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Field Find: 1963 544 Sport

I can donate a spare cluster to your endeavor if you just cover shipping. I have 3-4 sitting on a shelf and could part with one if you want to yank parts out of it. All of them have a functioning speedo input.

Thank you for offering that up, I'll PM you about it.
 
I am following this closely. I want to thank you for the in depth updates. It is giving me some much needed motivation to move forward on my amazon.

Would you recommend ditching the armored cable and coil combo on a car if the ignition is still working fine?
 
This isn't so much maintenance and restoration as it is automotive archaeology. I find your documentation fascinating and your work is excellent. Keep it coming.

WRT setting the points to 0.018" gap with a feeler gauge is impressive. But to be period correct shouldn't you just use a paper matchbook cover instead of a feeler gauge?
 
Would you recommend ditching the armored cable and coil combo on a car if the ignition is still working fine?

If it is still working fine I would leave it be. The coil will eventually go out of spec/die and what I would do is at that point cut the armored cable under the dash. Splice into the positive wire in the cable and run it to a new coil. That way your keys/ignition will still work. The one thing you may need is a plate to cover the hole in the firewall after removing the coil. Some people have left the old coil in place and mounted a coil in else where along the firewall.

The reason I removed the coil/armored cable in the 544 is there was nothing left of the key tumbler and for $10 could get a replacement ignition switch from Amazon. That was the easiest route for me to get a keyed ignition as I already had a Bosch coil available to drop into the car.

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This isn't so much maintenance and restoration as it is automotive archaeology. I find your documentation fascinating and your work is excellent. Keep it coming.

WRT setting the points to 0.018" gap with a feeler gauge is impressive. But to be period correct shouldn't you just use a paper matchbook cover instead of a feeler gauge?

Thank you for the feedback.

From the information I have on the engine (see post #14) the gap is listed as ".016 - ".018 Though the traditional matchbox cover is about ".020, used the feeler tool to get to that slightly smaller gap. That said, I have used a matchbook before on the 1962 Jensen 1800S I owned 8 or so years ago and have one my tool bag if needed on the road.

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Thank you for the feedback.

From the information I have on the engine (see post #14) the gap is listed as ".016 - ".018 Though the traditional matchbox cover is about ".020, used the feeler tool to get to that slightly smaller gap. That said, I have used a matchbook before on the 1962 Jensen 1800S I owned 8 or so years ago and have one my tool bag if needed on the road.

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Haha. Nice!
 
When our customers opt to replace the stock coil, we cut the top and bottom off so we can use the empty can to install the new coil. Caution is needed when gutting the original coil as there might be hazardous materials inside so we use a dust mask.

A Greek ebayer sells an all new part for doing the same basic thing, but we don't like it for 2 reasons which are purely esthetic. The coil sits lower in comparison to the original and the part is chromed, both of which looks out of place.

If it is still working fine I would leave it be. The coil will eventually go out of spec/die and what I would do is at that point cut the armored cable under the dash. Splice into the positive wire in the cable and run it to a new coil. That way your keys/ignition will still work. The one thing you may need is a plate to cover the hole in the firewall after removing the coil. Some people have left the old coil in place and mounted a coil in else where along the firewall.

The reason I removed the coil/armored cable in the 544 is there was nothing left of the key tumbler and for $10 could get a replacement ignition switch from Amazon. That was the easiest route for me to get a keyed ignition as I already had a Bosch coil available to drop into the car.

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WHen I got mine, it was the other way around - original coil still in place, but a generic aftermarket ignition switch. but the coil itself was weak, putting out really thin wispy faint blue sparks.
 
Instrument Cluster Rehab

Later that night at the kitchen table started the process to take apart the cluster. The screws were loosened on the back of the unit then separated the chrome bezel. Attempting to turn the speedometer input again, things were still locked up. Removed the screws and took out the odometers and then the speedometer roll. Applied a couple drops of oil to the speedometer input and let that sit. Fiddling with the gear to the odometers there was no movement in those either. Detaching the two odometers and after some twisting I was able to get the odometer moving.

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Using a bladed screwdriver, it took several tries to finally get that moving, At first the mechanism was pretty stiff, adding additional lube oil and continuing to turn it finally freed things up. The odometers were being persnickety as individually the odometers would work fine but when reconnected would bind up after about registering about a mile of distance. After applying more lube and readjusting it was the same situation of working for about a mile then seizing up.

