West Coast Jimbo’s Amazon: 1966 220S Project

[James M]

Below is a build thread for my 1966 Volvo 220 Wagon, It is my current DD/Project and quickly becoming my favorite car.

Current Favorite Photo of the car:


I hope to update this post as things go to keep up with changes in the car without having to read the whole thing.

Stats as I got it:
Engine: B18 “Rebuilt” before being tossed into the engine bay, was partially incorrectly assembled, pissed oil out of the pan gasket, has some nice blowby and goes through a quart of oil in a few hundred miles. They painted it up nice and the SU’s from the box in the back function after a good cleaning besides a hot start issue and worn throttle shafts.

Transmission: M41, Luckily untouched by the PO, J type OD, Schoolbus shifter with acceptable slop.

Suspension: Stock rubber bushings much older than I am, original springs, IPD bars and bilsteins that I haven't decided the condition of yet.

Interior: Early 240 front seats in brown, crusty green door cards and rear seats that are better than nothing. Holes in the floor, frozen locks/some door handles.

Exterior: 91 “Light Green” respray sometime between when It was last on the road and when I got it. Plenty of imperfections but my intended use doesn’t line up with anything nicer. All the trim and bumper bits are there.

The short term goal is to make it a viable daily driver to haul around parts, tools, people, groceries, beer, and maybe do some towing.

Long term is to replace the rusty panels, “restore” the interior (not 100% but to something that looks decent), install my rebuilt B20 and set the suspension up for a little more fun.

If it doesn’t make it to Mountain Meet 2023 I will have failed

 

[James M]

These initial posts are very long, I am sorry. It’s mostly so I remember this stuff but feel free to read if you are really bored.

Before buying my first Amazon I was lusting after a 220 but never found the right option (cheap enough) and got a deal I couldn't pass up on a 1966 coupe. After fixing it up and DDing it for about a year, loaning it out for Davis 2022 and having a blast I sold it to a coworker (who blew it up, so I got it back, fixed it and sold it to another coworker). I still get partial custody when I want to take it for a spin and have been missing the 60’s feel since.



I never got around to making a build thread for it but this time around I’ve promised myself to document the progress.

I had previously seen this car on a trip to a few months beforehand, I knew I wanted it but at the time no money/space.




Shortly after selling the first Amazon again I messaged the seller of this one, got the price down assuming I could drive to Portland that weekend and tow it back, so I did.



1200 Miles round trip, ~22 hours of driving, in the rain, without windshield wipers, over some mountains and It was safely dropped off at work. GF’s 245 pulled like a champ only getting passed by a few semi trucks on the way.



Next day It met its predecessor and got on the lift, between the pile of parts in the back and what I had in storage for spares it was up and running that evening.

 

[James M]

To avoid several more posts of that length the next two months are as follows:

Replace/install/rebuild: Motor / driveshaft / trans mounts, water pump, thermostat and housing, radiator / heater hoses, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, some carb gaskets, high beam switch, handful of bulbs, dizzy gasket, brake master, clutch master & slave, battery, carbs and filters.

Some “fun” bits that stood out

The gas tank had about 4 gallons of rust in it, a local radiator shop I regularly use said it took 7 tries to get it cleaned up. Cost a bit more than I’d hoped but much cheaper than a new wagon tank.



When removing the water pump (that did not have a gasket behind it IIRC) one of the bolts snapped. Little did I know this would be the worst bolt removal of my life. 3 broken drill bits, 2 broken taps, 15? Nuts welded to it later I “fixed” it. While the repair is solid and has no actual negative impacts It’s poorly done enough I don’t think others need to see it. Just know it sucked and took a lot of beers to get through.




The rest of the cooling system took some more welder work. When the B20 does in it’s getting a “new” powdercoated coolant pipe but for now I’ve welded up 3-4 pinholes in this one.




First couple test drives revealed that it was losing brake fluid and blowby was enough to leave an oil stain on the hood. After bypassing the booster It retains fluid perfectly, a quart or so was poured out of the boosters vacuum connection upon removal. When capping the oil filler cap port is pissed out of the dipstick tube, after installing the SU breather plate it hasn’t leaked a drop outside of the fuel pump pivot pin.



After a few more days of driving it in the rain I decided it was time to replace the window regulator cable/chain assembly. Everything in most of the doors is frozen up, so penetrating fluid and heat are my new best friends.



