"Volvogirl" Lee Holman
Article written by Lee Holman
Photo courtesy of Blair "Tump" May
My affinity for Volvos was kindled long ago. When I was a child, my
Grandpa bought Nana a 1965 4 door Amazon. It was new, and so red
and shiny -- It was the most loveable car I'd ever seen. Grandpa's health
was failing, and he knew the car would outlast him, so he wanted her in
the safest, most reliable car he could find. She would drive to my house
and sound the horn we would go out for a drive together. Who knew,
at the time, that this was such a formative experience for me?
Later, as a teenage Volvonaut, it was my first car -- I had been drawn
into a larger Volvo circle by that time and I and would ride around the
countryside with a friend in a 544 finding old Volvos in back yards.
We'd bring them home for a song, fix them up, drive them for a while,
and sell 'em for a few bucks. They were cheap and seemed so plentiful
back then. I mostly did the detail and interior work, but I was absorbing
a lot of car talk, and picked it almost by osmosis. I learned to love
junkyards, and ferreting out the right stuff for a good price.
As time passed I found myself living on a farm in rural Maine.
My beloved Amazon suffered a dreadful fate, and I was resigned to
driving a "foreign" car. There was little money to go around, so I had
to take care of it myself, like it or not, and in truth, I did not.
Still, it was cheaper by far than calling a tow truck.
I drove that Asian wonder till it was long in the tooth, and spent a couple
of years with a member of the other Swedish tribe. I learned from both.
Neither was especially friendly to the novice tinker. In fact, they were
difficult to work on, and both needed quite a bit of work.
Taking my car to a garage was always a last resort for me, and
I was one of those customers who hang around and look on, asking
endless questions (the ones for whom they made the rules about
sitting in the waiting room while your car is repaired). I was
learning, though, and secretly knew that there would
come a day when I would be able to do it myself.
When the Saab became insupportable, I found a '77 245 with a dropped
spring saddle. It didn't have many other issues, and it was cheap.
I removed the entire strut tube where it was and had it repaired.
That very afternoon I drove my first 240. This brought me back
into the Volvo fold, and it felt a lot like coming home.
The first in a long line of 240s, it served me well for many miles --thanks
at least in part to the affable proprietor of the local all-Volvo salvage
yard. Alas, driving my needy old campaigners, I was a frequent visitor
there. A waterpump here, and an alternator there, balance a steering rack,
and so on. Evidently, seeing some potential, he asked me if I would help
him out with his backlog of work. Who, me? He couldn't be serious...
Still, the next time I was back, he asked again, and soon
I was working as an independent Volvo mechanic.
It was around this time I found my way onto the Internet.
I became an avid reader and contributor of the Swedishbricks*
email list. I was so hungry for knowledge that I couldn't get enough.
I was also a member of the VCOA-net mail list (now the Brickboard*)
back when it was email based. I started replying to questions and
helping folks as I could in these forums. This was where I started my
Volvo tech writing, and from there, I somehow branched out to writing
for various Volvo oriented publications, as time allowed.
I kept visiting other shops, read service manuals, got to know other
Volvo mechanics, and started meeting the people; the owners, the
dedicated fanatics and friends of old Volvos, the racers, the
performance buffs, and concours winners -- and lots of regular
folks who just happen to drive Volvos. Apart from my appreciation
for Swedish iron, the good people I've met are at least a part
of the motivation for my dedication to Volvos.
For New Year's 1999, I decided to get my own Internet domain and
launched my website a few weeks later at:http://www.volvogirl.com.
There were really quite a few visitors, for a site that wasn't listed with
any search engines, and I got a lot of mail, often more than I could handle.
I still try to help folks with questions about their Volvos, as I'm able,
but my focus simply had to become more practical.
This fall I took time off and built a small shop across the street
from my house (see photo). There, I hope to continue learning and to practice
the art of old Volvo repair in my own garage. I'm planning to focus
on maintenance, as opposed to the benign neglect we've all
seen so much of, and will keep an educational focus as well.
For details on this, you can check out the VolvoGirl website
and read the Amazon Acres Mission Statement.
I am still learning, and still enjoying my work. Somehow the Volvos
keep appearing, some show up for repairs, and some looking for a
place to rust in peace. In any case, it's not always clear if I find them,
or if they find me. With my partner-in-grime, Max, I have been working
hard this winter setting up the new shop and getting our own cars in
shape so we will be ready for springtime in Maine, when once again
classic Volvos will roll.
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