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Letting those things sit, cleaned the dirt and build up off of the various lenses and ports. Scrubbed the chrome bezel to bring back a good part of its shine and luster. After testing the odometers several more times, decided to unhook the trip odometer by leaving out the axle and gear powering it from the main odometer. Put the cluster back together and using a drill hooked up to an old speedometer cable, tested the set up and again it seized after about going a mile. Decided I had put enough time into working on it and decided to just keep everything assembled and leave it be for now.

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Before installing the cluster back in the dash, I wanted to check the warning and illumination lights. Using a wiring diagram from a 122 I had available, deduced which bulb represented its specific warning light in the cluster. Checked each bulb to make sure it was working with a multimeter and cleaned the inside of each bulb holder with a wire brush. The temp and gas gauges were secured back into place and the wiggled the instrument cluster back into place in the dash. Plugged in the various bulbs and then tightened the bolts securing the cluster in place. Reconnected the positive battery lead and turned the key to the accessory position. This time the charging and oil lights came on shining their red and yellow glow. Pulling the light switch, the instrumentation illumination still was dormant but the purple high beam light came on when pressing on the foot switch. Flicking the turn signal stalk up, the green light activated in conjunction with the click of the relay behind the dash.

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With the instrument illumination not working, rheostats this old are the first suspect thus it was time to remove the light switch assembly from the dash. After some consulting with the wiring diagram the wires dash light connector was repositioned to another tab and reinstalled the switch. Turning the key and pulling the light switch, the instrument cluster lit up in its familiar green glow. The aftermarket ignition switch, which had been dangling down under the dash, was fitted through the hole in the dash and tightened down. Now its time to crank and try to start the engine.

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The 544 and 122/Amazons share the clusters - just a minor difference in the silver trim piece. On the PV that part is visible along the bottom, so it's prettier and says 'Volvo' on it, it's hidden on the 122. But they otherwise interchange.

And FWIW it looks like at least part of that cluster is from a later model Amazon - the 1963 dashes had smaller indicator lamp lenses, with little chromee outlines. The later 122 dashes had the larger round lenses with no surround as above.

EDIT: Never mind on that last point, I was going to find a picture of the different light style, but while doing so found a source that said they changed to the later style in the latter part of 1963 production.

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The 544 and 122/Amazons share the clusters - just a minor difference in the silver trim piece. On the PV that part is visible along the bottom, so it's prettier and says 'Volvo' on it, it's hidden on the 122. But they otherwise interchange.

And FWIW it looks like at least part of that cluster is from a later model Amazon - the 1963 dashes had smaller indicator lamp lenses, with little chromee outlines. The later 122 dashes had the larger round lenses with no surround as above.

Its definitely a replacement cluster in the 544. I didn't mention it in the write-up, when looking on the back of it unit I did note it was stamped 1965. In the trunk of the car was one of the bezels without the Volvo lettering.
 
Suck - Squash - Bang - Blow

When attempting to start a 1960s redblock, one of the prep steps I do is to prefill fuel into the carb bowls. After removing the tops, the bowls are filled about 2/3's of their capacity and the caps are secured back on. Assuming any fuel in the tank is old and unusable, a temporary fuel reservoir is created using a 1 liter plastic seltzer bottle. A hole is carved out of the soft plastic cap with a knife wide enough to insert the fuel hose into. The fuel line isn't sealed against the cap as this will allow the bottle to stay at a neutral pressure. If completely sealed, the vacuum created by the fuel pump will cause the sides of the plastic bottle to compress inward as it operates. This mini tank is nestled into the front fender pocket next to the radiator as this will keep the bottle upright and leak free. While securing the fuel hose from the temporary tank into the fuel pump is when I uncover a bit of treasure, an off-brand 5/8 socket sitting deep in the engine bay.

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Now the engine has a fresh supply of fuel it is at the stage to see if the dormant redblock is ready to be awakened. About this time my friend Alex shows up. I wanted to get another person around as a second pair of eyes and hands are helpful in case anything goes south. Alex assumes the key turning and gas pedal role as I take position on the other side of the engine with a can of starting fluid. After a squirt or two into each carb throat, Alex turns the key and the familiar "chug-chug-chug" of a pushrod redblock fills the air. After cranking the engine twice for 8-10 seconds of duration, halt the process to look around the engine. There is fluid visible inside the fuel pump dome and the level has dropped in the mini tank so the fuel pump looks to be operational. The engine sounds like it is trying to start, slightly labored as the piston compress then evacuate the fuel/air mixture in the cylinders. With another squirt of starting fluid a third attempt is made and that is when the battery gives up the ghost.

