Volvo PV444 wins 1957 Petit Lemans at Lime Rock!
 

OK, now I am inspired!

I consider Lime Rock my home track. People have been pestering me to get the Volvo out to wallow race in the "preservation class".

The only things I need in order to run, besides a car that runs, is an exterior emergency shut off, seat belts and some numbers. Already have the fire extinguisher, the helmet and fireproof suit.

http://touringcarracing.net/Races/19...Le%20Mans.html


The PV 444's perforance in 1958 wasn't so shabby either.

http://touringcarracing.net/Races/19...Le%20Mans.html

In 1957, I was only 9 years old and was oblivious to cars/racing until recently. In the 1957 race, I recognize the name Gordon MacKenzie finishing in 8th place driving an Austin A35. He was a member of my club, the VSCCA, and just passed away last year.

In the 1958 race, I recognize the name of Walter Cronkite, the famous American newscaster, with a dnf with a Goggomobile TS 400 - whatever that was!

Good spotting!

Who knew?

https://bringatrailer.com/2017/07/26...l-ts400-racer/


https://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/200...t-page-1/?_r=0

I mostly knew Cronkite as reporting on the Vietnam War on the evening news.

Who would have known he had this other side. He must have had one sense of humor to show up for a race with that Goggomobile.

Here's a link to the 1957 SCCA race school at Lime Rock. A little bit of PV444 action at about 9:13.

https://youtu.be/YnxQ-ArSF8g


Here's a link to a video of me chasing a PV544 at Lime Rock in 2014. Car driven by Shaun Henderson. Sadly, he rolled the car the following year and I think it was a total loss. It took me forever to catch up, Volvo action starts at around 11:00 but heats up a bit at around 13:00.

https://youtu.be/u76Cg-dX1FE

OK, here's today's burning question.

The tire shop guy said that my steel racing wheels tires are out of round. I thought he meant that the rims had been bent in some accident with a curb. But instead, they appear to be off center.

I took what I assumed to be the two worst wheels (by extent of balancing weights) and mounted them on the front hub (itself about 0.16 mm out of round) and gave them a spin. It appears that the "worst" wheel is about 3.54 mm off center and the second one is about 1.5 mm off center - in other words, they track out and back in in one long arc. These are heavier steel racing wheels, not stock. Any theories on how to straighten? Or should I just ignore and run them "as is"?

Although used on the MGA (4 lug nuts), it seems that I might be able to use them on the PV 444 (5 lug nuts) as well, but I haven't tested the fit.

Nevertheless given the status of my MGA motor (blown), I might be compelled to run the Volvo in the VSCCA "preservation class" to get my "fix".

Saab 99 Minilite look alike will fit the MGA. Should be able to find a set of those at a modest price if you are allowed to use them that is. Your "racing" wheels sound as if they are fit for the bin. If the centres are off-centre there is no cure and you will be lucky to find anyone who can straighten them if otherwise OK. They can be spun up in a big lathe and forced back in line but you then need to heat treat them as well or they will just go back to the previous shape. Look for better wheels. Late MGA/Twin Cam but not knock-offs. There are also some expensive Dunlop wheels for the MGA.
Class rules for wheels will probably apply for the PV but you might be able to getaway with early solid centre 1800 wheels which are 4 1/2".

Thank you Derek. I've looked for the Saab wheels for the MGA, but they are not so available in the States. I do have Minatour Minilites (I think) on the car now. Just wanting to revive my original wheels.

Here we have tire rules more than wheel rules - although my club doesn't like the Minilites, there is not much else available on the market and the MGA stock wheels are too weak for racing. They grumble, but pass on.

Tentative photo post - fearing massive photo :car:

Steering Wheel removal. My steering wheel has two cracks that I want to repair. I plan to use PV-7 epoxy, but will also need to paint the steering wheel when I am done.

The first step to removing the wheel was to remove the horn ring. On the steering wheel itself, behind the spokes at approximately 8 o’clock is a set screw that must be removed. Once removed, the horn ring twists off. I grabbed it and turned counter clockwise and it spun loose. It is only a compression fit, but after 60 years it might be quite tight and require some significant force to remove.

