vvspy.com - volvo 300 questions and answers

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I have recently bought a 1984 360GLT. I have had lots of problems, more than normal for a car of this age. The mechanics I have spoken to were not surprised. Was this model a dud? Does anyone know much about the history of this model ?

Untrue stories about the 3xx: "The car looks like an old Fiat design that was rejected. Little frumpy thirteen inch rims and skinny little tires. It's a DAF with a Volvo name tag on it. The car is a piece of crap with rampant transmission failures. There isn't a heavy duty part on the car and it would take millions to make the damned thing crashworthy in the U.S.

Has anybody ever heard of a 360 ? I've never seen one in the states !

I have a smashing red 340 volvo (1988), but I have a query about it as I have only ever seen three other Volvo's like it in Britian ! It is a petrol 340, but it is not a GL, is only 1.4 litre engine and has only got three doors. Is this a special edition ? Is my car a rubbish model and therefore only three survive ? Or has the bloke who sold it to me ripped me off by selling me a 'made-up' car?

Do you know anything of a 360 GLT convertible ?

BEST VOLVO EVER BUILT: VOLVO 360 If someone is not of my opinion, please write to me, I will convince you.

Most people I know would laugh at the suggestion, but I am considering rallying for my first time in a 360. Where I am (Australia) the only model available was the GLT, 90% 4dr hatches. It just strikes me that such a small, nimble(?)car with such a large aluminium engine would have a rather favourable power-to-weight ratio. On top of this, it is RWD and with what is normally a pretty good form of rear suspension (at least on the road), i.e. de Dion. In theory it seems good but I don't know of any 360's being used for rallying in Australia (thats normally left to Datsuns and Escorts). I wonder whether this is due to predigeous or just perceptiveness. I know there are some obvious avenues to improve, eg. cams and countering anti-pollution measures does it stop there though. Are they durable, does the suspension allow for much adjustment, what is the de Dion (especially with quarter leafs) like on the rough, is there any performance gear, parts swapping between the PRV motor etc? Simply put, are they any good for rallying? Why/why not?

Answers:

It condition is proportional to how much work has been done to it by people who do not know what they are doing. You should not have paid more than a few hundred for it, and you should expect a few faults, but a basically sound car.
I bought an 87 GLT last year (GBP550) with a huge number of faults, all derived from a few bits of bad repair, or incorrectly fitting aftermarket parts. In the end I considered it bad value. If the body is OK put the effort in and get the faults fixed, the mechanics are talking shite.
This model is great, and there nothing wrong with an 84 version other than it was 15 years ago. How do you know whats normal for a 15 year old car ?
The car is good up to 10 years, then some parts need replaced, also depends on how it was driven, looked after etc.
Check these:
1. Fuel pump fuse behind the battery will have poor contact, replace with sealed in line fuse. (thats the only serious design defect).
2. Check all front suspension, rebuild if necessary, bearings, disks, spring top holder, bushes, steering rack.
3. Rear gearbox bracket for cracking.
4. Brake servo, may need replaced (use a black one from a later 300 series)
5. Rear wheel cylinders (replace with euro car part units)
6. Shocks should be newish, if not replace with Monroe Gas GBP180.
7. Heater fan resistor module may be rusted, check near fan location inside the big plastic enclosure.
8. Rear demister switch is probably dead, replace from newer car.
9. Exhaust must be Volvo, replace when current one is dead, quite soon if its not a Volvo part.
10. Drivers door top hinge pin probably needs replaced if door drops on opening.
11. Heated seats and back support, do both at same time with the seat apart.
12. Alloy wheels may be bent / dented on the inside, a few places do straightening.
Expect to spend alot of time looking for parts in scrap yards, later 340s are a great source of electrical items and internal bits, front brake parts etc.
All in all an 84 car will probably have most of these unless its already had them fixed, if its been badly neglected then sell it on or scrap it.
A good GLT will cost GBP 750 upwards for 87, but a bad 88 will be worth little, GBP325 at the last advert in autotrader.

- The 340 / 360 range was developed over a number of years from the DAF design, and from about 1980 was pretty much Volvo. Sure the CVT models are not very desireable as the drive belts need replaced, but the manual transmission comes from the 240 (as does the engine in the 360s), with the diff at the rear allowing a light driven rear axle and excellent weight distribution. I hardly think any CVT problems (which I never heard of as rampant) are characterisic of the range. 360s are basically a 240 in disguise, making a nice bomb proof long lasting reliable rocket.
  
  The only transmission failures I've heard of is drive shaft clamp failure in 340s. This is invariably caused by mechanics who normally work on Fords and Vauxhalls and wreck the bolt holding the clamp which needs to be torqued accurately.
  
  Most models had 175 tyres bar the bottom of the range DL version which had 155s. This model was a similar price to the Ford Escort. You'd hardly base the reputation of a car on the bottom of the range model. Ever seen a later model 360 GLT?
  
