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1967 Volvo 1800s The Second Time Around

27K views 133 replies 15 participants last post by  vintagewrench 
#1 · (Edited)
1967 Volvo 1800s - The Second Time Around

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I have been commenting here from time to time, but this is my first post on this 1800 forum. Have had about 15 122s sedans and 220 wagons and one identical #46 Red 67 1800s in the past. Today I have two, a '68 220 station wagon and this car. It is a never ever rusted car which I have been searching for a long time, and all of the original body seams and spot welds are intact.

The seller also gave me over 100 photos of the car while it was getting a partial restoration that include photos of when all the glass was out and the body was stripped to bare metal for the repaint. I have been in the racing car, antique, and classic car restoration business for a long time and know that finding a car like this is the best and less costly way to go the long run if you can find one. It was purchased in northern Canada in mid-July and then driven 850 miles back home to Vermont.

The complete chain of ownership from new is not known at this point, but I have been able to trace it back to it to being a New England car in the past. I has led a very sheltered life and apparently has spent most of its life under cover for years, and other than the paint and the leather front seats it is largely original.

The 1800s has been used as a daily driver ever day since returning home with it and over 4K miles have been put on it since then. It will be taken off the road as soon as the next snow or ice storm arrives and road salt is used on the roads. The front end axle will be rebuilt along with a number of other things that will be attended to it over the winter.



[url=https://flic.kr/p/GU3Dhi]


Other than period bolt on high performance parts this car is going to remain factory original. All of the original take off parts have and will be be carefully stored and and identified so the car can be returned to back to stock in the future in a week or so if needed, and all will be kept with the car.

Photos taken recently show that the bumpers have been removed as I prefer the looks of the coachwork without them and at the same time about a 100 lbs. of weight is removed. Halibrand 15" x 7" wheels w/knock off pin-drive hubs have been found and installed and also Swedish Lesjöfors 30mm drop progressive rate springs that keep both the front end and rear at a good height for optimal handling. The Koni "Classic" period correct adjustable shocks have been fine-tuned for all around use just like in the old days (all four shocks can be adjusted in about 45-minutes). The ride is firm and comfortable but not harsh, and the shocks can be quickly adjusted to run it in VSCCA events.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/217i17A]


In addition to a Judson Supercharger, two complete sets of Volvo Competition Service (VCS) intake manifolds, a VCS air cleaner, vintage 40DCOE and 45DCOE Weber carbs and a VCS fuel pump have been found over the last year.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ZrWZzE]
Weber Carbs by TheOldMotor, on Flickr

Judson Supercharger 1 by TheOldMotor, on Flickr

Between the two of cars there are plenty of options for induction systems down the road.

PS. Have been having a bit of trouble w/this forum hosting Flicker photos that I have not experienced elsewhere - will try to get this figured out and update ASAP.
 
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#41 · (Edited)


Before getting carried away on all the fun things to do on the 1800s I thought it would be good to get the basic things done and started in on a full front end rebuild which it needs and at the same time check all that had been done to it in recent times. It will be getting all new ball joints, and upper and lower control arm bushings and two center link tie rod ends. As you can see in the photo this car has led very a sheltered life and most all of the original paint on the front end components including the crossmember has survived.

What I have found is the brake calipers have been rebuilt and have new all new pistons and rubber, and the flex hoses have been also changed. It also appears that all new Timken wheel bearings and seals have been installed, another plus.



Late last summer I installed full set of new Swedish Lesjöfors progressive rate springs and installed a set of Koni "Classic" hydraulic shock absorbers to replace old worn out shocks and springs. After covering a couple of thousand miles and adjusting the shocks for a balance of a decent ride and good handling both have been achieved and the chassis works well at both ends of the spectrum.

The image below gives you a good view of the knock off hubs for the Halibrand wheels. The heat treated forged chrome moly hubs are held on the Volvo hubs by chrome moly drive pins w/tapered ends like a lug nut and are tightened by an internal hex drive. The pins drive the wheels via drilled and reamed holes on the back side the wheels. The spinners are forged heat treated 6061 aluminum and the taper on the inside of them centers the wheel and securely hold them on at over 250 foot pounds when fully tightened with a five pound lead hammer. All the silver colored spots are never seize, which keeps the steel hub pieces and the aluminum from causing corrosion by contact with each other.