Behind the steering ring, one finds a connection for the horn in the center of the wheel. Next is a 30mm nut with a dual lock tab that holds the steering wheel in place. It was easy to push the locking tabs back with a screwdriver, and the nut itself was quite loose – maybe only 10 foot pounds of torque or less to get it off. I used a 30 mm socket, but could have probably used channel locks.

Behind the steering wheel is a cylindrical housing for the turn signal stalk. At around 4 o’clock at the dashboard is a small set screw. I removed that and then pushed the housing forward about 3/4”. It allowed just enough space for me to get my two claw puller behind the steering wheel. I left the steering wheel nut loosely in place as a foundation for a socket, then covered the horn connection with the socket, then a large washer (for spin) and then the business end of the puller. It required some firm pressure, but the steering wheel popped forward without any damage. I then pulled the steering wheel off of steering shaft.

The cylindrical housing behind the wheel now came into play. The turn signal mechanism is sitting in there. I decided to pull the housing off to paint it. I could see that the housing would slide off if I disconnected the turn signal wiring, which was easily done at a connection under the dash. The entire housing pulled off with a bit of rearward pressure.

I´ll be interested to see how you get on with that Eastwood repair stuff. I have a series 2a Land Rover wheel that needs the same treatment and there is unfortunately a little crack in the Volvo steering wheel that could do with some attention too...

...the problem I expect will be the paint for hiding the repair.

####

I looked through a few of your yew toob racing videos in the small hours this morning and was impressed by the gentlemanly behaviour on your race tracks. I went to an open day at Zandvoort (old F1 race track in Holland) and came away with the feeling that it was a place for mechanical death!

Speaking of which your MGA crank failure was a bit of a shame - though I couldn´t help smiling when I saw you reach for the starter switch to check ¨just in case¨ if it would turn over after that loud bang - hope springs eternal eh?

Did you replace the crank with a gucci forged example?

blueosprey, I NEEEEEED this poster as a scan in original or best you can do.

Pleeeease do it, now I know the perfect gift to a friend of mine.


regards, Kay

Kay; I believe that poster is also in the book "Selling Volvos" (a compilation of advert material which should grace the coffee table of every self-respecting vintage Volvo enthusiast)...featuring such classics and brilliant advert slogans as "Drive it like you Hate it!", "Driving it isn't bad for it", "If you really want to impress someone with your car, tell them it's payed for!", and "This one [pic of 122], is for people who don't like this one [pic of 544], an aren't ready for this one [pic of 1800]"), which I have and can make a scan of if you can't get it elsewhere.

bo90; I don't think painting an epoxy repaired Steering Wheel is so effective as the paint is doomed to wear off...I'd pigment the epoxy, and affect the repair with ST Wh left in-situ. Be aware that normal two part epoxy is extremely runny and will find its way out of what we might believe is an adequate damn...OR you might try a knead-the-two-parts-together-putty-type...pigment that, and work it into the cracks...no post-repair coloring necessary!

Good Hunting!

Mocambique-Amazone, that "poster" is actually a photo of a tee shirt my friend Aashish gave me. My entire summer wardrobe seems to be made up of track day related items!

Aashish got it from Heritage Racing and I think this is the direct link for the shirt. Edit: Oops, it looks like the link is for a baby outfit, but the copy (lower down) indicates that you can purchase as an adult tee shirt, which is what I have.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4790241...home_active_31


Edit X2: Ooops x2. Here is the actual link for the actual adult tee shirt.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2088697...-pv444-t-shirt

It seems to be a small shop, and I suspect they could find a way to make the poster up for you.

Good luck.

"bo90; I don't think painting an epoxy repaired Steering Wheel is so effective as the paint is doomed to wear off...I'd pigment the epoxy, and affect the repair with ST Wh left in-situ. Be aware that normal two part epoxy is extremely runny and will find its way out of what we might believe is an adequate damn...OR you might try a knead-the-two-parts-together-putty-type...pigment that, and work it into the cracks...no post-repair coloring necessary!"

Ron, You give me far more credit than I am worthy of. Pigment the epoxy? :) I'm lucky if I can just mix it. Getting it to match is beyond my skill set (but perhaps I'll give it a try!).

