About Project Volvo

Hello and welcome to 'Project Volvo'. By way of introduction I thought I should give some background regarding the car, its history and my intentions. Here goes...

The Car

My car is a 1970 Volvo 122s 2door saloon powered by a B20 2 litre, four cylinder engine. I have owned the car since 1983 and it was my daily transport up until the mid 1990s when engine issues combined with some quite frankly appallingly badly botched bodywork repairs by a couple of chancers/cowboys/idiots (yes, I am still bitter) along with lack of funds forced me to take the car off the road. The Volvo has covered almost a quarter of a million miles and I have personally driven more than 100,000 of them, including a tour around Scandinavia in 1985.

The Restoration

I have always intended to restore the car, in fact I began working on it shortly after taking it off the road. It was partially stripped and after learning to MIG weld I tackled the near side 'A' pillar and footwell, and replaced the front offside outrigger. Then 'stuff' got in the way.

After a hiatus of more than twenty years I have finally exhumed the car and resumed the restoration. I have a limited budget, limited knowledge and limited skills, but I don't see why that should stop me.

The Blog

I started this blog to record and illustrate my progress in undertaking what many of my friends consider to be a near impossible task. I don't claim to be an expert, I'm not suggesting that my way is the right way and I am certainly not offering instruction. I have no doubt that some of you will find much to criticise in my methods; if so, tell me, I'm not precious. I would be very pleased to receive your advice/wisdom. I simply wish to share my experiences and I hope that this blog offers something of interest and encouragement to anyone else out there thinking of attempting a similarly ambitious restoration.

If you find this site to be of interest or value, please spread the word and subscribe via email/RSS to be notified of future posts as they are published. If at any point you have any views, feedback or questions please add a comment, I would be very happy to here from you.

Comments

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 ...

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...

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...

PROJECT VOLVO

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