The Volvo P1800 B20 Build - Part 1

Welcome to a brand new series! We build a mild performance B20 for a 1969 Volvo P1800 - a car that has been around the planet full circle - and now it is time for it to become a real sports car!

[@mrtickles23]

Great timing I just picked up a p1800 that has been sitting since 1983! Your videos will be a great resource for me

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Thank you Stefan!!! That means a lot to me, really!

[@jesperbrenner]

Inte bara imponerad över ditt arbete och kunskap, din engelska är riktigt bra. Ska bli kul att följa! 👊

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Men tack så mycket Jesper! Var väldigt nervös över detta - vill ju kunna leverera bra grejor som är intressanta och sevärda.

[@wojtekwesolowski1950]

Nice material !

[@jonahle]

Engelska funkar bra, hoppas kanalen växer och du kan få nån inkomst på dina fina videor!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tack så himla mycket Jonas!

[@andersgunnarsson9241]

Spännande projekt, vad kul! Det här är ju en bil man önskar att man hade råd att skaffa, så trevlig sommar-cruiser. Snyggt producerat som vanligt och engelskan funkar mycket bra, well done!

[@patriknilsson2175]

Detta ska bli kul att följa! Väntar med spänning på nästa avsnitt 😊

[@jonash00]

Tack för dina välgjorda, lärorika och underhållande avsnitt! Funkar kanonbra som inspirationskälla och lite handledning för den som själv pysslar med B20, men spelar i en betydligt lägre division (jag...). 😀

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Härligt Jonas! Äh, jag spelar i hobbydivisionen jag med! Som med så mycket annat i livet - det bästa är att ha en anspråkslös inställning, och ha kul!

[@mathiasjohansson8934]

Nice video as always! Cant wait until next part!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tack/thanks a bunch!

[@iansmith6728]

A nice improvement.

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Thank you Ian! I was a bit hesitant and nervous about switching - didn't wanna come across as a show-off, using English for no good reason. But my hope and intention is merely to attract a wider audience - and quite a few people have asked me to go international before!

[@iansmith6728]

@@ClassicCarRacingRestoration I was meaning the B20, however the language change does reach a wider audience and your english is very good.

[@fallgrenarna1407]

great video as always and wow the english is amazing keep up the good work

[@themike97_58]

Thank you from the US for doing it in English!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hey Mike! I was - and still is - a bit nervous about vids in English, as I've been doing content in Swedish exclusively up until now. My idea was that hopefully, there'd be people outside Sweden with a keen interest in these old engines! Are you working on anything fun over there?

[@themike97_58]

@@ClassicCarRacingRestoration I love the look of the p1800 and was looking into buying one as a project. Just doing some KZbin research!

[@vinkel8364]

Snyggt klipp. Har längtat efter detta när du nämnt de innan. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tack Vinkel 8! Och som du kanske noterade på slutet - det finns ett par motorer till på gång...

[@perziee5012]

Ännu en grym video och framför allt ett grymt projekt, hade man skitit guld hade man skaffat sig en p1800!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tack så mycket!! Jo, det hade även jag velat ha... tacksam att jag i alla fall fått äran att skruva med en!

[@lecramrechsif2848]

I was the last 3 years in Sweden with my Amazon for our Summer Holidays. Nice to see people like you and the customer. Now I know where I can get help if the Amazon will break down in Sweden😉But we all know that will never happen, nothing can stop a red block Volvo! Interesting build. Looks.like the two 175 Stromberg are not the same, the left one has a other cap on the top than the right one? Greetings from germany.

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hello Lecram! If your Amazon breaks down (not very likely, it is a classic Volvo...), yup, I'll help. The Strombergs are a matching pair; factory set up!

[@pijahpants9052]

cheers from the states

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hello Pijah! Glad to have you onboard, so to speak!

[@robkj7575]

As soon as I saw those Stromberg carbs I knew it wasn't a good running motor. The SU carbs are far superior. Screw the emissions BS. BTW I've got a 1970 142S sitting in my back yard rusting away. Body integrity is very poor. Will drag it under a tree and save the motor and transmission. Ran the hell out of it for 23 years overseas. It served me well. It has Strombergs which keeps it at 85 MPH or less. The 69 142S I had was SU carbs and drove it at 118 MPH. Beautiful running car. Wish I had kept it...

