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LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

So as you guys know I have a long history of buying salvage cars and fixing them for myself, and so did my dad. In fact he just retired after 25 years doing it as a business. But now that he's retired, he's bored and can't stop shopping for cars. Which leads us to my daughter, his granddaughter. She's a great kid, nerdy, well behaved, getting straight A's in honors courses as a freshman in high school. Those of you who have followed my threads have seen her grow up.

She was 4 when she first helped me reassemble a 940 after welding in a new rocker and dog leg. This was my second project thread here on SA back in 2006:



Turned her first lug nuts at 6:



Installed a stereo at 7:



Helped strip my 122 for rust repair:



And most recently, when she was 11 she helped me swap out modules and the ignition switch on my C70:



She turns 15 in June, and will get her learner's permit soon after that. But because my dad and I are idiots and can't stop shopping for cars, we found this easy to fix V50 T5 AWD Auto at the salvage auction. It happens to be exactly what she wanted for her first car, so how could we pass it up? Even though she can't even drive it for 3 more months. One of those "timing is everything" situations.

So far, I removed the broken headlight and crushed grille to assess the damage:



The fender is pulled under the hood a little:



Obvious slight buckle:



Crumpled metal behind the hit:



First, I got a heat gun and popped out the bumper where it was inverted:



Then I washed it:





Bummer, a little bubbling on the tint.



A daylight close up of the bumper after I popped it out:



Then I undid the screws at the front and of course the fender straightened right out. Now I can see how far things have to move to be right again.



Here's a shot of the driver's side, and what that crumpled metal is supposed to look like:



Next I took the bumper cover off, and everything behind the grille is kind of munched.





Removed all that to get to the good stuff. And no, the a/c condenser is not punctured, fortunately!



Again, what the metal is supposed to look like:



Top view showing buckling. This is supposed to be straight.



I pulled, twisted, and beat on it for about an hour. I got the fender bolts lined up, and this is about as straight as I'm going to get this. As long as the bumper fits back on and the panel gaps line up, I'm fine with it.





Boom. Fender bolted back down, perfect panel gap. Unfortunately yes I did haze the paint. I'm an idiot when it comes to paint sometimes, all that dirt was actually extremely abrasive. Before I did the real washing, I sprayed a little water on it and wiped, and that is the result. I'm sure it'll buff back out but man do I feel stupid.



And here it sits, waiting for new parts. I'm shopping the classifieds on the various Volvo forums of course, and ebay, and erie, and tasca, etc.



I need to get the thing through Colorado's salvage inspection so I'm kind of pushing forward without my daughter, but once it's licensed and registered I'll have her go through all the stage 0 items with me. Full fluid changes, spark plugs, filters, PCV, accessory belts, and I'll probably do the timing belt while we're here just to be done and have the car bulletproof for the foreseeable future.

Plus I'll start teaching her to drive. Can't wait.

You know, I've always been kind of a grumpy firm believer that your first car should be a total piece of crap, for the crisis management skills that it can build. Yet here I am, getting her a really fantastic car for her first ride. She's such a good kid that I have a hard time not spoiling her. First time I had a car this nice I was 26 years old.

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Beverly Cleavage
Jun 22, 2004

I am a pretty pretty princess, watch me do my pretty princess dance....
I love your threads. You do awesome work.

This looks like a great first car. The best part is, it's not a HUGE investment for a nice car for a first time driver. I'd say you did good.

Seat Safety Switch
May 27, 2008

MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.

Pillbug
There is no god drat way Lloyd's kid is already 15. Where did the time go?

Excellent first car, I think.

beep-beep car is go
Apr 11, 2005

I can just eyeball this, right?



Seat Safety Switch posted:

There is no god drat way Lloyd's kid is already 15. Where did the time go?

Excellent first car, I think.

My thoughts exactly. I was like "freshman in high-school what?"

alternate.eago
Jul 19, 2006
Insert randomness here.
I remember the first thread. That's was the year I graduated Highschool and joined the forums while I had an internship , drat does that make me fee old.

Dagen H
Mar 19, 2009

Hogertrafikomlaggningen

beep-beep car is go posted:

My thoughts exactly. I was like "freshman in high-school what?"

