This Saturday, September 23rd, our destination is Emmet county on the western tip of Lower Michigan.

The itinerary: we meet at Waterfront Park in beautiful downtown Petoskey at 12:00 noon to catch up, ogle cars, discuss the route and wait for late arrivals. From there we follow 31 through the Victorian homes of Bay View. We head north on M119 (Harbor-Petoskey Rd.) just outside Petoskey, passing by Petoskey State Park before we turn off M119 for a temporary detour on Menonequa Road. This road takes us through the trees of Menonequa for about a mile and then follows the shoreline before entering Wequetonsing, an association of beautiful old lakefront homes in Harbor Springs. The distance to Harbor from Petoskey is about 12 miles. In Harbor we can stop to fill radiators at the marina and hook back up with M119. This drive meanders through the countryside north of Harbor (a few tax brackets north of mine) and offers glimpses of Little Traverse Bay before landing us in Cross Village, home of historic Legs Inn. The distance from Harbor to Cross Village is 20 miles. I figure we'll hit Legs at 2:30-3:00.

Once at Legs we can have an early dinner, appetizers, a beer, whatever. It's a funky old building made out of stone, driftwood and recycled building materials. There's plenty of room to gather and it's casual. If weather permits, there's a nice garden area with a great view of the lake.

This month's issue of Traverse Magazine has a brief synopsis of the M119 portion of the trip if you'd like to read about it.

After socializing I can point out some alternate routes home for those with sporting intentions or those who want a more direct return.

Directions to Petoskey from the South:
From I-75, exit at Vanderbilt exit. Go west. Go left at Worley's Whippy Dip onto Thumb Lake Road. Follow this road for several miles until you hit 131. Turn right on 131 (north) From 131 (Boyne Falls). Stay on 131 through intersection with 31 (Walgreen's, Rite Aid) OR... From 31 (Charlevoix): Follow the highway to the intersection of 31 and 131 (Walgreen's, Rite Aid). Go left at the light (north).

Directions to Waterfront Park from 131-31:
Go through the first traffic light after 131-31 intersection. This light is in front of Northern Michigan Hospital. Continue to the second traffic light. There is a parking lot and a restaurant called Whitecaps at this intersection. Go left at this light, downhill on Lake Street. Take the first right into the waterfront area and look for Volvos.

Directions to Petoskey from the North:
Follow 31 south into Petoskey, past Glen's Market, through Bay View, straight through the traffic light at Olsen's supermarket. Take a right at the next light, you will see a restaurant called Whitecaps. Go downhill on Lake Street and take the first right into the waterfront area. Look for Volvos.

If anyone needs further directions, call or e-mail me. See you Saturday.
Greg Carpenter
w-till 6PM 231-347-9574
h-till 9PM 231-347-5224
bredhead@breadworks.com

Hi Volvo Enthusiasts,

I have updated my Volvo Amazon project page with details of the M46 overdrive gearbox installation. The project is not finished yet but I have added some interesting photos in the meantime.

http://www.ccar.co.nz/volvo/amazon.html

Regards,
Jim Hekker, Webmaster Volvo Enthusiasts Club NZ
Tauranga, New Zealand
jh@wave.co.nz

---

Brand-new 1800?
Funny thing's been happening more and more lately -- people keep asking if my car (a '72 1800ES) is a brand-new Volvo. They never used to do that. Today it happened again when I fetched the mail. Hmmm, said I, and opened the AutoWeek that arrived to read about the new Mini Cooper. The story contained several references to the retro craze in new cars, which got me considering: We've got Boxsters, Miatas of course, VW's new Beetle, new "old" T-birds and Jags, the PT Cruiser, some strange other stuff from Chrysler and... So maybe it's only natural that those who don't know how misguided Volvo has been for 15 years might think the firm had enough imagination to create a retro-Volvo.

Sitting on my thinking chair out in the garage/shop and gazing at the ES, I thought Ford -- if not Volvo -- might have the moxie to try a "retro 1800" and tried to imagine what it would look like. I've not come up with a good notion of that yet, but pondering the idea is an interesting way to waste a little time. Ya don't suppose Ford would... Naw, forget it.