I'm planning to use the PC-7 two part epoxy which is what Eastwood sells in their steering wheel repair kit. I understand that it will mix up fairly stiff and workable.

The prior owner's repair consisted of wrapping the deep part of the crack with venetian blind cord and then wrapping the rim with black electrical tape. I'm trying to do better.

I'm having trouble deciding what to do about my floorboards.

My driver's side had some rust through and I thought I would use the POR-15 floor pan kit to treat the floor with the POR-15 and the POR-15 "fiberglass" mesh.

But once I used the wire brush, the amount of rust through is about triple what I thought, maybe affecting 10% of the left half of the floor area. There is also a small amount of rust at the base of the toe board. Still, it all feels pretty solid.

I'm still leaning towards the POR-15 treatment, but floor pan replacement pieces are not that expensive. But I've never welded and fear that I might be in over my head if I attempt a metal replacement - a much bigger project than I anticipated. But then again, if I treat with the POR-15, the next guy may have that much more difficulty because he will have to deal with the POR-15 removal process.

So holding off for now. Plan to look closely at the passenger side within the next few days and then at the trunk and spare wheel area. If all three need metal replacement, I might buy the replacement panels, do some preliminary work and then try to find a body shop to weld in the panels.

But I'm anxious to be using the car this summer as opposed to doing body work.

On the driver's side, it looks like all the rust in from the inside. The underside looks quite smooth.

Steering wheel repair also coming along nicely using the PC-7.

Removing ALL of the rusty metal and fitting new metal is really the only way to go. When a pre formed panel is available it's often quicker and neater to cut out more metal so that the whole repair panel can be used. If you can't weld and have no equipment calling in a mobile welder will be cheaper than a body shop if you do the cutting out and mocking up first. A modestly priced welder, not necessarily the cheapest from Harbour Freight, check Craigslist, would allow you to DIY. Floors are a good place to learn, as perfection isn't a major criteria here. Don't try to weld rusty metal though.

Check out http://barzettiswelding.com/ They do mobile but they also do short courses that start at 1 hour.

I wouldn´t worry about the next guy having trouble with POR-15. It isn´t that good. A wire brush and an angle grinder will remove it easily.

In my experience unless you follow the complete POR-15 process then the chances of success are limited. This means - serious rust removal - aggressive wire brush on angle grinder treatment, then Marine clean degreaser, then metal ready several times with wire brushing in between, then POR-15...

...I have learnt that the whole ¨paint over rust¨ thing is total utter BS. The rust will quite happily carry on rusting underneath the expensive POR-15 paint.

I think you are better off using a proper rust eater such as evaporust / rustyco before using paint treatment like POR-15. Epoxy primers are also worth considering. The POR-15 tie coat primer, however, is an utter bugger to dry in this Northern European climate (!)

I know that welding shop in Bethel and called about two years ago to set up instruction. But life has gotten in the way.

Depressing! I can do nothing. I can try to stabilize. Or I can try to repair properly. I was hoping to stabilize, I think.

Maybe I should just focus my efforts on trying to get the heap ready to "race". Lime Rock beckons with the first event in 6 weeks. Just watch this video between 2:15 and 2:40 and between 12:15 and 12:35. That could be me chugging along as opposed to welding in floor pans!

https://youtu.be/9GLKH7Q-5GM

Doing something with some sort of anti-rust related product will almost certainly slow the rust down. Whether you will pass some sort of tech inspection for racing afterwards is something I reckon you are in an ideal position to judge.

Are you still repairing the MGA then?

MGA? - just about every night after work! But It's still below freezing in the garage and I wish it would warm up.

Last season at about this time, I lent my spare engine to another racer who had blown his engine in his season opener. But he broke the crankcase in my spare engine a week after I broke mine in my main engine. He called last night with news that he is bringing the repaired engine - at least the bottom end - north in about 10 days time. The head is "iffy" - not quite done - but I have a stock head that I can use in a pinch.

On my main engine and another spare block, the machinist has finally made some progress. I already received the rods and I just ordered pistons yesterday. I also have a "ghost main' crankshaft on order (what was I thinking?). But clearly that engine will not be done anytime soon.

