Volvo RWD 444-544 Forum

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62 PV 544 body shell 444-544

posted by  gabbiano on  Sun Mar 24 22:08 CST 2013
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last visit: Mon Sep 29 20:18 CST 2014
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I decided to have the shell media blasted for painting, and as part of removing items I began digging into the paint, out of curiosity. Found several layers of filler and paint, but the big item is that the inside of the roof is NOT sprayed red as was the rest of the car. It is primer with a half-hearted spray of undersealer, and appears to be a replacement. The welds at the corners, above the front and rear glass, are primitive (one is a braze, not weld). It may be that the roof was damaged, but nothing else, because all the rest of the supporting sheet metal appears straight and the original factory sprayed paint is not crinkled or disturbed.

My question: before I jump off this cliff, is there anyone in the northern CA area who would be willing, as a "consultant", to come to Walnut Creek and inspect? Failing that, I could take as many photos as would be needed and send them to whomsoever could give me the advice I badly need. Consultant fee negotiable!

Many thanks,

Al Phone 925 944 5261; if I'm not there the machine is...








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    62 PV 544 body shell 444-544

    uid 5771's pic
    posted by  skeet on  Mon Mar 25 22:30 CST 2013
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    last visit: Mon Mar 25 22:30 CST 2013
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    I am at about 95% on completion of the second 64 544,(same body shell as 62)and you need to be SURE the roof is original. Was all the glass (except in the doors)in place and fitting properly when you started? Unless this is the case, you could be facing a nightmare to correct problems you are not even aware of. These old Volvo's take a LOT of patience to rebuild, and outside labor is not cheap. The one I'm working on now has taken me 6 years (the last one took 5), several thousand hours of labor, and over 6K in parts and material. The 'bug' bit me a long time ago-and I can't shake it-so beware.








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    62 PV 544 body shell 444-544

    posted by  skeetman on  Mon Mar 25 13:04 CST 2013
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    last visit: Thu May 1 10:57 CST 2014
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    When I stripped out the roof liner in my '62 544, the inside roof was sprayed with primer and not the color of the car.








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      62 PV 544 body shell 444-544

      posted by  MrV on  Tue Mar 26 08:38 CST 2013
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      last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
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      Mine was sprayed with some black crap. That nasty stuff that looks like tar soaked fiber was applied here and there as sound deadening.
      dean








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    62 PV 544 body shell 444-544

    posted by  derek uk on  Mon Mar 25 04:19 CST 2013
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 12:33 CST 2014
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    I'm going to stick my neck out and say that what you have is as it came from the factory. Body build techniques would have largely remained the same from the first ones in 1947. Tacking the parts together with weld and then using braze as a filler was normal and lead was used a lot to smooth everything off. There is a film of the 1800ES being built and there's a lot of blacksmithing going on. No need to waste topcoat in the inside of the roof and the quick coat of underseal type material would be added for a bit of sound damping.
    Some of the welding/brazing may look a bit crude and you can add/correct/adjust if you think it needs it. Beware grinding any lead or melting any out.
    Good luck. Pictures would be good.

    ES build http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGRDLnHnJgE







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      62 PV 544 body shell 444-544

      posted by  Dakar09 on  Mon Mar 25 13:36 CST 2013
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      last visit: Thu Oct 23 22:23 CST 2014
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      I've seen this video as well. Interesting "craftsmanship" to say the least.

      I would say if your roof is intact, the welds/brazes look good (not lumpy, rotted, etc), and there are no other cosmetic concerns that won't get in the way of a good quality top coat or get covered by the headliner, leave 'er alone. As noted, you don't want to start grinding or removing the lead used during that time period.







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