1983 Volvo 242 GLT White on Black, Stick Shift Turbo Coupe

1983 Volvo 240 GLT Additional Info:

Wagonmeister here. It's been awhile!

What we are listing here is a car that has been extensively refurbished AND modified, to turn it into a reliable, daily driver. Yes, I said daily driver. This car belongs to a customer in Bakersfield who uses it several times a week back and forth to work and enjoys it thoroughly. There's a neat back-story to it too. I would like to start the description by saying that this car really is, in terms of 240s, a Holy Grail car. This is an '83 242 GLT. No, your eyes did not deceive you, count 'em, only two (2) doors. A coupe. Coop. Cyupe. White on black, intercooled, baby bumpers....and....hold on....it's a stick shift car. But wait (Where is Billy Mays when we need him?), there's more! It's got a posi rear end. Limited slip, with the tag on the axle and the little label in the door jamb and all. Let's recap that: White on black, two door, intercooled, LSD, stick shift, turbo. Wow. Not a rust bucket, a SoCal car from the git go. Not a bundle of scrambled wires and half-baked fixes. This is a completely sorted, very sound car, with working AC, good, modern stereo, nice wheels and tires....and that's before we get to all the goodies in terms of maintenance, refurbishing and mods/upgrades.

Ready to roll? This Meister car may make you scream a little, and those of you who remember my auctions of old will know this will NOT be a short write-up. Grab your latte and set a spell.

So you are a 240 fan you say? Do I need to ask you what company Volvo grew out of to verify that? How many pounds per hour do your injectors flow? Is your father's 940 Nivomat or standard? What is the city in Southern California (and the area in Germany) for which Volvo named it's most bodacious yellow? Got all those right? Enter the inner sanctum, oh ye of the Volvo faithful. Thor hath found you fit to read on.

VIN is This car originally came to my attention via a potential customer. He was shopping for a car for his 16 year old son, wanted me to be on-line to refurbish one, and literally stumbled on this car while driving around his neighborhood. It was in the garage of the original owner....sadly with a blown head gasket, and said owner just didn't feel like putting money into the car. I was a little skeptical about this being a new driver's first ride though, and suggested that something a little more staid might be better. With the current owner having just contacted me looking for a turbo, I hooked them up and a deal was struck. The car still wound up at Wagonmeister to be brought back to life. With it came a HUGE stack of receipts and records, all of which will go with the car. This vehicle was meticulously maintained for many years, and only began to fall into disrepair toward the end, when the head gasket went. No denying the mileage, the records support it, and it's not uncommon for these cars to need a head gasket around 250k.

Certainly on arrival, one could see that the car was a little neglected. It may have been in a garage when found, but it had spent a long time next to the sprinklers on the driveway. The passenger side rear quarter was covered with hard water deposits, and water had obviously pooled on the quarter window sill until it had eaten a quarter-sized hole in the metal. That spot was cleaned, patched with steel, and all of the window surrounds and ant-glare panels have been refinished in black as you can see—no puckered black tape, no scratched window frames. The hole's repair was done correctly. Inner trim panel was removed and the area around the repair was scoured of corrosion on the inside and refinished around the patch. What about rust elsewhere? Underside of the car is completely without signs of rust or damage. Same with the engine bay, door jambs, trunk, butt cheeks etc. All dry and solid.

Aside from the black trim, obviously the rest of the car's exterior also looks great. This is 189 Polar Vit, and though the paint is just a little thin from years of polishing in a few places, it shined up just beautifully. Yes, the hood has been changed. A complete flat nose conversion includes the proper, early grill and 7" headlight surrounds, but the car has been fitted with high output, LED conversion housings and lamps. Far superior to even halogen sealed beams. The hood was refinished to match in PPG, single stage paint.

