1971 Volvo 164

Got out to the car today for the first time, went to change the oil and found that I had the wrong size sockets.  Getting under the car was a squeeze and I’m a skinny guy.  This sort of thing will be easier once we can actually drive it up on ramps.  Largest socket I had in the box was 15/16 and anyway I think the oilpan nut is metric.  Not wanting to waste a drive out there, Dad and I put the charged battery in and tried to start her up.  Starter worked, fan worked, and it tried like hell to turn over.  We even smelled gas so the fuel pump seemed to be working too.  Didn’t turn over though, so we spent some time examining the engine, took out the filthy air filter, and checked the sparkplugs and wires (which need to be replaced anyway).

Then we looked at the vaccuum hoses and this was a mess.  Hoses weren’t connected to the carbs, the choke was rusted closed, and a slew of other vacuum connections were either broken or going off into nowhere.  Clearly I’ll have to wait for the Chilton book to sort this out.

All electrical stuff worked – headlights, dash, hazards, brake lights, even the radio.  Locks also worked although the drivers lock needs to be replaced but I think it’s actually in the glovebox with some trim and fuses.  I will praise the guy who sold it to me for hording so many spare parts in the trunk!  4 extra original Volvo hubcaps, trim pieces (including the missing ‘Volvo’ and ‘164′ badges from the back – which I was gritting my teeth about having to search Ebay for).