[@anton2760]

Kul att höra bra engelska från en svensk kanal! 😄

[@Kranlars]

Super bra 👍 Fortsätt 👍

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tack Lars!!!

[@mathuetax]

Oh, BTW, thanks for enabling Closed Captioning, it was handy as I could watch the video with the sound off (but could still know what was being said) when I was doing something else at the same time.

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Oh sweet, so it actually works? Good to know - did not seem that way at first!

[@mathuetax]

@@ClassicCarRacingRestoration Yep worked like a charm!

[@tritnaha1345]

Prätti guud grejer va'

[@gunnarbohlin3632]

Älskar att du kör barfota!

[@simonandersson1168]

Kungen är tillbaka grym video 👍👊

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Ha ha! Tack Simon!!

[@jpgiacalone]

Thank you thank you thank you for speaking English!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

No problemo, and thank you for watching!

[@smalanning9693]

👍👌

[@Avtovaz21057]

oh nice one, yes im watching in England so worth the english use ;) thanks

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Thank you! I was hoping I'd reach one or two Volvo enthusiasts abroad.

[@Hampus_Granstrom]

Ska bli kul att följa!😀

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tackar Hampus!!! PS - MÄKTA avundsjuk på ditt Saab-fynd... Finns med på min bucket list också - vill ha en tvåtaktare!

[@rokkebill]

Kult prosjekt ! Tror det er lurt å bare fortsette på engelsk, du snakker jo så bra engelsk og publikummet er jo der. Gleder meg til neste video !

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

"Takk" för det! Då kommer jag nog köra även nästkommande projekt på engelska!

[@rokkebill]

@@ClassicCarRacingRestoration Lurt tror jeg ! Og kanskje en engelsk voiceover på skogscustomen ikke er så dumt heller. Lykke til !

[@classicvolvorestorations3848]

Considering English is a second language in Sweden they are exceptional. Most of Scandinavia are.

[@g-sson67]

👍

[@perpetersson9001]

Följt ”skogscustom” från dag 1, trots att jag är inte har någon 140 och är originalnörd när det gäller Pv och Amazon. Mycket kunnande samlat i dina videos och har ofta tänkt att det vore fint med engelsk text. Nu fixar du en video på perfekt Engelska 😮. Stort Grattis ! Prenumerationerna lär öka markant och jag hoppas det leder till ett heltidsjobb på kanalen 💪🏻.

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tack som tusan Per!!! Ja, för min del vore det verkligen drömmen om jag kunde få göra detta på heltid - ska bara lista ut hur man tjänar pengar på detta!

[@leifalbihn9437]

Kul att du provkör bilen barfota! 😄

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Jag gillar verkligen att köra barfota... lite som att rida barbacka skulle jag tro? Få maximal känsla för vad maskinen har för sig...

[@flaagan]

Look up Mikuni carbs. I was looking around for a replacement for the old SU carbs on a TR-4 from one of my project Morgan +4's, found a company on the USA east coast (V Performance, Volvo P1800's especially)) that sells a kit for the Mikuni carbs. The Mikuni's are from a long-standing Japanese motorcycle performance component company.

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hey there! I've tried Mikuni's previously, on race engines - great stuff, mostly, at least the flat slide versions. The owner here wants to keep things old school and basic, but thanks for the tip!

[@TheCleverMillionaire]

What would a fair price be for a p1800 that needs to be restored ? I know a guy that has 2 that been sitting for 5 years, im looking to make him an offer on both, what would be fair, ball park numbers.. im in the US

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hello! Its all a bit tricky. I've bought quite few cars in the US, and pay way more for cars from California, Colorado or Arizona, than I would for cars from the east coast. Either way, a decent, running, non-molested barn find P1800: from 6000 to 9000 dollars - but there are always cheaper ones out there! Just gotta be lucky I guess.

