The Gas Tank

Pulled the gas tank out. Looks good. Having a bit of trouble getting the fuel tank sender unit off though. I'm going to send it out to be reconditioned. Hopefully not too much.


http://www.gastankrenu.com/

Going over the gauges

I love the look of these old gauges. I should have a complete set from three dashboards. These are made by Smiths in England. I getting these out to be cleaned, serviced and calibrated by Nisonger Instruments in MA. Maybe a little early for interior work, but that's the fun part!

http://www.nisonger.com/

Inventory and Cleaning

What have I done? This is a total mess, but I think its going to be fun. Two front-ends, extra bumper, two extra dash boards, extra trunk lid, extra gas tank, replacement font sheet metal, and who knows what else.

Gettin' it home

I decided that Trius' 1800 was a good start. It does have some major front-end damage, but all of these cars in that caliber need major work. Besides, I got some extra parts with it. Good or bad, only time will tell. I had it towed home on a flatbed by a local towing company. $500 with a pink slip. If all else fails, I can Ebay some of the parts maybe!?!

Volvo Five-O and a 1966 P1800

Answered an add on craigslist for a P1800 that needs major work. I thought, "perfect." Put my wife and son in the truck and headed out to North Hollywood to meet up with Volvo mechanic extraordinaire Trius of Volvo Five-O. He is in the middle of restoring a couple P1800s and other Volvo work. Trius is a plethora of Volvo knowledge and experience. Not to mention, he seems like a really nice guy.

The P1800 is in fair to poor shape. No engine or transmission, but little rust. Plus, it comes with a ton of extra parts. It has a busted right fender and a replacement is provided. This could be a winner. I'll spend some time thinking about it.

Trius suggests putting in another engine besides the smaller Volvo B18, but I've always liked to make things work the way they were designed. Maybe I'll get a B20 for it as a compromise. It could use more power.

www.volvofiveo.com

Junkyard Doggin

Drove up to Ventura to look at a possible 1965 P1800S that had been sitting in a yard for an extensive period. Apparently, school kids had been using it for target practice and the body showed it. A B20 engine was taken apart in the trunk. All in all most likely too much work for me. None the less, a cool day to spend some time learning about one.

Why a P1800?

Just look at it! My wife and I have always loved this car. When I mentioned about possibly restoring an old Volvo, her eyes lit up ... "like an 1800!" And that was that.