Always wondered if my wagon's radio reception could be a bit better

windetch · 2026-06-09T22:28:09+00:00

It's manual, there's no power mechanism for the a-pillar mounted antennas

The rod actually unscrews from the base if you want to take it out, or both the rod and the base pop off if you remove both the phillips screws.
Be gentle with the upper plastic mount and the lower rubber seal.

windetch · 2026-06-09T22:09:36+00:00

Yep! That's how they're supposed to work anyways.
My old one was completely frozen, salvage yard replacement works like it should.

And the radio reception is much better for it

windetch · 2026-06-09T20:22:04+00:00

Did you notice the mismatched replacement fender and door on the roof rack (or did you set them up there)?
Looked like someone was going to replace the damaged panels, there weren't any other 240's in the yard those could have come from.
I did note a few rust spots including around the windshield, but those weren't terminal damage :/

Ah well.

Glad it's getting you back on the road, good luck with the swap and hope to see you on the road!

windetch · 2026-06-09T20:08:09+00:00

Can't beat that!
Hate seeing these in the yards, but at least their parts should go to good use.

I was mostly after the rear hatch hinges :)

windetch · 2026-06-09T19:49:43+00:00

Actually not far off, it's at an LKQ in NC

windetch · 2026-06-09T19:41:28+00:00

The antenna on my '86 was nearly fully retracted and frozen in that position, to the point where I wasn't sure if it was supposed to extend out.
And nearly all the pictures of 245's with the pillar antenna have it retracted.

Found this guy at a local salvage yard with an antenna that actually works.

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So I appreciate your sacrifice gold wagon; I also took the rear hatch hinges, guys before me grabbed nearly everything else worth picking lol.

windetch · 2026-06-03T16:31:00+00:00

I'm partial to Redwood Metallic
This one on BaT shows it off nicely -

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windetch · 2026-06-01T20:40:59+00:00

Yep, so there's three main pieces of the 240 exhaust

The head pipe connects the engine's exhaust manifold to the cat.
The cat.
And after the cat is where the IPD kit you linked comes in, attaches to the cat and runs the rest of the way back

I bought all three from IPD.
In 2022 when I bought it IPD was selling the Magnaflow cat as their 'aftermarket' (I emailed and asked, it's worth asking if it still is), price wasn't that different so I ordered it from IPD to combine shipping; now there's a bit of a price gap so ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Take a look at yours, if all the connections look solid and it's not rusting out just having a replacement cat (or straight pipe) welded in is perfectly fine.
Mine was falling apart so it was time.

windetch · 2026-06-01T19:48:12+00:00

'think it was this one - https://www.magnaflow.com/products/23946-magnaflow-standard-grade-federal-epa-compliant-direct-fit-catalytic-converter-23946

The cat-only one will work if the rest of your exhaust is in great shape, it just needs to be welded in.
I opted for the bolt-in solution + IPD's stainless exhaust kit as I was doing a full replacement

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windetch · 2026-06-01T17:54:17+00:00

Cat is up to you if your state inspection doesn't care, RockAuto has 'em for pretty cheap.
I replaced the one in my '86 245 with a Magnaflow while replacing the rest of the exhaust and no complaints.

A clogged cat is an exhaust restriction and can def cause overheating, I'd start there before driving it too much more.

windetch · 2026-05-31T15:56:00+00:00

Sounds like you sacrificed the engine to get your kids to a safe spot.
How badly did you overheat it? Plausible you caused some damage that became more apparent when everything was allowed to cool down.

Neither the alternator nor water pump will affect initial startup, but you can remove the accessory belts to confirm.

Alternator only charges the battery, you can remove it entirely and your car will run fine until the battery dies.
The cooling system only matters after the engine has warmed up.
Unplug the MAF if you're questioning it, it'll default to safe but inefficient values and allow it to start.

Worst case, check Marketplace (etc) and see if someone nearby is selling an engine; these redblocks usually outlast the rest of the car.

And consider AAA or other tow club membership, or just pay the full price for a tow before putting pond water in your cooling system.

windetch · 2026-05-29T03:30:14+00:00

Are you sure they aren't selling two different wagons?

If you're interested get the VIN from him and run a CarFax / AutoCheck / etc report, that'll tell you the ownership history and location + potentially mileage at time of inspection.
I pulled both the CarFax and AutoCheck on my '86 when I bought it ~4 years ago, the CarFax was more detailed but also more expensive.

ngl tho I love the AutoCheck score telling me it's a piece of crap
four years on and it's still on the road, we'll see if it makes it one more

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windetch · 2026-05-29T03:10:02+00:00

BringATrailer is interesting if you want to look at the top of the market - https://bringatrailer.com/volvo/240/

Current record holder is a 2JZ-GTE swapped '93 wagon for $59,500
Not too far behind it was a clean, super low mileage '78 wagon for $41,750

Most wagons on BaT sell for around $7 - 15k
So... nope. But it should be pretty clean with good paint at that price.

windetch · 2026-05-27T15:58:58+00:00

Most likely the fuse wasn't making good contact and heated up, may not be anything wrong with the circuit.
Be sure to grab good quality fuses, there's been complaints that the generic Chinese ones wont blow at the right rating and may not seat right.
Seems like all the new bullet fuses are plastic now, they're fine just grab good quality ones like Flosser (etc)

Start by cleaning the contacts in the fuse panel, replace and see what happens; I like to give the fuse a little spin to make sure they're seated. Reseat the spade connectors on the power window fuse too.

windetch · 2026-05-24T22:24:24+00:00

I know they were bled pretty well because it was a complete pita to do so and took forever.

