Recommissioning a barn find Volvo P1800ES
Discussion
croissant said:
Thanks! I suspect you're right about the rubber degradation. Something I want to do is take the gauges out and repaint the matt black trims, so I may investigate further. They're not in terrible shape, but a couple are chipped and blemished and they're right in the line of sight
They would have been satin black when new but will have dulled to the matt black you see now. They may come back with a little bit of t-cut and a touch-in, but respraying in satin would not be much more work.
This is likely to be the last post from me on this thread as there’s very little left to do and I wanted to share some final photos as I gave the car a proper wash, polish and carnauba wax treatment at the weekend.
I have been using it as often as I can and it’s proving to be a very enjoyable and (so far) dependable car to own. I’ve put a few hundred eventful miles onto it and so far it hasn’t missed a beat.
I anticipated this car being a hilarious driving experience and I can confirm my expectations are just as I imagined it to be. It soaks up the miles, glides over bumps with ease and although it doesn’t handle terribly, there’s a lot of body roll and it likes to understeer.
The steering is very heavy and the diff is very ‘open’ and likes to light up the inside wheel, but that could be cured with better and grippier tyres. It’s not a car for driving enthusiastically, but it’s in its element when being driven smoothly and with mechanical sympathy.
The engine is characterful and likes to rev, albeit not all the way up to the limiter, but there’s a healthy and pleasing amount of torque low down in the rev range. The engine is an agricultural cast iron lump, but you get a sense that given the chance it would take you wherever you need to go. It has a pleasing raspy and racy exhaust note which suits the car well and that’s partly down to the stainless exhaust it came with. Overall, I like this car lots and I can honestly say that driving it feels like more of an event than any other car I’ve owned.
This has been a very fun project and for such a rare car there hasn't been a part I couldn't source quickly or an issue I couldn't find the answer to. The Facebook owners club is made up of some of the friendliest and knowledgeable enthusiasts I have come across and without them I wouldn't have got it to this stage so quickly.
I have 4 cars in the household now, so I should really sell it, but I’ve become somewhat attached to the old beast - far more than I imagined I would. So for now I'm keeping hold of it.
So, with all that being said, here are a few photos of how it sits today.
I have been using it as often as I can and it’s proving to be a very enjoyable and (so far) dependable car to own. I’ve put a few hundred eventful miles onto it and so far it hasn’t missed a beat.
I anticipated this car being a hilarious driving experience and I can confirm my expectations are just as I imagined it to be. It soaks up the miles, glides over bumps with ease and although it doesn’t handle terribly, there’s a lot of body roll and it likes to understeer.
The steering is very heavy and the diff is very ‘open’ and likes to light up the inside wheel, but that could be cured with better and grippier tyres. It’s not a car for driving enthusiastically, but it’s in its element when being driven smoothly and with mechanical sympathy.
The engine is characterful and likes to rev, albeit not all the way up to the limiter, but there’s a healthy and pleasing amount of torque low down in the rev range. The engine is an agricultural cast iron lump, but you get a sense that given the chance it would take you wherever you need to go. It has a pleasing raspy and racy exhaust note which suits the car well and that’s partly down to the stainless exhaust it came with. Overall, I like this car lots and I can honestly say that driving it feels like more of an event than any other car I’ve owned.
This has been a very fun project and for such a rare car there hasn't been a part I couldn't source quickly or an issue I couldn't find the answer to. The Facebook owners club is made up of some of the friendliest and knowledgeable enthusiasts I have come across and without them I wouldn't have got it to this stage so quickly.
I have 4 cars in the household now, so I should really sell it, but I’ve become somewhat attached to the old beast - far more than I imagined I would. So for now I'm keeping hold of it.
So, with all that being said, here are a few photos of how it sits today.
My good mate has a normal P1800 customers car in the workshop , the car looks to be in great condition but it has problems . It needs all new brakes on it , it's been to several local garages but they haven't been able to do it as the rear drums are seized to the hubs and have had to be cut off also all the pipes have been bodged in the past so pipes , T pieces and cylinders all need replacing . Another one of those jobs that should have been a straightforward days work that is turning into a marathon.
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