Acquiring a large parts stash may be a dream for many of us, but it’s also a ton of work to manage an inventory of sizable proportions. A seller on craigslist has listed a massive spread of Volvo parts, reflecting a collection of spares assembled by one of the country’s largest Volvo restoration shops. There’s lots to look over – and too much to list – but it could be a dream come true for an enthusiast with multiple era of cars in their collection. Find it here on craigslist for $5K.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Ikey H. for the find. The seller is not allowing for any individual parts sales, which I can understand – if you just want it all gone, the last thing you need is all the good stuff being siphoned off and left holding the bag on years’ worth of door handles and air filters. Among some of the rarer items mentioned is the believed last new example of an IPD front air dam for a Volvo 122.
The seller is giving potential buyers the option to leave the collection in place and pay rent on the barn it is stored in for $50/month. That might be an appealing option for locals who could potentially split the purchase price, take what they want, and begin hawking the rest on eBay and in forums in hopes of recouping their investment. Fortunately, it all looks neatly stored and organized – a big selling point in and of itself.
Wheels and tires are also in the mix, and often one of the first things enthusiasts salivate over if there’s a rare set of Turbo wheels or vintage steelies up for grabs. The seller claims every model is represented in this parts collection, from the iconic P1800 to the rare Bertone coupe. If the seller has any of the desirable European-market upgrades, such as 240 headlights and turn signals, that makes this find potentially even better. Would you buy a huge parts collection like this?
I would get involved if local. The cheap rent would help while clearing it.
Volvos rock!
If you are into Volvos, this would be a super opportunity, Plus the offer of cheap rent while clearing, how could you lose? An expert could tell right away if this lot had been cherry picked. Good luck to the new owner!
Cheers
GPC
I have a fair amount of experience with vintage Volvo parts. I’ve parted out around 10 vintage 1800s (all basket cases too far gone to be economically viable as restoration projects), and I’ve bought an re-sold several large stashes of 1800 and 122 parts. The 1800 and 122 are just about the same car, so many of those parts cross over.
This stash seems reasonably priced, but, unless you were located near the warehouse, it would require a lot of work to make a profit. Well, even IF you were located near the place it would still take a lot of work. Ebay is the easiest place to sell the stuff, but of course there are fees. FeeBay now takes a 10% cut of the shipping charges you collect from the buyer..so if you collect 10 bucks to ship a part, you’ll only have $9 to pay for it. And of course you need to know what parts you have, clean them up and photograph them, and finally ship them off. It’s work. And the 240 parts are all but worthless, as nobody is restoring 240s, and anybody who is wears a knit cap and skinny jeans and has no money!
Very true Rex. I just flogged my last two Volvos this week. They were ’94 and ’95 850s but selling them out in a rural area is near impossible. Volvo lovers are dedicated but rare as hen’s teeth out here.
The ’95 850 I finally took to the crusher which was a little painful. The body and interior were perfect, not a dent, tear or rust to be seen. We scavenged the parts we needed but in the end no one wanted anything else off her, so sadly she went for $50 of scrap metal and $250 for the catalytic converter. Go figure.
If you ever need anything Volvo there is a place with a bigger stash that does service in Ravenna Ohio. Drennon Volvo. http://www.drennenservice.com
As for the 1800 vs 122 (at home known as the Amazon, but due to trade mark issues with a german company never marketed under that moniker), the 1800 was technically based on the 121/122 but shares the most parts with the 123GT version that got the upgrades second hand including disc brakes also out back. If my spares catalogue memory serves me right, the rear axle was changed from a ENV brand item to a Spicer (Dana) 30 by late 1966 models in some specs and for 1967 became standard issue for all 122/123 models. Of course, in the books it goes by a Volvo ID number. Serious Volvo fans should have far better chances of finding whatever they need today than say 10 years ago, as a couple of swedish aftermarket suppliers has put a lot of effort into reproducing quality parts for especially the 60´s-era 122.
By the way, the 850 fwd line of cars (which actually shares some basic parts with the Renault Megane of the same period while some of them in return came with the Volvo engine) is usually a hard sell in Sweden too, even if it¨s begun to regain some interest in the last years as for the few remaning roadworthy. The upgraded and rebadged S/V70 that replaced it (a lot more changes done than what the facelift revealed) has survived that much better mainly due to higher build quality and having the glitches worked out, but only very nice cars make good sales here, too. Seems like the dutch are the guys that appreciates the boxy Volvo generations the most.
The one thing I wish Volvo would teach all manufacturers is how they treat the metal before painting. I live in harsh conditions and none of my 850s has ever rusted. They must dip or galvanize the entire unibody but whatever they do it works very well.
looking for rust free doors for my 544 projects can anyone help? thanks
I’ve had good luck with these folks – US company, run from Stockholm, ship mostly from Southeast US. On vacation until Aug 15th. I know they have all the internal parts for doors, as well as new fenders, etc. I think they also offer new doors, but can’t find out until the 15th…..
https://www.facebook.com/ClassicVolvoRestorationcom