Volvo 122S Engine Shots

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Petros mentioned his 122S and PV444 experiences in another thread, so I dug out some shots of my '64 122S two-door's engine bay, bought new for around $2600. That was a GOOD car and well-made.
It had shoulder belts for the front, albeit not retracting, and a break-away steering shaft, which was unusual for the time and front disc brakes.
It did have the heat shield under the carb and the spacers as well.
It was a 4S MT, of course, and I think the combined MPG was around 26 or so, and somewhat more on the highway. It had the bulletproof B18B motor with 5 mains (bigger than the Chev V8s!) and 90 HP. This motor was also used in the famed Volvo Penta out/inboard boat drives.
Tom M.

Just LOOK at all of that engine bay room! No PS, no AC, and no emissions plumbing, save for the crankcase tube.
> Left-click pix to enlarge <

[dlb]

very nice, tom! i love the natural sepia. what is the black thing at the center rear of the bay? part of the heater?

my grandma had an '82 volvo sedan, no idea of the model, but even it was similarly bare in the engine bay. i loved it, obv. it was amazing because she kept it in mint condition so it always looked like a brand new volvo (their designs didn't change much until recent years) until you looked under the hood and saw a total lack of crap and stuff everywhere. beautifully simple.

[ARCHINSTL]

The black thing is indeed part of the heater. Mentioning that - I think it was the best heater since the old Nashes (which were renowned for their HVAC). The Volvos (and SAABs?) had a little window shade arrangement that pulled up in front of the radiator to speed warmups; there was a little pull chain under the dash so it could be regulated.

Petros had mentioned how easy the SU carbs were to work on: Maybe not so easy to synchronize, but...simplicity itself.
When I was thinking about subbing a carb on Goldie, I actually thought about looking for a way to adapt an SU to the 3AC (SUs were all side-draft). A reman SU HS4 model would run USD275, plus fabbing a manifold, plus an SU fuel pump at around USD150.
So - a Weber was an easy choice.
Tom M.

[Petros]

That brings back memories! Same color as mine too! I saw one at the local picknpull last summer, and it is even more roomy looking in person than the pictures. Also notice you can remove the heater blower and core from the engine bay without having to take the dash all apart. Also notice there is no vacuum advance on the Bosch distributor.

They have a minor flaw in that when the fuel pump leaks, it drains in to the crank case, thinning the motor oil with gasoline. The driver never know it until it throws a rod. That was how I got mine for only $100 when i was in highschool, and I than rebuilt the motor (this was not my first rebuild by the way).

Not contect to keep it stock, I overbored it, got a performance camshaft, header and 2" exhaust, milled the head so I got 11.25:1 CR, and really added both power and economy. I got about 28 mpg mixed driving, and about 35 mpg hwy. I estimated I was at about 120 hp, lots of fun in a car that light. I also put some stiffer springs and gas filled shocks (these cars suspension were way too soft). IT was a great car. Alas, it was totaled while it was parked in front of our house when I was in collage when someone ran into it and bent the frame rather badly (I bought my first Japanese car after that, a Datsun 510). I think the quality of Volvo has gone down hill since they discontinued the the 122S.

The SUs were both easy to work on and easy to synchronize if you knew how to do it. Not so hard, but your typical chevy mechanic was way in over their head on these. I used to use some vacuum tools to do it, but eventually I learned what to listen for and got very good at synchronizing them by ear, all I needed was a screw driver. When I other owners of 122s and we talked about our cars, and they complained about their mechanic telling them it is very difficult to get the carbs to run right, I would offer to do it for them. It would only take me about 10 min to synchronize the throttles, balance the mixture, and than adjust the mixture to optimum. It might take another 5-10 min to take the vacuum chamber apart and clean them if they were all gummed up. They always said they never had it run so good after I was done. Way easier to diagnose, adjust and repair than any 4 barrel rochester, you just have to know how. That was why I loved those carbs. Simple and reliable, one needle valve and float, one jet, one mixture control, one throttle plate each. No accelerator pump, no secondaries, no idle mixture, no tiny passages, no check valves, yet is still worked great.

[ARCHINSTL]

I'll post some more pix of it tonight, after THE game.
And if you have to ask, THE game is the Cards v. the Phillies!
Tom M.