Volvo 122S custom

1965 Volvo 122S base Description

VOLVO, DRIVE IT LIKE YOU HATE IT. Believe it or not this was an advertisementstatement by Volvo back in the days of these cars being sold.True to form these cars helped to solidify Volvo's reputation for cars that lasted years beyond their expected expiration date. Another advertisement boasts 'VOLVO, ROADS IN SWEDEN ARE 80% UNPAVED WITH NO SPEED LIMITS, THE AVERAGE LIFE SPAN OF THESE CARS IS 11 YEARS. imagine that, these cars were builtso well they just keep going.
This car is a California survivor. Brought over to NY about 7 years ago I drove it for a couple weeks, decided I liked it allot, to the point of the restorations work I had done. This work was not just a stock redo but included custom work and I will start with the list of work completed;

Stripped down to the bare bones this car went in for a total body check for rot, dents, repairs etc. End result was the car had 'zero' rot, minor dents and from there we went on to give it a very nice paint job. $5500.00

Electrical, BRAND NEW wiring harness from Sweden, new alternatorin place of the generator (40 amps), all new gauges from Auto Meter, Ultra light series, Alpine cd/blue tooth stereo, lights and other misc items were replaced to get all electrical up to new specs. $2600.00 in parts alone.

Engine, this is a custom built 'Street performer' motor for Vintage Performance Developments (they have a web site you can cruise to see the specs on this motor). This motor boasts about 150 HP, about a 50% increase in power without compromisingthe bullet proof nature of these motors. $4,500.00 with a core replacement.

Transmission, this is a hybrid trans. I removed the old automatic BW35 and installed a Ford T-9 5 speed transmission. It required a bell housing mod, an adapter plate and the Ford clutch disc. I also had to modify an automatic trans mount. No cutting drilling or welding was don't to the car itself which is why I elected to do this mod. $2,500.00

Suspension, all new bushings replaced with Neoprene. The old bushings were dry and this was an easy application. $300.00

Brakes, front brakes need nothing, they work great and are in perfect working order. Rear brakes I elected to do a complete over haul, new shoes, springs, hardware, solenoids, now they work great too. Master was a single circuit, I replaced it with the dual circuit simply for the safety factor. $650.00

Wheels, stock powder coated rims with good rubber.

Exhaust, from the new header to the tail pipe all new materials, we installed a small resonator for a cool lower tone sound and it sounds great. $850.00

Interior, just look at that dash, now go look at another 122 dash, ours is a total custom hybrid our of a P1800. we graftedthe 2 for a solid fit with a total blow your mind speed racer look. We think we did good. Total package cost us $4,000.00 to complete

Seats are custom from California's Scat co. I had the rear seat totally reupholstered to match the front, looks great right? $1,800.00

Carpet, custom threads, based on a Picassodesign, you either love it or you hate it. $850.00

Power windows by 'Balls' were a cinch to fit and work great. Custom tint for that 'who's driving that rig look' and believe me this car gets the attention. $650.00

headliner, new, int over head light new, front windshieldis new, $ 1100.00

Now there are so many other items I haven't listed simply because the car has so much new or custom work.You might be asking 'is the car finished? whats left to do?'The answer is, no it is not finished. Simple things to complete are;

center console needs to be fitted or be redone. Its an ok fit but I never got around to making it 'perfect'

rear dash, the upholstery needs to be completed, I have the panel but never got around to it.

Paint, it needs a couple of touch ups from driving and a couple small bubbles on the drivers door. Also I never wet sanded it because I love the soft orange peel look. It looks great but to be super show off quality you can work the 4 coats of paint to a brilliant shine if preferred.

The not so simple things to complete; It really comes down to the transmission. This trans was bought as a rebuilt unit. I'm told by another trans guy that this unit might not be shimmed correctly because it has a couple issues that you can live with as I have done or you can choose several options. basically if you want to put it in first gear from a stand still you first have to put it in 4th gear to stop the trans from spinning, then it will slide into 1st gear without an issue. Second issue is it will at times pop out of third gear, meaning if you are cruising in third round town, let off the gas it might pop out, doesn't always but when it does its annoying. Options are in my opinion, replace this unit with a new one or a rebuilt unit properlyrebuilt. option 2 go back to a BW type unit either 4 speed or 4 speed with over drive, very simple install. another option would be go back to the automatic which was a dawg and the reason i moved away from it. You might be asking why I don't do the work myself. Honest reason, I have already replaced this trans 3 times. Nothing to do with the car itselfbut more so the trans guy whom I made the initial purchase. His 1st transmission actually came apart, the 'lay shaft' came loose at a stop light. WTF?The second trans from him vibrated so bad I nearly got a mile from my house, turned around and removed it, put it in my truck and drove yet again to CT to throw it in his face. 3rd trans, well that's this one. I felt to leave well enough alone because it does work well, shifts great when cruising, 5th gear is awesome when driving at 70 mph. I love the application but I have lost the love of dealing with the incompetenceof the joker who does transmissionsfor a living. Reason I am selling my car is also pretty simple, I have moved onto to another project (actually 2 side by side identical cars).I can tell you honestly and am willing to pass my receiptsonto you the amount of money I spent on this car. I'm in well over 25K but I am also being realistic. I drove this car for nearly10K miles and all of it was fun. This car is a pleasure to drive and man I tell ya, crank the radio, pop the window down and go for a ride, its just fun. The real value of these cars is less than what I have into it and I know this. Ill be a fool for a few dollars but I wont be a sucker for half. if your interested Ill help as much as I can to help you move this car in the right direction.How reliable is this car? id drive it to Californiawithout hesitation. I'm that confident. remember the adds, DRIVE IT LIKE YOU HATE IT! Youtube those adds, get a feel for the wheel and go for a ride. I'm in no rush to sell this car, believeme I still love it, I feel though someone who has time for it would be the better person.Enjoy the ride my friends, Bone