the engine gets to 105c and I play around pulling cables and restarting and pouring water on the radiator and then it cracks into life and the test drives can continue.

A pair of BMW high cranking 900cca batteries are ordered for the Volvo and we are splitting the 3 serial deep cycle batteries into 2 starting and one deep cycle battery and segregated.

 

[geckoadventure]

4 July 2020

Spent Sunday afternoon refitting the door top halves to try and get rid of the horrendous gap that was showing air. Installed the new rubber spacer in the middle of the 2 halves and wow it worked. Now have to spend time again adjusting the hinges and making a spacer and filler for the hinge pins to stop the sloppy play.

Still have the new GPS speedo sensor to weld on the holding bracket and piping to hide the wiring and mount the window washer piping on the rollcage as I do not want any piping running through the inside of the cabin or holes drilled in the cabin to mount anything.

If only the brakes would work we could get the inspection done.

 

[geckoadventure]

31 December 2020

We are so close to having it ready. We decided to go down the path of getting new brackets made for the brake callipers as the old 3mm ones were flexing a little hmmmmm quite a bit. So while we were at it we decided to add twin callipers. So a new matching set was obtained. They are being made of considerably thicker steel lol I heard 12 or 10mm and machined down.

Its now had the parts in the machine shop for 4+ weeks. rear brake callipers are ready and a test fit worked. The fronts have had 2 sets of callipers made due to issues. We are hopeful today or Monday they will be ready.

The list of items to complete before inspection is about 9 items only.

Updates and pics later.

 

[piratexpress1369a]

Good to hear that you are getting closer for the inspection

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk

 

[geckoadventure]

01 January 2021

Hi all after months of COVID and finally a couple of adventurous holidays (boat trip and a round Langkawi isand in 14 footers lol ) in the COVID breaks we were allowed to travel, a family tragedy (lost whole off December) and not doing much the brakes were started sometime in October.

New brackets were decided for the Volvo and some other mods to make them fit better. So new 12mm steel brackets were designed by an engineering shop along with twin callipers for the front discs.

New Callipers were purchased to match the existing ones. Then we waited.

The big ginger cat who has been my constant annoyance sitting on my keyboard and stealing my food etc went through chemno treatment for cancer and after losing 50% of his body weight lost the battle breaking my heart.

The new rear side windows were installed (compliance to make it not a commercial verhicle).

Hotpants the apprentice has been dropping in to visit us and learning new tricks on how to turn the customers and friends into bumbling idiots turning down all their requests for phone numbers dates etc.

The Africa 80 Series Landcruiser build progresses slowly in the back ground

July

Marked out the windows location after receiving the windows back from the factory. THen we discovered that they had not made the flange big enough so could not bolt them in had to glue them.

August
Then slowly each window hole was made carefully one at a time took about 60 minutes for each window to be cut in with a tight fit.

Before and

After

Then its the drivers side to be done

Making sure the windows are level.

Wah finished someone offers assistance to help bolt them all down. Yes im getting fat I've put on 20kg since I stopped exercising
with my heart problem lol.

At last only the new extra bolt holes to go.

Next is the fitting of the new bolt holes. Hotpants decides she wants to help.

Some outakes of Hotpants trying to put in RIVNUTS.
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[geckoadventure]

Then it is time to drill more mounting points for the removable panels making sure all are lined up. I get some assistance.

Then they are all bolted in with stainless steel button head bolts.

October

Strip the brakes off to go to the engineering shop for the new calliper brackets to be made and source a new pair of front callipers to make it twins on each front wheel. The old brackets were 5mm thick and flexed when we were testing the brakes under close scrutiny.

Then it was the big workshop cleanup we moved Volvo 2 to its new location in the workshop ready to start work once Volvo 1 is completed.

 

[geckoadventure]

05 January 2021

Well I had a few days leave and did not want to travel far due to the growing COVID issue here and people running all over the place for a holiday. My boat is still in the shop getting new headgasket after the last Elephant hunting trip disaster.

So I decided time to paint the truck again the oil stains in the paint have become unbearable to look at.

I managed on Saturday to collect the new brake parts from the shop and we will begin assembly Monday morning.

Started with the doors easy to fix and sand and undercoat. Yes im doing outside in the workshop. The paint is real paint mixed and canned for me. The new colour is Desert Kakhi.

Then we ran over to the engineering shop to collect the Portals and brake components.

The top coat looks good a nice light green. Clear coat is a mat clear 2 pack and will dry nice and hard.

