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Well, picked up the Amazon today, and drove 180miles home.....
Now I'm wondering if I have done the right thing ! Car drove fine, sat at an indicated 65, (ocassionally more), and even though there is no overdrive, it was bearable.
Will I get used to that gearchange/brakes....Will it still be there in the morning, given the rubbish doorlocks....can I live with the handling....
I'm sure its all down to familiarity and me being too used to modern tin.
Couple of questions after my first couple of hundred Amazon miles....
[B]The gearchange:[/B]
Its like dragging your hand through a bucket of mud..Reverse is still a mystery, I've found it a couple of times by chance, it seems to be somewhere in the middle of the passenger footwell! [COLOR="blue"]Is this normal???[/COLOR]
[B]The brakes:[/B]
Like standing on a brick, no feel at all ! Pedal barely moves, [COLOR="Blue"]Is this normal??[/COLOR]
Has anyone ever fitted a remote servo? My wife would not be able to use the car with such a hard pedal....I've used a Generic lockheed remote servo in another car, anyone tried this in an Amazon
[B]The locks:[/B]
All seem to be suspect, doors don't open from inside, locks are very imprecise .....Are new locks available?
[B]The Seatbelts:[/B]
How annoying are static belts !
When replacing with inertia reels, what happens with the center fixing, do you have to redrill for modern fittings, did volvo use the industry standard on the bolts??
Thanks in advance !
Cheers
Gerry
Sorry if in whinging..I'm sure everything will feel better after a little more time...... :):):)
[B]The Seats:[/B]
Feel very low
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First off...congratulations on making an excellent choice. I only have a couple of things to add to the sage advice already delivered.
On the shifter issue, if you find the replacement top also has some wear, I devised a method of repair that seems to work (so far anyway). It involves replacing the warn sides of the top with new aluminun (mine needed 1/16" on my new transmission...my old one is worse, but that's another story).
The seat webbing is easy to repair...but 240 seats will also fit with a little work (in fact I've got a complete leather interior from a 264 in the works for the 122 at the moment).
Craig
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I tried to reply but without success so will try again.
Do you have the original keys for the car or failing this the number of the keys? The locks are made by Neumann(?) I think and a good locksmith should be able to cut exact replicas if they have the right set up in their computer.
I have done this on both a 122S and a 142S. The old original keys (very worn!) in the 142S would not allow the ignition to be turned but the new ones would.
The 122S keys can become very brittle and break off in the ignition so it is a very good idea to replace them quite frequently.
Feled
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Hi Feled,
I think the problem is in the lock barrel, looks like its seen some screwdriver action in the past and the opening is enlarged....It still moves between the 5 an 1 o'clock points but it does not disable the button.
I thnk new barrels are the way forward....Still, I'm going to worry about that later, I have to get the car thro its annual test first !
best regards
Gerry
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If the lever is in the middle of the passenger footwell, you must be in Great Britain....
The sloppy gates are caused by the cross pin in the lever ball digging into the aluminum tower on the trans top cover. If you remove the shift lever you will see on the cover how the slot that accepts the pin is worn out. The repair is to find a top cover that doesn't have this wear, and to use a good grease when assembling to prevent further wear.
I have a trans top cover in stock that I purchased for a customer who then disappeared. I'd sell it to you for what I paid for it, except that shipping to you would be very costly.
Of course the trans has to be removed to replace the cover, but on the bright side, compared to any modern car, the trans in a 122 Amazon is a snap to remove - about 1/2 hour. A Honda Prelude is about a nine hour trans re and re.
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your diagnosis is spot on ! Fortunatly I have managed to track one down in the UK, hope this will sort out the gearchange !
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Of course the trans has to be removed to replace the cover,
I have removed and replaced transmission covers (to retrofit a tapped cover for OD/4th gear activation switch) without removing the trans by just lowering the trans enough so that the tower on the cover clears the hole in the tunnel. You can access some of the cover bolts through the hole in the tunnel and the rest from below. I believe there are 6 bolts total. This requires unbolting the exhaust at the manifold, carb linkage, upper radiator hose + the trans mount support. Don't know what the constraints are on the right hand side of the engine compartment with the clutch and brake masters etc on the "driver's" side on a RH drive version.
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I second all of the others' replies. It will be a combination of both upgrading and getting used to things.
First thing to attack is the brakes... being able to stop is a good thing! When I first got my '66 the brakes were a scary thing. I have the single circuit (yeah, someday I'll upgrade to dual...) sysem without a booster. New pads, new shoes, new drums (you probably won't need those), SS hoses and a proper bleeding and adjustment and they're great. Yes, they take more muscle than a modern, power system, but they do the job they're supposed to.
