I spend a lot of time figuring out what to get for the Volvo and where the cheapest place to get it is, so I’m publishing this spreadsheet on Google Docs in case anyone else might want to locate some of these same items. Sometimes you don’t really want to know how much you are spending on all of this stuff, but I think it’s useful to know some prices people actually paid in case you happen to be shopping around for any of these things.
Not the highest priority at the moment, but I picked up this T-Max EW 12500W 24V winch off of ebay. It has a MOSFET based control module instead of a clunky / sparky solenoid that features both wired and wireless control. I’m debating mounting it atop the crossmember just below the radiator, although some people think that may be too low to be useful in some cases. I would rather keep things compact and not fabricate a large winch bumper that will just get in the way.
I went to a muffler shop and had them bend up a quick little exhaust mod for me. Instead of the silly crossover pipe which exits on the driver side of the vehicle, I am going to uses this short pipe for now. It still needs to be cut for length when back on the C303. Ultimately, I would like to go for an inboard stainless exhaust with a catalytic converter that leaves more space for water tanks and other goodies under the part of the body where this muffler currently resides.
Like many C303 owners, my vehicle came with an unmatched set of lock cores for the 5 doors. 3 of my doors use one key, and 2 use another. My locksmith can re-key the locks as long as he can get in to the wafers at the core. The locks have 2 set screws holding the core in place. Unfortunately, these set screws have been peened with a punch to lock the threads in place (see photo). The set screws are also hardened. I have yet to find a way to get them out non-destructively. Once I do, I’ll finally have 5 doors on one key!
Here is the new alternator I picked up off of ebay. It is a Valeo 28V 60A model with an internal regulator. It is a bolt-in replacement for the original, but of course has different (simpler) wiring since it doesn’t use an external regulator.
My plans is to make a full length pop-top roof for the camper that pops up about 3 feet when extended. The roof panel is custom made of honeycomb aluminum from Pacific Panels . It is 3/4″ thick and uses a 3/8″ cell size with 0.040″ and 0.060″ skin thickness to close out the sandwich. The panel is 60″ x 129″ and weighs about 125lbs. This panel is probably the strongest thing on the vehicle! I am potting the edges with a polyceramic microsphere epoxy to make a better bonding surface to epoxy the 1″ x 1″ x 1/8″ wall “C” channel that runs around the perimeter. This channel is then bolted to a 3/16″ x 4″ aluminum flat bar with 1/4-28 screws every 6″ that forms the skirt for the roof. Mounted to the original roof is 2″ x 3″ x 3/16″ aluminum angle stock which forms the interior perimeter where the gas springs mount and the roof seals to. The roof is supported and lifted by 8 500mm travel gas springs.
The pictures below show the honeycomb panel after I had applied the potting compound and then shaved / sanded it flush again.
I got a pair of these leather seats from a 2008 Pontiac Solstice off of ebay. They are a pretty good fit, but the will need some modifications to their mounts to allow them to sit a little lower.
Just thought I would start posting some images of various bits going into the camper. Here is a pair of 12V 100Ah AGM Delta Unigy 12AVR100 telecommunication batteries that I will use both to start the engine and supply power for the vehicle when stopped and charging from AC / solar power. I found that these telecommunication batteries have much more useful dimensions and a better power density for some reason. You can see that the fit much better in the old battery space of the C303. I have some Blue Sea breaker / battery switch / VA meter panels that will mount above them.
I finally got around to scanning in the original military repair journal for this vehicle. I’m considering visiting the pancake breakfast at the local Swedish Cultural Center to see if there might be someone mechanically inclined that can translate this for me. It would be useful to know what has been replaced and serviced, and how often, to get an idea what problems to watch out for.
[update] - I met a gentleman named Richard at the SCC who is a mechanical engineer and should be able to translate the repair log for me. I will post the translation here when I hear back from him.
I purchased a 123 ignition system the other day as an intermediate step towards ultimately getting the B30 engine to perform better in all conditions. Ultimately, I’d like to switch over to fuel injection and modern engine management - but we’ll see when that actually happens. The 123 ignition is 6-12V, so I needed to make some modifications to get it running on the 24V system. I took the 123 apart to better understand what its power supply needs are. The 123 uses a SO-8 LM2931 LDO 5V regulator to supply the ~80mA current that I measured it consuming. The regulator is rated at 26V max and a maximum power dissipation of 500mW @ 70C, so it’s pretty close to its limits on a 12V system already. Some options I considered were:
In the end I opted to feed the LM2931 with 15V from a linear regulator because:
The 123 is currently on my bench to do a burn-in for a couple of days at 32V. I’ll report back as to how well it works in the C303 soon!
