Hi folks,

Cameron and Phil, and others, from your previous experience, might be able to help answer some specific 1800 - 122 suspension compatibility questions I've asked, below, and I would appreciate your input.

I checked out the three 1800E's today.
It's a package deal and I'm going to get all three.
Nuts, right?

Maybe not:

'71E Automatic - Showing 072,000 miles. Last registered 1984. Complete
car. Leather seats and armrests cracked, but nice, tan interior panels.
Engine compartment shows evidence of clean, maintained engine before
sitting for 19 years. Some bubbling rust in fender and fin "valleys"
(sitting water?). Good chrome and tinted glass all around, except 2
dings on the hard round of grill surround. Very good fin spears.
No major through rust showing, but
needs further inspection, around wheels looks very good. Nice lenses.
Full A/C setup that has beautiful, complete underdash unit, perfect headliner.

'70E M41 - Showing 032,000 miles! Last registered 1983. Complete car.
Seats, armrests ratty but good, tan interior panels. Engine compartment
shows evidence of clean, maintained engine before sitting for 20 years.
Good chrome and glass all around, 1 ding on hard round of grill
surround. Very good fin spears. Rusted battery tray area, but not
extending into structural. Some surface rust, you can see where it
pooled and slowly evaporated in the fin curves, some through rust in
rear trunk area , around wheels looks good. Full A/C setup underdash
unit missing ducts.

My questions for Cameron and Phil:

If the mileage is accurate and it proves to have too much rust in the shell, the M41, dual circuit, inline-booster brake system, (possible) LSD rear end with disk brakes, matching front
rotor/hubs, wheels, even the B20, could end up in my "early" '67 122 with single circuit brakes.

I want to build an "upgraded" 122, with mostly compatible, but better 1800 components, and, needless to say, these could be VERY good donor parts with only 32K on them.

'71E M41 - Showing 129,000 miles. Forgot to look at last registered
year. Complete car. Some through rust in rear trunk area, but around
wheels looks very good. 2 dings on hard round of grill surround. Best
looking engine compartment, unless paper stickers, in good shape, were
replaced. Full A/C setup, with so-so underdash unit. Can't remember
what the interior panels looked like, but interior has been exposed to
the elements through a broken windshield.

gary
'67 122S + 122 4-door Fleet + 1800E Fleet

A few things to add:

ipd sells a little plate that adapts the "3 and 9" master cylinder to the earlier body. I have it in my 122 and like it fine. I did not do anything additional for rear circuit pressure limiting and do not plan to. My tests show the rears are still last to lock up in a panic stop.

The parts Paul mentions are still in development. I have a 67 1/2 axle sitting in the garage waiting to go into my 66 122 using these parts, when they are ready.

Cameron has rear disks in a '68 (I think) and had one pair of rotors redrilled to keep the bolt circle the same. Just something to consider.
--
Justin 66 122E, 71 145S
Read vclassics!

Isn't the early '67, really a '66 body? If it's the '66 and earlier style, the rear disc brakes from the 1800 won't fit because the trailing arms are different. I have an early '67 122. So, check your trailing arms.

67-1/2 4-doors are rare (low production numbers). 2-door and wagons are more common. You could check your chassis number against the production year. I think 67-1/2 4-dr chassis numbers start at 225050 (only 9160 made), 67-1/2 2-dr chassis number start 216950 (62950 made), and 67-1/2 wagons chassis number start at 44600 (17200 made). This info came from http://www.volvoworld.com/ under: volvo production/120 series.

I hear IPD has something coming out to mount the newer rear axles (67-1/2 and newer) to the earlier body mount points ('67 and older). Sounds like splicing the older front section of the trailing arms (the section that mounts to the body of the car) to newer rear section of the trailing arms ( the section that mounts to the rear axle).

Hopefully, you have a 67-1/2 122.

Paul

Yes, you're right that the trailing arms might not work on an early '67 Amazon -- I was thinking of the 1800S, where the new arms really did start at the beginning of that year's production run. Something else to check out, although I think most Amazons did get the new style.

Actually, you are both correct.

My '67 122 is chassis# 249319, and that makes it a 67 1/2, as Paul calls it, and yes, it has the later style trailing arms.

The brake system and steering wheel column must have switched over later in '67 however, because mine have the single circuit system and impaler rod style steering column.

gary
122s x 5, 1800's x 3

I put the rear end, rear disk brakes, and double circuit brake system from a 71 1800e on my 66 1800s. Everything bolted right up except the master cylinder. The early cars had bolts at 6 and 12 o'clock, and the later has the mounting bolts at 3 and 9 o'clock. Nothing a quick welding job did not fix. Getting the right pressure regulator on the rear wheels also took some creativity, but nothing complex, and the ebrake cable required some mixing and matching of the 66 and 71 parts to work (the 71 cables are too long for a 66).
I can send you photos if you want of the master cylinder set up.
-Erik
p.s. what a find of parts...three 1800e's complete!

All that good stuff should pretty much bolt up to a '67 122S, but not to a '66 or earlier. Use the lower trailing arms that go with the rear end you choose.

You can tell a LSD rear end easily: with the wheels off the ground (obviously), turn one. If the other one turns in the same direction, it's LSD. Without LSD, it will turn opposite.

The bolt pattern is different, so your current wheels won't work.

I'm not fully sure that the brake master cyl is a direct swap, and you'll need to make some new brake lines and use a second pressure limiting valve for the rear brakes -- find this on the 1800s as well.

humm...
Just a thought, maybe not the answer you're looking for...
But maybe you could put all 3 together and make one perfect one... (I'd do that if I was in your possition...haha.)
Just an idea...

Anthony,

As far as I can tell so far, none of the three are bad enough (rust) not to be restoration candidates, but you never know, it could end up that way.

gary