 
#42 · (Edited)


Been busy with the front end rebuild and finally got a nice single port - single pipe exhaust manifold which
is what Judson designed the aluminum supercharger manifold around when the B18 first came out; Judson
did not update when the later dual port manifold came out. With the early exhaust manifold there is .500"
clearance between it and the intake manifold. A dual port manifold will not fit because it is about 1.00" wider
than the earlier manifold. An earlier Judson model was also made for the B16.

When it gets put on a car the plan is to try it this way to get a feel for how much power and torque it adds as
it was originally constructed. Craig Colburn sent me a nice laser jet cut header flange that will be used down
the road to fabricate a proper two-port 4-2-1 header.

 
#44 · (Edited)
Yes, and an air-cooled one at that - you could crank some serious poundage out with one of these babies running at about five grand.

I really think the hand crank on the gear driven engine stand rotator seen in the first photo got you thinking that way.

There is about .500" or more clearance between the cross member arch and wheel well where both are welded together and the blower housing
on both 1800s and a 122s models. I had one previously that was run hard at times and there never was any interference between the two.

The only drawback is changing the camber alignment shims is slow because it has to be done mostly by feel.
 
#45 · (Edited)


P1800 and 1800s steering wheel rims are usually riddled with cracks which are then covered over with a quick and dirty vinyl cover or on occasion an ill-fitting leather one. The rim can be restored by filling in the cracks with epoxy and by painting it with automotive high gloss black urethane. Someone in Italy has apparently invested in making the molds to cast a new plastic covering onto the old spokes and the steel rim.

After working at restoring pre-1930 vintage racing and touring cars for the last 40-years I have wrapped a number of steering wheels in 1/8" and 3/16" braided cord for customers as it was popular in the period. Some drivers of pre and postwar racing cars began wrapping steering wheels in black friction tape. In the fifties and sixties the tapes used changed to plastic and rubber which is the competition look was want I was trying to duplicate.

I choose to do an experiment on the 1800s wheel and used two layers of tape: the first a 1/8" thick neoprene/EPDM/SBR/foam blend diagonally wrapped around the wheel edge to edge. It was then covered by a layer of conformable and texturized 30-mil black rubber electrical splicing tape made of ethylene propylene rubber. It is UV resistant, does not change color, and sticks to the firstfirst layer quite well, and melds itself together in a way that it becomes one. It has a temperature range of -50 to 160F.

Right from the beginning it has been exceptionally comfortable to use and steering is easier even in tight spots because you don't have to use some of your effort to grip the thin and uncomfortable original rim hard and also turn it; gripping this wrap is not an issue and all of your effort goes towards actually turning the wheel.

After over 5K-miles of at times hard use last summer and fall the wheel has turned blacker in color, and both layers have adhered very well to the rim, and to each other. On a 1K-mile four-day weekend run with the temp in the mid-90s F, two days after it was finished the edges of the tape were just a little bit sticky, but that has disappeared over time. It's not for everyone, but it is what I was looking for and it works very well in actual use.
 
#48 ·
Such an attractive fix! Well done!
 
#50 ·


You never know what you might find in and old car. While rebuilding the 1800s front end the cross member was found to be filled by a mouse nest. This pile in the picture was from only one side.

Next it was vacuumed out, and the inside of the cross member was checked with a bore scope on both sides which found only surface rust and no pitting. The drain was then plugged up and three gallons of evapo-rust were put in it and left overnight and drained. Now rust free it was left to dry out for several days. Next it was fogged with a zinc rich coating with a hand held air powered pressure washer and left to dry.

Following that the bottom of it was filled with thick 600W gear lube to coat the inside of a triangular shaped stiffener and then drained. Next the entire inside cavity was covered with Fluid Film so it well never rust again. https://www.fluid-film.com/automotive-applications/
 
#51 · (Edited)


On the plus side the upper and lower control arms have much of the original paint on both the outside and inside. The lower control arm bolts in the middle of the photo have never been rusted which made it very easy to get it all apart. After installing new ball joints and control arm bushings and repainting the control arms and parts it will all be reassembled.
 
