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Went to buy the B20B Amazon at the weekend that I mentioned in the ealier post about sound-proofing. Turned out that the so-called 1969 model is actually older and wiser than that. A quick look at the Registration document showed a first-registered date of 1968, but this was the 'imported' date. All this shows that the only way to tell is to go to the chassis number, and check it on one of the useful 'chassis lists' on the Web, e.g.
www.volvoworld.com/120/Production.htm. This narrowed it down very quickly to
a late 1967 model.
It's an interesting hybrid: the B20 is a replacement engine (originally came with B18)and it has other modernising refinements, such as an alternator
replacing the original dynamo, rear seat-belts, inertia-real front
seatbelts, push-button ignition, overdrive and a brake-servo. These are all,
to my mind, improvements which make for a better ride. But it has the bonnet trim and glove compartments of the ealier models, so best of both worlds.
I can confirm here that anyone thinking of fitting an overdrive shouldn't
hesitate. The boom at 55-60 mph just disappears although this isn't so effective
at 70-75. When I have the cash I'll invest in some sound-dampening felt and carpet, and then I may be able to chat to my passengers properly at 70mph. Any thoughts on good materials would be welcome.
Hope you don't mind me waffling on about not-strictly technical issues.
TomTom
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posted by
someone claiming to be Ron Kwas
on
Mon Apr 22 02:27 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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TomTom;
Congratulations on your purchase of what sounds like decent driver!
For sound deadening, carpets, (breathable) foam stuffed wherever, stick-on mats from automotive sound shops and undercoating should all help. I've GOT to develop an underhood kit like those available for the 1800...I really believe that would significantly quiet down an Amazon...
Cheers
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Yes I agree that underhood insulation makes a lot of difference.
You can see some pictures on my web site:
http://www.classic-car-adventures.com/volvo/amazon2.html
Jim Hekker
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posted by
someone claiming to be Ron Kwas
on
Fri Apr 26 17:16 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Jim;
Nice job...that's just about what I had in mind too...and I'm sure that goes a long way toward quieting down that huge expanse of hood sheet metal (just listen to an undampened hood in the rain sometime). I was hoping to, and am working on locating a source for that 1 inch thick, self adhesive, foil faced material they have been using for the 1800 kits.
Cheers
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Ron,
I have been lookling for some standard material with foil but couildn't source any, the material I used was from an industrial insulation installer, about 20mm thick and also heavy, but it works well, although I would like to stick a sheet of foil on it too because I found that my engine is creating a lot of heat which is trapped in the top of the engine bay because it cannot be transferred through the metal bonnet, heating up everything under the bonnet.
I'm looking for a way to get cool air in the engine bay probably opening up the panel on the left of the radiator. The car is lowered too which doesn't help getting rid of the heat. I have installed an (emergency) electric cooling fan, (manually controlled) in front of the radiator and when the car is parked and I switch on the fan, it is amazing how much heat is coming from under the car. So I think foil will help to get the heat down a little.
The problem is basically that when the car is stationary, the engine temperature is creeping up, even after shutting off the engine.
Kind Regards,
Jim Hekker
Volvo Adventures
New Zealand
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posted by
someone claiming to be Ron Kwas
on
Sat Apr 27 02:53 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Jim;
I'm sure that material works well to attenuate noise. Unfortunately, ANY sound deadening material will also thermally insulate the hood and keep it from exchanging heat from underneath. So it's somewhat of a dilema...but just think about a modern engine compartment...I don't think if you dropped a tennis ball in there it would make it to the ground...on the other hand, in a 122 (or 1800 for that matter), I (jokingly) say that a basketball would...point is, there's a LOT more air-space in there which will cool the works...yes, in turn, the air will get warm in the process, and will get trapped under the hood at the firewall end (but I bet the temps are nowhere as high as a modern car with a cat. near a stuffed engine bay!). But I believe you have the perfect solution...that electric fan! When driving, the air moving through the radiator exits under the car...so in addition to a cooling system temp sensor, and your manual switch to control it, I suggest you install another temp sensor back at the fuse block area which can also turn that fan on...I think just the fact that you're moving some more air after vehicle is parked (which will also exit out UNDER the vehicle...and aroud the unsealed edges of the hood) will be fine.