[@douglasfox9579]

Thank you so much for doing this. I had watched the first four episodes a while ago and just watched the final one. I am in the process of rebuilding a 69 B 20!for a 64 1800S, and comparing and studying different builds. Not an expert and no training (!) but would like to know more of the spec details here. What head did you start with? I know you offered some information on the cam, can you be more specific? Would you have reduced the valve sizes if using SUs instead of the Stromburgs? Is there a header or stock exhaust manifold? Tack!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hello there! The head is an early 70's B20A head from the start, nothing fancy at all. For a moderatly worked over engine, you can rather easilly modify any B20 or B18 head to support up to 150-160 horsepower. As with most engines, the head is a fine design to start with: the engineers were no dummies! But also, as with most older engines, there's quite a lot to gain by improving flow with better valve seat angles, and making sure you remove imperfections in the casting inside the ports. Bumping the compression and making sure the squish is correct, plus adding better ignition is also important. Finally, the camshaft is an NH48, designed by a legend in Sweden, Nisse Hedlund. It has 276 degrees duration, 106 degrees love separation and 7,75 mm lift, and can be said to be and improved version of the Volvo K profile. It feels a lot better at low and mid range than the K! Exhaust manifold is a standard, cast iron. Valve size: As I say in one of the episodes, these are in fact larger than needed; this is because Joris may want to upgrade to dual Weber 40's at a later stage. You really do not need anything bigger than 44-37, especially not for a B20 with standard bore, since the gases are trapped on the outside of the valves: the cylinders are simply not big enough. So, with 44-37 you will get a better, even flow around the valves.

[@olewurtz7625]

I just came across your video and listened to your P1800 background story. According to you and many other sources, Volvo decided to take the body production from Jensen in England to Göteborg in 1963. I had a 1965 in the early 80’ and my car had a metal tag in the engine bay stating that the body was built by Jensen. Do you have an idea how that can be ? Maybe a gliding transition or some Jensen bodies went into storage before being turned into cars ?

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hello! Very interesting! That seems to be a very likely explanation. Oftentimes car manufacturers have parts or even body panels/shells in stock, especially back in the day. This was even common with cars produced in low numbers.

[@Bornis20]

Wow Billy! Det här skall följas ! Byter du något inuti förgasarna ? Eller helt original? Tack för en grym kanal

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tackar! Förgasarna blir renoverade, men i övrigt original! Vid senare tillfälle kommer vi testa bilen på rullande landsväg och justera lite mer noggrant!

[@classicvolvorestorations3848]

Following with interest. Could you please tell me more about the cam and who makes them..

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Thanks! The cam profile itself was once calculated by a legendary Swedish Volvo tuner named Nisse Hedlund - hence "NH". Today, the cam masters are owned by another Swedish company, whom can grind if not all, but most of the old "NH"-profiles. I have been using one, called NH193, in three different engines over the last 10 years, and very few modern profiles can match the performance. If you like to get in touch with them, please send me an e-mail at: [e-mail]

[@joelbjorkstrand7439]

Tjena, först o främst tack för kul och intressanta videos! Har du något tips på vad du skulle satsat på för förgasare om du skulle förgasarkonverterat en P1800ES -72? (B20E) Fortsätt som du gör, grymt!!

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hallå Joel! Ja du, jag tycker egentligen Strombergarna är lite tröga - föredrar SU, och egentligen allra bäst de äldre H6, men det skulle nog se lite väl gammaldags ut under huven på en -72:a, så HIF är väl mitt val då!

[@georgeramazzini3716]

Hello, I have a 1972 volvo 1800e and I'm wanting some advice from you. I live in California and the car is in good shape except the engine seems to be lacking in power and I can see that the engine is putting out oil engine smoke. So I'm thinking that the engine probably needs to be overhauled. I don't know how many miles it actually has because the odometer was probably not working for a while. In your opinion would I be better off getting a new engine which I don't know if I can get a b20 engine or just having it rebuilt. I don't know of a shop here in California that I can trust to rebuild this engine so I would appreciate any feedback that you might have. I live in the north part of California with Sacramento being the closest big city to me. Thank you for your feedback.

