Hot Rodding a 1961 Volvo PV544
Project Menu
Part 1 is just below
Part 2: The Underside - As Arrived is HERE
Part 1 - A Bit of Background and "Full Disclosure"
I've been working on this project for almost eleven years and actually started documenting things HERE once before but there was little interest in the project and even a few derogatory comments made ("Do you get your parts at Ikea" was one of them I recall vividly - that person is long gone). However, to do it justice, I really need to start at the beginning. Similarly, in parallel to this and for about 10 years, I have also been working on a '32 Ford 3-window which I will document separately. I posted this material on my FB page yesterday and in the companion Canadian Rodder FB page. I find people don't like reading there typically so whether I'll continue there remains to be seen. But, let's forge on.
This isn’t my first PV544. In fact, it’s my fourth.
Number one was acquired just before starting university. It was a very “tough” ’59 (Southern Ontario Canadian winters = salt) but with the application of lots of body filler and a do-it-yourself paint job, it looked not too bad – for a while. Some chrome reverse and a noisy exhaust made it fun. With only 1.6 litres, the B16 engine was “peppy” and indestructible (I did rebuild the gearbox in my parent’s basement among other DIY repairs). It did, however, eventually succumb to corrosion and I had to part with it.
Number 2 came along as a beautiful, corrosion free, British Columbia car - a ’62 now with a B18 (1.8 litres). I fitted an Ansa exhaust, a smaller diameter steering wheel and an 8-track player. All was good with the world – until it was t-boned by a Ford Galaxy station wagon. Horrible accident and I wasn’t hurt but the car was a write-off.
A decade and a half passed until I picked up number 3, a ’64 which I hoped would be the start of a project however, upon tear down, I discovered it had been hit and disguised so I put it back together with some cosmetic upgrades and sold it for a profit.
Fast forward another couple of decades, when I was offered a pretty decent ’61 that had been the subject of a half-hearted (even that might be an exaggeration) restoration some thirty years prior. One of the attractions of this particular car was that it came with four brand new (NOS) fenders and various other spares (doors, hoods, fenders, nose sections, 6 big tote boxes, etc). I decided to pull the trigger on this one for my project.
To Interrupt Briefly – Why a Volvo PV544?
Many people observe that it resembles a mid-late forties Ford (e.g. ’46 Tudor Sedan) but in a smaller scale. No wonder actually as it was presented by Volvo designers as a PV444 variant in 1944 but wartime held up production until 1946. The body style had an amazing run until the final car rolled off the assembly line in 1965 as number 440,000(!).
When I picked up my first 544, it was the closest I would get to something that, at least, looked vintage. I got hooked, however, by its charms.
And, by the way, I'm certainly not the first to "hot rod" a PV.
Back to the Project
So, to get things kicked off, some photos (over two posts) of what I brought home way back when. As I mentioned earlier, the car had been painted some thirty years before to begin a restoration but was then abandoned. For the most part things looked pretty good – I thought optimistically.
The discovery process and work starts in the next update.
I have included a photo of a STOCK 544 for your reference in the event you haven’t a clue what I’m referring to.
Project Menu
Part 1 is just below
Part 2: The Underside - As Arrived is HERE
Part 1 - A Bit of Background and "Full Disclosure"
I've been working on this project for almost eleven years and actually started documenting things HERE once before but there was little interest in the project and even a few derogatory comments made ("Do you get your parts at Ikea" was one of them I recall vividly - that person is long gone). However, to do it justice, I really need to start at the beginning. Similarly, in parallel to this and for about 10 years, I have also been working on a '32 Ford 3-window which I will document separately. I posted this material on my FB page yesterday and in the companion Canadian Rodder FB page. I find people don't like reading there typically so whether I'll continue there remains to be seen. But, let's forge on.
This isn’t my first PV544. In fact, it’s my fourth.
Number one was acquired just before starting university. It was a very “tough” ’59 (Southern Ontario Canadian winters = salt) but with the application of lots of body filler and a do-it-yourself paint job, it looked not too bad – for a while. Some chrome reverse and a noisy exhaust made it fun. With only 1.6 litres, the B16 engine was “peppy” and indestructible (I did rebuild the gearbox in my parent’s basement among other DIY repairs). It did, however, eventually succumb to corrosion and I had to part with it.
Number 2 came along as a beautiful, corrosion free, British Columbia car - a ’62 now with a B18 (1.8 litres). I fitted an Ansa exhaust, a smaller diameter steering wheel and an 8-track player. All was good with the world – until it was t-boned by a Ford Galaxy station wagon. Horrible accident and I wasn’t hurt but the car was a write-off.
A decade and a half passed until I picked up number 3, a ’64 which I hoped would be the start of a project however, upon tear down, I discovered it had been hit and disguised so I put it back together with some cosmetic upgrades and sold it for a profit.
Fast forward another couple of decades, when I was offered a pretty decent ’61 that had been the subject of a half-hearted (even that might be an exaggeration) restoration some thirty years prior. One of the attractions of this particular car was that it came with four brand new (NOS) fenders and various other spares (doors, hoods, fenders, nose sections, 6 big tote boxes, etc). I decided to pull the trigger on this one for my project.
To Interrupt Briefly – Why a Volvo PV544?
Many people observe that it resembles a mid-late forties Ford (e.g. ’46 Tudor Sedan) but in a smaller scale. No wonder actually as it was presented by Volvo designers as a PV444 variant in 1944 but wartime held up production until 1946. The body style had an amazing run until the final car rolled off the assembly line in 1965 as number 440,000(!).
When I picked up my first 544, it was the closest I would get to something that, at least, looked vintage. I got hooked, however, by its charms.
And, by the way, I'm certainly not the first to "hot rod" a PV.
Back to the Project
So, to get things kicked off, some photos (over two posts) of what I brought home way back when. As I mentioned earlier, the car had been painted some thirty years before to begin a restoration but was then abandoned. For the most part things looked pretty good – I thought optimistically.
The discovery process and work starts in the next update.
I have included a photo of a STOCK 544 for your reference in the event you haven’t a clue what I’m referring to.
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