Amazon: My Amazon project - an attempt towards a reliable car

[samaron]

Greetings everyone!

Thought I'd make a thread about my Amazon.

After having worked for several years at a big EV brand and not liking the way things are heading, I decided I wanted a classic car as my daily driver. There are multiple other reasons for my decision as well, but ultimately I wanted a simple car I can maintain and repair myself. An Amazon fit my criteria well.

I imported this car back in 2021 from Sweden. The car appear to be unrestored, but with various repairs performed over the years to keep it going. Came with a binder containing a lot of paperwork, even the original registration paper. Most of the paperwork is receipts and insurance, but at least it gives some insight into past owners and repairs. The car, in my opinion, is fairly honest.

Eventhough it arrived running and driving, a lot of work is ahead of me to bring it to a reliable daily driver standard. Having it registered here in Norway was a fairly simple task. Surprisingly easy, in fact. A quick inspection where the inspector just took a few pictures, and off he went to make the new registration papers. Had to bring it in a second time as I had to get the chassis number stamped into the body of the car. A new thing introduced in 2017 or so.

After a few weeks, I got the registration papers and could select the registration number. I could opt for modern plates and number, but chose a period correct number and plates. Did some research to find what was used in my county in 1958 and went for something in that number range which was available.

I started driving the car as soon as I could. My thinking is that it would be the best way to both enjoy the car, and find out what needed attention first. So far in my ownership the entire ignition system got replaced with new parts, entire fuel system replaced and the carburetor got rebuilt. I also replaced all the bushings in the rear suspension. Have done other preventative maintenance and minor repairs too. I try to keep it stock for now, as I find it easier to just follow documentation rather than reverse engineer modifications.

The Interior is in surprisingly good condition. It came with seat covers from the 60s or so that I keep on the seats. Everything works except the clock. Maybe I will have a look at it soon. The exterior is a bit rough. A lot of stone chips and surface rust. Since it is my daily driver, I don't mind it. Makes it less painful if I get a scratch in the paint. I am keeping it at bay with Owatrol and other products.

As for the undercarriage, it was also in fairly good condition for the age. Most of it was probably from the 60s or 70s. Bushings show signs of cracking, but not directly bad either. No major rust, except some damage in the rear left wheel arch. The sills appear to be fine at first glance as well, but they do appear to have overlaid panels. Will have a proffessional shop replace these soon as I'm not good with a welder and body work. Otherwise, as with the exterior, some surface rust is present in general. Still solid, which is great. I am slowly working my way around with a wire brush and rust treatment chemicals.

Overall I find this car to be just what I wanted, and very enjoyable. Most of the work so far have been possible to perform with simple tools in my garage. The car also seem to have a positive effect on the surroundings as well. I did have to get used to being approached by strangers on a regular basis. Most of the people are curious and enthusiastic about the car, although some are about to burst a vein.

At least a short summary so far. Have most likely forgotten a few things. Will try to keep this thread updated as I move along.

[csm22]

NICE 121... so, it's a 1958 model? Heater controls to the left of the wheel are noteworthy. You'll find that LOTS of people love Amazons, not only for their uniqueness, but their general charm and good looks. They're just plain fun to drive. Enjoy the journey!

Cheers from Ohio,

Chris

[samaron]

Some technical data about the car:
Type: P-12004VB
Chassis number: 9171
Color: 54
Interior: 13-111
Engine: B16
Transmission: M4
Options: Windshield washer (aftermarket type from Trico)

It is a 1958, yes. One of the reasons I went with an Amazon was supposed to be the availability of parts. Several people told me they're all the same, or at least enough for everything to be bolt on interchangable. Unfortunately that isn't the case with mine. An extra unforseen challenge.

This car has some differences from later models. Here are some other that I have found when comparing:
The wiper switch is located under the dashboard, next to the radiator curtain chain.
The speedometer goes to 160 km/h (100 mph), not 180 km/h (120 mph). It also has a transparent plastic cover over the instrument which I have not seen on later models.
The instrument lights have different colors. Amp is red, full beam is blue, turn signal is yellow and oil pressure is green.
No provisions for front three point seat belts, and none at all in the rear.
The bonnet only has one long spring strut, and a very different latch.
The boot lid has two handles, not aero-style handle or single handle. Lock/latch is in the body, not the lid.

The windshield also had a sticker in the lower left corner that said "Caution! Four speed gearbox." It unfortunately fell off a couple of months ago, but have saved and store it in the document binder that came with the car.