I love LD repair threads. Looking forward to more salvage Volvo goodness.

mekilljoydammit
Jan 28, 2016

Me have motors that scream to 10,000rpm. Me have more cars than Pick and Pull
Awww. Working on the 'kids' thing, this is hitting me right in the feels.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





Seat Safety Switch posted:

There is no god drat way Lloyd's kid is already 15. Where did the time go?

This, plus now I've got a four year old who helps on occasion. :corsair:

InitialDave
Jun 14, 2007

I Want To Believe.
I genuinely thought this was going to be a thread about building a half-scale of your own Volvo for your 6-year old. loving 15?. :stare:. All aboard the :corsair: train I guess.

Though you should've got her a 122, then you'd have the opportunity for loads of dad jokes about her being an Amazon woman.

SUSE Creamcheese
Apr 11, 2007
That should be a great first car, don't forget the radiator hoses when you catch it up on maintenance. I still can't believe Volvo omitted a low coolant light from these considering how trivial it would have been to include one.

I'm coming up on a year with my V50 and I still enjoy driving it, it's my favorite out of all the FWD Volvos I've owned.

everdave
Nov 14, 2005
Awesome post! Will be following along. Do you go to the salvage auctions or use copart or what?

randomidiot
May 12, 2006

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 11 years!)

It got totaled over that?! How much do those things go for these days? :stare:

LloydDobler posted:

You know, I've always been kind of a grumpy firm believer that your first car should be a total piece of crap, for the crisis management skills that it can build. Yet here I am, getting her a really fantastic car for her first ride. She's such a good kid that I have a hard time not spoiling her. First time I had a car this nice I was 26 years old.

I don't think I've ever had a car that nice.

Look at it this way - Volvo has always been known for building incredibly safe cars. So if something does go wrong and she winds up in an accident.. she'll be in a lot better shape than she would have vs my first car (a 1980 F-150.. what crumple zones? what are airbags? what are pretensioners?)

Learning crisis management skills is valuable, but I would place "safe vehicle" higher on the list. And, well, if she decides she doesn't like it, just tell me how much you want for it and where to meet you. :v:

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal
Man, I remember that thread too. Holy poo poo time goes by quickly.

SUSE Creamcheese
Apr 11, 2007

Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:

It got totaled over that?! How much do those things go for these days? :stare:

It depends but at least in the Midwest you can find 2005-2007 models with high mileage for less than $5K. I got my 2006 with 102K for $5500.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

zundfolge posted:

That should be a great first car, don't forget the radiator hoses when you catch it up on maintenance. I still can't believe Volvo omitted a low coolant light from these considering how trivial it would have been to include one.

I'm coming up on a year with my V50 and I still enjoy driving it, it's my favorite out of all the FWD Volvos I've owned.

Yeah I'm researching how to add a low coolant light. I think I'll piggyback into the low washer fluid light circuit so if either fluid is low we get a warning. That or bypass the washer fluid completely so if we get the message we know for sure it's coolant.

everdave posted:

Awesome post! Will be following along. Do you go to the salvage auctions or use copart or what?

Yeah, this one came from IAAI but most of my cars have come from copart. My dad and I have been doing this since back when you had to go to the auction in person. Now we buy everything online. More gambling, better selection and really convenient.

Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:

It got totaled over that?! How much do those things go for these days? :stare:


I don't think I've ever had a car that nice.

Look at it this way - Volvo has always been known for building incredibly safe cars. So if something does go wrong and she winds up in an accident.. she'll be in a lot better shape than she would have vs my first car (a 1980 F-150.. what crumple zones? what are airbags? what are pretensioners?)

Learning crisis management skills is valuable, but I would place "safe vehicle" higher on the list. And, well, if she decides she doesn't like it, just tell me how much you want for it and where to meet you. :v:

Yeah, the salvage auctions tell you the estimate that totaled it, and the payout they gave to the customer. This car was estimated to be $3173 to repair, and if you replace the headlight, grille, bumper cover, and broken plastic parts and then add labor it definitely would hit that. They paid the owner $8460, in the Bay Area. Here in Denver this car (AWD with 104k miles) will sell for $8000 all day long. They're very popular. Look on Denver's craigslist right now, I bet the only V50s of any year you see less than $7k are over 175k miles. And last time I looked there was one with high miles and they were still asking $8k for it.