The Monday I managed to get the painting done and we got the new rear brake brackets installed.
Tuesday I ran around getting parts for the brake assembly and unfortunately took all day and still could not find a "T" for the front brake hoses to connect too. Visited 4 hydraulic shops in Kuala Lumpur and I could find nothing. In IPOH they would have made them up for me. The Monday evening we watched a COVID raid on the building site across the road all the Bangladeshi workers lined up getting tested and put in the buses to be carted away. Hundreds of them.

The next weekend no work on Volvo wife grounded me with a COVID scare in the family so I was grounded. Then the workshop mekanic announced he had COVID lucky I did not see him on 1st and we were all told stay away for 2 weeks. SIgh.

It's now 19 January 2021 and I am unable to work on the Volvo our Malaysian govt has put a lockdown on us since 11th Jan to 26th. However it will be longer - radius 10k from home and not allowed to cross city boundaries so nothing open and there is a roadblock near the workshop I cannot get past.

My workpermit also expired on 11 January and HR took too long applying for new one so I am also stuck at home anyway while the new one is processed.

I do not know if the workshop is open and they are working on the Volvo or not.

Stay healthy everyone.

 

[Outback]

Just had my portals rebuilt along with new RCV CV joints. We have also been hampered by Covid. I had my 2nd and last Covid Vaccine shot on the 28th. In 3 weeks I will be at 97% Immune to the disease, so they tell me. Love your work and hope you stay safe and healthy.

 

[geckoadventure]

Just had my portals rebuilt along with new RCV CV joints. We have also been hampered by Covid. I had my 2nd and last Covid Vaccine shot on the 28th. In 3 weeks I will be at 97% Immune to the disease, so they tell me. Love your work and hope you stay safe and healthy.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. The lock down was extended until 4th Feb they were supposed to tell us yesterday if being extended or not. Not heard.

I still have no news from the workshop whether they have put the front brakes on or not. The longer I wait the longer the delay in finishing Volvo 1 and starting Volvo 2 again.

Good to see your covered for a while from this COVID thing. I suspect its going to alter our lives for a long time.

We have no idea when we will be getting a vaccine shot or who from. We are now having higher infection rates now than before the current lockdown started and they are talking about removing the lockdown I have no idea why.

 

[geckoadventure]

Now time for a bigger update.

Over the past 9 months or so I have been squirrelling loot away to the boat factory and I have finally reached 80% payment and they are ready to start building the hull duly christened Shanty 3. The boat is a 28 foot alloy which is being built to allow us to stay longer and in more comfort for our lake camping and elephant hunting expeditions. Its coming with Small galley and Toilet. The shanty hammock design remains as will being able to steer the boat from a hammock and hang in a hammock as we are travelling along.

Meantime Shanty 1 will be up for sale soon. Now i'm hunting down big screen navigation gear from Garmin I can get here as we cannot get the same touchscreen stuff available in USA. I will be doing all my own electrics etc in Marine wiring same as I have down in Shanty 1.

We are getting out on SHanty 1 as soon as the lockdown is lifted and we can travel for a 4 day Jungle camping trip to hunt our favourite animal the humble Asian Elephant and of course for me the Giant Snakehead.

After our perilous adventure at Langkawi Island we decided no more 14footer adventures it has to be in luxury on the 28footer.

I have also managed to score a huge discount (25%) on a new outboard (225hp) which was not moving as it was a reverse propellor unit from a matching pair which got split. It should power it along nicely and I still have the Toyota 1HDT engine i was going to use as the inboard now to be reassigned for use on Volvo 3.

 

[geckoadventure]

7 February 2021

Painting prep continues much work has been done in the 3 days.

 

[geckoadventure]

11 February 2021

There is a lot of work done and tonnes to go.

However 2 coats of undercoat and 3 coats of top coat the colour looks good.

The front needs quite a few patchups.

 

[geckoadventure]

13 14 February 2021

Progress continues and the front cabin is all undercoated. THe roof still looks WW3 was fought on it but I'm not beating the panels out the character can stay. Doors are all undercoated. Some new surface rust killed and prepped.

 

[geckoadventure]

20 21 February 2021

Progress ii's the rear doors prep and painting - the taping takes the longest.

THen close inspection of the service hatch panels show the crease marks from the folding press I have to sand and put body filler in and redo the paint job sigh. However, the end result is it looks much better. Almost professional.

 

[geckoadventure]

27 28 February 2021


The rear gets undercoated and painted in about an hour. It looks really cool.

The frame gets undercoated.

My new Volvo T-shirts arrive Hotpants drew it up from a pic they look cool.