I also spent a lot of time preparing another engine block that I originally came with the car. That block is ready for assembly, but I know it is out of spec in some critical areas and am hesitant. But I also don't want to spend any money on that block!

In the meanwhile, I've been working on the chassis, mostly the brakes and the steering rack.

As for the Volvo, I think I can get it on track without a roll bar, running in what they call the "preservation class". Actually, some members of the club are quite anxious for me to bring it. The biggest issue facing me is seat belts. Otherwise I need a fire extinguisher, overflow catch cans for the engine (oil) and radiator and to safety wire the drain plugs for engine, transmission and differential. New tires would be nice, but I think I might have a short term solution.

The floor board is quite solid enough and won't be an issue. :)

Oh dear those engine troubles do sound expensive.

As for the PV - seat belts - do you need a proper four point harness or just a three point set up?

I had great expectations for the weekend. But on Saturday morning, I espied a Craigslist ad for a B20 motor about 2 and a half hours away. Knowing absolutely anything about the B20 motor, I decided to go get it on the theory that I should buy when the item is available.

As usual, the spare motor was not very well cared for, but it spins and someone put a substantial amount of grease at the front crank where a pulley should be. It is a B20 4969 29 25945 that I think was used in the 140 series. I have no idea what the carburation was, but the intake / exhaust manifold has butterfly valves built in. The fellow I bought it from, however, gave me a intake / exhaust manifold which I can use for SU carbs. He suggested that the manifold was rare and worth more than the engine. Of course, I know nothing.

I spent a good portion of today cleaning it up and building a "box" for it to sit in so it is upright. Then I moved it to the barn that I rent for storage. I now have two spare engines. That should be enough!

Although I didn't have a chance with the wire wheel, I think my passenger side and both rear floorboards are is pretty good condition with no rust through.

The steering wheel repair is coming along. Although I have patched the cracks, the entire rim is cloudy perhaps because of the sun's ultraviolet rays. Not sure what to do, and was hoping to get a small quantity, two part epoxy paint in black, but can't find any.

I'm trying to post photos of the steering wheel.

I pulled the steering wheel with the 2 arm gear puller once I pushed the turn signal housing behind the steering wheel towards the dash (photo 1). Photo 2 shows the turn signal mechanism inside the housing behind the wheel. The turn signal stalk was held on with a 12mm nut that I could get at from the small end near the dash. I had two cracks in the wheel that I repaired with PC-7.

The manifold with the butterflies is at best, undesirable. The butterflies are for emissions purposes and it's inefficient even when the butterflies work. If the extra manifold is a similar one piece one with dual exhaust outlets but without the butterflies, it could be the best Volvo one and work well. Post a pic.

You might be able to find a body shop that is spraying a black car. A couple of black base coats and multiple clear coats should give it a long life. Mask the centre off before you take it in. Audi repair shop?

Derek, that spare B20 engine is in storage. Next time I go there I'll take some pictures.

Today's question concerns the paint.

My car is California White, color code 42. It seems that it is painted with either a "synthetic enamel" or a "cellulose enamel" by Glasurit. There are several high heat temp drying paints listed in the factory manual, but for my purposes, also an air drying enamel listed as Glassomax Lackemaille Air Drying California 20 - Volvo 117". I'm not sure if the "California 20 - Volvo 117" signifies some different paint code.

In any event, I think I've found a source (www.autocolorlibrary.com) for some white paint, California White #42, that I can get in several options:

Acrylic Enamel;
Acrylic Urethane;
Acrylic Lacquer;
Urethane Basecoat and
Low VOC UBLV Urethane Basecoat - the last one being a water based paint, I believe.

My car has about 80% percent paint in reasonable condition, but some large areas that need to be addressed and repainted.

I want a compatible paint suitable for a guy who will be using a spray gun for the first time and who isn't too good with rattle can paints.

Any suggestions as to which paint option I should choose? And the reason?

You are in a similar position to me at the moment. Lots of the paint is OK but enough of it isn´t...

...any decent paint shop will encourage you to strip what you have and start again because: The problem you will probably face is that different paint systems can react with each other.

