You would have thought that a Volvo 740/940 engine or head would have been as common as rocking horse manure over here in Norway. Which, of course they are, unless it's a 16V B234F red block.
The discovery of a crack in the head of the Volvo confirmed the need for either a new head or a replacement engine. The search was frustrating. There didn't seem to be any 16V engines in Norwegian scrap yards. Volvo said that they could offer me a new head, complete with valves and springs for a mere 17000 Kr, £1700. However, after we had decided to bite the bullet and buy it, when I double checked it turned out that it was without valves. no way I said.
So, in final desperation I turned to our neighbours.Volvo's own, Sweden. Here there was more hope, but obvious logistical challenges. In the end, I bought a complete engine out of a car that had burnt out at the back end it and arranged for it to be shipped to the nearest post depot to the border. Then it was ust a question of a 200 mile round trip to fetch it. In the end I had no option other than to take the Landrover, according to the Swedish postal system I was fetching 200Kg on a pallet, which I knew would fit.
Fortunately I had the sense to put the spare wheel back in the Landy before we left, I had needed the extra space the last time I fetched something. Sure enough, for the first time in this Landy, we got a puncture.
No problem, with my best Witworth sockets and high lift jack, we were on the road again in no time.
Maybe I'll take the oppurtuninty to get the punctured tire off the rim, try out the sand blaster at work and paint it. It's about time I began tidying those rims up.
In no time we were at the border, pretty safe to say that this was the first time that this Landrover had been in Sweden during it's 45 years. 35Km further on, the post office was very helpful loading the engine into the car
and before we knew it we were on our way back, mid engined Landrover anyone? More picutres of the "Journey" here