[@larsdahlman8986]

Följer dig, men lägg gärna lite krut på att ha en jämn volym då jag oftast lyssnar med ”lurar”(går det att redigera ljudet?)

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hej! Det är så märkligt detta, jag justerar ljudnivåerna och tar bort bakgrundsbrus, men det verkar alltså ändå bli ojämt? Ska se om det går göra mer, och tack!

[@flaagan]

For the stainless steel exhaust, suggest to your friend / customer to look into having the whole setup ceramic coated, and have things like the headers coated inside and out. It does an amazing job of preventing the heat from soaking through the exhaust and making nearby components (and the car body) toasty. We did it on the custom stainless steel exhaust on our '70 Barracuda project and I can touch the headers bare-handed within minutes of running the vehicle at temp.

[@sbfk78]

Mycket trevlig p1800🙂👍

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Eller hur! Superhärligt exemplar!

[@jannegustavsson4177]

Den 245an är så snygg! Samma kulör som på en jag hittade 144'an kan du ta min fot för

[@TheUltimate65]

Did you use orginale camshaft when the head its ported up and bigger carbrators, its i have understsnding you right...🤔

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

The camshaft is an NH 48, 275 degrees duration, 7.75 lift, 107 degrees lobe separation. It works really well on a street engine, and the Strombergs will support up to 150 horsepower - same goes for this cylinder head. With dual Webers/Dellortos, this engine would most likely produce 150-155 horsepower.

[@TheUltimate65]

@@ClassicCarRacingRestoration ohhh....looks good fore the steet that...🤗💪

[@hakanaxlund7951]

Grymt kul projekt. Hur får man upp HP och hur mycket soppa drar den vid 140 HP?

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Effektökning generellt handlar ju om att få in mer luft och bränsle i motorn, och på bästa möjliga sätt förbränna den blandningen. Så man gör, enkelt förklarat, större hål i topplock på insug och avgassida, byter kamaxel, byter förgasare och fixar med detaljer. I detta fall landade vi på en förbrukning på under litern vid blandad körning. Mycket tack vare att motorn är byggd för väldigt bra vrid i mellanregistret!

[@hakanaxlund7951]

Toppen, tack för svar.

[@ritter_cracker]

Cool. Will you also put it on the dyno and see how much it makes when it's done?

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

That is at least the intention!

[@ritter_cracker]

@@ClassicCarRacingRestoration Awesome! Super interesting. :D

[@snorreskistad7780]

Godt du er tilbake med videoer, du gjør KZbin bedre👍

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Tackar Snorre!! Får jag bara tiden att räcka till finns ju radvis med projekt på kö hemma - håller på med ett par motorbyggen till bland annat.

[@svenrunehansson3060]

Ska bli intressant det här tackar för att vi följa me dig

[@Cheva-Pate]

Den motorn kommer att bli supernajs! Drömmen lever om en P1800…….

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Eller hur! Det är ett fint koncept som ska bli riktigt bra i bilen!

[@eagletek1]

Where do you buy your parts

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Hello! Well, that is a bit hard to answer: companies here in Sweden, KG Volvotrim, KL Racing, VP Autoparts and more. But I also hunt NOS parts online and at swap meets and so forth.

[@moritzhummel9747]

8:56 Driving barefoot - like I always did and will 🙂

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Ah, so I am not alone in this then... I really like driving barefoot... Kinda like riding a horse without a saddle - you really feel what the beast/car is up to....

[@peterandersson7877]

Barfota???

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Japp, för maximal känsla!

[@bjornnilsson8352]

Ummmm that's an 1800E judging by fuel filler

[@bjornnilsson8352]

It's a 1970 1800E, as it has the M410 transmission. Check the engine code as it may still have original engine block, too. I'd go back to fuelie for it if I were you.

[@ClassicCarRacingRestoration]

Since I made this first episode, I have come to the same conclusion - found a return line too. But alas, the original block is long gone! So this will be dual carbs, for now!

[@hanssundkvist]

👍