Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1998
Glenn,
Your web-site is Nirvana. I come to you with questions of ignorance. I've run across an elderly gentleman that has three P1800s, a '64, '66 and '68. He wants to sell all but the '66, which he purchased new. The '68 is a rust bucket, but the '64 is very clean and all there. We came to an agreed price of $1350 for the '64 if and when it ran. It had been sitting for 4-5 years.
At first there was no fuel getting to the carbs. Had the gas tank boiled and replaced the fuel pump with a new one that he purchased twenty years ago that was still in the box. The fuel pump has a glass dome in which you can see a metal strainer. Is this the correct pump for a '64 1800 and is the screen in the pump considered to be the fuel filter? He could not find the spacer so we installed it without one. Now have good fuel flow to the carbs. Is the spacer required and should I locate and install one as soon as possible?
Next turned to the ignition, which displayed a very puny and inconsistent spark. New cap, rotor, plugs and condenser. Spark is consistent now but still looks weak. Went to remove the coil and discovered that there was a cable connected to the bottom of the coil that went to the ignition switch. How can I check out the coil to make sure it's not decaying? Also, if the coil is bad, do I have to replace the whole assembly to include the ignition switch?
One thing that happened during the attempt to breathe life into the '64: The owner hooked the battery up backwards and tried to start her up. Kept trying to turn it over for about 5 minutes. What kind of damage could have occurred by this? Got good voltage all over the wiring harness except can't find any voltage on output of voltage regulator. Is that normal until the engine starts running? Do you have a procedure for checking out a voltage regulator without the car running?
Turning to the '68, it has a recent rebuild on the B18. Stock pistons were retained. I can pick up the '68 for $350, and it's all there except the seats. Body is in very bad shape as far as rust goes, but I noticed that it has air-conditioning and what appears to be a brake booster unit. How much of the '68 can I use on the '64? Can I put the air-conditioning into the '64? Is it difficult, or is the system a straight bolt-in? Is the brake booster a candidate for the '64? If so, how difficult to switch over and what advantage (if any) will the booster have for the '64? How about other parts on the '68? Can I use the wheels, dash, glass, drive-train in the '64? Is there anything that I should take off of the '68 and put on the '64? Should the '68s radiator be an improvement over the '64s since it came with air?
Also, once I get the '64 to run and I become its new owner, are there any recommended modifications that should be made to make it more driveable a la suspension mods, ignition upgrade, carb swap to the single Weber set-up, different tire size to improve handling, generator to alternator change, etc... I would like to keep it looking as original as possible but I will be driving her daily and would like to make it easier on the car and myself if any upgrades are warranted and recommended.
Now to the questions I probably shouldn't ask. If one wanted to really improve the performance of the '64, what do you recommend? Remember, I'll most likely have the '68 drive train just collecting dust. Does anyone make a performance rebuild kit for the B18? Are there any quality aftermarket performance parts a la exhausts, suspensions, shocks, cams, carbs, ignitions for the P1800? Nothing wild, just improved performance without losing any driveability. Do you recommend any "must have" publications for the P1800 owner? I'm excited about becoming a P1800 owner and I haven't even driven one yet. Is this normal?
Rick DeVaux
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1998
Rick - Thanks! Nirvana is the best tag applied to my web site since its inception. Yes, the screen in the glass-domed fuel pump is considered the fuel filter. However, you might consider an additional in-line filter if you have problems. Older gas tanks sometimes produce rust particles of a size that can make the carburetor float bowl inlet assemblies get stuck. This makes gas squirt out the the top of the float bowl. The glass-domed pump is the original type for a '64, and I haven't seen one for sale lately. Most people wind up replacing them with pumps for later models.
The spacer block is necessary. I believe they are still available from Boston Volvo. Call them at 1-800-336-2355 and ask for John Sharisky. The spacer block is part number 460678. If you don't install one, the pump diaphragm will wear out prematurely. Be sure to order two gaskets, one for either side of the spacer block.
Later P1800s had a coil without the armored cable to the ignition switch. Most people replace the early one with the later one and install a generic ignition switch. I have a feeling the original coil-with-cable is no longer available. If you want to retain an original appearance, saw the bracket off the bottom of the original coil and use that to hold the new coil. Before you decide to discard the old coil, make sure the weak spark is not due to the point gap being set wrong.
I'm not sure what damage, if any, would result from hooking up the battery backwards. For information about the voltage regulator, check the Haynes manual for the Volvo 120, 130 Series and 1800 Sports.
Air conditioning generally may be moved from a '68 to a '64 without purchasing additional parts. However, if the system has the original hoses, you should consider having new ones made up by a specialist. Also, the receiver-dryer should be replaced any time the system is opened for more than a few minutes.
All P1800s were built with brake boosters, but the booster varied over the production run. I'm not sure if the '68 could be fitted to the '64. Generally, if the brake master cylinder is the same, the booster is the same.
Most parts from '64 to '68 are interchangeable, depending on the scope. For instance, the front crossmembers are interchangeable, but the A-frames are not [I think]. If you have space to store a parts car, the '68 would be an excellent candidate. The radiator changed at some point, probably between '64 and '68. I don't believe Volvo made a special radiator for air-conditioned 1800s, but they did make a special six-bladed fan for early air-conditioned models.
Most of your questions regarding performance upgrades can be answered by Scott Hart or other folks at IPD Company, Inc., in Portland, Oregon. Check their web site at:
http://www.ipdusa.com/
I recently overhauled a B-18 engine for my P1800 using an IPD kit that essentially turned my B-18 into a B-20, and I've been very satisfied with the results.
If you want to use the car as a daily driver, I would recommend keeping everything stock, unless you are forced to change because of price or non-availability of stock parts. The reason is that nothing is faster or easier to use than stock replacement parts. If you try to "improve" things, you may find yourself spending too much time trying to make things work that weren't really designed for your car.
Of course it's normal to be nuts about classic sports cars. -Glenn.