It's HERE!

What you've ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

IT'S...




MORE VOLVO FUN! HOORAY! WITH PICTURES! DOUBLE HOORAY!!

I know all of you--well, okay, all ONE of you (thanks, Nate!) have (or is that has?) been asking for a photo of my newest accessory for the Ancient Swede--the coveted and highly-prized TwoHundredThousandMile badge. Not being one to want to disappoint his vast readership, we now dive headlong into the photo album. AND, as a special presentation, there is actually a photograph of notoriously camera-shy ME in there!

Well, first off, I got home yesterday and ran upstairs and got my camera. And then my badge. Here is a shot of my prize that is almost artistic, except it's out of focus. Oh, well. And please, no comments on how cheesy it looks. This is what passes for high-class Scandinavian workmanship.

Next, ANOTHER blurry photo of how I attached the machine screws to the back of this priceless (meaning it was free) medallion. Well, sorta. It's really too blurry to make heads or tails out of. But, you will notice that I DO include myself in the shot, and in such a way that makes abusive Photoshoppery nearly impossible!

Finally, a shot of the badge in place on the grille. Yes, I realize it's crooked. I fixed it after I noticed it was askew, and now it's nice and centered and level. And no, I don't know why I didn't take a picture of it nice and centered and level. As far as the actual installation, it was pretty easy to put in place, because the grille is held in by two little plastic twist retainers on top. Pop, pop, and the whole thing comes off in your hand. Put the badge on, tighten the nuts, put a dollop of silicone adhesive on the threads to keep the nuts in place, and you're ready to impress all of your friends at the lunatic asylum.

Now, some of you might want to see the rest of the car--so far, the only thing I've shown is the exterior. Well, OKAY, if you REALLY want to see it, here goes--

Here's the trunk--it's large enough for a dead moose!


Here's the incredibly powerful B230F engine that fills the tidy engine compartment with great honking gobs of horsepower--


Here is the lovely blue interior front and rear--reminds one of the frigid sparkling blue waters of Lake Vänern, doesn't it? Or maybe the interior of some old guy's Buick.


Here is a closer picture of the driver's seat (in Swedish, "förarsätet") area, but not one so close as to show the cracks in the dash.


Speaking of which (the dash, that is) here is a photo of the newly-repaired odometer showing the astounding figure of 214,385 miles, along with the newly-installed tachometer. (And no, I still haven't figured out where the short is that causes the tach to die when I turn on the headlamps. I figure I'll just shine a flashlight out the window if I have to.)


To the right of this are the various tiny invisible accessory gauges--from Ell to Arr--the new old clock, the voltmeter, the oil temperature (in worthless Celsius degrees), and the oil pressure (in equally worthless bar measurements). Below those are some holes where cool(ish) air comes out, and various knobs and levers that are connected to other things. Most of which work. Kinda.


And finally,
famous Swede Anita Ekberg! (Stolen from Kim Du Toit)

Hooray for Volvos!


[Originally published on Possumblog on June 28, 2005.]