Skip to main content

Volvo Amazon Chassis Repairs



As suggested in my recent post, the job I originally planned at this point was to repair the battery tray which is in a bit of a state. However, even after an extensive staring, prodding and rumination, I still haven't come up with a strategy. The curves and swaging in this pressing are really quite complex, I am simply not ready to tackle this. 

"Does it really matter what it looks like?" I hear you cry, "Won't it be hidden?" Well, actually I think it does, not least of all as I am planning to relocate the battery to the boot (trunk) and utilise the tray in some other way (the current thinking is to locate an oil catcher here, which is required for competition). If so, the repairs will indeed be visible. I've decided to ignore it for the time being and come back to it later.

Instead I have turned my attention to the rear arches, starting with the offside. I knew that there are some repairs required to the chassis and the area above the spring locator. I wanted to sort these first as I think that this will add strength. I have turned to car round and lifted it with my scissor/tilt lift which gives great access.



I decided to attack the hole in the chassis rail first. I am finding one of the biggest problems with a repairs in such confined areas can be accurately removing the corrosion. I used my air cut-off tool here as it is more compact, with a smaller diameter disc and can fit into tighter areas. Even so I found that the only way to get the rotten metal out was to use a series if lateral cuts.

I then used a combination of hand operated nibblers, Gilbows, hacksaws and a variety files to complete the corrosion removal. Then from inside the car I drilled out a number spot welds to the floor and then cut away some rot that had spread to the inner wheel tub.

The repair section itself was reasonable straight forward. I made it from two pieces of 16 gauge steel, one for the wall of the chassis with a second strip to form the lip. I then welded the two pieces on the bench before fitting and welding on the car.

Finally, I made a piece to repair the wheel tub from 19 gauge (1mm) and welded it in place.


On then to the boot floor/spring location. The corroded area of the inner wheel tube proved to be quite large but nice and flat.

I started by recreating the lip of the boot floor pressing using a card template which I spray mounted onto some 19 gauge.

I carefully cut it out and ground the edges to get the shape to be as exact as I possibly could.  I then welded it to the boot floor edge and cleaned up with a flap wheel on the grinder.

I repeated this process to make a piece for the wall of the wheel tub itself, again spending a good amount of time refining the edge and fit to give me a nice buttweld joint. 



When I first found these holes, my heart sank and I thought that it was going to be really tricky to sort out. In the end it was not that difficult, although getting the car up in the air with the scissor lift made a big difference. My confidence with both fabrication and welding is definitely improving.


< previous post              next post >

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Volvo P120: O/S Boot (Trunk) Floor Pt. 2

  Picking up from where we left off, I had decided that I needed to create a controlled curve in the panel that I was creating for the front part of the O/S boot floor. I felt I needed a slip roller, or something similar. Researching available tools it soon became apparent that cost was disproportionate, given that it was entirely possible that I would never need this tool again, and so a 'DIY' solution was required. A couple of hours on YouTube and a root through the scarp metal bin... I came up with a plan. I used a couple of scrap bearings salvaged from Mazda Bongo idler pullys, two Ikea desk legs and an old HiFi speaker stand. The bearings fitted perfectly into the ends of the desk legs, great, so I then fitted some bolts and washers through the centre go the bearings as spindles. On the other end of the legs I found a couple more bolts that fitted snuggly into the plastic feet. Obviously not a robust solution, but I figured strong enough to last the short time required. I ...
Post a Comment
Read more

So What's the Big Idea?

Progress has been slow of late on Project Volvo. There have been a number of contributory factors; work, life, other projects.... However, my lack of posting should not be interpreted as a complete lack of momentum. There have been some developments, with the vehicle and with my thinking. When I started this venture, I never imagined that I would be looking for a show quality restoration, I wanted a usable car. What I was not so sure about was the 'focus' of the build; I have now made the decision to aim for a competition car. Volvo Amazon, Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb - 2017 This idea has been under consideration for quite some time. I have a close friend who competes in hill climbs and sprints in his 1967 4 door Amazon and I have attended numerous events with him. Through this we have become friends with a number of other Volvo owners who compete in the Volvo Owners Club Motorsport Challenge. '67 Amazon, Crystal Palace - 2015 At first I was happy to just string along and doc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Volvo Amazon Speedometer Facia Restoration

Back in May last year I started a process of refurbishing the speedometer unit from my Amazon. The speedometer itself was working fine, it was simply a matter of appearance; just like probably every other Volvo Amazon out there, the grey crackle coating on the facia had deteriorated and was peeling off. Many owners remove the coating completely and simply leave the brass finish, but quite frankly I don't like this look. I took the plunge and experimented with disassembling the binnacle (details in this earlier post ). I can now report that I have finished the task. The first challenge prior to painting the was what to do about the plastic warning lamp lenses (high beam, indicators, oil pressure and charge/amps). I wanted to remove them as I thought they would be difficult to mask effectively.  They are fixed originally by being melted from the back. They also each have a rubber shroud which being 50+ years old and subjected to heat cycles from the lamps, are somewhat discoloured an...
Post a Comment
Read more