First trip to my parents place and it’s already Magic approved. He’s an angry old man cat and the last tangible connection to my childhood. Love that little guy



Since getting it plated it’s been my go to car. In 2 weeks it’s been ~750 miles and only had a few growing pains. In that time it’s done 5 machine shop trips, half dozen times hauling tools to side jobs, 2 parts buy/sell meetups, 2 family appointment drop offs, a picknpull run, one trip to the Bay Area and then up to Chico. I’m averaging 23 MPG even after loosing fuel on repairs here and there.

 

[James M]

On the trip up to Chico the fuel filter clogged, something I’m very used to after the other Amazon. I was hoping it wouldn’t be an issue after the tank cleaning but it’s either still got a little rust or the line is caked full.



An hour later I noticed some water coming down the firewall, but no rain. Good thing I keep these suckers in the tool bag



Yesterday I went on a midnight Jack N the Box run, and promptly ran out of gas. It became a 2AM walk to go pick up the other ride night. I learned it only takes 9.5 out of the 11 gallons to run out. So something I’ll have to keep in mind and look into.



This morning it did it’s first PnP run, they grow up so fast! No luck on the main objective but found some fun parts and got a radiator cap that actually has a seal.



This brings it up to now. Sorry for the huge posts, my plan is to not allow months of time between updates so no one has to suffer through that again.

 

[doucheNozzle]

MM23? Lofty goal!

 

[vwbusman66]

I approve of this thread title. (and this thread)
Maybe mine will make it to Mountain Meet 2023 too.

 

[James M]

I approve of this thread title. (and this thread)
Maybe mine will make it to Mountain Meet 2023 too.

This is EXACTLY what I wanted to hear!

The more pushrod cars the merrier (and not just so finding spares for the drive back is easier). If you couldn't tell by the title your 220 pushed me to buy this one.

MM23? Lofty goal!

Come to Davis 2023 and test-drive it for the weekend to make sure it will survive the trip.


This last weekend I put the poor Amazon to work, roughly 500 miles all said and done with a little under 100 of them including a 245 in tow.


If it's going to be a daily driver it better be able to do the things I wanna do on any given day!

While it worked out great and the car didn't give me any major trouble these types of trips always reveal the next thing to address. The breaks are 100% functional but really are not adequate in their current condition for this type of stuff. Even without a drivetrain the 245+Dolly+parts+tools+3 people left a lot of stopping tower to be desired. I'll have to decide if finishing refreshing the stock equipment is enough or if any upgrades are in order. I'm also still getting debris in the fuel filter, and it's a lot less fun to find a spot to pull over with this much mass.



I was lucky enough to pick up two hubcaps on the adventure, and a 4th wagon wheel from the local junkman™. You now will be able to see pictures of both sides of the car instead of selectively places passenger side shots.

Classicswede is currently open in another tab and I have a set of tires in my eBay cart. As I expected the decades old rubber is not taking as well to being put back into service as the rest of the car.

 

[James M]

Just a little bit of progress this weekend but it made a big difference.

New throttle bushings since the old ones where basically gone, float valves to address the hot start issue (did not fix it entirely) and fuel sender gasket so I'm not huffing gas fumes all day long. Fresh plated hardware for the sending unit that you'll never see but just know it's there.



I now get to keep my few remaining braincells, and enjoy full throttle B18 (without burnt exhaust valve) POWER


For how shitty it is the car looks and drives great, but I'm lusting for more low. Classicswede order has been placed and I've collected up most of the remaining suspension bits I'll need to completely refresh the front

 

[Jack]

I told you the amazons were great! That was MY 122

 

[James M]

A few weeks ago I got roped into (ok, I roped him into) 36 hours straight of helping a buddy with his Miata, during the downtown when only one person could really make progress I got a few hours of work in on the 220.

Adjusting the valves down to .016" made the "rebuilt" b18 a little quieter, although I'm still not happy with it. It's definitely making less power than both the other B18 Amazons I drove that weekend. Plus a new set of plugs after removing them for a joke picture for OT and realizing how crusty they had gotten already.


Finally cleaned up all the switch trim, something I never would have gotten around to doing had I not been stuck there all night.




"Big" thing was installing a temp gauge, I'm not shelling out $180 for a kit so I got an Equus 7262 kit graphed it into the original gauge. Kinda a PITA and definitely not perfect, but it reads about right and is much better than a broken capillary tube and no reading at all



While waiting for the JBweld to dry the trim got cleaned up and face plate painted. Again not perfect, but it's no longer flaking off as much as before.