Under hood temps in ALL cars creep up after parking...thats one of the reasons you get a heatsoak and it makes a hot start difficult...especially in an SU equipped car (plus, they're sitting right above the exhaust...and that little shield only blocks so much). Some Jags had a battery venting (cooling) fan because of this very problem...I guess the battery was located at the firewall not unlike a 122 or 1800 and they were experiencing (cooked) battery failures. I have seen some 122s with totally louvered hoods...this is obviously a big decision and it's not stock, but, just a couple louvers would certainly be enough to convection vent the heat significantly and make a huge difference.
Bottom line IMO: Move some air under the hood after the car is parked, preferably thermostatically controlled, and I think you'll be fine. I for one will definately NOT let this keep me from insulating under my 122 hood!
Cheers
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Those stock 4-blade radiator fans just don't have enough pitch or blade area to pump much air at all at idle speeds. My 544 used to overheat rather quickly in stop and go traffic (I'd have to turn the heater on full blast, even if it was already 95 deg outside!) or even on a cool day if you just started it from cold and let it idle for long enough. And when the engine is revved up you are most likely moving along, and the air pressure on the front of the car does most of the work. So the stock fan doesn't work when it needs to, and does when it doesn't.
I finally solved it on mine by installing a large (15 inch) thermostatically controlled pusher fan in front of the radiator (scrounged from a pick-n-pull for $15). It very rarely comes on - if the car sits still it will kick on for about 30 or 40 seconds every 5 - 10 minutes. I took the fan blade off the water pump and tossed it on the pile of obsolete parts.
PS - It also almost completely cured the boil-over problem it used to have. After pullling off the highway and shutting the engine off at a gas station it often used to briefly boil over and spit a few cups of coolant out. Now the fan will cycle a few times as it is cooling off and cools the engine down before it can boil the coolant in the block.
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John-
Nice to know it's not just me. I was bracing myself for a big bill to get the radiator recored. So, how tough is it to wire up an electric fan? I imagine it can't be that hard....
---Ethan
--
'64 PVMoneypit
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Dead simple for the setup I got - the thermoswitch handles the full current load so I didn't need to wire up a relay - just one hot wire with a 30 amp fuse (I hooked this to the alternator since it was close by) going to the fan, then grounding back through the thermoswitch to a ground under one of the radiator bolts. The thermoswitch I used has a long thin brass probe which just slips through the radiator and is secured by a little metal clip. Very simple installation.
Note, however, that such a fan will ONLY cure overheating when the car is barely or not moving - i.e. when the overheating is due to lack of air flow through the radiator. If your car overheats on the highway or under a load while the car is moving then you are likely suffering from a lack of coolant flow and the fan won't help.
Actually - my car used to do both - overheat while sitting still and under heavy use at speed on the highway. The low speed overheating was cured by the fan but the high speed overheating remained until I finally replaced the dinky 1 1/4 inch ID original exhaust system with a header and a 2 1/4 inch system. I think the backpressure was causing overheating. Mine is a sort of iffy system, though. My car is a '63 but must have suffered a fron end collision in its past sometime and had the entire front clip replaced with 444 parts. Now it has the B16 radiator (somewhat smaller, and with the bottom hose on the wrong side) trying to cool a 2.2 liter B20E engine. 37.5% more engine to try to cool - so I guess its fairly marginal. It seems better with the reduced backpressure, but we still haven't had any truly warm days here in St. Louis yet to tell for sure. I may yet need to recore the radiator to get more flow.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Ron Kwas
on
Tue May 7 02:32 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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John;
My compliments on a thourough explanation.
On your cooling situation...it sounds for sure like you should consider improving your radiator...maybe to a later one or even a cross-flow one from a 240 (if you can squeeze it in)...but if you go the recore route, you can have built with a three row core...that should keep you cool as a cuke!
