1800: What should my wiring look like under the bonnet?

[tullis]

Hello all,

I've just bought myself a 1968 P1800S to restore and get running again. It's in a resaonble state and I think it'll start soon, but the wiring in the front is a bit on the scruffy side.

I've got a copy of the wiring diagram, but I'd be keen to see some pictures of what my wiring *should* look like. I have a feeling that some of the connections may have been routed across one side of the bonnet to the other, rather than behind the dashboard.

If anyone could share some photos and/or tips, I'd be grateful.

Best wishes,
Ben

Here's a link to a photo of my engine bay. It's not the most useful, but it's all I have to hand right now. I'll try to get a better one soon to explain what I mean.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a0g...IKl1IZRFx/view

[Ron Kwas]

Ben;

Welcome to this forum, and congrats on you acquisition!

The '68 1800S (the leading P got dropped and the trailing S was added in '66, when production was moved to Sweden)...you could clean up rattiness of the harness by taping with electrical tape...thankfully, in '68, the crumbling, biodegradable wiring of the later 240s did not yet exist, so you can just clean up terminations and terminals as you go through the car... I recommend using Anti-Corrosive Zinc Paste on all connections after contact cleaning/restoration. See: https://www.sw-em.com/anti_corrosive_paste.htm

Unless you have previous experience with vintage Volvos, I also recommend getting (at least) a Haynes Manual...it will give you a head start on much service and maintenance work...and asking on the fora is also quite helpful as there is literally a world of experience to draw on, to save you expense, and the disappointment of doing things "the hard way"!

I invite you to visit my sw-em.com site where much is documented.

Cheers from Connecticut!

[tullis]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for that information, your site looks fantastically useful.

I will drop the P from now on when describing the car to anyone.

I have the Haynes manual and the Autobook 776 in hardback, plus various service manuals in PDF form. This is my first ever Volvo, but not my first classic. I've always wanted one, so I'm really excited to be working on it.

In fact, I had come across your site before, but only in the context of:
https://www.sw-em.com/tech_bulletin_4.htm explaining about the need to replace the 35 amp fuse 3 with a 4 amp one (consider it done )). I hadn't discovered the rest of the site and what a treasure trove it is.

I'll come back if I have any more specific questions about cable routing. Thanks also for the information on the zinc paste. I'll look into that.

[Ron Kwas]

Ben;

Please note Fuse 3 should be a 10A 3AGC type (5A if you are using the Lucas rating system).

Thanks for the kinds words to the site...I hope it's helpful to your efforts of restoration, and making your car reliable...the fun is a given...!

Cheers

[VolvoFan]

Originally Posted by Ron Kwas

Ben;

Welcome to this forum, and congrats on you acquisition!

The '68 1800S (the leading P got dropped and the trailing S was added in '66, when production was moved to Sweden)...you could clean up rattiness of the harness by taping with electrical tape...thankfully, in '68, the crumbling, biodegradable wiring of the later 240s did not yet exist, so you can just clean up terminations and terminals as you go through the car... I recommend using Anti-Corrosive Zinc Paste on all connections after contact cleaning/restoration. See: https://www.sw-em.com/anti_corrosive_paste.htm

Unless you have previous experience with vintage Volvos, I also recommend getting (at least) a Haynes Manual...it will give you a head start on much service and maintenance work...and asking on the fora is also quite helpful as there is literally a world of experience to draw on, to save you expense, and the disappointment of doing things "the hard way"!

I invite you to visit my sw-em.com site where much is documented.

Cheers from Connecticut!

Hi Ron, I believe it is well documented that the P1800 name was changed to 1800S after the 6000th car was built by Jensen, in West Bromwich, England, in 1963. Production was subsequently moved to Sweden, hence the "S" suffix was added.

Just for interest for anyone who really cares, there was no Volvo sports car called a P1800S! The 1800 series cars were named P1800, 1800S, 1800E and 1800ES during their production run from 1961 - 1973.

[142 Guy]

If you do a Google search using the terms 'Volvo 1800 Engine Compartment Pictures' you will get lots of hits on some abnormally clean and shiny 1800 engine compartments.

I like hard copies of manuals best; but, in the absence of a paper copy a .pdf or .doc copy is next best. You can find copies of the manuals for the 1800 along with lots of other useful information here:
https://volvo1800pictures.com/sweden...in_page_en.php

To add to Ron's comments, if you are going to use tape to repair or wrap wiring in the engine compartment, I recommend against the use of conventional PVC electrical tape. The adhesives on PVC electrical tape are not designed for the temperatures in the engine compartment and are not oil / gasoline resistant. Rather, I suggest the use of silicone self amalgamating tape. Gardner Bender and Nashua make versions of the tape

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/gar...red/1001012520

There are other manufacturers and I am sure there are vendors in the UK.

The tape has no adhesive on it; but, it does bind to itself (hence the need for the removeable vinyl liner). To apply, you need to stretch the tape so that its width shrinks about 25-40% and then wrap with 50% overlaps so that the tape binds to itself. It can be fussy to install because once overlapped you have perhaps 10 - 30 seconds to unwrap to correct any wrapping errors before the tape seals up. This does have the downside that if you are making a wiring loom repair and leave out a wire, there is no unwrapping the tape to add the wire back in. You need to slice the wrap with a razor to un peal it and start all over again. The up side to the extra effort and cost is that once done you have a jacket that is abrasion resistant, very high temperature resistant, chemical resistant and effectively liquid resistant. It has a relatively glossy surface and when evenly wrapped and formed it looks good.

[mike gilbert]

Just for interest for anyone who really cares, there was no Volvo sports car called a P1800S!

That's arguable. In 1963 Volvo built a small number of cars (about 1200) using a lot of the Jensen parts and Volvo referred to them as P1800S to signify they were assembled in Sweden. Here is a brochure from the time showing the car as a P1800S. The P was dropped from all marketing for the 64 model year.
s-l300.jpg

[VolvoFan]

Well, what do you know?! I stand corrected, Mike. Just goes to show how we live and learn - well, me at least!

I'll bet that the handbook in your picture is a rare specimen, and quite valuable, too.

[tullis]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

> If you do a Google search using the terms 'Volvo 1800 Engine Compartment Pictures' you will get lots of hits on some abnormally clean and shiny 1800 engine compartments.

Now that I've had a good look, there's a log more variation than I thought there would be. I don't mean so much in terms of the quality, but in the actual positioning of things such as the ignition coil, plus all of the hydraulic lines for brake and clutch.

So actually, I don't think that mine is as bad as I had first thought. It could definitly do with re-routing a couple of them up past the heater and re-wrapping much of the loom, but I don't think that any wires are in the engine bay that should be behind the dashboard instead.

I will try my hand with the self-amalgamating silicone tape when re-wrapping the loom and use some anti-corrosive zinc paste for the connections.

[mike gilbert]

So actually, I don't think that mine is as bad as I had first thought. It could definitly do with re-routing a couple of them up past the heater and re-wrapping much of the loom, but I don't think that any wires are in the engine bay that should be behind the dashboard instead.

From looking at your photo you don't need to re-route anything Tullis you just need a tidy up as no wires go behind the heater. Here are some pics of my car which has its original wiring in its original positioning.