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Operations go on hold as I dig out a jump pack and clamp the leads to the tired battery. Additionally I pull out a timing light to make sure the spark side of the equation is occurring. With a fresh source of electrons available to the battery, the key is turned and the engine starts to crank again. The timing light strobe stays dark as the starter rotates the pistons at a healthy rate. This is repeated several times and do not see any sort of flicker from the timing light. As I listen to the engine turn it still has an uneven tempo, as in something is happening in the cylinders. Not the even, consistent rhythm when removing the coil wire for a compression test, or when it is out of fuel. Ask Alex to turn the key again and the carbs are given a spritz of starting fluid. The starter engages and after a few seconds there is a few coughs and sputters then smoothing out as speed of the engine increases. Alex disengages the starter and "Hot Damn!", the engine is running on its own.

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Cut the engine to take another inspection around the engine bay. No dramatic leaks or issues are found so its time to start it up again. The engine rumbles to life, though running somewhat rough. Not unexpected after being woken up from hibernation, it does seem it may not be running on all cylinders. What is also apparent is the drivers side motor mount is pretty much at end of life with the amount of vibrations the engine is exhibiting. An unidentified periodic metallic-sounding scraping noise is happening, more so when the engine bogs down or stumbles. It doesn't seem to be related to the radiator or fan as that was the first concern. Run the engine several more times in 20-30 second stints for a total of 4-5 minute total run time. Somewhat amazed when looking at the dash see the temperature needle has moved to the right indicating the gauge is working. By now its evident there are several leaks around the fuel lines and the top of the carbs. Fuel is dripping down onto the shield below the carbs then creates a quick sizzling sound when it then lands on the exhaust down pipe flange. Amazingly, the mini fuel tank is pretty well drained and there is one last test to do.

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Restart the engine and its it running more rough than smooth, start to feather the gas pedal to raise RPMs. At the same time I push the clutch in and shift the car into 1st gear. As I let off the clutch I can feel the engine speed start to drop and pressing the gas pedal down the engine speed picks up a bit. Let off the clutch and continue to feather the throttle and the car begins to move forward under its own power. Due to space constraints, the car has 10-12 feet of space in front of it. After going about 8 or so feet (slowly) press on the brake pedal and the car stops. The engine is killed and though rolling the car back to its original position, the 544 officially had driven under its own power. At this point, stop work for the day, though not before sticking the battery on a charger. All-in-all, very happy the 544's engine was able to be be coaxed back to life and was able to do a short test drive.

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The timing light strobe stays dark as the starter rotates the pistons at a healthy rate. This is repeated several times and do not see any sort of flicker from the timing light.

And yet, very soon afterward, it coughed and started? Hmmm. (Did you omit telling us the step about waving the magic wand?)

Congrats! How very cool to see how you coaxed it into shape.
 
And yet, very soon afterward, it coughed and started? Hmmm. (Did you omit telling us the step about waving the magic wand?)

Congrats! How very cool to see how you coaxed it into shape.

Thank you.

What I did omit from the write-up was the conversations between Alex and myself around how the engine was sounding after hooking up the timing light. We both agreed the engine was acting as if it was close to starting. Decided to attempt to start the engine again rather than check/troubleshoot the timing light & connections, that is when the engine fired up and I was able to record it with my phone.
 
Measuring the Cylinders

With the engine coming to life there were several things which were needed to be procured. Ordered among other items were motor mounts, valve cover gasket and a v-belt. When the cardboard box was dropped off at my front door a couple days later, work resumed on the 544. Motor mount replacement started by removing the top nut and sliding under the car to do the same to the one retaining the mount to the subframe. Utilizing a floor jack and a piece of wood, the engine was lifted up at the front left corner. After raising the redblock up and separating the mount and bracket, wrestled the old mount out and the new mount set in its place. The engine was lowered back into place and then came across a small hurtle; the new motor did not have any fasteners included and the old mount utilized larger stud/threads. It took about 15 minutes to locate a suitable pair of fasteners to secure the new motor mount in place. Decided not to change out the passenger side mount as while it was old, it still was intact and not compromised.

