I'm in desperate need of some help guys! After months of not touching the cylinder head for the GLT I've discovered my son's been in here, I'm missing a large round disc that fits onto the end of the head and a a valve lifter (I think its a lifter, small round disc with a dome in it.) and theres a lump of chalk inside one of the oil channels! Any suggestions welcome as im out of ideas? I don't even know the name of the parts that are missing!

Secondly, my 480 that's sat outside as project number 2...Both sets of keys are now missing, again my son. I really don't want to scrap it if i can't find the keys, any help on this aswell?

Been a while guys, been a long winter, hoping to get these issues sorted and back on with the project!

You are missing valve adjusting plate, they come in different thickness and you adjust your valves with those by replacing disc with similar that has different thickness.

All part shops should sell them, also there are full series of those available which one could consider buying so adjusting valves would be easier.

You should have some papers from car that has VIN code of car, grab that and go to Volvo dealer and they might be able to get keys done by that.

If that fails, then you could torture 3 years old to reveal location of keys, however I don't recommend that as mothers can be scary beings in certain situations and it is not time you loose some body parts, also there are some nannying social workers lurking around corner.

So metal coat hanger is better solution, bend and twist it and put it into door from between door glass and door, then start fishing, your aim is to get lock knob up by moving links inside a door. If that fails, get strong screw driver and bend window frame a bit, then use thick steel wire to pull locking knob up. If that fails you may as well get a hammer and whack screwdriver into lock and twist few times so door becomes unlocked, do same to ignition and nobody won't bother to steal it, but of course you could get lock set from scrapper and including ignition lock.

Dear car thief, don't read what is written above

It never rains but it pours,eh??

Still, it's Friday the 13th the 'morra so you should be OK

Thanks guys

If your local dealer will not help with the keys i know mine will. I do have new shims about but would need to know what thickness you need.

I managed to order a key for my '88 360 so I'm sure your dealer will be able to help with the 480!

Well, i found the keys...or i should say my son took them out of hiding, after bursting the door lock that is. Pleased though she fired up first time after sitting for a month!

I'm still having no luck with the parts for the GLT's head local pally garage and parts shop can't help me I'm so tempted just to say fuck it and rip the whole engine out and drop in something else, a 2.3 Turbo or something.

On the up side I'm stealing the wheels off the 480 for the GLT this week, woop!

Theres a 2.3 n/a on ebay for a hundred bin.
York i think. Not toooo far from you. Carb it to the moon.

I was looking into it and if i had change the engine that 2.3 na would probably be the way id go... /me checks eBays

Valve shims should still be available from Volvo, but you need to find the thickness you need and pre-order it. I managed to borrow my local dealer's workshop kit to try a few sizes out, but you need feeler gauges to measure the valve clearance and a micrometer to check it. Oh, and also either the special tool to depress the tappet so you can get the shims out or undoing the camshaft.

Question, given that these things sit in a bucket and are impossible to remove without either the special tool or removing the camshaft, how on earth did he manage to take it off? The piece of plastic in the end is common to many redblock heads and you should be able to find fairly easily from a scrappy, although most places wouldn't know what you're asking for so you're best going down there to take it off yourself.