Volvo X (1967 Pro-Touring Amazon) by Iamtheonlyreal1

7 minute(s) of a 758 minute read

I came accross this really cool inexpensive tool, which is very easy to use for setting up ride height, and it works great with the Wheel Mate tool I was using to dial in the wheel offset needs. If you know the length/range your coil overs are suppose to run in at ride height, you can set these for that setting, and install them in the place of the coil overs.. This is especially important during suspension setup and clearances, especially when you dont have all your body weight, due to lack of accessories.. This will allow you to put your suspension in the pre-determined coil over settings, so you can check wheel clearances, ground clearances, ect, without waiting till the end to find a potential issue. I paid 119 dollars for the set of four, which I thought was a real bagain, now I realize that I can actually use one more of the Wheel Mate tools, and that way I can get perspective on the vehicle stance with both wheels on one side..

I also think I really like these mirrors more in the even mounting, rather than the passenger side being slightly different.. I was able to get a further off shot of the car and mirrors, and if you notice, they work real well with the hood lines, because it seems the angle of the pedestal actually is a continuation of that line.. In my opinion, it is subtle things like that are important, because it can make accessories look like they belong, versus just an afterthought of bolting something to the body.

Monday, I will have the wheels on the car, and I will actually be able to roll the car outside for a parking lot perspective. It is very very hard to ensure all is proportionally good in a closed in space, because you are limited to certain distance and angle perspectives, so I will never actually lock any mods in, until I get all those additional perspectives. I also like to hide mismatch colors or ground metal with masking tape, because mismatch color blending can actually hide features you really need to see, and that is why I should own stock in duct tape and masking tape.

I know this is going to sound a bit odd, but I am also really debating running a version of the original Volvo Mud Flaps on the front and rear of the car? The oem front flaps seem to be extra wide from the factory, and I thinking it is just a bit of the Volvo style that can remain, and that I still might be able to make it work in style department.. I would actually run 4 Front mud flaps, because the rear style wouldnt work for me in size, along with the logo'ing.

How many Pro-Touring cars are sporting actual mud flaps? LOL

12/17/2012

Well the wheels made it in, and I think they are really going to set the car off.. I have the car a little bit lower in the front, but I will probably run it pretty close to what is pictured... All the ground clearances look great, and as you can see there was plenty of room for all the exhaust work underneath, so I shouldnt have any bottoming out issues.. I can actually set the car up a bit lower, but I am liking the area it is at now. I dont have the rear end perfectly squared up or set, or the front end alignment done, along with the panhard bar location not being correct.

The game is definitely going to change with the air dam/splitter right now, and that is why I never really moved forward with it yet.. It is impossible to tell anything while sitting in the shop, and it takes being out in the real world to gain any perspective.

Now that I have all the wheels, and the car is sitting on the ground, I can do all the final panel sheetmetal alignment, and fine tune some of the gapping for a tighter looking build. I also have to roll the drivers fender out a bit, just like I previously did on the fenders I had on the car, and you can see that affect on the passenger fender in the pics below. If you also notice the raised side trim, and the fact that I also will be changing the curvature and angle of it to fit the body better.. Raising it was definitely the trick, and glad is it working out with the rear flares, so they can stay on the car. I am not big on alot of trim, but the side trim on these cars do fit the style and proportions of the car. 

The spare tire portion of the trunk pictured on the drivers side will disappear also, because I will be trimming it up, so it actually is hidden in the body.. I am not going to totally get rid of it, because I will actually use that sunken in part of the trunk for the storage of something, eventhough it will not be used for a spare any longer.. No need to keep it there, because it cant hold a proper spare for the size wheels and tires I am running on this thing.

Here are a few pics with stock configured car, so you can see the difference..