June 2001.
(edited April 19, 2009, by George Dill)
VOLVO - 1964 PV 544 - The "New Texan" (Rosie).
This PV 544 is a 3-owner, unrestored car with 59,500+ original miles.
It had not seen rain since 1981 until the new owner, Richard Maniag of Houston, Texas, drove the 1,500 miles home and caught a shower in Mississippi. The wipers had been idle so long they balked at first then finally warmed to the task. As of June, 2001, "Rosie" now resides in Houston!
To congratulate Richard on his fine judgement and to brag about YOUR Volvo click on this mailbox!
To view the slide-show and details of the car's eBay auction click HERE!
The slide-show on eBay is gone but here are some facts on this really nice PV!
(This was the write-up for the eBay sale.)
The exterior was repainted in 1981 and the interior was also redone at that time.
The candy apple red metallic paint looks new, with high gloss and a lot of depth. There's no oxidation.
The interior is beige and in excellent condition with no indications of wear or fading. The head liner is in new condition, stretched tight.
THIS IS A NON-SMOKER CAR, NO ODORS!
The engine, a B18D, 1778cc with twin SU carbs, is coupled to a standard 4-speed transmission. It runs flawlessly. A quick turn of the key brings the engine to life with a deep mellow tone through the custom big bore exhaust. The power is impressive!
This sweet machine will cruise at 70 mph effortlessly all day on the
interstate and pull away from most cars on hills or mountains.
It doesn't smoke or require topping off between oil changes.
The PV 544 with the B-18 engine is becoming rare. Of the 109,000 manufactured between 1961-1965, only 24,200 were produced in 1964.
How many do you think can be found today in this condition?!
August 4, 2001 - Fresh Air!
I removed the fan/heater core assembly. Oiled the fan, cleaned the core and set them aside.
Then I took a "warming pan" 4.5" X 7" and 4" deep. These are the stainless steel utensils one would see in a cafeteria serving line, they sit in hot water and keep the food warm.
I matched the bolt pattern of the heater core, and "PC 7ed" four bolts to the pan. PC 7 in an extraordinary epoxy one can find at ACE Hardware. I let the pan sit overnight in my kitchen oven with the light bulb on, providing better conditions for the PC7 to cure.
I cut the bottom off the pan.
Now, since the new adaptor has the same bolt pattern as the original fan/heater core assembly, I simply pushed the bolts through the fire wall. Inside the car, I re-attached the "Off, Floor, Defrost" module over the new bolts, and with four nuts, secured the unit.
Then with 4 " steel coil flex tubing, I connected the outside air intake duct to the adaptor.
The air path is much the same as it was with the exception of sharp bends, a squirrel cage fan and a heater core to obstruct ultimate air flow.
When winter comes, I remove four nuts from the "Off, Floor, Defrost" module,
remove the adaptor, install the fan/heater core assembly, attach the water-in and water-out hoses and connect the 12VDC connection to the fan.
I would think the "change back" would take about 30 minutes.
During the winter season one would want air to flow slower to give it the opportunity to "heat up" as it passes through the heater core. But in summer, in Houston, if you don't have A/C, you want as much air as possible passing through the interior.
The next problem to solve is a very uncomfortable blind spot on the right side of the car. The right-side mirror just does not do the job. This is my next project, to improve visibility on the right. (A TV closed-circuit camera in not entirely out of the picture) However, I think I will start with the old stand-by, a mirror.
More later.
August 21, 2001 - blind no more!
I located a "stiff neck mirror bar". It is a device for people who can not rotate their neck. The bar has five sets of mirrors on it. The stiff neck driver can shift his eyes to the individual mirror, scan from one to the next and end up with a pretty good idea of what is behind him and aside of him.
I don't have a stiff neck, so with a band saw, removed three of the mirrors and attached the remaining two to the driver's visor. Not great, but a tremendous improvement over what I had.
Very hot in Houston, working adding ~ 400 sq ft to my shop.
Thus far, cut down one tree, removed the stump and presently breaking up old concrete with a
sledge hammer. All very heavy work for an old man.
later...
d.,
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