With shipping and auction fees I'm already into this car for $3500 but I'm splitting it with my dad as a gift for the kid. It'll be back on the road for less than $400 in parts even if I get a bumper cover. Then there remains the stage 0 stuff, which is driving the car into "more than i wanted to spend" territory but no regrets. It will be 100% refreshed and cheaper than any local V50 I could have bought, which makes it a win for me.

And it goes without saying but safety is one of the biggest reasons my family is hooked on Volvo. The first Volvo my dad bought was a 240 in 1976, and my mom was immediately hit from behind in it. Buried the trunk up to the back window, she walked away 100% unhurt. "You can get another one" was the direct quote my dad ends that story with. My mom lived 40 years after that collision. Do we owe them to Volvo? Who can say? In 1993 My sister also was hit from behind in her 240 when 7 months pregnant. Again, totally unhurt.

All in all, in the last 40 years my family has had 4 collisions that totaled the car, with zero injuries. This is why we say:

LloydDobler fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Mar 24, 2017

beep-beep car is go
Apr 11, 2005

I can just eyeball this, right?



LloydDobler posted:

All in all, in the last 40 years my family has had 4 collisions that totaled the car, with zero injuries.

Isn't Volvo the company that says by some date soon (2020?) that they want 0 deaths to passengers who get into an accident in a Volvo?

Raluek
Nov 3, 2006

WUT.

beep-beep car is go posted:

Isn't Volvo the company that says by some date soon (2020?) that they want 0 deaths to passengers who get into an accident in a Volvo?

That sounds like a challenge. :getin:

Kick-Puncher
Jan 20, 2006
I know it varies from state to state but could you do a quick and dirty explanation of how buying from copart is? I have heard wildly different things from it is incredibly easy to they are actively trying to steal your money

randomidiot
May 12, 2006

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 11 years!)

LloydDobler posted:

This car was estimated to be $3173 to repair, and if you replace the headlight, grille, bumper cover, and broken plastic parts and then add labor it definitely would hit that. They paid the owner $8460, in the Bay Area.

I can definitely see that at (or well past) 3k if a body shop did everything, but.... still, sent the car to salvage, payout of ~8400, for $3200 in damage? I know the bay area is crazy, but I didn't think they were quite that crazy. To me, that looks like a new radiator support, giving the bumper cover, hood, and fender some love, and if the body shop is ethical, a couple of new pieces behind the bumper. Plus a headlight. And that's doing it "right". I'd just hammer what I could roughly back into original positions, and hit junkyards for the rest.

That wound up being one hell of a deal for you though. I'm still sitting here going "WTF?" about it being totaled over damage that adds up to less than 50% of its value. Unless they adjusted the repair cost for real world value vs California value.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 10:18 on Mar 24, 2017

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

beep-beep car is go posted:

Isn't Volvo the company that says by some date soon (2020?) that they want 0 deaths to passengers who get into an accident in a Volvo?

Yep.


Kick-Puncher posted:

I know it varies from state to state but could you do a quick and dirty explanation of how buying from copart is? I have heard wildly different things from it is incredibly easy to they are actively trying to steal your money

I think the best way to describe it that explains the wild differences is "Buyer beware. No, really, watch it." It is very easy to screw yourself over. They try but it's still impossible with the volume of cars they move to accurately describe all of them. I mean, go look at a listing. You get 10 photos of questionable quality and resolution, often with bad light or from a bad angle. You get a vague description of the damage, they tell you if it starts, and if it moves when put in gear. And you get the insurance data with the insurance estimated repair cost and what the insurance paid on the claim.

It's very easy to get enamored with a car and miss clues for damage or neglect, usually hope is a road to disappointment. I approach it by studying the photos carefully several times, several days apart, looking for clues like if you can see coolant in the reservoir, if engine parts are missing, if there's damage on other parts of the car, if the interior is beat, stuff like that. And I always assume it's worse than what I can see, so I set a value based on that and walk away if it exceeds it.

The worst is when you buy a great car that gets damaged in shipping. And nobody will pay you for anything, ever. Copart will not refund or credit you if the car is misrepresented, or if they damage it in their yard, and the trucker will not pay you anything, they'll say it was like that when they got it.

