1961 Volvo PV544 in Holland

[Army]

...I´ve got these flappy things in the way.

What are they for?

I can´t find them in the spares book



Strange construction - they appear to be welded to the floor pan but have been fixed to the cross member (on to which the front seats are mounted) with self tapping screws.

(Could this be an Amazon seat thing?)

[norustplease]

Originally Posted by Army

Wow - they fit really well.

Nice looking car - 1965 going by the number plate - one of the very last ones I guess

(And spy I with my little eye an old Ford or perhaps an Austin in the background?)

Nope, one of these:

[

Citroen Light 15, 1953.

[norustplease]

Originally Posted by Army

...I´ve got these flappy things in the way.

What are they for?

I can´t find them in the spares book



Strange construction - they appear to be welded to the floor pan but have been fixed to the cross member (on to which the front seats are mounted) with self tapping screws.

(Could this be an Amazon seat thing?)

Not sure but mine has them too, so they must be standard.
My 544 is actually a 1964 with a B18, not sure why it has a '65 plate. It came into the UK in the 80's and lived in a Volvo main dealer's window for some time. I acquired it back in 2014. Always wanted one ever since I came across them in Denmark and Norway in the late 1980's.
I am about to pull the front suspension to pieces for an overhaul and have a stash of new springs, bushes, shock absorbers, etc. Her springs have settled a bit over the years and she sits a bit low on the driver's side when I am driving solo, especially with the road camber in the UK, although she goes like a rocket and handles quite passably too.

[Army]

Originally Posted by norustplease

Nope, one of these:

[

Citroen Light 15, 1953.

Nice - one of those has been a consideration a few times over the years but then I´ve been distracted by Riley RMs and Sunbeam Talbots and then Jowett Javelins (which is kind of why the PV has happened - to me it is a bit like a poor man´s Javelin)

[Army]

Originally Posted by norustplease

Not sure but mine has them too, so they must be standard.

...

Hmm OK - thanks - that´s a puzzler then as they don´t seem to be in the parts book

Originally Posted by norustplease

...

My 544 is actually a 1964 with a B18, not sure why it has a '65 plate. It came into the UK in the 80's and lived in a Volvo main dealer's window for some time. I acquired it back in 2014. Always wanted one ever since I came across them in Denmark and Norway in the late 1980's.

...

They are growing on me too!

Originally Posted by norustplease

...

I am about to pull the front suspension to pieces for an overhaul and have a stash of new springs, bushes, shock absorbers, etc. Her springs have settled a bit over the years and she sits a bit low on the driver's side when I am driving solo, especially with the road camber in the UK, although she goes like a rocket and handles quite passably too.

I´m sorry but I have to warn you - once you´ve done the front you´ll notice how much the rear needs to be done too...

...it is a very simple set up - but those combined threaded parts with end caps going into control arms and also threading onto ¨bolts¨ is a bit strange design choice - cross threading nightmare in the making if you ask me.

Where did you get your springs? I´ve measured mine and they seem to be in spec when uncompressed but the outer surfaces are pitted which kind of makes my chequebook itch (which isn´t a good thing)

[norustplease]

The springs came from Brookhouse in Ipswich. I have bought a lot of my parts over the years from there, also Scandix in Germany, although they tend to pile on the carriage costs if posting to the UK.
Brookhouse probably buy from one of the Swedish suppliers such as CVI Automotive. They all have good webshops and are almost as fast delivering stuff to the UK as Brookhouse.
I have rear springs as well, so will probably do the front first and then move on to the rears.

[Army]

...but I´m getting there (!)



I´ve resorted to using thinner on the stuff as paint stripper these days is so effing expensive (and even thinner isn´t as ¨voordelig¨ as it used to be)



Welding tomorrow with any luck and then when the weather starts to get warmer - paint!

[arcturus]

Try using paraffin on the black under-seal, much cheaper. Might be called petroleum in Holland.

[norustplease]

Petrol is good, I had a 444 a few years ago and the fuel line split underneath the car. Neatly stripped all the underseal in the area....expensive though.....not to mention dangerous.

[Army]

At 1.70 euro a litre Euro95 is actually a lot cheaper than the other options mentioned so far!

(But I don´t fancy doing that)