Cheers
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A Volvo friend lent me a 5-blade, plastic, Volvo cooling fan. These cooling fans are more efficient than the original steel 4-blade fans, because the blades are better shaped, there are 5 of them, and the fan is installed slightly closer to the radiator, so close in fact, that I had to drain the cooling system, and remove the radiator to install it, there is no room to bolt the fan in with my 3-row radiator core in place.
The first impressions are that it certainly moves more air, the temperature doesn't increases when stopping for a traffic light and also when shutting down the engine in the garage, the temperature rises only a quarter on the scale and the needle doesn't go into the white (hot) area on the temperature gauge.
I still believe that a thermostatically controlled electric fan of the right size is the way to go, however I haven't been able to locate the right fan. My "emergency" electric cooling fan is too small and too noisy and because of the space available, there is only room to fit an 12" size electric fan in front of the radiator.
Jim
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Truth be told, the angle grinder had to come out and some metal on the nose section was sacrificed to provide clearance for the 15 inch fan on my 544. It probably helps that the 444 style radiator my 544 happens to have is taller and pretty square. The radiator itself is 15 inches tall and wide.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Ron Kwas
on
Sat Apr 27 04:55 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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John;
I agree about those OE puller fans...it certainly makes the point that these cars want to run, and not stand around in some traffic jam...updating with an electric, thermostatically controlled pusher is a nice, effectice upgrade, and not to difficult to do. As you probably know, the later Volvos went to larger fans with more blades, and then even to shrouds to improve the efficiency...so I guess Volvo identified the need to have better air moving capability too...
and as you see...this thread started because of the hood insulation business, but thermal considerations are an important part...
Cheers
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posted by
someone claiming to be vortex
on
Sat Apr 27 20:44 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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The following Test Report was received from the good folks at
Twistdraai Colliery (SASOL): -
At the Twistdraai Colliery, the vehicles operate at a depth of 1,2Km to 1,6Km.The mine has high levels of Methane gas, where coal can ignite at 204 degC.
The test vehicle was a Toyota Dyna 2 ton truck, and the objective of the test, was to ascertain if the exhaust manifold temperatures, could be reduced, when coated with the appropriate POWERKOTE product.
Twistdraai Steenkoolmyn Twistdraai Colliery
Privaatsak X1030 Secunda 2302 Private Bag X1030 Secunda 2302
Republiek van Suid-Afrika Republic of South Africa
______________________________ ____________________________
Telefoon (017) 614-7001 Telephone (017) 614-7001
Telefaks (017) 614-7043 Telefax (017) 614-7043
13 March 2001
TEST ON TOYOTA DYNA 2 – TON TRUCK(5-104)
OBJECTIVE
Temperatures on ceramic lined exhaust manifold under normal operating conditions in the mine.
TEST CONDITIONS
1. 25 microns ceramic coated exhaust manifold (5-104)
(sprayed application and one hour cure time)
2. OPTEX THERMO HUNTER Temperature Scanner
3. Bin Load = 1950 Kg (Dead weight) + 400 Kg (5 persons)
4. Trailer Load = 1950 Kg (Dead weight)
5. The maximum vehicle speeds were between 30 and 40 km/hr.
The test was conducted at Twistdraai Central Colliery on 13 March 2001 with the following personnel:-
Pieter Harmse ; Frikkie Brits ; Marshall Stonehouse ; Nick Roux ; Rajan Chetty
TEST RESULTS
The maximun temperature of the manifold(at the exhaust flange) was 238o C ( after Ceramic lining 166o C). This was at the steepest incline of the mine.The highest temperature on Level ground was 142oC. The highest exhaust branch outlet temperature was 129oC
On switching off the engine at the bottom of the shaft the highest temperature recorded after 5 minutes was 89oC.
CONCLUSION
Ceramic coating of the exhaust manifold has decreased the surface temperatures by 72deg C.
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