By Dean Sprague
You may remember I bought a 1964 Volvo P 1800s about four years ago. I decided to drive it for a while before I made any decisions about keeping it as is, restoring it or just selling it. Of course, I almost always end up restoring everything I buy then once finished stupidly sell it. I think my never-ending quest for perfection is a basic character flaw. At any rate this discussion is limited to the resurrection of the drive train not the entire car - yet. I decided to go through the engine even though it ran fairly well. The early Volvo B series are simple enough so what could go wrong?
Normally the machining, acquiring parts and assembly portion of an engine rebuild takes up to several weeks. That was not the case with this vintage Volvo engine. In fact, this discussion could be shortened considerably if we just described what went right.
First we (David Ahrendt and I) removed the engine and transmission from the carcass. We couldn’t get it out without dropping the front cross member. We later found that as a result of several collisions, the body was pushed so far inward that the oil pan wouldn’t clear the cross member with it in place. Thanks to computers combined with laser-based frame straightening machines the body problem has been rectified; I hope. Finally, the drive train was sitting on my engine bench and the disassembly process began. Except for profuse oil leaks the transmission and overdrive are in great order. Even the synchromesh rings, gears and bearings look very good. I bought a gasket and seal kit to address the leaking issues so this should be a fairly simple tear down re-gasket project. The engine was another issue. It came apart moderately easily but inside gremlins were afoot. Apparently the car sat neglected for significant periods. You may already know this but dinosaur oil contains sulfur which if heated and cooled multiple times and allowed to sit for extended periods can create sulfuric acid and chew into the bearings and things. Well, in my case it did so the crankshaft, which was standard and round, had to be turned .010 to clean it up. This is not a big deal especially on a Volvo B series engine because the crank is strong enough to drive a bulldozer. Since the P1800 is a little heaver than a typical MG or Triumph I felt it should have more power to be competitive. Since I already modified the suspension to improve handling, to keep everything in balance it should be made to go faster right?
I knew little about Volvo engines so I talked with Allen my machinist and it seems he knew nothing about Volvo's either so I spent hours on Volvo forums and talking with Volvo racer guys. Based on this profound new knowledge we decided to increase the engine cylinder bore from a B18 (1.8 liter) to a B20 (2 liter). You know what they say; there is no substitute for cubes. While there is plenty of “meat” in the block I am told when boring these early engines many find air pockets in the casting so when I found another complete engine cheap I snapped it up. Of course, the engine bored to 2 liter without mishap but it’s always good to have a back up. I found if you bore to 2 liter you must replace the cylinder head with one from a B20 engine to match the combustion chambers to the bore. It was difficult but I finally found one and the good news; it was freshly rebuilt, not. When Allen took it apart it only needed 8 new values, 4 seats, 8 guides and 8 springs plus machining, OK it needed everything. I decided to try and make some “lemonade” from this sour experience and convert it to run on unleaded fuel plus open up the exhaust ports a bit for improved breathing. I quickly discovered that getting engine parts for a vintage B series Volvo engine is like looking for needles in hay. I contacted all the suppliers I could find. Most list the parts but many things are usually out of stock. I had to purchase some parts directly from Germany, Sweden and even UK but no matter whom you order from be patient and be prepared to pay more than MG prices. Acquiring some things took weeks to months. Maybe it’s Volvo’s durability (no need for parts) or the scarcity of the remaining cars (limited market) but some things are just not available. I finally found SS exhaust valves and hardened seats from a restoration shop in Charleston, SC of all places. He has them made for his restoration and race cars. Allen could get the bearings and pistons but couldn’t find freeze plugs or wrist pin bushings. It took me 18 months to find the piston wrist pin bushings. I finally got them from a racer supplier in Florida who that had them made and sold me 4 of them. There are plenty of cams available however there are about 20 of them and 50 varying opinions on which one works best.
After over 6 months of research I decided to go with the Isky power cam since I have factory air conditioning and a tall overdrive I felt the 30 percent increase in torque would be more valuable than horsepower. Now I am still trying to find the right distributor to match my new cam. Of course, when you upgrade the cam you must replace the fiber cam gear with a stronger aluminum or steel one. I also upgraded the oil pump, main seals and clutch assembly. Naturally Allen balanced all the moving engine components and I upgraded bolts where required, Heli coiled all stripped threads holes etc.
For multiple reasons described above combined with Allen’s occasional shifts in priority it has taken more than three years not several weeks to get the engine (in pieces) back on my garage floor. So long in fact I am now debating if I should just go ahead and finish the bodywork and paint the car. Since you must really clean the garage before you can turn it into a paint booth once through painting this would provide a great environment for engine assembly without having to completely re-clean the garage again. You know, I think I just talked myself into it.
My goal is to get this car painted and drive-line installed before fall. Who knows if I live long enough and never surrender it just might happen besides what could else go wrong?
