28 Aug 2004 | Randy Peterman said...

You'll want to watch out for accidents as you turn heads in one of those ;) My parents had volvos for years, but mostly because my dad could work on them himself and the parts were relatively cheap however, none of them looked that nice because he always had 240 stationwagons :(

28 Aug 2004 | CM Harrington said...

The electrical system and rust are the two things to be careful of, everything else is pretty bomb-proof. Also, as I assume you are looking for a manual transmission, ask how old the clutch is. If it feels "off", expect to replace it.

28 Aug 2004 | CM Harrington said...

oh... one more thing.

I am sure you know this already, but if you don't, Hemmings Motor News is *the* source for all things classic. That's how I tracked down my '67 Jaguar MkII.

Also, there must be Volvo mailing lists. I know there are several Jaguar lists (I am on a few). They will also hook you up with the info you require.

29 Aug 2004 | Geoffrey said...

Hi, my friend Matt has a small Volvo restoration shop here in Seattle. He restores cars for people all over the country so he might know where to look in Chicago. Check out his site:
http://www.xrayauto.net
Email me if you want his email address.
Cheers.

29 Aug 2004 | Steve said...

Why not track down Irv Gordon who currently has over 2 million miles on his Volvo 1800? He surely has some helpful tips.

You could also try the Volvo Club of America.

29 Aug 2004 | George Vuckovic said...

you're gay.

29 Aug 2004 | Neil McDonnell said...

Volvo's worst car to restore - it's a shame because they're the sexiest. I restore cars in Vancouver, B.C. Canada and rusty P1800s seem to follow me around. Anyway, I have an amazing body (car body, that is) for sale. The car has 4 new fenders, 2 new rocker panels, new splash shields etc.. which are all original Volvo panels and has been acid dipped and phosphate coated to prevent rust. The car has been painted in basecoat/clearcoat off-white original volvo colour paint.
Incidentally, the supply of original panels is drying up, so these cars will be extremely impractical to restore in the future. Interested parties can contact me at [email protected]

29 Aug 2004 | Bryan said...

J, how about this old Porsche 356B?

29 Aug 2004 | Matthew Oliphant said...

That's funny. I just started looking for a Volvo 164E, preferably a 1969 as this was the first car I owned and I miss it.

But 164's are hard to come by. 1800's and P1800's seem to be a dime a dozen on eBay though (relatively speaking of course).

You might want to buy two of them: one to restore and one from which to restore.

29 Aug 2004 | Matthew Oliphant said...

Sorry, that should have been "164 or 164E" as the 164E wasn't made until '72.

Just not sure if I want to mess again with dual carbs, or go with fuel injection.

29 Aug 2004 | a real gay man said...

you're gay.

You are not very nice George. What's your problem?

29 Aug 2004 | George Vuckovic said...

If I answered, I'd be threadjacking. But that never stopped me before, so here goes.

I'm frustrated by the level of love between men. The lack of sharing feelings. But that's not entirely what applies to this situation.

Real men cry.

Say it again.

Real men cry.

A new car won't fill the gap in your life, J. It's ok to be where you are right now. Fill it with substance, not with toys.

Love, G.

29 Aug 2004 | JF said...

A new car won't fill the gap in your life, J. It's ok to be where you are right now. Fill it with substance, not with toys.

Uhhh... What?

29 Aug 2004 | a.r.g.m. said...

JF - considered an early 911? Too much $$$? The 1800 is a real beauty - you will need to stock up on some skinny ties and creepers to go with it. Out of curiosity, what is the price range those cars are going for?

30 Aug 2004 | Jeffrey said...

I think the purchase of the Volvo means that you're giving me the Audi? :)

30 Aug 2004 | Don Schenck said...

Jason, absolutely gorgeous car.

30 Aug 2004 | Silus Grok said...

What Volvo enthusiast post would be complete without a link to the Brick Board?

30 Aug 2004 | Ammon said...

Yeah, I had a p1800es - the wagon version. I loved that car. It eventually deteriorated into rust due to living on the water.

The engine in the p1800 is amazing. A p1800 owner holds the record for most miles - over 2 million (http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/020312-5.htm).

Get one, you won't regret it. Just be ready to dump some money into it. Even the best old cars need constant maintenance.

01 Sep 2004 | Karl Eric said...

Before you buy a Volvo 1800 I recommend you to join the http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/1800list/ list and go through the postings with hundreds of advice about reapir and restorations.

My site http://volvo1800pictures.com has also a lot of information such as repair manuals on line and of course pictures of more than 900 P1800.

karl eric
http://volvo1800pictures.com

02 Sep 2004 | endo said...

I'm more of a modern volvo guy myself, so I can't help you out directly, but a few good resources are:

VC Classics
An online magazine with a lot of good tech info and articles about classic volvos.

IPD
IPD is probably the largest Volvo and Volvo-performance company in the US, they have separate catalogs for classic, rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive cars. They're a good source for both maintenance/repair and upgrade parts, although their prices can sometimes be a little high if you can track down the parts somewhere else. Their printed catalogs are a great reference source, though, full of tech tips and articles about the cars they cover.

Vintage Performance Developments
If you want your 1800 to go fast, this is the place. They've got everything you need to upgrade the performance including a supercharger that will take the stock engine up to 200hp. Of course, then you'll want to upgrade the transmission, and you'll need a better suspension to handle all that power in the corners...um, how much were you looking to spend?

Hope this is useful, good luck with the car.

Evan

02 Sep 2004 | Don Schenck said...

I hope you know a GOOD mechanic!

BWAHAHAHAHA ...

03 Sep 2004 | dan phillips said...

very pretty car but not very ecofriendly - but i guess that's the norm for web designers nowadays

03 Sep 2004 | Carl said...

very pretty car but not very ecofriendly - but i guess that's the norm for web designers nowadays

Actually, what most people forget is that buying a used car is *way* more ecofriendly than buying a new one - even when the new one gets better mileage. Manufacturing a new car uses an enormous amount of resources.

07 Sep 2004 | Brad Hurley said...

Actually, what most people forget is that buying a used car is *way* more ecofriendly than buying a new one - even when the new one gets better mileage.

Not true, at least when you're talking about emissions and energy use. A few references:

"85% of life cycle vehicle energy use occurs in the vehicle use phase, with about 15% accounted for in vehicle production and about 3% recovered in recycling." ( United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

"Vehicle use has the largest overall environmental impact when compared to other vehicle life-cycle stages, because these quantities are emitted every year over the lifetime of a vehicle (typically 10 to 15 years)." ( Environmental Defense)

But really, I don't think fuel economy is an issue in cases when someone's looking to buy a collector's item like this. It's a beautiful car. I doubt Jason's going to be putting 10,000 miles a year on it, or driving it in winter.

22 Sep 2004 | Michelle said...

I have to sell my beloved Buttercup. She's a 1967 Volvo 1800, white with beige interior. I am moving and can't take her with me. She'll be a bargain. [email protected]

26 Sep 2004 | Melanie said...

Michelle, where are you located? And what are you asking? Which model? We are currently looking to purchase. Thanks [email protected]