The seats have various adjustment points but you may also need to re-strap them. IPD and others sell a kit that uses seat-belt material to replace the webbing, but I found that too firm. A little googling will find the pirelli upholstery webbing that is close to stock. Or find a set of recarros from a mid-90's VW jetta...
Retracatable seatbelts (Skandix has them) are quick and easy- and you won't have to explain the 'staple-gun' stock system every time you have a passenger!
Pull the door panels and get in there and clean and grease everything- it will make a world of difference with the locks. I used to be afraid of finding an empty space when I came out to my car, but realized that getting the thing started and running is quirky enough that it's pretty unlikely that you average 'yota jacker is going to be able to get it going, not to mention I don't think they're that high on the demand list. Anyone looking to steal a vintage amazon is going to be dedicated and sophisticated enough that the door locks ain't gonna stop 'em!
I have a mid-90's Toyota pickup in addition to the Amazon and its funny- after driving the pickup for through the winter I get the Volvo on the road and initially think- 'oh, god!' but then quickly that becomes, 'hey, this is fun, it feels good.... solid!' Then I get back in the Toyota and think 'oh man, what a whimpy piece of tin this is!' The Toyota is 30 years newer and the amazon still gets better mileage, is probably safer and kicks the 'yota's ass for power (especially in the hills)!
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What year/model is this? Where did you buy this car? Where are you now? Just city/state will tell us a lot about any local help you can get.
Gears.
Reverse is "way" over to the left and up. It is well out of your usual shift pattern. If you do not have a shifter with the pattern on it, it looks like:
R 1 2
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3 4
Hard shifting is likely worn gears or really gnarly gearbox fluid.
drain and refill and perhaps it will improve. Also check under the rubber shift boot. There is a both locking ring/nut the secures the shifter inside the gearbox. When that ring loosens the whole shifter can come out the whole shifter can come up and out (you *can* stick it back in). Before it comes out your shifting will get troublesome, so you may just need to take care of that.
Brakes
your fluid is likely very old and needs to be flushed. But yes, unless you have one of the last few model years, or a modified model, you have a single-circuit non-power brakes. You can buy an external booster like a Lockheed or an original Girling unit. It will cost you around $300.00+
Locks
Lubricate the external assemblies. You should probably remove the door cards and check the internal mechanism. Pretty simple and may just need to be tightened and lubricated. Your inner door handles may be stripped and thus won't release the lock and open the doors. You can fine adjust the door closing with the lock catch assemblies on the door jambs.
belts
My 67 had upgraded reel belts from an early honda/toyota (kit thing) They bolted onto the door jamb and the catch was bolted to the drive tunned right where the original belt catch was located. "Skandix" has a kit of some kind for belts which will probably meet your needs.
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Reverse is a bit tricky on a gearbox with a worn bushing.
I attach a musical device (to the reverse light) to help me to "feel" when the gearbox is on reverse.
Also try this "diagonal" variant when go to reverse (with a bit of force):
R 1 3
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. 2 4
--
Joaquin / Rojo 121 / Lima
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I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback but let me give you mine too. ;-)
We are all spoiled by modern machinery. When I drive my wife's 2000 Impala (no luxury yacht, that) I am amazed at the silence more than anything else. It is very comfortable. It has excellent acceleration and outstanding brakes.
My car works hard. And it sounds like it too. I have to watch traffic very carefully because I've got a 60-0 stopping distance roughly twice that of the Impala. But you know what? The Impala doesn't make me smile. And, no one has ever honked and smiled and waved at me in the Impala. That happens almost every day when I'm driving the Amazon.
The gearchange:
Its like dragging your hand through a bucket of mud..Reverse is still a mystery, I've found it a couple of times by chance, it seems to be somewhere in the middle of the passenger footwell! Is this normal???
Most likely the bushing that lives just under the cover is gone. It is available at www.swedishtreasures.com among other places. You must have never driven a VW bus, eh? :-)
The brakes:
Like standing on a brick, no feel at all ! Pedal barely moves, Is this normal??
Has anyone ever fitted a remote servo? My wife would not be able to use the car with such a hard pedal....I've used a Generic lockheed remote servo in another car, anyone tried this in an Amazon
No it isn't normal. My brakes are not great but they do offer excellent feel. My guess is that the hoses have collapsed. Rubber hoses are less than $20 each at Swedish Treasures. Or, you can do what most folks do and spring for the stainless braided teflon lined 3/16" hoses at ipdusa.com
But do a thorough inspection first. The pads might be glazed or a piston might be frozen or who knows?
