Regarding using the Converse kit... so far, all I can tell you is that I truly hope the kit is more complete than the resulting car I bought from someone might otherwise indicate. The total lack of fusible links (that would have been in the Ford wiring harness) is quite disturbing. Am still going through the car, one system at a time, correcting things that someone decided simply weren't important enough to bother with. What I don't yet know is whether all of this Mickey Mouse mess is conversion related, or perhaps the result of several owners since then. Could be anything.

I thought that buying a running "project" would be easier than starting from scratch, since the (cough, ahem) "difficult" parts are already done. I've discovered there's a huge difference between getting a car to run under its own power vs. applying the finesse of solid engineering skills required to make it a safe, legal, dependable daily driver. My hope is to document all the fine-tuning points on a Web site and then turn you all loose to it. :)


> Temp gauge works but isn't linear.
> Mid range is OK but it doesn't
> move unless the engine gets really hot.

Not sure if Volvo used the same technique in the 7 and 9 series cars, but they're pretty famous for the "temp compensating board" in the 2 series cars. Until about 1986 or so, the temp gauge was merely wired to the sender-- end of story. After that, they built a small circuit board which piggy-backs onto the gauge cluster, specifically designed to dampen out small fluctuations that would unnecessarily concern a driver of a fine European car. The goal is to keep the needle always in a "warm fuzzy zone" unless there's a drastic reason not to.

If that's the issue, look on IPD's Web site for a product that bypasses this silly board. The solution might be as simple as just a jumper wire, actually.

- Erik