Very enjoyable to drive in my opinion. Won't win any speed contests, but good torque at low RPM. Haven't had many passengers, but I recall one got a bit pale when I came up to a turn. The body leaned a lot more than he is used to in his modern car. With the speed limits getting lower every year, the car cruises very comfortably in the traffic.

[csm22]

Fascinating... unicorns like yours are quite cool. Enjoy!

[VolvoRoyS]

Originally Posted by samaron

opinion, is fairly honest.
Everything works except the clock. Maybe I will have a look at it soon.

I have the same problem with my 1800ES but think it might be because it has been disconnected as I think otherwise the clock would run down the battery.
Still not investigated if it is connected or not but battery remains well charged when the car is not used.

Suspect your clock may also have been disconnected to stop battery drain.

Roy

[Phil Croxley]

That is one amazing looking car! I love the colour. If I had time, space and finances, that would be at the top of my list.

[Norcat]

Hei Samaron, welcome to Amazon world! I too live in Norway near Porsgrunn and have over the past 3 yrs restored 4 Amazons for a friend.
A 123GT, also a 2 door which hadn’t run for 10 yrs, a station wagon which I rebuilt to 123spec and fitted an overdrive. And another station wagon which had all the braking system, suspension rubbers and springs and dampers and wheel bearings replaced. I had all the engines out on these cars to fix the usual rear crank oil seal leak and rebuilt the gearboxes and overdrives to cure oil leaks. I rebuilt the carbs and fitted 123 Ignition electronic distributors to them all. Also new carpets and seat covers so they look pretty good now. Just ask if you have any questions.

[samaron]

Thank you for your kind words, everyone!

Roy,
I poked my head under the dashboard, and find the wires are connected. The light that illuminates the clock work, but can't hear any ticking. Adjustment is smooth. Will have to pull it out and have a look inside, but I suspect the electrical motor that drives the mechanism could be faulty.

Today I thought I'd have a look at where my gearbox is leaking. Every time I drive the car, it sheds two droplets of gear oil on the ground. It isn't a severe leak, but enough to cause ugly stains on the ground where I park the car.

The rear seal was replaced last year along with the paper gasket for the rear cover. Prior to this, it leaked a lot more.

Looking around, I've found the drops of oil coming from the speedometer cable and the crossmember for the transmission. The whole underside of the gearbox is coated in oil. I suspect the input shaft seal or cover could be leaking oil, which then gets blown towards the back. Since there is also a drop of oil on the speedometer wire, I suspect the seal there could be bad too.

Bought a gasket and seal kit for the gearbox. The kit says it is for M40 gearboxes up to 1966. Notice now that my gearbox says M4 and not M40. Looking around on the Internet, the only differences should be a longer input shaft and different gear ratios. However, the speedometer wire connection is different from anything else I've seen so far. I suspect the top hat seal and o-ring I have will not fit this style.

To diagnose the leaks further, I'm thinking of cleaning the underside with brake cleaner and run the car in gear while on the jacks. Hopefully this would highlight exactly where the leaks originate.

Since I'm more or less not getting much further with the gearbox at this time, I'm also going to have a look at the rear brakes. Bought a fresh bottle of brake fluid today, and have new drums and brake cylinders at hand. Hopefully not too difficult to replace these items. Got a universal puller that I modified to accept the bolt pattern of the Amazon.

[samaron]

I cleaned the gear box and ran the car in gear for 15 minutes on stands, but couldn't find any leaks.
After driving it on the road today, I can see a droplet of oil hanging from the speedometer wire. Probably need to slosh the oil around for it to leak. I'll drive it up on ramps tomorrow and have a better look.
Would be great to sort this out as it does make a mess in my driveway and bringing cardboard around when visiting others is somewhat inconvenient.
The leak isn't major, as the level was still above half full after a year, but it is a couple of drops of oil after every drive.

Another thing that has come to my attention now is the brakes. Have the past week tinkered with the rear brakes and managed to get them working good, but not perfect. The main problem I found is that some of the consumable parts are discontinued. Thus, I can never get them functioning 100% anymore. I could try to hunt down new old stock parts, but having a reliable availability of parts is much more convenient.

Since I drive the car on a regular basis, it would be beneficial at this point to completely replace the brake system. Looking in various manuals, I see the Amazon came with several brake configurations over the years. What brake system/configuration is the most common on Amazon and in no immediate danger of having consumable parts becoming discontinued in the near future? Do alternative kits exist with reliable source of parts?

[Derek UK]

Later B16 Amazons and even early B18 cars and estates used drum brakes all round. PV's had drums virtually to the end of production. They have proper adjusters. These bolt straight in but might need the back plate holes adjusted a bit to fit.
Speedo drive cable seals fail and there is another current thread about that.