Inbound C303 questions

Volvo TGB and 30X (303/304/306) mods and resto work, news, resources and non-technical stuff
Post Reply
Green machine
Argentina
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:44 pm

Inbound C303 questions

Post by Green machine »

Hello fellow Volvo lovers!

I have a tgb11 (my dream vehicle) on the ocean on its way to Tacoma WA! Ive been toying with buying one for a few years and figured why think when I could jump on in.

I live in Oregon an hour Sw of Portland and heavily influenced by a great group of Volvo owners circled around NWMF. I have been blessed to meet owners and ride around in a few different trucks. I’m a self taught mechanic that loves to learn and roll with the ups and downs of keeping old vehicles on the road. We have had a Vw Westy weekender model that I did a Subaru engine swap and a 4wd conversion. I’m looking forward to restoring this tgb 11 in a predominantly stock form. Anyway....

I found this 11 in Denmark its an alu-zink model with very low km’s. Most likely lightly used then restored by the army and stored. It was purchased at auction and stored for sale for the last five or so years.
BA384185-85BB-486D-8085-6A03F65FDCE1.jpeg
BA384185-85BB-486D-8085-6A03F65FDCE1.jpeg (398.8 KiB) Viewed 1567 times
The green machine is in tip top shape with no rust to speak of and very clean. It’s shape from the seller and a friend that took a look is “as good as it gets”.

My initial questions are when it arrives what rubber part should I source? Cv boots, drive shaft bellows anything else? I found a guy in Malaysia who has silicone boots that I would like to try. I plan to change fluids and grease. Tires need to be changed. Coolant lines and fluids....

Also in the purchase I negotiated a new set of springs and some historical goodies. The shop light and bulbs are obvious, but can anyone tell me the other parts here?
E3316E70-B141-4104-AEA6-0AE87824DA9B.jpeg
E3316E70-B141-4104-AEA6-0AE87824DA9B.jpeg (763.78 KiB) Viewed 1567 times
Thank you for all the information already found. I’m excited to work and play on this big green thing and share my experiences here.

Cheers!
Dustin
m15256
United States of America
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2016 11:20 am

Re: Inbound C303 questions

Post by m15256 »

Very nice looking truck. You'll love it and will find yourself in never ending conversations with total strangers.

I got mine with 49,000 kilometers on it 2 years ago. So far I've had to get into all the brake lines, wheel cylinders, fuel pump, fuel filters, fuel lines near the engine, oil cooler seal against block (o ring), new tires, new shocks, all grease and fluids, and have started on the vacuum hoses and diff lock diaphragms. When the Swedes rebuilt the bodies they did not replace the steel roof hatches and mine crumbled into rust flakes. But I found a brand new one in Denmark. The steel tang at the very bottom pivot of the rear bench seat rusted away. I've just decided to try Petronix ignition and I'd like to try the 123 distributor as well. Start planning on an electric radiator fan. I'm still figuring that one out. I keep two or three sets of ignition parts with me all the time. I carry a spare voltage regulator, starter, clutch cable and coil with me. The body panel sealant/caulking is starting to deteriorate especially between the steel and aluminum in the roof. One of the windshield wiper motors is louder and slower than the other. The windshield washer pump motor died the first week I had the truck as did the really cheap interior dome lights. I found a nice 24 volt dimmable cockpit light out of a DC3. The glass in both front windshields is starting to de-laminate and fog at the edges. The plexiglass rear side windows need to be replaced. I added a new 24 volt back up light and did a minor upgrade with H4 headlight bulbs.

None of that was unexpected for a vehicle of that age and as a matter of fact I feel lucky that it is all what I would consider on going basic maintenance. You might want to use that list as a reference point when you start poking around with yours.

You have a bag with at least one "black out " light. They mount on those odd slots near the headlights.

Good luck. Every day you drive it'll put a smile on your face and start an unexpected conversation.
Jim Molloy
United States of America
Posts: 364
Joined: Sun May 30, 2004 2:16 pm
Location: Sheridan, Oregon
Contact:

Re: Inbound C303 questions

Post by Jim Molloy »

Dustin,
The clock is ticking and the wait can seem eternal. I speak from experience.
Bulbs, the fuel can spout (that rubber tends to decay), trouble light with bag, blackout lights with bag and the straps with bag are actually the straps that secure from floor to ceiling to allow carriage of four stretchers. I would be very interested in looking closely at those straps as Sean's truck has the eight outboard stretcher hooks but never came with the center strap sets. The stretchers can make for some very handy storage space.

Take care.
Jim Molloy
Waldersee Farm
http;//www.northwestmogfest.com
Green machine
Argentina
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:44 pm

Re: Inbound C303 questions

Post by Green machine »

Thank you for your reply’s.

Funny thing I thought that filler spout was something far more interesting, but after your suggestion that exactly what it is Jim. Hopefully I can find some free time when your not busy to come visit. Keep me in mind if you need a hand with a project too, happy to lend a hand.

M15256 thanks for the maintenance list. I’m looking at a 4 hour break in drive and first months basic maintenance items that cannot be sourced locally. I was fortunate to connect with a friend with a robot up on portland yesterday. I crawled around and looked at many things.
The only things that seem Volvo specific not available locally for immediate repair are cv boots maybe driveshaft bellies and shifter boot. Ignition system and break parts seem locally available or rebuildable. I think I’m going to try silicone cv boots out of Malaysia, nobody has major opinions on any boots in particular.

I’m currently thinking my short list of items for my pick up trip from Tacoma to Yamhill county.
-basic metric tool kit with electrical diagnosing tools
-oil filter, oil change before travel
- Top up driveline fluids (change before drive home?)
-fuel filter at tank and engine (maybe change fuel line at tank to delivery hardline)
-coolant flush?
-new engine belt
-grease gun
-some emergency breakdown gear with yield triangle

I’ve got a few folks along the way for help if need be and AAA for a big problem.
aclark79
United States of America
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:06 am
Location: Portland Oregon

Re: Inbound C303 questions

Post by aclark79 »

I know my schedule isn't the easiest to work around, but come crawl all over mine if you are able. I doubt you'll need boots unless it's leaking when it arrives, you should be good to go to drive it.
Jim Molloy
United States of America
Posts: 364
Joined: Sun May 30, 2004 2:16 pm
Location: Sheridan, Oregon
Contact:

Re: Inbound C303 questions

Post by Jim Molloy »

Dustin,
I carry both metric and SAE tools. The majority of the hardware on the Volvo is NOT metric but rather standard fractional SAE type. Small electrical component hardware seems to be the exception. Checking fluid levels/topping off before departure is not a bad idea but flushing coolant and exchanging V-belts can likely wait. Do you have a day in mind for the retrieval in Tacoma? Do you need a chase car filled with tools, spares and a driver(s) with some mechanical skills and Volvo familiarity? I suspect your TGB11 will make the trip south without difficulty but it is always helpful to have back-up support if needed.
Lest us know of we can be of assistance.
Take care.

Jim Molloy
Waldersee Farm
Sheridan,Oregon
http://www.northwestmogfest.com
Post Reply