What is it about....

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Please introduce yourself here, your Volvo 300 hobby...
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macplaxton
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Joined: 09 Feb 2008 02:29 am

Re: What is it about....

Post by macplaxton » 07 Jan 2013 01:24 am

What did you do to kill it?

And the Vario verdict?
72 DAF 44 Estate 78 Volvo 343DL Black BeautyImageImage
82 Volvo 343DL CVTImageImage 88 Volvo 340DL Diesel

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Chris_C
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Re: What is it about....

Post by Chris_C » 07 Jan 2013 01:30 am

It's a car in need of a weekend sorting out a few things, followed by a decent set of miles to remove the niggles. The poor thing hadn't been run for ages and (this is the assumption we came to) has a vario related vacuum leak causing the renix to give full advance and looks to be sparking before the inlet valves had shut, added to needing some electrical service bits. Really wouldn't take much, but given what I have going on with Fake is more than I can do to save it this time :(

Vario really took me by surprise. Even though the 4 way valve is having a lemon, i.e. it's always in "low gear" mode, it was remarkably refined and did everything the marketing people said it would. I was expecting to be annoyed, let down even after all the years of reading road tests scathing it.

I really enjoyed it. And want one.

And I've found a spare car shaped space too.
'89(G) 340 GLE B172k
'03 S60 D5 SE, '91 (J) MX5, 1954 Cyclemaster
Ex:
'89(F) 340 GL F7R (ex B172k) - Fake -> SBKV 300 Runner Up 08, 12; '91(H) 340 GL B14.4E - Kar; '88(F) 360 GLT B200E - Jet -> BKV 300 Runner Up 09; '89(G) 360 GLT B200E - Beast

volvosneverdie
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Re: What is it about....

Post by volvosneverdie » 07 Jan 2013 01:59 am

Chris_C wrote:It's a car in need of a weekend sorting out a few things, followed by a decent set of miles to remove the niggles. The poor thing hadn't been run for ages and (this is the assumption we came to) has a vario related vacuum leak causing the renix to give full advance and looks to be sparking before the inlet valves had shut, added to needing some electrical service bits. Really wouldn't take much, but given what I have going on with Fake is more than I can do to save it this time :(

Vario really took me by surprise. Even though the 4 way valve is having a lemon, i.e. it's always in "low gear" mode, it was remarkably refined and did everything the marketing people said it would. I was expecting to be annoyed, let down even after all the years of reading road tests scathing it.

I really enjoyed it. And want one.

And I've found a spare car shaped space too.
They are great fun man. Id have another.
Image

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Speedy88
Posts: 4057
Joined: 04 May 2009 11:52 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: What is it about....

Post by Speedy88 » 07 Jan 2013 02:25 am

Do it Chris! :D I test drove one once and it was a 5 minute dream
'88 340 Williams (Sold)
'85 360 GLS - Drift project (Sold)
'77 Colt Sigma
'96 940 Drift project

wiganer31
Posts: 479
Joined: 14 Feb 2011 03:22 am

Re: What is it about....

Post by wiganer31 » 07 Jan 2013 03:36 am

when i had my 340 and 360 on the road at the same time i drove the 1.4 340 99% of the time, bucket seats and daft suspension setups are just horrible for the roads lol.
300's r strange cars, sorta ugly but i love the way they look lol.


evoman, that looks like a nice private road were you took that pic,



cheers

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thebear54
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Location: Mount Tabor, Vermont USA
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Re: What is it about....

Post by thebear54 » 07 Jan 2013 12:30 pm

For me....
Owning a 343 is "Dutch Pride" (even though the quality of some bits are somewhat ratty :wink: ) and the fact that there are only three (3) here in this country. When "Marilyn" arrived and was parked outdoors passers-by were getting whiplash just to get a peek at her. When I take her out for a spin she always draws a crowd.

John
DAF CLUB of AMERICA Director & DAF MUSEUM-USA Director

MCHUDD
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Re: What is it about....