  Volvo invented crash worthyness, which was much disapproved of by the US car makers. The 300 series was last manufactured in 1991 or so and so would not meet current standards for new cars in the US or Europe as would most other cars of that era, but the fact that we still talk about them and that there are still significant numbers around is testiment to their reliability and popularity.
- I think a well styled up 340 would be worth 10 sported up Fiestas / escorts. The thing about that is it's unusual. If you manage to get a 340 to look good through styling and you make it go well through tuning - you will turn heads. Go to a sported up car hangout and watch everyone turn up in their fords and rovers and wait until you drive through in your brick. It will turn heads - everyone will want to know 'What the hell is THIS ?' if you got the styling good they will be impressed.
I've only seen 360's in Europe and Carribean/Central America. I don't think Volvo ever imported the car to US in any numbers.

Volvo keep replacing their lower models and reducing the number of models. eg 360 GLS was replaced by 360 GL in 86
340 replaced the 340 DL and possibly the 340 GL near the end of the 80s but I'm not sure when.

Very early numbering was 343 for 3 door and 345 for 5 door, the end digit was changed for the 0 around 1983.

Early GLs ment tinted windows, 5 speed box, 175 tyres and nicer seats, maybe central locking, and metallic paint.
As the years went on, most of these thing became standard, except the paint.

All 340s have 1.4 petrol engines unless they say 1.7.
All 360s have 2.0 petrol engines.

There were never any 3xx diesels in the UK,.. despite many mistaken car adds to the contrary (DL- Diesel ..not).

3 door 340 1.4s are fairly common IMO, although 3xx numbers are in decline.

Must be a custom job. I wonder how they maintained body stiffness.

Oh dear, comments like that are just not very constructive, this is a discussion group not a soap box. Mind you..?

How about the 360 would be the best car if :-

The door handles didn't break, the rear axle didn't bend, the steering rack lasted more than 120Kmiles, it didn't drink petrol and people would look after them properly and not fit aftermarket parts.

Anyway I am a big fan of the 360, but its only a good car for me and I would not recommend them to every one, and even for me they are getting a bit old and you can't find good examples 2nd hand.

Ahh, my favourite subject, unfortunately I like talking more than doing, and take the words of experienced tuners seroiusly 'get the stock car running well before making modifications'. I have 4 360s all requiring varous fixes, but all of course driving, I suppose I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

Anyway, the power to weight of a 360 may not be as good as you think. The Engine is not aluminium but cast iron, except for the head which is Al. It is quiite a heavy engine for its CC, but it is strong and long lasting, and suitable for tuning.

In theory yes, but the main problem is the axle is weak. I did read of one 360 used for rallying, it got slagged lots for spinning and lunging into corners. I have found one seroius problem with the 300 series (all of them) with the rear axle, in that it bends due to cornering or acceleration forces, resulting in toe in and negative camber. In particular the toe in causes straight line veering (but similar to most semi training arm cars) and instability on hard corners. If you hit an uneven road surface and transfer weight slightly to the other wheel, when the out side wheel is on the edge there is a strong likely hood of spinning and therefore does not give confidence.

Its seems I am the only one who has noticed this of anyone I have talked too, (other than friends who agree). Volvo dealer suggests the short axle was bent (idiots) after being paid to look at the problem. Volvo Concessories complaints suggested a rear end alignement (assholes). I think the reason I noticed was becasue I drove a few borrowed 360s from the dealer with just a few miles on them....absolutely awesome, very confident, scary speeds on cornering, nice feedback. However 340s or 360s just a few years old, if driven hard will exhibit the problems mentioned above, and of course they are all 10 years or more old now. I spent the next 15 years trying to get back to that perfection of the new cars.

Basically the axle is too weak. I have also thought (but not tried) a way of easily straightening it, buy cutting almost in two (just leave a small connecting piece), and then bending it back using some sort of alignment jig, then welding up the cut, and adding in some strengthening.

Very... engine wise, but replace the fuel pump fuse with an inline type, to stop basic failure. Front suspenion takes a battering though. In particular the front top spring plate cracks in the centre where the steering swivel bearing sits, especially when driven hard, a strengthening here would be useful as the spring plate then hits the fixed top bush and buggers up the suspenion geometry. It happens with the newer front suspension (about 86 on) as the centre bit is more proned to rust, compared with the older ones. Also most of the rubber bushes should be replaced after about 10 years.
Also I think that the front cross member is weak and could do with some extra material. The problem is it bends when you use a jack on it or if a kerb it hit at speed (other damaged components will be replaced, check also the lower swivel ball joint for being bent in this case), especially if its used at the front of the crossmember, this too does something to the suspension geometry, solution is to replace with one from a 340 (lighter engine, and doesn't suffer bending when jacking) and weld extra material on.

No, and I don't know of any aftermarket stuff for doing same, other than adjustable shocks. Front can be lowered easily, as can the back but more difficult, but you probably don't want to do that for rallying.

Needs good shocks and a straight axle. Then probably good.

Whats 'PRV'? You could slap in a 940 / 760 Turbo engine with a custom exhaust. If you have low compression in all your years if low octane unleaded and catylsts have been standard in your country from 1983 to 1990 then you could go the high octane route. In the UK we had models up to 86 (actually the older the better) which ran on a different spec. and were significantly faster than the newer ones (which maybe more similar to all your years). They used 10:1 comression ratio and a more advanced ignition, combined with the later camshafts will give alot more low end torque and better overall power curve. The figures in the manual don't have much difference, but the older cars really kick you in the arse when you floor the accelerator from low speeds.