G89 VFW (Project) Time for some TLC
Posted: 06 Sep 2009 01:45 am
It's time to get VFW back on the road after 6 years of SORN! I bought it in 2001 as a second car as my 1977 343 CVT was getting very very rusty again and the new sills I'd had welded on in 1992 were mincemeat 
. My intention was to take the '77 car off the road till I'd got time to restore it properly. After driving the 1.4 CVT for 10 years, the 1.7 manual felt much quicker and I must admit the '77 car was put on the back burner (later to be stolen to order by a gang of ruthless classic car thieves, or was it the scrap prices rising!? 
).
Anyway I drove VFW for a year or so till someone gave me a LHD 440 1.7. This seemed even quicker than the 340, probably cos your sat with you arse on the floor
. One day I was driving through Barnsley and I saw a red 440 Turbo, that really was faster 
. So i became a traitor for a few years and the 340 sat under blankets in the garage becoming home to mice and spiders. However, that all changed in May. By then the 440 Turbo was also gathering dust due to a seized rear caliper, loose drive shaft boot, no M.O.T and the birth of Jack now 4 1/2 .
I spotted the green 360 GLS on ebay and I woke up and found myself in 1983
In making room for it in the garage I had to get VFW out, having promised to the wife that it would be gone soon
Somehow I still appear to be getting away with having 3 old volvos and 1 wife, not sure how long this can last
Back to the car, it's a
340 GL 1.7 in dark grey metallic
First reg 20/10/89 (20 years old this year!) bought new from Deacon Motors, Lincoln
Former keepers 5, around Grantham, Lincolnshire, maybe Nottingham and Harrogate
Bought by me 14/11/01 for £500 @ 123046 miles (from a traders advert in autotrader for £595)
Taken off road 01/12/03 @ 131,060 miles
I'm hoping to get it an M.O.T., keep it original for now (except wheels), use it as an everyday car and maybe use it for towing a lightweight caravan next year (already got towbar and electrics). Maybe some point in the future I'd love to do some of the mods, engine, suspension etc.
Here's some pics
Just before the car was taken off the road it failed it's M.O.T on various things, but the engine was running perfectly. Over the 6 years in storage it has been started a few dozen times, moved about and small amounts of petrol put in. The first 3 years it was outside on and off but has been dry stored for the last 3.
Jobs done so far
MAY
Over the last few times of starting, the engine developed a 'misfire' so I did a bit of work to try and get it running better. Changed the distributer cap, rotor arm, HT leads, in line fuel filter (old one very mucky). All these needed to be done as all parts were old and a service was needed anyway. Just when I thought I'd fixed it, back came the misfire. As of tonight, when I started it the misfire was back. Revved it hard a couple of times and it's running fine now. Maybe the very low fuel level in the tank is causing debris in the fuel lines? Will have come back to this later I expect.
TODAY
Rust assessment. Time to get the screwdriver of doom out
. Not too bad. Sills intact but floor edge mostly gone. Jacking points pretty good (never use them anyway!) Some previous patches to nearside floor only. Rear cross member (in front of fuel tank) gone at ends (mentioned on M.O.T failure sheet in 2001, can still see yellow chalk marks!) Wheel arches remarkably good all round but some holes in front offside inner. All suspension parts, brake parts, rear axle, etc look very rusty, hope its all holding together! Front wings good but front valance very very bad due to leaking radiator (advisory on 2001 M.O.T.)
Tonights big question, has anyone had any experience with welding the rear cross member near the fuel tank? I don't like the idea of blobs of red hot metal and petrol fumes coming anywhere near each other
. I'm thinking of taking the tank off, the filler neck used to leak anyway, and the tank probably needs cleaning out as well. Any tips on fuel tank safety greatly appreciated
. My intention was to take the '77 car off the road till I'd got time to restore it properly. After driving the 1.4 CVT for 10 years, the 1.7 manual felt much quicker and I must admit the '77 car was put on the back burner (later to be stolen to order by a gang of ruthless classic car thieves, or was it the scrap prices rising!? ).Anyway I drove VFW for a year or so till someone gave me a LHD 440 1.7. This seemed even quicker than the 340, probably cos your sat with you arse on the floor
. One day I was driving through Barnsley and I saw a red 440 Turbo, that really was faster . So i became a traitor for a few years and the 340 sat under blankets in the garage becoming home to mice and spiders. However, that all changed in May. By then the 440 Turbo was also gathering dust due to a seized rear caliper, loose drive shaft boot, no M.O.T and the birth of Jack now 4 1/2 .I spotted the green 360 GLS on ebay and I woke up and found myself in 1983
In making room for it in the garage I had to get VFW out, having promised to the wife that it would be gone soon
Somehow I still appear to be getting away with having 3 old volvos and 1 wife, not sure how long this can last
Back to the car, it's a
340 GL 1.7 in dark grey metallic
First reg 20/10/89 (20 years old this year!) bought new from Deacon Motors, Lincoln
Former keepers 5, around Grantham, Lincolnshire, maybe Nottingham and Harrogate
Bought by me 14/11/01 for £500 @ 123046 miles (from a traders advert in autotrader for £595)
Taken off road 01/12/03 @ 131,060 miles
I'm hoping to get it an M.O.T., keep it original for now (except wheels), use it as an everyday car and maybe use it for towing a lightweight caravan next year (already got towbar and electrics). Maybe some point in the future I'd love to do some of the mods, engine, suspension etc.
Here's some pics
Just before the car was taken off the road it failed it's M.O.T on various things, but the engine was running perfectly. Over the 6 years in storage it has been started a few dozen times, moved about and small amounts of petrol put in. The first 3 years it was outside on and off but has been dry stored for the last 3.
Jobs done so far
MAY
Over the last few times of starting, the engine developed a 'misfire' so I did a bit of work to try and get it running better. Changed the distributer cap, rotor arm, HT leads, in line fuel filter (old one very mucky). All these needed to be done as all parts were old and a service was needed anyway. Just when I thought I'd fixed it, back came the misfire. As of tonight, when I started it the misfire was back. Revved it hard a couple of times and it's running fine now. Maybe the very low fuel level in the tank is causing debris in the fuel lines? Will have come back to this later I expect.
TODAY
Rust assessment. Time to get the screwdriver of doom out
. Not too bad. Sills intact but floor edge mostly gone. Jacking points pretty good (never use them anyway!) Some previous patches to nearside floor only. Rear cross member (in front of fuel tank) gone at ends (mentioned on M.O.T failure sheet in 2001, can still see yellow chalk marks!) Wheel arches remarkably good all round but some holes in front offside inner. All suspension parts, brake parts, rear axle, etc look very rusty, hope its all holding together! Front wings good but front valance very very bad due to leaking radiator (advisory on 2001 M.O.T.)Tonights big question, has anyone had any experience with welding the rear cross member near the fuel tank? I don't like the idea of blobs of red hot metal and petrol fumes coming anywhere near each other
. I'm thinking of taking the tank off, the filler neck used to leak anyway, and the tank probably needs cleaning out as well. Any tips on fuel tank safety greatly appreciated 
) (The 440 is currently on a set of big Renault Grand Scenic alloys 
