[ScoopMan]

As a racer you probably know this far better than I do, but putting in a beefier front sway bar (such as the IPD as I have) makes a vast difference in handling on these cars. With that and a decent set of tires, it becomes a completely different car.

I have been putting off weatherstripping and other non-mechanical needs on my 544, while I focus on my Spider build. Once that one comes on line, I will pay closer attention to the 544. Not that I ignore him or anything, he just got a new gas tank, fuel pump and fuel lines this past spring, which made him very happy.

 

[blueosprey90]

Getting ready for the big adventure.

Checked to see if windshield wipers worked. They work fine, but the front windshield leaks like a sieve. The rubber seal looks in good condition, but I assume I need to get some windshield sealant to address.

Checked to see if the spare tire had pressure. Zero - which is OK as it probably hadn't been touched in 10 years. I pumped it up in situ, but then I couldn't get it out of the spare tire place in the boot. Wedged in place. Had to let air out to get it to move. The tire, itself seems to hold pressure, so now I have it laid out on the floor of the boot.

 

[blueosprey90]

Was ambitious this morning.

Got up and pulled the rear carb after looking through my MG spares and deciding that I could cobble together the necessary seals to repair the leak. While I thought it would be leaking float bowl grommets, it was the jet assembly that is leaking. Pulled it apart, and I don't think it was assembled correctly. I have cork seals soaking in oil, so I should be able to reassemble this evening.

 

[blueosprey90]

Well, it was a long, long time since the carburetor was last refurbished - and not well done either. It only had one jet seal, rubber, not cork and the little brass washers were not where they belonged. I think I got it put together correctly and also changed the float bowl grommets and banjo bolt washers.

Reinstalled and air balanced the carbs, but did not check rich/lean synchronization. I think I should be OK since I measured the jet to bridge distance and set at .010", which is about where I always shoot and where it probably was to begin with.

It all took me a little bit longer than planned.
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[blueosprey90]

In the end, I decided to trailer the car up to the Keene Hill Climb Reunion. A four hour haul and it wasn't without its problems. I hope to report later on the Reunion, and perhaps post a video not yet in production.



After the Reunion was over, however, we slipped into Vermont and went looking for a guy I had seen driving a vintage Saab last July. I could then see through the windshield that he had a huge smile on his face and might be a guy I'd like to meet. We drifted around for a while, a bit lost and about to give up, when we came upon his premises.


I stopped and got out of the car to take a picture; but he was working on one of his cars in the barn and came out. We had a nice chat and he showed me around. I think he had seven Saabs there, including this one on the front lawn with a 3 cylinder engine, a desk fan and the radiator behind the engine. He name was Eric C.

All in all, I put about 100 miles on the old four seater. Alas, the rear end seems to be grinding.

 

[Csm22]

Always good to spend time with car enthusiast... even better when it’s a SAAB enthusiast!

 

[MrV]

like the pics. that saab engine/radiator is sure unique
dean

 

[JohnW63]

"putting in a beefier front sway bar (such as the IPD as I have) makes a vast difference in handling on these cars."

IPD no longer sell their swaybar kit. Any other places selling one for the 544s ?

 

[ScoopMan]

"putting in a beefier front sway bar (such as the IPD as I have) makes a vast difference in handling on these cars."

IPD no longer sell their swaybar kit. Any other places selling one for the 544s ?

Bummer! I did not know that. However, I have noticed in the past that IPD might not show an item if it is out of stock. You might try contacting them and bugging them. You might also try Scandix or VP.

The front one is dead easy to install. I have read that putting in a rear sway bar is not worth it, but I cannot say much more than that. I do know that putting in the front one really made the car handle very nicely. No longer wallows side to side. Stays pretty flat on cornering. I love it. I have stock springs which are plenty stiff, and stock shocks.

 

[blueosprey90]

Catskill Conquest Rally yesterday - really just a fun drive through the Catskill Mountains following, generally, one leg of the 1903 Automobile Endurance Run.

This was planned to be the ultimate shakedown run for the ’57 Volvo PV444 – especially since Hagerty was an event sponsor and offered free tow for the breakdowns. The rally started at the Catskill Visitor Center near Mt Tremper, N.Y. and ran to Unadilla, N.Y. and back, roughly 165 miles.

Of course, my navigator got us a bit turned around so not only did we run the rally in reverse direction, we also had some missed turns and clocked about 195 miles for the rally. For the day we did about 250 miles overall – including about 40 miles at night. Those 6 volt headlights don’t offer much visibility! But we survived.

The car performed flawlessly and had good legs even to about 65 mph. We had lots and lots of elevation changes with eight climbs over mountains above 1,900 feet. The car pulled strong when required and those drum brakes were more than sufficient. As the day progressed, the leaves seemed to change before our eyes. Not much color in the morning, but quite vivid colors by afternoon.

The event had about 60 entries ranging from a 1917 Ford Model T pickup truck to a 2019 C7 Chevy Corvette. There were very few duplicates in this group of interesting cars. We were one of the last cars to depart and we stopped a few times to help with breakdowns, including a long stop to help a ’66 Saab 96 Special that had lost its throttle linkage. Eventually I think we got it sorted. By then we were way behind the pack.

