Deep within the BangShift Forums you will find all manner of vehicles that readers are building. Land-speed racers, drag monsters, road course warriors, in-depth and highly detailed work and the basic bolt-on stuff. BangShift exists, after all, because of our shared love for the automotive world. All of that love had to start from one root car, the first car, or more accurately, the first project car. Let me explain: my first car was a 1975 Chevrolet Camaro. I got it when I was twelve, the engine was AWOL and so were several spots of sheetmetal. Under circumstances that I to this day do not quite understand, the car was sent to the scrapyard while I was at school. The first car I got that ran and drove was my 1977 Chevrolet Impala coupe, which was great at age fourteen, but I didn’t do anything to it except drive it on rare occasion with my parents and tool around the yard with it. My first project car, five away from that Camaro, was my 1979 Caprice, which taught me about suspension work, how to (not) properly set up a carburetor, bodywork, some of my early painting lessons, stereo wiring and installation, and more. That Caprice did more for me as a wrench than any of the previous cars because I got to get hands-on and in-depth with it.

For Forum member “Stiney”, his son Wes is right about the age where he’s ready to take on a build that can be done before it’s time for his license to be awarded. He’s already been messing around with a project truck, but Stiney wanted something that would actually give him a challenge, something that would be worth the effort. And somehow, the answer is in the shape of a 1990 Volvo 240DL. Not the first car we would’ve suspected, but not bad either. The engine probably has a head gasket that’s crapped out, something bounced off of the grille and passenger-side headlight, there’s a little bit of rust courtesy of the State of Ohio, and there are parts already starting to appear that say that the engine is about to hit the scrap pile in favor of a small-block Chevrolet conversion.

With the donor van getting ready to give up the goods, a pile of brown-boxed goodies forming up and a set of wheels and tires sourced for incentive, we can’t wait to see the work progress on this brick. Volvos always have had a good safety rating and they can be pretty comfy, especially these later model 200-series, so the idea of a small-block Chevrolet motivating one around is icing on the cake. Add to the fact that the kid is spinning a lot of the wrenches, and we’re over here waiting with baited breath for updates. C’mon, yank the B20 out and let’s get to the hooning already! Or not…y’know, Dad reads this too.

BangShift Project Files: Project Tom – 1990 Volvo 240DL