As you cruise through the pictures, you'll see that the car is remarkably free of damage. Clearly the previous owner took excellent care of the car and the lack of parking lot dings, bumps etc. is a bonus. All side moldings are in place. They are not all perfect. At least a couple are dry, as these all black moldings tend to be, and there are chips in edges. All bumper moldings and trim in place. The extra, lower side moldings are not my cup of tea, but obviously they helped keep the car straight. These are the steel-with-vinyl-insert type of add-on molding that was so common in the 80s. They are riveted on.

What was done during the refurbishing? The list is long. First, and most significant, the K-jet injection was replaced. Yes yes, I know, scoff ye purists if you will. These days though, we favor practicality, reliability and economy (as economical as a turbo can be) over finicky originality. With K-jet warm up regulators going for $300, I'll sacrifice teeny tiny hard fuel injector lines and concurs d' elegance correctness for "idles like silk hot or cold" and "starts even if it sits for six months" anytime. This is a complete, Wagomeister LH2.2 conversion with custom wiring harness. It includes later, EZK ignition with knock sensor and fuel ECU integration for load and high speed enrichment. The car does indeed start easily, every time, idles as it should, no surging or stalling. Responds beautifully to the throttle in every gear. The owner upgraded the exhaust manifold to a 90+ unit and swapped in a 15g turbo. This smaller unit may not have the total, high end output of the old Garret T-3, but it does do away with most of the Garret's bottom end turbo lag. It spools up much more quickly, and with a Hallman, manual boost controller installed, is generally more user friendly than the Garret. Blows through a factory intercooler with piping modified for the LH intake manifold. The original air box has had the air meter removed and the air mass meter is plumbed in behind the air box. This car has been through California emissions testing and passes with flying colors. Fuel supply has been modified with an LH fuel pump and the accumulator has been removed. In tank pump, pickup hose and fuel sock were replaced. Fuel filter replaced, of course. The car is running blue, T-5 injectors which I think are around 35 lbs. They are the later style with four spray orifices each. This injection system is completely sorted. When the fuel pump platform was dropped to replace the main pump (new, Bosch) the accumulator was removed and the lines reconfigured to go with the LH setup.

You may be asking, at this point: What else happened while you were in there? Well you don't think we had the entire engine bay in pieces and didn't see to the details, do you? Oh ye of little faith!!! Everything was seen to when it came apart. First, the old turbo head was toast. We started with a clean, B23 head and did a full valve job on it. This was fitted with a T cam on installation, precision valve adjustment done. An adjustable cam timing gear is set at +2.5 degrees. New water pump. New urethane bushings on the PS pump and alternator. New front seals, timing belt and tensioner. Of course new valve cover gasket and rear cam seal. The cooling system was upgraded with a 3 core radiator, but that's not all. This radiator has the Modine, high efficiency, 7/16" core spacing. Much more cooling capacity. AC was converted to R134 long ago, but the charge was a little low. We evacuated and flushed the system, removing way too much accumulated oil, and recharged at the proper specs. This system could be upgraded with some later components, but cools just fine, and Bakersfield is not exactly a cool place to be in the summer, so that's saying a lot. To address old deposits, an Auto-RX treatment was done on the engine. Especially important as we aren't sure if the rear main seal has been done or not. The M-46 trans works perfectly, including the overdrive, but there is a slight leak at the OD adapter gasket. We Auto-RX'd it too, but it's still weeping a bit. The stuff really only works for seals, but we figured it couldn't hurt to clean the trans out. PCV system serviced. OD activation solenoid was replaced as it was also leaking. Shifter fitted with new, bronze shifter bushings. Shift knob was falling apart so we replaced it along with the OD switch.

So many other little details! The car received a new, Wagonmeister heater valve. While the dash was apart we replaced the center console and instrument cluster lighting with WM LEDs, much brighter than the stock lamps—put one in the rear floor courtesy lamp too. New windshield installed. Owner provided a lower brace kit to be bolted in underneath the car. Engine bay and underside of the car were completely degreased including the splash pan. Antenna replaced. New front dash mat with matching rear deck mat that protects the top of the back seat. (Yes, the dash has a couple of cracks).Sunroof gearbox came apart for cleaning and greasing and proper screws were installed when it went back together.