Post by MCHUDD » 07 Jan 2013 12:41 pm

Hi all.
Yes John. I get the same reaction with the 345. I have watched from a distance, people walking around the car and pointing at this bit and
that bit and admireing it. Its strange.
Cheers Mark.
sm69 sm69 sm69 sm69 sm69 sm69 sm69 sm69

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trabitom99
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Re: What is it about....

Post by trabitom99 » 07 Jan 2013 01:36 pm

Chris_C wrote:Even though the 4 way valve is having a lemon, i.e. it's always in "low gear" mode ...
Not necessarily, it could also be the CVT control relay. Have a go at it, using RJV's overhaul kit:
http://www.born-built-beauties.eu/html/ ... n_par.html

Cheers

Tom
343 GL Touring B14.1E CVT (155) 98000kms 1980 (sold)
343 L Junior B14.3E MT4 (155) 229000kms 1981 (scrapped)
343 DLS B19A MT4 (155) 167900kms 1982
360 GL Injection B200F MT5 (231) 348598kms 1988 (scrapped)
360 GLT B200F MT5 (302) 230000kms 1988

macplaxton
Posts: 3283
Joined: 09 Feb 2008 02:29 am

Re: What is it about....

Post by macplaxton » 07 Jan 2013 02:16 pm

trabitom99 wrote:
Chris_C wrote:Even though the 4 way valve is having a lemon, i.e. it's always in "low gear" mode ...
Not necessarily, it could also be the CVT control relay. Have a go at it, using RJV's overhaul kit:
http://www.born-built-beauties.eu/html/ ... n_par.html

Cheers

Tom
My money is on dead diaphragms though.
72 DAF 44 Estate 78 Volvo 343DL Black BeautyImageImage
82 Volvo 343DL CVTImageImage 88 Volvo 340DL Diesel

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S10NPH
Posts: 461
Joined: 23 Sep 2008 09:52 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: What is it about....

Post by S10NPH » 11 Jan 2013 11:41 pm

My love of Volvo 340s came from one that my mother had from 1987 to 1995, D875 VEY, which was a 1987 1.7 GL model.
Here's my usual position, in the back: Image.
I particularly remember how fun it was when I made my mum go really fast over a dip in the road near Llannerchymedd on the B5111.
This picture is taken at Cemlyn Bay in north Anglesey, and that's me eating quavers (I think):
Image
My mother says I used to sit in the driver's seat on her driveway for hours pretending to drive it.

And also one that my uncle had for around the same period, HCC 692Y. This was a 1983 1.4 DL model. These photos were taken in 1989 on my first holiday visiting family friends in Walton on Thames (and Heathrow Airport). I (embarrassingly) still own and regularly use the grey holdall with red piping in the boot!
Image
Image

Sadly, both these cars died in about 2002 according to the DVLA.

My family have had lots of other Volvos over the years. This is our house in 1996:
Image
I'm not sure why I am flashing my moobs at the world, but hey, it was a more innocent time. The 440 is still on SORN according to the DVLA, although rather worryingly my mother wrote it off in February 1997 (and I saw the mangled wreck with my own eyes!) :-S

I still love 340s now because I am very nostalgic, and remember the smells, textures and sounds of the cars from when I was young.
1977 Volvo 343 DL 1.4 Vario TUJ 247R
1980 Volvo 345 DL 1.4 PGH 590V
1981 Volvo 345 DL 1.4 ECR 312W
1985 Volvo 340 DL 1.4 Vario B168 DTU
1982 Volvo 245 GLT 2.3 Auto VKN 137X
1997 Saab 900 Convertible P290 DDF and 2018 VW Tiguan S10 NPH

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trabitom99
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Re: What is it about....

Post by trabitom99 » 12 Jan 2013 08:50 am

Hey, great classic pics :-) Thanks for taking the time to scan them in ...

Cheers

Tom
343 GL Touring B14.1E CVT (155) 98000kms 1980 (sold)
343 L Junior B14.3E MT4 (155) 229000kms 1981 (scrapped)
343 DLS B19A MT4 (155) 167900kms 1982
360 GL Injection B200F MT5 (231) 348598kms 1988 (scrapped)
360 GLT B200F MT5 (302) 230000kms 1988

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