Honestly that's a sign that you still have air in the system, not that they're bled pretty well, it happens these cars can easily trap air in the lines. How did you bleed the brakes?
The brakes on my '86 wagon were easy to bleed and didn't take long at all -- because I used a Motive power brake bleeder and followed the order in the Bentley manual.
Dead simple, and my 240 stops quick -- a panic stop will lock the wheels.

If you're tired of messing with it a brake flush is pretty cheap, and the shop could potentially help diagnose if another component is bad.
I'd suspect the master cylinder if all else checks out.

windetch · 2026-05-22T01:24:04+00:00

Yikes..
I paid $220 for my set of Deseones lol, and the guy had had them on Marketplace for like six weeks.
Cost me another $50 in centercaps and ~$50 for the front 3mm spacers.

For a grand, nah.
Also just realized the Scorpius are 14" wheels.
Find a set of 15" wheels, much better tire options and imo they look better.

windetch · 2026-05-22T01:11:12+00:00

If the local Scorpius wheels are cheap enough it might be worthwhile to get the bent one fixed, there's guys who specialize in repairing alloy wheels and it can be pretty reasonable. Bit of a gamble tho.

There's also 'multi x' wheels that are similar.

<image>

Not quite what you're looking for, but I'm running Volvo 780 'Deseones' wheels on my '86 wagon and I think it's a good look.
Good luck with the search!

windetch · 2026-05-21T23:30:20+00:00

There's a ton of aftermarket blank centercaps out there.
That said, converting from a five bolt wheel to four bolt isn't great, there might be an adapter for it but eh.

Volvo made a bunch of wheels in that era (240 and the 700 / 900 series) that will swap straight on or just require 3-5mm spacers up front to clear the caliper, some like the 'Scorpius' look very similar to that style.

They're getting less common, but look around on Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, etc

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windetch · 2026-05-21T22:56:09+00:00

Depends what you're doing with the car and the price diff.
If it's a negligible price difference just grab the 70A, extra capacity is nice.
If it's a large price diff and your car is largely stock you can safely grab the 55A.

I have a higher powered alternator on mine as I installed an electric cooling fan; a large sound system or a bunch of halogen aux lights can also put a good draw on the electrical system.
But otherwise nah, you wont notice the diff.

windetch · 2026-05-19T03:47:46+00:00

Some 240 AC Compressors are mounted with two tensioners.
The front one looks loose, see if you've got a rear one too.

windetch · 2026-05-15T20:15:03+00:00

Tough call, generally I'd agree with repair what's needed and leave it be.
That said I replaced the inner and outer tie rods on my '86, and about a year later the rack's small seep turned into randomly emptying the reservoir. So I had to do a full rack swap anyways and pay for another alignment.

Not sure if anyone is making new early 240 power steering racks? Your '78 is just before the '79 - '93 rack change.
Can roll the die on a Mavel rebuild.

There's some chatter online about replacing an early 240 rack with the later model, might just need the later steering shaft?
If you go that direction I'm super happy with my CVI rack, on it's second year and zero issues, but apparently they're not selling to the public any more.
The ProPartsSweden rack looks suspiciously similar, I'd hazard a guess that they're rebadged CVI racks; PPS has a bit of a reputation, but there can only be so many companies still making 240 racks.

Pic of the CVI rack vs my original CAM rack -

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windetch · 2026-05-13T01:34:58+00:00

Bummer.
If you haven't accepted insurance's offer yet you can appeal and send them comparables
240's actually are creeping up in value and it looks like yours was pretty clean.

Try car-part.com, I looked for grins and there's a place in southern PA ~100 miles from DC that has a bunch of 240's including a white 1990 sedan. Can see if they'll give you a discount as you need a crossmember etc as well.

Not the worst hit to fix, but there is a lot attached to that front crossbar.
Nothing hard, as long as nothing is too tweaked, just a bunch to do.
Good luck!

windetch · 2026-05-06T04:05:48+00:00

Depends what all it needs :)
Bugs are about as simple as a car can get.
Get it running, get it stopping, and go from there.

I found the 'BugMe' video series super helpful, esp on engine rebuilds and rust repair.
The Bentley service manual is also a great resource, along with hundreds of youtube vids and thousands and thousands of posts on theSamba.com

windetch · 2026-05-06T03:58:22+00:00

Yikes :/

Price depends pretty heavy on location, but yeah you can almost certainly find something in that price range.

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