How does it sound? It's been fitted with a Pioneer DEHX9600BHS head unit and JBL GTO speakers front and rear. Aaaaand....an Alpine KTP-445U 4-channel Amp.

You didn't mean "that" sound? Well the owner has you covered from underneath too. Exhaust system completely replaced. Magnaflow, Cali-certified, high flow cat with stainless 2.5" cat-back piping to a Kooks, stainless bullet muffler. It's got a great tone to it, but is not obnoxious and does not drone on the highway. A little bit boy-racer, a little bit conservative. Just right.

We replaced door lock and latch trim. We replaced missing trim fasteners and felts under the dash. We tidied up the trunk and replaced missing fasteners and trim there. We fixed torn window channel moldings. We replaced missing plug wire looms. Installed new plug wires. Fixed leaking oil cooler lines. Even swapped out a couple of fried waist moldings for nicer pieces.

A set of OEM style Bosch fog lights was installed as you can see. Wired to the correct, factory dash switch with the relay mounted on the coil bracket. Nice, clean installation, properly wired.

We did not go nuts on the suspension on this car. It had been well maintained. It's riding on Boge Turbo Gas shocks and struts. The car has iPD's 25/22 anti-sway bars. GT firewall braces too, but we took off the WM strut tower brace when the flat hood went on. It can be modified and refitted. Included in the sale. Other than that, we replaced the failing, rear trailing arm bushings with WM urethane bushings. The car rides quietly on stock height springs and does not appear to be sagging anyplace. Virgo rims are in very nice shape, not all rashed or bashed, straight and balanced, and the car has good tires on it, Kelly Chargers, 205-65-15. We estimate they still have at least 60% of their tread. Yes, they are older, but are in good shape, no significant cracking.

Okay, it's time. Time for the FAQ. Time to bare all, from sunroof to butt cheeks.

Q: I've heard that the turbos can be very thirsty, what's the scoop? A: Yes, as an around town car, in traffic, even with the stick, don't expect more than 18-20 mpg from these cars. If you are constantly into the boost, even less. On the highway, in steady state cruise on flat roads, you probably won't see more than 25, if that. Doing 85 and passing people constantly? 22-ish. Q: Do all the dash gauges work? A: Yes, all the gauges are functioning including the clock, the tach, odometer and speedo. We have no reason to believe the mileage is anything but accurate. Q: But this car has 280k+ on the clock. Would I be nuts to expect it to go much further? A: Even the turbo engines are well known to do 400k, even 500k miles. The 2.1 has an incredibly stout bottom end. This one has lots of life left in it. Q: How is the light output on those LED headlights? Am I going to blind someone? A: They are absolutely NOT obnoxious, and they are properly aimed. Nothing to worry about, and they are high quality with big heat sinks and correct wiring. Q: I've read volumes on how lousy the wiring harnesses are in these early cars. Can I expect engine problems like starting and poor running? A: The infamous "biodegradable" harnesses are indeed a problem in the engine bay and elsewhere from late 80 through '87. As part of the LH injection conversion, all that was exorcised. No harness problems to worry about on this car. The fuel harness is a later style replacement with good insulation and the ignition harness was replaced as part of the EZK ignition conversion. Q: Do I get a hula girl bobble head with the car? A: No, but maybe A-Rod, if the seller likes you. Q: For a car that got so much work, how come the interior is so wiped? A: This was to be the next step. In fact, the seller was going to swap in a late-model, charcoal cloth interior. The family issues just made that next step impractical, so it is as it is. The driver's is the worst, but they are still comfortable enough. Q: How does it smell? A: No old-car or mildew smell in this vehicle. We cleaned the interior out thoroughly, though this car did not get the complete, Wagonmeister, gut-the-interior insanity. That would have happened with the seats. Q: How does it taste? A: C'mon now, be serious. Q: Is the car haunted or possessed or anything like that? I hate possessed vehicles. After all, it's an '83. A: Oh boy. Someone always has to ask about that "thing" with the poker game at the Volvo factory in 1982. Obviously your question is a carefully veiled reference to the infamous incident in which Annika Berglund accidentally stumbled upon the QC staff, playing strip poker, one evening in a storage room near the body part stamping lines. Strictly förbjudet, of course. She sure must have surprised those dudes. In her rush to escape after she was seen, she tripped on a dropped wrench and flew over a guardrail into the feed line of a stamping press, where, supposedly, she was forever embossed on the passing floor pan of a 244. It is said that to this day, her spirit haunts all pre-86 240s. A sad affair, but the haunting thing is complete rubbish, I assure you. That is I think I assure you. No one really believes stuff like that, do they? Annika probably missed the stamping machine. Besides, the seller is thinking of running the car through a quick baptism, just to be sure, and maybe a trip to an exorcist. But we don't believe in any of that haunting stuff. Really. No-o-o-o. Not us. Uh-uh. Q: I live in Virginia. If I buy this and fly out to get it, would I be nuts to drive it home? A: As noted, this car has been in service as a daily driver for months now, since all the major work was done. I don't see any reason it wouldn't make a long trip home. I would sure travel with the usual spares though, like belts, fuses, fluids, etc. After all, it's not a 2008 S60. Q: I am Novosibrisk Canton Jones from kentucky South Carolina born and raised and I wish to very much buy your car I will send you 15 thousand dollars by certified check from Malaysia and will make all arranging to have the car shipped will you refund me any money left over after your shipping cost? A: Novo, thanks. I mean really, thanks. We love selling the cars to true patriots. Just not sure the financial arrangements are up to par. I graciously refer you to the fine print at the end of the auction.