We had a grand time. Everybody just loved seeing the tattered classic at the Shandacken Inn where we stayed. Had we gotten home a bit earlier, I could have made a few bucks transporting a wedding couple to the chapel for their 5:00 p.m. wedding. Drat! A missed opportunity!

 

[tmtalpey]

That looks like a blast! Drat Hagerty didn't tell me about it. Oh, my 444's engine is still on the floor of the barn. Among other important pieces.

Your driver's door looks like it's fitting pretty well btw. That last shot has a bit more handle-droop though.

 

[blueosprey90]

I elected not to replace the lock mechanisms. Driver's side, at least is broken and wouldn't hold the replacement spring. At about $275 each, I decided not to invest in the parts.

 

[blueosprey90]

Reposting from a thread in the new owners forum. Want to record some data in case someone else may be looking for it some day.

My transmission is in a '57 PV444 with a B16B engine. I have no idea whether the engine or transmission are original to the car. Supposedly the car came with a 3 speed transmission, but my transmission is a 4 speed.

My transmission is marked

Type – Det Nr – Tillv Nr
M3 254160 – 1450
Marked #656552 on top

So the confusing thing is why is it marked M3 when it is a 4 speed. This site has a lot of information about the Amazon engines and drive train. http://www.volvoamazonpictures.se/po...powertrain.php

It states "In February 1958 the first Amazons with the new and fully synchronized four geared gearbox are produced. It is initially labeled M3 but this is changed just in time for the introduction (but some shop literature had already been printed with references to M3). M stands for manual and 4 indicate the number of gears. The M4 is fitted in both Volvo Amazon and Volvo Amazon Sport.

The Amazon gearbox part number is 254161 whereas the PV444 gearbox part number appears to be 254160. As was the case with the Amazon gearbox, mine is labeled M3, not M4 - but it is definitely a M4, although not synchronized in 1st.

I'm not sure what "Tilly Nr" means, but I suspect it is the transmission's serial number. My number at 1450 would suggest that it is an earlier box than the box referenced in the original post, "FABR.NR: 130161"

There is an October 1958 Volvo service bulletin floating around (Group 400, No A44, Gearbox, M4) that calls for some modifications due to oil leaks to gearbox part numbers # 254160 and 254161. I'm thinking this means that the gearboxes are the same unit, only with a different part number because one is in the PV and one is in the Amazon.

The service bulletin refers to serial numbers, and for the 254160 transmission records a change from boxes with serial numbers after 9133 and then another modification at serial number 12746. https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/tsb55-60/Group400-NoA44.pdf

 

[tmtalpey]

Early transmissions are all over the map, there are many changes to things like gear ratios, number of gears, top cover and selector design, etc all in the same case. Prior to 1956 or so, they were called H# or K#, for various values of #, then M3, then M4... Eventually the M40 appeared and things settled down, but only a little. The data on the tags was very inconsistent, as well.

FYI, "Tillv" is an abbreviation for Tillverkare, i.e. manufacturer. "Tillv Nr" is a common nomenclature for the manufacturer's part number, and it is not a serial number. It is not "Tilly" btw.

 

[blueosprey90]

Thank's for the information - especially the translation for Tilly.

I suspect that the Tilly Nr. may actually be the sequence number of the transmission, as in 1000, 1001, 1002 etc.

There is a thread on the new members forum where the fellow states that his transmission is marked TYP: M4, DET.NR: 254160, FABR.NR: 130161 and that it had Volvo 656501 on the base of it.

I'm guessing that our 656--- numbers are casting run numbers or a date code. I suspect his FABR.NR and my Tilly Nr is the numbered sequence of the transmission. In the Service Bulletin that I referenced his FABR.Nr and my Tilly Nr. are referred to as serial numbers. https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/tsb55-60/Group400-NoA44.pdf

 

[tmtalpey]

Not Tilly - Tillv!

My 444 transmissions have two tags, one like the tag described here, but another with different stuff. I'll have to dig around.

Any Swedish speakers here, for more perspective?

 

[blueosprey90]

Duh! :facepalm:

 

[blueosprey90]

I finally managed to sort out the annoying glove box button rattle this past weekend. I put in a stronger spring. Of course, the box is more difficult to open now, but the effect on the drive is much improved.

I did take the car for a long spin, and now I'm not so sure if the differential is really bad. I do have a bearing type noise, but I'm thinking it might be normal.

I noticed a big dent in the door where I must have leaned into the car. I pulled that out with one of those suction cup pullers.

It looks like I put about 1,000 miles on the car since acquisition in 2017. Most of that was this year. From partial service records that came with the car, it seems like it has only done about 10,000 miles since 2001.

 

[blueosprey90]

The PV is tucked away in the garage with no winter prep nor with the oil change that I had planned to do. On Christmas Eve, I dug out the 6 volt trickle charger and put that on the battery. Plan is to make a push to finish the MGA engine reinstallation with hopes of showing the PV some love in the cold new year.

 

[blueosprey90]

I took the PV to Upstate, New York (USA) for a drive last September. This was in the Adirondacks, a vast area where about half of the land is in forest preserve, another 25% is owned by the lumber companies and about 25% is privately owned.

I had hours of footage, but edited the first half of the drive down a bit. For what it's worth.