By Dean Sprague
It’s CY 2022 and I still don’t have this car on the road. We are referring to my 1964 Volvo P 1800 of course. This has become a 7 year on/off quest. The good news is it is running and driving. The bad news, I think I need about 3-4 weeks work before its completed and sorted.
When I finished building the engine and transmission and was ready to install it. I called my buddies David Poe, David Ahrendt and Corky Guenther. They foolishly agreed to provide assistance. The factory Volvo repair manual has remove and install engine/transmission instructions but they are of little help. In fact, Volvo probably never actually intended for anyone to remove and reinstall these drivetrains. We discovered that you must begin by standing the engine/transmission almost straight up then slowly cantilever it into the engine bay. We also found that (although there’s no reference to it in the manual) it will not fit with the engine mounting brackets bolted on the block until you have it almost completely suspended in position. Then you can bolt them in by pushing the engine left and then right. Again, no reference to it but the heater box is really in the way so you should not install it until the power plant is in. Also, the throttle linkage was in the way so it must be temporarily relocated. I found a Volvo forum thread suggesting that you bolt the drivetrain and front engine mounts to the crossmember while all are out of the car. Slide the body down over the assembled crossmember and drivetrain, then pull the drivetrain up to the body and bolt the crossmember in. That’s definitely not in the manual but I guess it will work. Unfortunately, I already had the front suspension built and installed so not an option.
Finally, we got everything hooked up and the time had come for the “awakening”. A general system check revealed we were ready. We dead cranked the engine with plugs removed until we saw oil pressure. Then we reinstalled the plugs, opened the choke, turned the key and pulled the trigger. Amazingly she sprang to life so we began the run in procedure until smoke began to roll out from under the dash. I knew this was too easy. Corky found the tach pulse wire was melted. It seems yours truly had inadvertently grounded the coil. Whoops. Well, an hour so later, thanks to some new wire and rerouting we continued the run in. The tach still sort of worked, a little. OK, I am sending it off to be rebuilt.
The test drive revealed a very solid car. The overdrive engaged very quickly, the transmission shifted smoothly, the rear end was quiet and the driveline was tight. The new tuned exhaust has a nice throaty sound but not too loud. Now it was time to align the front end and charge the new air-conditioning. I drove the car about 50 miles with an escort from David Poe to a facility that specializes in building race cars and fabricating. Now the new air conditioning blows ice cold but I still have front end issues. Something is bent so I had to bring it home. Again, David gave me a ride and followed me back. We left with the same full tank we brought it down with. Since the gauge read full, we felt we were good. Common sense should have prevailed here since it had almost 80 miles on the tank and still read full. Of course, as soon as we got out in the middle of nowhere the fuel pump began to run wildly and the Volvo sputtered to a stop. We pushed it from the road, and finally realizing my stupidity, we went searching for a gas can. We found a Walmart, bought a new can then fueled it and we were back on our way. Once we actually had fuel in the car again it ran like a deer. So well in fact David wanted to take it to lunch, so we did.
Now it has almost 200 miles on it and it’s back on the lift to find the front-end problem. Oh, and fix the fuel gauge. While at it, I will remove the tach and send it off for repair and of course finish the rest of the mechanical restoration, install the bonnet and grill. Finally, I will need to do some cosmetic paint repair. This is a self-inflicted hardship brought on by a combination of incompetence (me) and poor painting conditions but with patience and determination we will prevail. I will keep you posted
FYI on another subject I just received a call from a gentleman in Florida. Apparently, he purchased a Triumph TR3a that belonged to me about 12 years ago. I purchased 2 of them as project cars from a friend. I immediately titled the cars in my name. My original intent was to part one car and restore the other. Since I was nearing retirement at the time and had more projects than I thought I could handle I decided to abandon this one and sell both cars.
I have learned that before you begin any restoration always make sure you have a title in your name. This can become an expensive lesson if you don’t. It seems the guy I sold one of the TR3s to a dozen years ago never re-titled it he just sold it to this gentleman. The new owner then began a very expensive and extensive restoration. After over 5 years of work and a ton of money he began the registration process only to find he needed my release and bill of sale because legally I still owned the car. He was very fortunate to find my phone number and I was able to resolve his problem.
I mention this only because many times we get so excited about our acquisitions and subsequent restorations that a small thing like ownership papers can get overlooked. So, if you intend to use the original VIN number you will need a title and usually a Bill of Sale. Always make sure the first thing you do is get it transferred in your name. You don’t necessarily have to get buy a plate, but you need a title which is your proof of ownership before you start your project.
Next time I will tell you about my recent acquisition which sadly resulted from the passing of my oldest and dearest friend, David Ault. I now have his 1959 Austin Healey “Bugeye” Sprite. Known in England as a “Frogeye”. Details to follow.