#52 ·


Anyone have a bad looking 1800s speedo that they would be willing to sell reasonably for parts. This one seized and broke the cable late in the season. Have rebuilt a number of others, but I need parts to fix this one. I am aware of Nisongers, but they do not sell any internal parts to restore one. Thanks in advance if you would be willing to help.
 
#53 · (Edited)


Found a speedo that can be used for parts from friend from MA who now lives in TX who kindly sent me this 1970 to'73 speedo. This unit used to be owned by a mutual Volvo friend in MA and has now traveled 3k miles from MA to TX and now back to VT.

Internally the the speedos are the mostly the same (S on left and E & ES on the right) and the two odometer gears are improved in the later E & ES model and are made of nylon (note the light-colored gears at 12 and 6 o'clock instead of fiber which tends to shed teeth. All of the parts needed are in the back end of the unit, are interchangeable and hopefully the rebuild will work without a hitch?

Will keep you posted.
 
#55 ·
If you have no luck finding a NOS plate and you are looking for a better candidate for re plating, go back through the Amazon forum, perhaps about 3 - 4 years ago. There was a user who replicated a broken trim plate (heater I think???) by 3D printing in ABS. As I recall, from the pictures the result was excellent. Replicating the textured finish on your cover plate might be problematic. Its a lot of work to go through and the learning curve is a little steep; but, could be a useful skill. Something to consider if you have no luck sourcing a NOS part.
 
#56 ·
142 Guy, thanks for letting me know about this other individual who had success making a part.

3D printing is a really helpful process which can be used to create all kinds things for restorations. I have already used it with the help of a friend who did the engineering part to print casting molds out of casting sand for a set of engine blocks cast for a 1914 Packard engine for a client. Have made other new blocks using the old fashioned way before, but during the machining of these blocks I found that the tolerances on all of them were within .010-.020" which allowed the machine work to do be done in about 1/3 of the time that is has taken to do blocks cast the conventional way in the past - it is a very neat process.

Have already considered having this radio plate printed with the help of my friend who is an engineer, but we are concerned that since it has to support the front of a very heavy radio it may crack in time. The other concern is the tapered back of the head of the machine screws that attach it to the dash will split the plastic and crack it on the outside of the screw holes.

The frosted part of the piece could be textured by masking the part off and bead blasting the front before plating.

Haven't ruled it out yet and will wait for awhile to see if I can find a better plate.
 
#58 ·
DC, that is a good question. This trim piece is die cast of a zinc-based alloy that is sometimes referred to as "pot metal", or "white metal." In the UK "white metal" is the name for babbitt metal used in engine bearings made up of lead and tin-based alloys.

Zinc corrodes easily and also possibly internally like magnesium does. Below the blisters is a blackish form of corrosion that eats into the zinc. When the plating is stripped off the corrosion has to be removed, and then it is filled in with plateable solder or plated w/a heavy layer or copper which then is leveled off and re-plated. This is a labor intensive process and even a small part like this can cost as much as several hundred dollars to return it to an as new finish.
 
#59 ·
Casting your own engine block is several levels above my level of resto-skill!

I was thinking that your trim plate was plastic with the faux-chrome sputtered aluminum finish. Hence my suggestion about the ABS which could receive a similar plating treatment. In retrospect, Volvo probably did not start using the 'chromed' plastic stuff until the start of the 140 series which would explain your solid metal trim plate (as solid as corroded pot metal can ever be).

I am probably trying to tutor the teacher; but, ABS in injected form is a very strong plastic and would probably support the weight of the radio just fine. In printed form I am less sure. The limited number of printed pieces that I have been exposed to have suffered from delamination between layers so I have always been a little suspect about there strength - good for show, perhaps not so good as a structural piece.
 
#60 ·
Have made cylinder blocks for several cars, the toughest was a 1915 300 ci four-cyl. Duesenberg 16-valve racing engine cast in one piece w/out a removable head, also have made new transmissions and differentials. Never had anything this complex cast before, but read every book on the subject I could find beforehand and went for it. Many times it's the only way to get an early car back on the track or road.

