SPOTTED: '78 Mk1 343 in the USA

[Speedy88]

Dear Sir,
We recently heard you bought the 343 on ebay. Please can you set up a web cam so we have fap material 24/7?
kthx
v3m

[Motown CVT]

Hello,

I just bought the 343 DL in California. The sale closed last evening on ebay at US $1,675. Right after sending off a check, I signed up for this forum. I'm a writer in Dearborn, Michigan for Ford Motor Company.

Over the years, I've owned several PV544, 122s Amazons, 140 & 240 series Volvos, in addition to air- and water-cooled VWs.
I also have a 1953 Singer 4AD.

When I graduated from college in the late '70s, I took an extended Eur-rail trip on the continent and visited the UK. I remember seeing DAF Volvos everywhere.

The 343 DL was interesting and inexpensive enough, so why not?

Keith

[trabitom99]

Hi Keith,

welcome to the forum! We're all loving your car and are looking forward to hear more about it

Tom

[Speedy88]

Excellent, keep us updated And welcome to the forum

[macplaxton]

Hello Keith,

I'm sure John deBruin of the DAF Club of America would love to hear from you too.

[MCHUDD]

Hi mate.
Thats a lovely car you have there.Well done in finding one so rare.
Cheers Mark.

[Jos360]

Hello,

I just bought the 343 DL in California. The sale closed last evening on ebay at US $1,675. Right after sending off a check, I signed up for this forum. I'm a writer in Dearborn, Michigan for Ford Motor Company.

Over the years, I've owned several PV544, 122s Amazons, 140 & 240 series Volvos, in addition to air- and water-cooled VWs.
I also have a 1953 Singer 4AD.

When I graduated from college in the late '70s, I took an extended Eur-rail trip on the continent and visited the UK. I remember seeing DAF Volvos everywhere.

The 343 DL was interesting and inexpensive enough, so why not?

Keith

Do you live in Dearborn? I am in Grand Haven, MI. If you ship the car over here, i would love to come and check it out!!!

[Motown CVT]

I work in Dearborn, and live in "Fashionable Ferndale" in the vicinity of 9-Mile & Woodward Avenue.

The car should be in Michigan by this spring. I anticipate having it shipped to Chicago, as I have a free storage opportunity there.


This is going to be fun!

[volvosneverdie]

Welcome to the forum mate and congratulations on such an awesome buy.
Koudos on your good taste and a thousand thank yous for the one million photos I demand you post of such a fine slice of cvt sweetness.

[Jos360]

If i'm still in MI by spring, i would love to come over and take a look! This must be an awesome car.

[Motown CVT]

Thanks for all your greetings.

A lifelong mechanic friend, and frequent employer of my son, once told me this about diagnosing & working on cars: "If you see hoof prints, think horses, not zebras." Meaning, of course, look for the obvious & logical.

I ask you all to help me learn ...the parts interchangeability With Renault 5 - or to us Yanks...LeCar.

Can any of you tell me what my OEM carburetor is? Was a '78 343 DL offered with fuel injection?

Also, feel free to school me on care & feeding of my Variomatic.

Your keen interest and kind words, re-afirm and validate the check I wrote this morning.

Keith

[nvdw]

Hello Keith,

Le Car and the 343 share the same engine, but apart from the head gasket I wouldn't know if there's any other interchangeability gasket-wise. Be prepared to ship certain parts from Europe. My best bet would be the DAF Club of America and its forum. As there are more Renault-engined DAFs/Volvos in the DCA community I'm sure they'll have sourced the less exquisite spare parts by now (brake pads and whatnot). Your carburettor should be some variant of the Weber 32 DIR. The exact number can be found on the base of the carb on the engine side of the carb foot, just above the gaskets. The 343 was never sold with fuel injection. I still wonder if it's possible to fit the injection system of a Californian Le Car though!

There's a lot of technical information on this board concerning the engine and the variomatic, there's a chance you might not finish reading all of it before your 343 arrives!

Have fun with it, it's certainly a unique car in the USA, and there's not much left of these cars on this side of the ocean either.

[volvomania]

Glad to see the car has found a new home.

Volvo never sold the car fuel injected. However at the time you could get it converted in Holland to fuel injection (remember seeing the kit at a friends place and at the DCN warehouse). I believe the company went belly up in the late 80's but occasionally I still come across these conversion kits on the internet.

[foggyjames]

Awesome car, and even better to have the new owner joining us - welcome!

To be honest, I half expected the car to go for far more. The last car I heard of being sold in the US was a mk1 345 vario also in silver...but with the addition of the accessory front spoiler. I think it sold for $15k CDN.

cheers

James