I acquired this car late January 2019, because I had always wanted to own an 1800es. Turns out they're just not what I wanted. I guess I prefer the boxy volvos.I've put a lot of parts and labor into this car to get it road-worthy.
This car has the Volvo paint code 107, sun yellow, and hence I have named him"Sunny".
https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1973-volvo-1800es
Good:
- New Texas inspection and registration
- Runs, drives. Engine runs decent. I can send a current video of it idling smooth.
- Underbody is in great shape. I will add photos soon when weather permits.
- Poly bushings in front (as reported by previous owner). No suspension clunks. Rubber in back. All around suspension feels great.
- All original. Unrestored.
- Nevada and TX car (reportedly), clear blue Texas title in my name in hand
New parts/work:
- valve adjustment per greenbook specs
- new oil (delo 15W-40 & Volvo brand oil filter)
- new points (gapped per greenbook spec) and condenser, genuine yellow box bosch parts
- new mann air filter (car comes with old k&n filter too)
- new rotor and distributor cap, genuine bosch yellow box parts
- new autolite plugs, gapped per greenbook spec
- coolant change (volvo blue)
- radiator professionally flushed at Norman Radiator Service of Ft. Worth TX
- new battery wires positive & negative
- new fuel hose (rail to supply)
- New engine mounts from (VP autoparts)
- m41 oil changed with fresh SAE 30, per greenbook spec
- new master cylinder (centric brand)
- new brake fluid reservoir (VP autoparts)
- full brake fluid flush, per greenbook procedures, ATE "typ 200"
- new driver's door seal (VP autoparts)
- new hatch seal, (VP autoparts)
- hatch rust removed via roloc disk, POR 15 process applied. Paint-match spray applied to conceal.
- new thermostat and seal (VP autoparts)
- new steering coupler(VP autoparts)
- new cork valve cover gasket(Victor Reinz)
Bad:- 340K miles, engine compression shows piston ring wear. Each cylinder was roughly 130psi
- Still having water intrusion during intense storms. Hand-sized wet spot on both passenger and driver floor board after a 3 hour thunderstorm last weekend.
- 70's style laquer/enamel paint. Rock chips. Repainted once in original color, probably in the 80s or 90s.
- Underbody dent from PO running over a branch or curb or something.
- Crusty passenger side rear quarter (where they all get it), driver's side rear quarter shows bubbling. On the passenger side rear quarter rust hole, the rust was enhanced by the previous owner putting Bondo on the area. I have removed the bondo to allow the area to dry and no longer retain water.
- Tiny bit of rust on rocker seams
- Rust through top of driver's side rocker under aluminum step guard
- Rust hole on driver's side fender bottom near rocker(I cut it out into a rectangle for weld-in panel). Roloc disk, POR 15 process, and a quick spray of color matched spray to conceal.
- Small 5mm x 10mm hole in driver floorboard.
- Cracked dash
- Original seats. Driver's is in very poor shape. Car comes with crappy seat cover if you decide to delay re-upholstery.
- AAV broken and disabled.
- Heater valve broken, disabled.
- Windshield washer system broken, disabled.
- Speedo & fuel gauge not working. Car comes with spare speedometer.
- Hatch shocks don't hold the hatch up.
- Crappy window tint is peeling.
- Wheels need sand blasting & powder coating.
- Tires are ~11 years old, but they actually are in surprisingly good shape. No dry rotting at all. Good tread too. Nankang brand.
- Transmission leaky, leaking 3" diameter oil spot after sitting for about a week. Unsure of origin.
- Must feather throttle on cold start for ~20 seconds due to AAV being disabled.
Other Info:- Comes with original spare.
- Comes with original jack (at least I believe it is original)
- Wipers work but are slow (maybe that's just how these are?)
- Pads and rotors likely need to be changed. Braking power seems low, despite new MC and full brake fluid flush.
- Brake junction sensor is unplugged because I did not reset it, could not get a good angle to remove it and replace.
- Comes with extra (working) D-jet computer
- I believe a previous owner may have installed an aftermarket exhaust... I'm not positive, but the exhaust is not very quiet. I don't have a reference to how these are supposed to sound stock.
- If you plan on shipping this car, please be warned. The track width is very narrow, almost too narrow for many car carriers. I had to load it and unload it from a car trailer when I purchased it, and will not be doing that again. Please ensure your car shipper is willing to load the vehicle and take full responsibility should any mishaps occur.
- Oil temp sensor wiring is broken, but it might work if you repair the wiring.
- I have removed the washer bottle and bracket, but the car comes with them.
- I have removed the driver's side metal step and carpet retaining plate, but the car does come with them. I did this to allow the rust to be able to dry faster and slow propagation.
- The repaint on the rear hatch area is mediocre, but looks fine until you touch it or get within a foot of it.
- Expect typical door dings and rock chips from 46 years and 340K miles of driving
- Streaks on back of car behind rear bumper are because I could not use my orbital on this area without taking off the bumper. I believe they are just superficial stains due to rain and other.
This is a fair car, and a fair deal. This could be an excellent candidate for restoration, as a running D-jet is infinitely easier to work on than a non-running D-jet car. I would describe the rust present on this car as typical and consistent with a 46 year old southern (Nevada & Texas) car.
Overall, my goal is to be as transparent about the car's condition as possible.
I believe this is an excellent candidate for restoration.
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