As to plastic, I like Volvos that have very little in their makeup and favor the 1967 and earlier models.

As to printed pieces they do have limited strength and are good for making a model of something to be produced. I am sure though in time that will change.
 
#61 · (Edited)


Reassembled the Smiths speedo for the 1800s last night after the rebuild. Here it is being powered by the lathe this AM at 720 rpm which equals about 50 mph. The operation is nice and smooth at all speeds up to 1440 rpm that equals about 100 mph.

The trip odometer which was not working before due to a stripped fiber drive gear operates now w/a 1800E nylon gear as does the main odometer. The jumbled numbers on the main unit are due to the ratcheting driving rod not being connected at the time to the main odometer. Just need to install the rod, test it again, put it in the housing and its all set.
 
#62 · (Edited)


More coverage of progress on the project soon - have been concentrating on getting the car ready for the road this Springtime instead of posting about what has been accomplished.

Photo below taken on the coast of Maine in Camden last fall on a nice 1000-mile weekend fall foliage run. A 1800s is a perfect GT car for covering miles on the Interstate highways quickly in overdrive, while also having great handling characteristics on winding two-lane country roads.
 
#63 ·
Plus they look great doing it!
 
#65 · (Edited)
For a late-1950s concept, the 1800 series have what I would call an "Exceptional and Timeless Design"

Red is the perfect color for an 1800 (white is pretty nice also). When I was shopping around for my NSX, I really wanted an original red one with black roof. Since the red with black roof cars were only on the first cars, they tend to fall into the category of well used (as in used up). The clincher was when my wife told me I was too old for a red sports car, so I ended up with a blue one. Red still has a huge appeal.
Yes, red does look the best on an 1800s….None of the other colors do much for me other than the dark green, but it is not as appealing as a British Racing Green is.

One thing I don't like about the red color is all of the attention it gets, would rather travel in a more incognito mode.
 
#64 ·
Red is the perfect color for an 1800 (white is pretty nice also). When I was shopping around for my NSX, I really wanted an original red one with black roof. Since the red with black roof cars were only on the first cars, they tend to fall into the category of well used (as in used up). The clincher was when my wife told me I was too old for a red sports car, so I ended up with a blue one. Red still has a huge appeal.
 
#69 · (Edited)


Preparing to make a new two-piece plywood package tray for the '67 1800s. Looking for someone who may have an original or a reproduced tray of the correct sizes for dimensions. I need the exact length and width of the two wooden pieces, #59 in the drawing.

Also looking for one bracket with caged nuts as shown in the photo below of a 1800E coupe showing one on both sides. These pieces appear to be the same from the beginning of the 1800s production run and up on thru to the last 1800E coupes.

 
#70 ·
It's efforts like this tray that make me realize how much I take the parts availability of modern vehicles for granted.
 
#71 ·


After the paint was stripped off of all of the control arms and other associated parts of the front end that were being rebuilt the parts were then soaked in a liquid rust remover. We don't sand blast suspension parts here in the shop as the surface of the metal gets hardened during the process and could contribute to cracks forming in the future.

Following priming, new OEM lower control bushings are pressed into place. The top photo shows one side of a control arm supported by a 1-9/16" socket than is larger than the OD of the bushing, and longer than it so as not to bottom out while the bushing being pressed into place.

The press is a sixty-plus year old arbor press attached to the side of our hydraulic press. It has a 2.5-inch dia. ram and the 2.5' handle has been replaced by a 5' long heat treated solid steel cheater handle. This heavy-duty press will exert about a maximum of ten tons of force and all of it was needed to push these bushings into place. The bushings were removed with the hydraulic press because more force was needed to get them out.

 
#72 · (Edited)


BUMP - anyone here willing to take a few minutes and help w/these dimensions? Thanking you in advance if you will.

Preparing to make a new two-piece plywood package tray for the '67 1800s. Looking for someone who may have an original or a reproduced tray of the correct sizes for dimensions. I need the exact length and width of the two wooden pieces, #59 in the drawing.

Also looking for one bracket with caged nuts as shown in the photo below of a 1800E coupe showing one on both sides. These pieces appear to be the same from the beginning of the 1800s production run and up on thru to the last 1800E coupes.

 
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