Some people might recommend a sealer before painting - in this case they say you might be able to mix different systems.

Suggest that I go to a decent paint shop ? :)

The body shop around the corner from me gave up collision work and in now doing "custom builds" . I can see the quality of the work through the window. It's stunning - and they already know how to do a custom '46 Ford, so the Volvo would be a piece of cake.

I figure that if I strip the car down and deliver it along with a bag of cash containing $10,000 U.S., that I'd have a lovely paint job and a car that is worth about $8,000.

Then once I figure in the additional cost of the alimony payments, the gloss of the shiny new paint is significantly diminished.

I´m not saying you necessarily need to repaint but I think you need to be prepared for it / at least everyone telling you you need to...

...how much of the bad paint is on parts you can remove?

You could for example leave the body in what ever condition it is and repaint the wings and bonnet and boot lid. You could even be honest and do those parts in a different colour (!)

#####

I don´t suppose it is time to take about the 50 dollar paint job yet is it?

Facebook just popped up this photo of my "other" car from six years ago.

https://i.imgur.com/lNlixqp.jpg

I was heading out to run it at Lime Rock on 3/31, i.e. tomorrow

The car sits today in storage, yet another casualty of "global warming" and extremely late spring. :)

Question de jure: I'm midway through replacing the transmission mount. I think the transmission is an M4. The replacement mount that I purchased is round, but the sleeve for the through bolt is off center, with more rubber on one side that the other. I'm thinking the thicker rubber goes on the bottom.

Any knowledge out there?

The old mount was so far gone that I couldn't tell, although it looked like the sleeve for the through bolt was more in the center.

Réponse du jour: I can´t find a section for replacing either the front or rear engine mounts (as the gearbox one is often called) - looking at the spares book, however, it seems as though the thinner bit is at the bottom. Not what I´d have expected either...

Transmission mount – M3 Transmission: Close examination of the oil soaked transmission mount revealed that its effectiveness was less than zero. The replacement came in the mail, so today was the day to replace.

With the car up on jack stands, removal of the mount supports from the car was quite easy. A semicircular plate on the bottom of the car (4 bolts) and a piece on the transmission (2 bolts) and the whole device was removed.


https://i.imgur.com/LC5rUQD.jpg


I then attempted to press the mount out of the piece it sits in but I couldn’t get any leverage so that was to no avail. The mount was so far gone, however, that I was able to remove the central rubber piece with no difficulty. Then I carefully made two cuts with a sabresaw and removed the bearing ring by cutting it out.


I cleaned up and painted the mount supports, put the mount in the freezer and the piece into which it is pressed into the oven. Since the mount if “off center”, I puzzled over which way to install it. In the end, I installed with the small rubber side down. In other words, with the meatier rubber in the mount to the top and the off center hole to the bottom. I found and relied on this link: http://www.vp-autoparts.com/eu/main....le&artno=89731. Interestingly, for the PV444 the hole is installed down, but for the 445 and 210, the hole is installed up. Thank's for looking Army.

Despite my efforts with freezing the mount and heating the piece that it sits in, I had a very difficult time press fitting the mount. I used my heavy vice, but feared I would be unable to complete pressing it in. Eventually, I applied pressure first on one edge, then the other in an alternating fashion and it did press home.

https://i.imgur.com/Aijv9UQ.jpg


Spent the rest of the day under the car trying to clean up the floor pans. I was only able to complete the driver’s side. So far, the only floor pan that appears significantly compromised is the driver’s. The bottom of the driver’s side toe board is also compromised. The other three floor pans, while showing significant rust from the inside, are not rusted through. From the underside, the pans appear generally in nice shape. The current plan is to POR-15 the pans from the inside and paint with Eastwood’s Chassis Black on the underside. Replacement of the driver’s side floor pan and a patch to the toe board to be deferred as I want to get the car back on the road for the summer.

While I was doing this work, the ID plate on the transmission was revealed. It appears that the transmission is an M3, not an M4 as I thought. The other numbers were Det Nr: 254160 and Tillv Nr: 1450. I assume the Det Nr. is the unit's serial number.