There are several stories here on the Brickboard about adding vacuum or hydro-vacuum assist. Just search the board.
The locks:
All seem to be suspect, doors don't open from inside, locks are very imprecise .....Are new locks available?
Take the door panels off and study the mechanism. You'll find the problem. Locks and keys are available for the 122S. In fact, most things are available.
The Seatbelts:
How annoying are static belts !
When replacing with inertia reels, what happens with the center fixing, do you have to redrill for modern fittings, did volvo use the industry standard on the bolts??
You can bolt in modern belts in about 20 minutes using the original mounting points. I got mine off eBay. Currently item # 330121683085 looks to be the same as I used but from a different seller and about $20 more than I paid. Watch eBay for a lot of things you will want/need for the car.
The Seats:
Feel very low
Go to Ron Kwas' web site
After a couple of hours you will know a lot more about your new car. He offers a kit to take care of that problem. I just this past week installed Ron's seat kits in my car. It took me about 30 minutes for the first one and about 20 minutes for the passenger side; it is that easy.
BTW -- I Replaced the --brackets-- with --lessthan greaterthan-- to make the bold work. Color didn't work though.
--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 51 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL
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Hi Folks,
Thanks for all of the great suggestions so far !!
Right, some details, (like I should have provided before....)
Its a 1966, 122s, no overdrive, no servo, RHD, (I'm in Scotland).
I'm hoping the gearchange issue is a simple bush replacement, can someone tell me what one(s) to start with....
The brakes do pull the car up straight, but totally lack any feel. Plan is to work my way through the system replacing as required.
But....I now have an added sense of urgency....In the UK we have an annual roadworthyness test, the MOT. You need one of these certificates to even park on the street. I just discovered that mine expires today, (and not 4 weeks as I was led to believe...). I had the vendor put the car thro a test befoure I bought it and it failed on, headlight, u/s horn and door handle. I'll be working on these items today, hopefully booking a new test tomorrow. Then I can worry about all of the other things...
As a midlife crisis, a 42yo, Swedish mistress, (in this context of course), is not the worst thing that can happen !
Best Regards
Gerry
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Hi Gerry,
I replied to you in the UK forum as well, but I just wanted to add: for the MOT, I don't think a year's gone by when my Amazon wouldn't have potentially failed on horn and headlamps. There seem to be gremlins that stop the horn and misalign the light the day before! I always have a go at these two before the test as a quick bit of preparation. But at least your car didn't fail on bodywork, that's a GOOD thing.
If you can find a test centre that's run by the council you may have an easier time - they have no interest in making money from repairs and are used to dealing with older vehicles. They shouldn't do an emissions test, I'm pretty sure that your Amazon is exempt.
I wonder if our MOT is stricter than the US tests. Do US cars have to have working horns, windscreen wipers etc?
When I bought my first Amazon and drove it away, I thought I'd bought a boat (especially when it rained), then I did some upgrades and started loving it.
Tom
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"I wonder if our MOT is stricter than the US tests. Do US cars have to have working horns, windscreen wipers etc?"
Every state is different. In Texas, all cars operated on public roadways must pass an annual safety inspection. The tests in Texas are not nearly as stringent as MOT.
When I lived in Connecticut, my cars were inspected only for initial registration. Some states have absolutely no safety inspection program but do have very stringent emissions testing. Then again, a few states have very tough safety inspections; you can be forced to retire a vehicle if it fails inspection.
--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 51 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL
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Hi Tom,
A boat !! That describes exactly what I though as I drove away after picking up the car :-)
All that was running through my head was "OMG What have I done!".
Got some bits coming to let me sort the horn out, then the car will have to thro a full retest.
I actually know the MOT guy pretty well and in the past, he has tested my old cars with a fair but sympathetic approach, but he told me of a recent experience with VOSA, (UK Govt. testing organisation). Annual tests in the UK are now all computerised, the tester starts by logging the test start on the live system, carries out the test and records the results on the central database, then prints your pass/fail. He had just finished a car,pulled it off the ramps and recoreded the pass. Minutes later, a car comes screaming into his yard, 2 guys jump out and flash their VOSA badges. The car is then put back on the ramp and the car is retested by the VOSA guys........
Big brother is watching !
Cheers
Gerry
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