Yerz,
Brooks Townes
btboat@main.nc.us

---

How Berkeley Can You Be?
We need all the Volvos we can get to be in the "How Berkeley Can You Be" Parade. It will be held on Sunday September 24th in Berkeley. All Volvo owners are invited to the VCOA section of the parade. There will be lots of room in the parade for all Volvos, no matter what model and no matter where you live. The parade starts at 11 a.m. We will meet somewhere near University Avenue and California Street in a parking lot. Thanks for your interest. It should be lots of fun. For info call 510-849-0961 or E-mail me:
David Spieler
DSpielvol@aol.com

---

Cool paint job #1
This car began life here in Nova Scotia as a 1982 245 GL. I acquired it in 1993 after I found it sitting for three in years in back of a garage. This year the floors were totally replaced as well as the missing body panels, wheel buckets and such.

"Krustina" has only a few years left in her existence, so, I decided to have some fun with her. I modeled the paint scheme on the Swedish Air Force Viggen aircraft. She is a big hit with the neighbourhood kids and the aviation community.

Enjoy,
Steve T. Slade
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
horus@istar.ca

---

Cool paint job #2
Brace yourself... This one is a little scary. Did some rust repairs before heading to Vermont. No paint match that didn't look bad, so I had a little fun. My '66 122S 2-door with the bad flame paint job. Although she'll probably deny it, that's Lee Holman behind the wheel.

It is fun. It turns heads and noses. Given the typical jewelry attitude of many a Volvo owner, I wanted to shock and kinda put it in their face that they need to lighten up. The car has a B20 and has been rescued from the grave.
David "RAFster" Martin
Westerville, OH
raf122s@hotmail.com

---

Kudos #1
Phil, just a note to let you know that I thoroughly enjoy Volvo online classics, especially the excellent racing pics. I have a 1968 1800S which I bought as a run-down, original car ten years ago and have been using as an everyday car ever since, gradually restoring it as I go. I now use it for classic rallying.

Some years ago I discovered that this is the same car that was bought new by the doctor who, four years later, delivered me when I was born. Keep up the great work.

Kind Regards,
Alex
aforrest@ca.com.au

Thanks, Alex. The VVGP II pictures will be integrated into the regular Photo Gallery as soon as we re-open it.

---

Kudos #2
Thank you for your help in guiding me through my [injector] seal replacements on the 1981 Volvo 240. It's another one of those jobs that's easy if you know how. I was given a lot of bad information from local shops and the dealer's parts department (no surprise). Some of that may be due to the several different styles Volvo has used.

Wow! I actually was helped by VolvoGirl! Made my day! Thanks again,
Chuck in Boise
cjrinaldi@juno.com

---

Kudos #3
As a new subscriber, I want you to know how much I enjoy reading your magazine. I recently purchased a '66 Amazon and am beginning my first experience in auto repair and classic car restoration. I have a lot to learn.

While I enjoy reading about racing and "performance" issues, I'd be more interested in learning about the basics. For example, where to find interior parts, where to get help with seat cover restoration, how to deal with a noisy transmission, how to diagnose an engine that runs hot, how to properly detail a B20 engine.

Looking forward to your next issue. Keep up the good work.
Jack Berry
RichRenJB@aol.com

We like nothing better than Volvos that run right, look right, and are right, modified or not. You will find many resources on our new Suppliers page, in our Classified Ads, and in the Archive. We will have a series that focuses on restoration soon. Most of all, don't ever hesitate to write us with any questions or problems you might have -- we really do answer 90% of them, and we're trying for 100%.

---

Kudos #4
Congratulations on putting together VClassics. This is an excellent magazine for all of us who own early Volvos. I am especially interested in performance upgrades for my 1967 1800S, which is in outstanding condition. Perhaps future articles could focus on all areas of performance upgrades. For example, I would love to have a B20 motor built with 150-170 HP...

As a long-time VSA (back to 1976) and VCOA member, I have sadly seen the demise of Volvo performance parts as well as Volvo factory replacement parts. Glad to see that OJ Rallye is importing Swedish Hi-po parts.

Thanks, Phil, and Best Wishes,
Joe Montecalvo
Morro Bay, CA

OK, we'll just focus on everything, then. Come to think of it, aren't we already?

---

Duane Matejka
Phil, I have forwarded a picture that 544 and ES owner Christopher Georger took of our car this weekend at Pocono. If you would like to use it just give him photo credit, please. He is a great help to me at the races and pitches in to help all of the Volvo racers whenever he can.

Hope all is well on the west coast.
Duane
FAP1800@aol.com

Thanks Duane. Sorry it took us three months to get it into the mag!

---