Hi, I just bought a '64 122 SW that's a bit of a frankenstein in that it's got a few bits from a later sedan, reportedly done by a "Volvo guy" that was the owner previous to the guy I bought it from.

I would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer on the following:

(BTW, I'm new to Volvos - but not vintage cars. I'm a VW nut undergoing a conversion.)

Brakes: It's got a dual master cylindar, but it's got the vacuum brake assist, which according to the Haynes manual, goes with a single master cylindar. The brake assist is not connected, and the brake booster that goes with the dual cylindar system is nowhere to be found. The brakes work but you gotta really stand on them to make the car stop. Also, there's almost no travel in the brake pedal and it's really stiff. My diagnosis is that the front brakes aren't getting the pressure they need - only getting pressure from one chamber, and if I read Haynes correctly, there should be two lines (one from each chamber) running to the front calipers, which I don't think were changed. Oops, forgot to mention I have front disc. Plus, there's no brake assist.

(Bleeding doesn't help and pumpimg the brakes doesn't affect things.)

Seems to me the thing to do is to get a single master cylindar since that's what compatible with the rest of the components in the car and connect the brake assist (and hope it works).

Can someone either confirm that this seems right, or please correct me?

Thanks in advance,

Richard
(please see my other post/plea for help regarding gear ratios)