245 GLE rather spartan trim level

[Bugjam1999]

Adding powersteering is straightforward and transforms the drivability of these cars, I added powersteering to a 1978 245 I used to own and it made it much nicer to drive.

Some photos and explanation here in my project thread for that car.

In short you need a powersteering rack and complete steering rod (the lower section of the steering column that goes from the rack to the bulkhead and has two ujs on it) from any age 240, a set of lower ball joints for a pas equipped car, then the harder to find b21 specific bits are the third pulley that bolts onto the front of the crank pulley and the power steering pump and associated bracket etc.

Obviously enough it would be better to take the lot from a parts car, but unfortunately as pas was an option/only came on the highest spec b21 equipped cars, finding a car with a b21 and pas isn’t common. The parts do come up on eBay, or ask on the various Facebook pages for Volvos, since they have a lot more traffic than traditional forums like this one.

If you can find all the parts required, then you or any garage could convert the car in a couple of hours.

Cheers.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Peter222

Thanks John, that's what I thought, GLE should be the top spec with every possible extra.

I nosed around the web a bit and found a 1979 UK brochure http://www.volvotips.com/brochures/2...K-brochure.pdf, which states:

The higher performance 244 GLE is the top of the 244 range. The 244 GLE is for the discerning motorist who appreciates the traditional Volvo virtues, but wants the extra power and enjoyment this car can provide. The 2.1 litre fuel injected engine develops 123hp (DIN). The specification includes 4 speed manual gearbox with overdrive on 4th gear or 3 speed automatic transmission, metallic finish,
tinted glass, tachometer, headlamp wiper/washers, halogen headlights, sunroof, integral rear fog lights, colour keyed head restraints and door panels, carpeted boot, disc brakes all round, heated driver's seat plus special badging.

I compared with this completely diifferent 1979 UK brochure https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/pdf/bro.../Volvo1979.pdf and there are differences, e.g. the first gives a sunroof as standard on the GLE, the second not. So even Volvo got confused. No wonder I am.

My GLE badges seem original including the one on the steering wheel, and the V5 also states GLE so I think it must be a GLE.

I do have the B21E 2.1 engine with K-Jetronic, so 122 or 123 hp.

What you have seems about right for a 1979 motor car, except I'm fairly sure a GLE would have had alloy wheels from new. Perhaps someone sold them sometime in the past 40 years?

I think just the driver's seat should be heated, and there is probably no switch, just a thermostat set at 14C (as is my 1982 GLE).



PS. It looks like I was wrong about the alloy wheels - perhaps they arrived with the MY1980 motor cars.

[loki_the_glt]

Originally Posted by Peter222

Thank you for some solid information.

That car also had power steering so a switch back to manual is hard work. I have 14 inch wheels and on the move it feels fine, but parking in a 6m space is laborious. My girlfriend actually gave up, she isn't strong enough. You mention setting up the rack & pinion, is there any way I could check if it's right?

Get the front-end alignment checked and adjusted properly and make sure the tyre pressures are correct, this latter aspect is crucial. When my father test-drove what became my first 244 he thought it had PAS; only when we inspected the engine bay did he realise that the steering was manual. The cars had what AUDI called "negativer lenk-roll radius" alignment which allowed for low effort and high accuracy steering. IMO the later, PAS-equipped, cars lost the razor sharpness in the steering.

[classicswede]

Originally Posted by Peter222

Hi,

I am the new-ish owner of a 1979 245GLE injection automatic. GLE as I read means "Grand Luxe Executive" so one might expect a cocktail cabinet, climate control and heated seats. However, the only thiings I have which seem remotely GLE are

1. Leather seats
2. rev counter
3. electric antenna (which doesn't work)
4. rear window and headlamp wipers

I do NOT have (what the 1979 brochure states)

1. electric windows, not even front
2. power steering
3. extra lighting (rear fog lights)
4. alloy wheels
5. sunroof
6. tinted glass
7. heated front seats

I'm very confused by the Volvo trim letters. They seem to mean something different each year, or are described differently in brochures of the same year.

That manual steering is a bummer on a 2-ton car, although it will help with toning my biceps.

Would it be normal or common to lack the electric windows and power steering at Grande Luxe Executive level?

1) on a 79 GLE you would often but not always have front electric windows
2) power steering is probably 50/50 but by mid 80's it was standard
3) fog lights were a add on untill the rear lights changed in 81
4) 240 GLE were usually steel wheels but 260's were alloys
5) Thankfully rain holes were not common on estates. Rare early option of a steel rain hole or more common on later estates were optional glass ones. Saloons had a steel rain hole but not the same as the estate one
6) a lot of GL and GLE's did have a green tinted glass
7) not 100's on when the heated seats came in 79 could well be a little early

The steering is mostly down to remembering the correct way to use the steering and that is to only turn with the car moving so rocking back and forth while maneuvering. Power steering has spoilt use being and bad habits of turning on the spot

If you want to convert to power steering it is not all that hard to do

[Forg]

Relevant yet also irrelevant ... 20+ years ago on a US-based Volvo mailing list we used to joke about "Sven the crazy cleaner" who used to work on the 240 production-line and once everyone working on the line had gone home would swap components & delete components & add components ... there seems to be zero sense when you look at a car from the late 70's to mid 80's now & look at what it "theoretically" should have been fitted with.

Circa 2001 I looked at a 1981 244GLT that was for sale, the seller had bought it new in Australia & had the original receipts. Except Volvo in Australia never SOLD a 244GLT. This had original GLT badges, and the paint hadn't been fiddled with. The owner was no car enthusiast & knew nothing about Volvos specifically nor cars in general, and he'd never had any paint or panel work done to it ... and with the condition it was in, he had no reason to lie about it either.