Still waiting to hear back on my ClassicSwede order, unfortunate as I was hoping to have the suspension done by Davis 2023.

 

[Pops122]

I like your wagon I will watch your thread, always looking for good ideas!

I had a 67 220 years ago but other cars on the road were jealous and kept running into it, I finally had to let it go to the junk yard after a car coming around a curve decided to peel the DS fender off and push the tire into the firewall. Many years later I was working in Northwest BC, halfway to work (100km of a really nice drive) I spotted a 67 220 off in the weeds, I asked the property owner if I could get some parts off it, he said "go for it the owner is long gone." I got a nearly new front end from that car some of the parts are one by 69 122.

My 122 is finally going to the body shop for some new panels and paint.

 

[janne81]

I love P220:s
I have 1967 220 on my garage, i restored it 2 years ago. Cant wait to have it on the roads again after winter sleep.

 

[adomz]

Oh my, that's a great little piece of swedish steel! Love it!

ADam

 

[James M]

After pretending to help Jack install his B20 as an excuse to steal his chorizo breakfast burritos I got the intense urge to finally get around to finishing my own B20. So yesterday I finally got everything wrangled up in one place to swap out the poor nearly blown b18.



I built this B20 last summer for my previous Amazon, but then sold the car before getting around to installing it. I'm pretty sure everything is torqued to spec, but it is the first full rebuild I've done (excluding a very poorly executed one in highschool)

Specs- 75 8bolt B20f, decked block for 0" piston depth, B20e headgasket (0.032" for EFI heads), shaved head for ~10:1 compression ratio (probibly could have taken off more if I had asked here first, but it's done for now), D cam, Lightly ported (by me so we'll see) late F head w/ heardened seats, valve job, and guides (not be me so that part should be good).



Motor sat as a long block for over a year until yesterday, then it got the final touches, pan and covers bolted up and ready to rock


R&R was easy enough, most annoying but was yet again having to drive to 3 different places I have parts stashed in order to get missing stuff that I already own.



I didn't take any pictures of it after install yesterday as I was too exited for test drives, but I got one video. It fires up better static timed by eye with SU's set up for the old B18 than said B18 would.

Don't worry I primed the oiling system before starting it

Only about 20 miles on it as of last night, but I'm already super happy with the swap. I need to remember to get the right needles ASAP but even without them it's smoother than before. I have no idea how much power it *should* make, so if anyone want's to throw out numbers I'll pick my favorite and tell people it makes that.

 

[Jack]

One million horsepowers

 

[Toybox]

Specs- 75 8bolt B20f, decked block for 0" piston depth, B20e headgasket (0.032" for EFI heads), shaved head for ~10:1 compression ratio (probibly could have taken off more if I had asked here first, but it's done for now), D cam, Lightly ported (by me so we'll see) late F head w/ hardened seats, valve job, and guides (not be me so that part should be good).

I have no idea how much power it *should* make, so if anyone want's to throw out numbers I'll pick my favorite and tell people it makes that.

Can't quote any meaningful HP numbers, but I'll bet it's more spritely than "normal" by several dozen. I love seeing mild warm up tricks turn an engine into a playful kitten. Finding a good ignition curve to fit the new beast is not generally as forgiving, though.

With a very similar warming and compression bump years ago, the thing that surprised me the most was feeling it kick to an abrupt stop upon turning off the key.

 

[James M]

Well I sure liked Jack's estimation more

At some point I'll probably move to either the 75 breaker less ignition or a 123 distributor, but the roadside repairability of points is a definite bonus for me. Might be worth messing with the springs to adjust the curve? Although it might be out of my wheel house (for now).

 

[vwbusman66]

Well I sure liked Jack's estimation more

At some point I'll probably move to either the 75 breaker less ignition or a 123 distributor, but the roadside repairability of points is a definite bonus for me. Might be worth messing with the springs to adjust the curve? Although it might be out of my wheel house (for now).

I'm a fan of points, but then again I'm also a fan of SU's so nothing I say should be taken with any weight.

 

[Jack]

Reason I don’t like them because you have to adjust them often.
Buy the 123 dizzy

 

[James M]

I'm a fan of points, but then again I'm also a fan of SU's so nothing I say should be taken with any weight.

SUs best carb and I've yet to be proven wrong.

Reason I don’t like them because you have to adjust them often.
Buy the 123 dizzy

It's a POS project that gets driven every day, I'm in the engine bay fixing something else often enough.