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Next up for the engine was a compression test. This is being performed on a cold and long dormant engine so I expected the compression numbers not to be on the higher side. At minimum I do want to see if the cylinders are around the same compression readings. Unplugged the ignition wire lead off of the coil, then the same on each of the cylinders. The spark plugs are removed and find they all are dark and sooty. Not totally unexpected as the carbs have not been adjusted and seem to be running rich. My procedure is to thread in the gauge, mash the gas pedal to the floor, turn the key, count 10 "chugs" of the engine, shut things down then check where the needle sits. In this first round the average is 135 PSI (+/- 5 PSI) across all of the cylinders. Not that bad or horrendous in the scheme of things.

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The compression test is re-run on the engine, this time with some oil added to each of the cylinders to see what that does to the numbers. After squirting oil in the spark plug opening the process is repeated down the line. Each of the cylinder reading improved 15-20 PSI resulting in an average of slightly above 150PSI (150 - 160 - 145 - 150.) I am wondering how much the compression readings will change once the engine is run for an extended period of time.

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[/QUOTE]
I am wondering how much the compression readings will change once the engine is run for an extended period of time.
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Congrats on getting it running. My experience with quite few engines that have sat like this one has is the rings are usually gummy and stuck in the ring grooves. Although, after only 50-100 miles the rings feel up, the engine will run better and the compression readings will increase.

You can help the varnish on the rings free up it you continue to soak them with some Mystery oil, ATF or any thin oil or penetrant and turn the engine over with the starter periodically. Good luck with it!
 
Distractions and Gasoline Leaks

In the midst of working on the 544, browse through Craigslist to find a 1967 122S for sale across the bridge in Marin posted earlier in the day. It looks to be in decent shape the only caveat is major engine issues being cited in the ad copy. After talking to the owner, head across the bridge to check it out before loosing the sun to the western horizon. At around 8:45pm, I am driving back across the bridge to San Francisco, the new owner of the 122. Overall in great shape except for the power plant as expected. The PO ignored a flickering oil light and turns out the engine is now seized solid. Three days later the is car towed to my garage and the search for a replacement B18/B20 starts as its pretty evident the existing engine has become a boat anchor.

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Before running the 544's engine again, the carburetor fuel leaks will need to be addressed. Ordered a set of float chamber gaskets as when prefilling the bowls, the gasket on the front carb had come apart into several sections. On both carbs and float caps, the old gasket material was scrapped and cleaned off and the new gasket fitted in place then secured down. Refilled the mini gas tank and the engine was ready for restart. The engine cranked over for about 15 seconds then finally coughed to life. When I listen to the engine it sounds like it is running at 1500-1800rpm without activating the choke. While there is a tachometer in the cabin, it is not working or registering, will set up a spare Volvo/VDO 52mm small tach to actually see what speed the engine is turning at.

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The engine runs for about 30 seconds then I shut it down. Inspecting the carbs I see gas has leaked onto the float caps and the front carb is still dripping down onto the plate below and onto the exhaust flange. The gas line between the two carbs is removed and a spray of gas flies out as one side is removed and the bowls are depressurized. Two small hose clamps are installed onto that hose and tightened down as well as the hose clamp on the line coming from the fuel pump. The idle screws are backed off a half turn in order to drop the idle down. Restart the engine and while the idle is still high, there is less gas leaking onto the caps.

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The front carb still retains its drip but now its origin can be traced to the line going to the jet. Get out a shorty 7/16" wrench and tighten up the fuel line connector into the body of the fuel bowl. After tightening it about a half turn, it firms up but the drip is not vanquished. It looks like this line will need to be replaced out to fix the leak. Because of the leaking line, decide to pull the fuel hose out of the mini tank run the engine until the carbs go dry. As the engine runs on, there are a couple puffs out of the front carb causing the engine to stutter, then after a couple more it stumbles again and then stalls out as the loud "Bang!" of a backfire rings through the garage. Restart the engine and it runs for a little while longer before starting to struggle as if running on just one of the carbs then finally coughs and stalls out. With the cars empty there will not be a lingering gasoline odor around the car and it will be less of a mess when swapping out the gas line.

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