So basically there is a lot of risk and it's all on you. You have to have good judgement and also be a gambler. I've only been burned bad once and even then it only cost me like a grand extra to repair a car. Most of my buys were average 10 foot cars, and twice I ended up with near flawless, beautiful cars. My dad bought 10-20 cars a year and would get burned about 10% of the time. You just eat the cost and fix the car. The safest way to buy is if the car you want shows up at your local yard, so you can inspect it yourself in person. But that's not common.

Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:

I can definitely see that at (or well past) 3k if a body shop did everything, but.... still, sent the car to salvage, payout of ~8400, for $3200 in damage? I know the bay area is crazy, but I didn't think they were quite that crazy. To me, that looks like a new radiator support, giving the bumper cover, hood, and fender some love, and if the body shop is ethical, a couple of new pieces behind the bumper. Plus a headlight. And that's doing it "right". I'd just hammer what I could roughly back into original positions, and hit junkyards for the rest.

Which is of course exactly what I'm doing, a guy on swedespeed is parting a black S40, I just got everything I need except the headlight for $320. The headlight will be another $100 and it's back on the road for under $4k. Then come the fluids and tune up costs.

Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:

That wound up being one hell of a deal for you though. I'm still sitting here going "WTF?" about it being totaled over damage that adds up to less than 50% of its value. Unless they adjusted the repair cost for real world value vs California value.

I think it saves them money in the long run for them to total it, the customer gets to shop for a new car instead of bothering them with complaints about the body shop work and driving a "wrecked" car with diminished value. Basically the transaction ends quickly and they also get the auction money.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Great project, Lloyd. I'm definitely jealous. The things I see around here on IAAI are usually much more damaged than that. The springing back of the fender saved you a bunch right there!

Excellent first car, plus when the inevitable ding or dent happens, it's not heartbreaking!

sharkytm
Oct 9, 2003

Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo


Fallen Rib

InitialDave posted:

I genuinely thought this was going to be a thread about building a half-scale of your own Volvo for your 6-year old. loving 15?. :stare:. All aboard the :corsair: train I guess.

Though you should've got her a 122, then you'd have the opportunity for loads of dad jokes about her being an Amazon woman.

Beep beep... beep beep sob

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

sharkytm posted:

Beep beep... beep beep sob

Yup. AI is getting old. Minvan-driving, kids-with-licenses old. :sigh:

sharkytm
Oct 9, 2003

Ba

By

Sharkytm doot doo do doot do doo


Fallen Rib

Seminal Flu posted:

Yup. AI is getting old. Minvan-driving, kids-with-licenses old. :sigh:

Or in my case "everyone is asking when you're having kids, as if that's at all an acceptable question". :sigh: indeed

Kick-Puncher
Jan 20, 2006

LloydDobler posted:

hope is a road to disappointment

Thanks for writing that up! Also this would be the most :smith: fortune cookie ever.

Nidhg00670000
Mar 26, 2010

We're in the pipe, five by five.
Grimey Drawer
That is a really nice first car. No interior shots, but since we are in the US here I'm guessing it's an auto?

Kick-Puncher posted:

Thanks for writing that up! Also this would be the most :smith: fortune cookie ever.

Blessed is the mind too small for doubt.

Nidhg00670000 fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Mar 25, 2017

Beverly Cleavage
Jun 22, 2004

I am a pretty pretty princess, watch me do my pretty princess dance....
He did say auto.


Want more progress. :D

Nidhg00670000
Mar 26, 2010

We're in the pipe, five by five.
Grimey Drawer
Oh right, he did. :downs:

Proud Christian Mom
Dec 20, 2006
READING COMPREHENSION IS HARD
This is why I want my wife's next car to be a Volvo because she is a bit of an idiot when driving and I want her to actually be in a safer car and not fake-safe like a giant SUV

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

So the parts are all on order, now I just wait. Should be here by the end of the week. Total of $530 when you add in shipping for the bumper cover. Not too shabby. I'll add interior pics once we detail it.

