Volvo P1800ES...kinda

In reply to NOHOME:

Grand Bend has lapping on weekday evenings. Some of the WOSCA guys you probably know go for test and tune , or just for giggles.

DeadSkunk wrote: In reply to NOHOME: Grand Bend has lapping on weekday evenings. Some of the WOSCA guys you probably know go for test and tune , or just for giggles.

I think that is going to be the target for this year. I have a friend with a tow vehicle, but I just sold the trailer. Still the idea floating around to put the windshield in and just drive the thing there.

Still a bunch or work to do, need to find scales so I can corner weight this thing and order the bouncy bits for each corner.

The other option is to just toss the front springs on the rear shocks and order a set of 450 lbs springs for the front and see where that gets me. Off the bumpstops at least!

I think I am still holding out for winning a lottery so that I can buy the Fox Coil overs from FM, but they are serious money by the time they reach Canada; like more than the engine.

Now that I can drive the thing, its easy to get it turned around in the garage and get a new view.

This is one of my favorite views of the thing:

What is going to be interesting ( or maybe just messy ) is the way that the body tucks away at the bottom of the car. This leaves a lot of tire exposed to fling road debris around.

mud flaps!?

Is Ms Nhome as concerned over this as you are?

759NRNG wrote: Is Ms Nhome as concerned over this as you are?

Mrs NOHOME abandoned all expectations of living a normal life seconds before accepting my marriage proposal. I like to think that I have lived up to her expectations for 25 years...

So, no, I doubt very much that she would care Not even sure she will drive the thing when it is done, more like she likes the fact that I am building her a Taj-Mahal.

clear mud flaps

I put rally armor Universal black mud flaps on my 64 El Camino for the exact same reasons

shoot the blue paint....

get in .....

sit down....

shut up....

Hang on and drive the dog pi$$ outa it er her er sorry...MOLVO

mblommel wrote: Holy Crap. First the Lambo comes to life and now the Molvo moves under it's own power? This is an epic weekend for GRM board projects. Congrats!

This! Another epic build thread hits a major milestone.... congrats!!

Fantastic! being an old school street/drag racer, the chips and road grime are badges of honor! (Not that I condone such behavior today)

Wait, are you doing something with square exhaust tips? What's going on back there?

pres589 wrote: Wait, are you doing something with square exhaust tips? What's going on back there?

No square exhaust tips. What you see is where I welded up the giant shock-absorber style bumper mount holes so I can fit the 72 model bumpers that dont look like battering rams.

In reply to NOHOME:

I think he was referring to the doodles in the middle of the valance?

Ian F wrote: In reply to NOHOME: I think he was referring to the doodles in the middle of the valance?

Ahhhh...those. Nope. Those are there to remind me that there is a big asphalt tile stuck on the backside and that if I don't clean it off the backside welding in that area is going to suck!

The car has all kinds of notes and measurements scribbled on the bodywork. Its one of the reasons the Minion wants me to leave the car unpainted.

One solution was found in my stash of Miata parts

Just held on with duct tape at this point, but fits like it was meant to be there.

I believe I have a similar NOS Volvo part in a box for the front of the wheelwell.

The good news is that the PS tire would tuck under the tin with a roll on the lip. That means that if I go with a 45 mm ET wheel, I should be good to go.

The bad news is that there is 3/8" more tire stick-out on the DS of the car. So getting the DS under the stock fender is going to be the challenge. How do I get myself into these situations!

That mudflap thingie looks perfect!

Are you saying that the body is shifted by 3/16" to one side? Ick.

So let me get this right. You cut two cars apart and did a entire body swap, and an engine swap, and made it look Factory built, and you're irritated buy 3/16 of an inch. Really I bought cars from the factory that were off by further.

In reply to NOHOME:

Check the camber before you assume there's a difference side to side.

Also , decide on a good street alignment setup and see how the tires interact with the fender lips. My Miata is set to a recommended alignment that I think I got off the FM website. It has more camber than stock.

DeadSkunk wrote: In reply to NOHOME: Check the camber before you assume there's a difference side to side. Also , decide on a good street alignment setup and see how the tires interact with the fender lips. My Miata is set to a recommended alignment that I think I got off the FM website. It has more camber than stock.

That is very good advice.

tuna55 wrote: That mudflap thingie looks perfect! Are you saying that the body is shifted by 3/16" to one side? Ick.

Not all that happy but compared to any Brit car that I have ever owned, that is trivial!

I will find a solution.

Once you get offset and alignment sorted, if still a thing, just use a 5mm spacer on the short side....

Need to get my ass back in the shop. However, I have the crashed MGB coming back this week-end for a bit or work on some rust issues that were found after it was sand-blasted, so the Molvo wont see much love for a week or two.

Which 'B' the white vert you restored or your greenB?

759NRNG wrote: Which 'B' the white vert you restored or your greenB?

The white vert. In its current state after being sand-blasted and epoxy primed. The blasting revealed some lacy bits at the very front of the sills. Hopefully it will be a fairly quick fix if it does not go into the castle rail too far.

Bit better than when it arrived last summer!

This might be a case of making lemon-aid maritnis out of lemons. It is a car that the owner wants to keep forever plus, and it had a few hidden issues that were about to make their presence known and require major work. This way it got entirely new rear tin from Heritage, the front fiberglass fenders (YUCK!!!) replaced with Heritage metal parts, a thorough de-rusting and epoxy undercoat, along with total overhaul of all the mechanicals. Will be a very nice car when done and he will be out of pocket for about half of what it would have cost to do the restoration on his own dime.