Enough! Let's wrap it up, 240 fans. In short (since the rest wasn't), is this a perfect turbo coupe? No, sadly, having not gotten the interior sorted out, it's not. BUT!!!!—is it a super clean example, with soooo many of the neat things already done to it that everyone likes to do? YES! It certainly is. Flat nose front end. Upgraded engine, exhaust, turbo and injection. Great sound system. Very straight and clean. Just needs a few minor details to be a show stopper. Best of all, it is in excellent and reliable running condition as is. We have had lots of turbos through the Wagonmeister doors over the years. Most do not have this one's finesse. It's quick. It's strong. Clutch is solid. Trans is quiet. Sunroof and AC work. Don't hesitate! Please note, we have more pictures, but can no longer load more than 24 to the auction. If there's something you want to see, specifically, let me know and I'll e-mail them to you. No, sorry, no pictures via text.

If you are from out of L.A., and want to come get the car, you can absolutely fly into Bakersfield. I can query the seller about arrangements if you like. At the end of the auction, a $500 deposit will be required within 48 hours—no exceptions—via PayPal only. We'll cover the details when the time comes. The car is listed in various places both locally and nationally, other than Ebay. The seller and I reserve the right to end the auction at any time, regardless of bidding, if the car sells. Total, final payment is due to the seller at time of pickup in cash. I'll have you in touch with him once the car sells, and any other details can be worked out at that time. All inquiries, until such time as the car sells, will be directed through the auction, to yours truly. I am happy to answer anything about the car, payment, delivery, etc. If you need help finding someone to ship the car, message me and I'll be happy to provide references.

Title is clear, registration is current, no liens, no problems, no hassles. It's ready to roll.

The car is sold AS IS, where is, with no guarantees or warranties expressed or implied by neither the seller, Wagonmeister, nor yours truly. Remember it's in Bakersfield, I am in Palmdale. Could the car be picked up here? Maybe, we'll talk. Yes it's a winner in most respects, but please bear in mind, this vehicle is 34 model years old. It's a super-fun car to drive, just ask Annika. Oh, wait, sorry, scratch that. Don't ask Annika. That's all drivel.

Thanks very much for watching, reading, looking at pictures, yawning.....zzzzzz