Plus I discovered a new pick and pull yard close to me that I never knew about, they have two S40s in there and one is black with that entire headlight support frame intact. I think I'll buy it so I have a perfectly straight one. I need to go back there and grab a few other parts, the driver mirror doesn't adjust properly (it's pointed down and just clicks when you try to aim it up) and at least on saturday there were 3 out of 4 factory floor mats in one of the cars. I forgot to check the other car for the 4th.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

Got a box of parts from a part-out on swedespeed, good stuff:



Got a headlight too. Unfortunately it didn't fit right. I tweaked a few things and it fits better now, but the main mounting point is still pushed backwards. Definitely need the junkyard headlight support. It will fix everything back to original.



Then with a little zip tie surgery:



And of course. The worst part is I was just checking to see if this was broken and broke it. Very common problem. It's the main PCV breather hose.



Gonna try to get the kid herself to help install the rest of this. Also the auction yard hasn't sent us the title yet so I can't even try to get it inspected until that's done. So I have time.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

Made it to the u-pull yard today, but the black car was stripped. There was a silver S40 that was nearly complete, and since I had to remove the bumper cover to get where I wanted anyway, I bought it to re-sell.



This part was surprisingly easy to pull, barely anything really attaches to it besides the fenders, headlights, and hood catch.



I also snagged this PCV hose to replace the broken one above. It's the updated design that's less failure prone. I'll replace it again at some point but this will get me back on the road. And they threw it in for free.



I also snagged the driver's mirror to replace at a later date, the one in the car now is broken and doesn't go high enough.

All this after working yesterday and this morning assembling a machine. I'm beat.

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Seat Safety Switch posted:

There is no god drat way Lloyd's kid is already 15. Where did the time go?

Just found this thread. It's really odd comparing machines and projects vs human life.
With reasonable care, a project can sit in your garage indefinitely, waiting on you to come around to working on it.
But life just keeps marching forward, never on your terms. Makes it extra special your kid gets to keep helping with yours :3:

opengl
Sep 16, 2010

Aw man I'm jealous. I really wanted a V50 for my wagon beater but people want too much for them here too so I ended up with my boring Vibe.

There's a silver V50 I park next to at work all the time. It's the perfect size little wagon.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

So I had a weird day, I took my daughter to her mom's house and then I came home around noon and fell asleep. Woke up at 9 PM. I had planned to work on cars all day, so at least now it was cool outside. I went out and started stripping the headlight support:



The thick tab near where the bumper bolts on was tweaked backwards a little, that's the only damage not confined to the headlight support.



After about an hour:



Everything fit up nicely:


While I was in there with a bunch of stuff out of the way I detoured to replace this thing. Great design change fellas:



And with that, I reassembled everything. There's a little oddness where the hood meets the bumper, I got the fenders to line up but the bumper is riding high. I'll wait for the new bumper to do anything about it though.



And with that, I should be able to get it through the salvage inspection. I'll figure that out this week.

The real bummer of this is that my daughter has been super busy with a school play that has practice during any time I'm supposed to have her, and performs this coming week which wipes that out as well. I'm tired of having this car in the garage, my C70 belongs in there, but I have to get it registered as I have no private driveway to park it in. So I gave up on having her do this part of the work with me. I will probably have her swap bumper covers with me once the replacement gets here.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

Scheduled my salvage inspection appointment for tomorrow, so in anticipation of that I changed the oil.

All hail crappy techs who use an impact to tighten an oil plug. I was very lucky it wasn't stripped. It took all my strength with an 18 inch cheater bar to crack it loose.





Got a temp tag at the DMV on my way to work, then bailed early and realized I might have enough time to emission it if they weren't crowded. They weren't:



Bam. So all it has to do now is pass certified VIN inspection (it will) and it's good to go!



Now that it has registration I can park it outside, which means the C70 gets to go back inside. And all is right in my world again.



Really I should find nearby storage for the 122 and get the R in there too.

everdave
Nov 14, 2005
Awesome

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

Pure unfiltered Swedish excellence.

Seat Safety Switch
May 27, 2008

MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.

Pillbug
Nice fast turnaround. That's how you do it. Top shelf work.

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spookykid
Apr 28, 2006

Wait. V70R? Yesssss. Is that a 2004? Have you had any problems with the angle gear at all?

spookykid fucked around with this message at 08:18 on Apr 22, 2017

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