In the weeks since I last spoke of the white whale sitting on my driveway, I’ve patched the failed brake booster hose so it idles reasonably well and I’ve shined up the glass and more of the engine bay (this is an old photo).
The Volvo’s temp registration is running out fast and I need to get it running so I’ve been hauling ass trying to find a replacement battery.
A wise man would move the Volvo before taking it apart, so of course I decided to disassemble it while street-parked since it’s going to be another week before I can replace the Jan ‘09 battery. Disconnected enough of the hoses to get at the valve cover gasket only to run out of time (had to meet up with a friend).…
I am not Tom McParland. But that doesn’t stop people from asking me for auto buying advice. Over the years I’ve sold plenty of Honda Fits, a few Civics, and some other things I don’t remember. I even sold myself on a Mazda Miata.
...“rotary Miata”
My coworker offered me an amazing deal on a 996 non-S. Gorgeous car that’s been enthusiast-owned since the day it rolled off the lot. I’ve seen it in action and it’s the real deal.
I left work early on Thursday to take the Miata down for a new top. I asked for a loaner and the dealer let me pick between a 3 or a brand-new CX-5 with all the trimmings.
Since we’re all doing it. No, this isn’t as long & glorious as the rest of yours, but it’s pretty interesting.
it really do be like that sometimes
Me: This old car should be a fun restoration project, I can’t wait to learn new mechanical skills!
I managed to patch the Volvo together until I could get it to a rent-a-lifts where I work and that was where the easy part ended.
I dressed the Miata up for Halloween a few days ago. Yes, I’ll be ordering black number plates once I stop shoveling money at the Volvo. But I kinda want to leave the little fang on. It’s a silly car anyway.
I was too tired after the Hornet move to really tear into the Volvo, so I decided to just remove the floor and really go to town on the clean-up. Gave it a detergent & water scrub followed by a hose down and the final product is way cleaner than it was when I bought the car.
If you thought moving a project car was hard, try moving a non-functioning airframe through town.
I went ahead and ordered the last of the necessary parts to hopefully get the Volvo roadworthy. One upgraded in-tank fuel pump and OEM filter, please!
Not only did the shop refuse to smog the Volvo due to the oil leak, the mechanic is convinced that there’s a misfire, which is not unreasonable.
For a long time I’ve rolled my eyes at David Tracy’s heaps and his various misadventures.
As a follow-up to the Volvo: The CA DMV indicates I need smog certification to register a change of ownership. Is this a physical piece of paper? I don’t recall getting on when I smogged my 2009 Camry because that was electronically submitted.
I agreed to buy the Volvo for $1950 after some minor back-and-forth over the past week.
I didn’t expect to buy a Volvo wagon when I left the house yesterday morning.
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