The underside had been previously painted in black – maybe just primer. It was covered in oil soaked dirt / soil and was not so easily removed. The bottom of the car in front of the rear axle had several dents, and the bottom underside rail was also dented and somewhat mashed, suggesting careless jacking. At the end of the day, I emerged from underneath as if from a coal mine.

M3 = 3 speed. Are you happy with that? M4 or even M40 can be fitted but I think you may need some small mods to fit a M40 to the M3 bell housing. Not sure why but apparently the early clutches, yours qualifies, are prone to early wear/short life.

http://www.volvotips.com/index.php/pv/buying-tips-pv/

A conundrum, indeed.

I thought I had an M4 transmission, not an M3. My transmission is definitely 4 speed, with a non-syncromeshed first gear.

I went back out and double checked the tag. It definitely says M3.

As usual, I remain in a state of confusion.

Watching Army's thread is making me feel like a piker.

I still haven't decided what to do, but this morning I ordered a replacement floor pan for my driver's side.

After wheel grinding, both pans on the passenger side look good and the driver's side rear has only one tiny pinhole, maybe 1/4" by 1/16". Plan to use POR15 to stabilize these.

On the driver's front? I guess I'll have to wait to see how long it takes for delivery. But I may be forced to descend the rabbit hole if I want to show my face around here.

:)

Warm on Saturday, so I pulled the steering wheel out of the basement for paint. Here it is in primer. I then sprayed some semi gloss black with which I'm not perfectly happy. Put it back in the basement to dry. Not sure if I should clear coat it or leave as is.

Edit: Photo removed!

Edit: Photo added!






In other news, I put an engine in the MGA. Not too happy about that one either, but beggars can't be choosers.

+ YouTube Video

Boy, I sure wish I could edit my posts with the huge photos!

Sorry about that lads. I tried to reduce size before posting but apparently failed!


Edit: Not sure how I found an edit page on that prior post, but I removed the photo lest you all suffer!

While fooling around with my floors, I ordered some replacement kick panel cards. I'll have to cover them with some sort of "fabric", but now I have the question:

1) of how these should be attached? and
2) Is there supposed to be some sort of soundproofing/ vapor barrier behind the cards?

I see evidence that "something" was glued onto the car body in the car's prior life, but I'm not sure what that "something" might have been.

Heading to the track tomorrow. Since I scored the engine, I'm taking the MGA, not the Volvo.

Volvo is still a bit under the knife, anyway. :regular_smile:

I haven't forgotten the Volvo, but have been sidetracked. Since I got the engine for the MGA, that has been the main priority. Have raced x2 and it's running quite nicely. There was a 122 in one of the races last weekend and I think I got some video of that.

Last night, I think I finally finished off the steering wheel, painting a gloss black.

I've also been working on the floor pans. Concentrating on the passenger side as there are just two pinholes of rust through. Using POR15 which is interesting stuff. I'm using a plastic container to hold the paint and when it dries on the plastic, it looks and feels like a sheet of mylar. But when it dries on the disposable brush, the brush is rock hard. Finish on the metal is glossy and hard. I'll have to scuff it up. I'll probably top coat with white.

I haven't decided what to do on the drivers side. I'll probably POR 15 that side as well as I want to drive the car this summer.

POR15 is indeed weird stuff. If you want to stop a film from forming you need to stop air from getting to it. An old disposable glove on top of the paint inside the tin is a good start. To stop the tin lid from sticking on the tin use cling film / sandwich bag for the lid and then press down hard (hammer time!)

The thing to remember about POR15 is that it isn't necessarily as good as it says on the tin. De-rusting before is really important that's why they harp on about the Metal Ready + prep + Marine clean stuff.

Once it has dried I recommend you try and sand it off! I know it sounds a bit mad but you need to make sure it has stuck properly otherwise it just carries on rusting underneath.

Top coating POR15 isn't that straight forward either. You are best off using the POR15 self etch primer on top to bind the next layer of paint. They also sell a "tie coat primer" but it takes ages and ages to dry (in a Northern Europe climate).

If you paint on top of POR15 with out the tie coat or self etch then it is likely to flake off.



(I hope this helps and not ****es off!)