A few more questions that probably don't need their own threads... Then again, we need to fight that zombie thread about Kombi's mileage... These are all about my 1968 130...

Brake Lights
I'd like to add a third brake light to further warn people to stay back. I don't see any at JC Whitney that would look proper. I seem to think someone has done this already, but I could not find the thread. Where can I find one that would look okay on my back dash?

Hood Insulation
The 1800 and later models come with hood insulation to deaden sound and reflect heat (I suppose). Aside from a concern about turning the amazon's engine compartment into a convection oven, are there any solid pro/cons to installing some sound-deadening material and some reflective foil under my hood?
I'd like to quiet the engine noise a bit and make that part of the car sound more "solid"

Wheel Skins
The tiny wheel grip adds a tiny sense of "no control" to the steering (this is psychological, the steering is actually fine), but I'd like a better grip that does not look like fark. IPD is the only source I know of for wheelskins, and they are really pricey. Aside from stopping by the local leathershop, are there any other sources for nice wheel covers that add a little "grip" without looking pimpy?? Come to think of it.. the leather shop might be a better deal all-around...

Fan Shroud
I have an 1800E fan shroud to go with the 1800E radiator, flex fan, and alternator in my 68. Does the shroud improve the cooling efficiency enough to justify the effort of detaching my radiator hoses in order to install it?

More Cooling
Do all Amazons seem to run hot? Has anyone written a how-to for installing one of those "thermostatic" fan switches for an extra push, or complete replacement fan?

Thanks.

Sorry guys. See Gallery /IMAGELIB/images/7306.jpg and /IMAGELIB/images/7308.jpg

Cheers,
--
Barry -- 1967 122S 'Betty'

Here are the other pics.

Cheers,
--
Barry -- 1967 122S 'Betty'

Here are pics of a 3rd brakelight in my son's '69 Amazon (plus a fan, a definite requirement in Vancouver in the winter). It's from a 1986 Corolla 4 door sedan. It looked so sweet that I put one in my '67. The picture of the brackets is from my car.
--
Barry -- 1967 122S 'Betty'

Third light:

I use a Bosch light:

http://rb-aa.bosch.com/advastaboschaa/Product.jsp?prod_id=40&ccat_id=22&language=en-GB&publication=1

On my car:

http://www.geocities.com/yogui7/0/pages/volvo10ago08.htm

A clone:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003586/p-2003586/N-111+10201+600003037/c-10101/reviewflag-1#review

Cheers,

Joaquin

Here is a thread about the brake/interior light I made for my 220, this has worked out well and could be easly adapted for a sedan.
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1153233
Shrouds are a good thing and should have been standard on the Amazons IMHO and will help address the "More Cooling" problem, especially in traffic.
No opinion on the other stuff except for the wheel, I used an old Alfa Romeo wheel that I replaced with a Momo (on the Alfa) for the amazon, much better! Slightly smaller diameter and far better grip!



Cheers!
OK

Noise:
A good firewall mat and sound-absorbing (NOT Water-absorbing!!) floormat will
help here, probably more than a hood mat. Under way, the air goes past the
engine and below the car so it is a lot better than what you see sitting still.

Shroud:
I think it is a great idea IF it fits the 122 fan placement. There is a 6-blade
OEM fan that was an option that is a bit better but the blades are pretty small.
There are larger fans but they foul the AC pulley as the engine/water pump/fan/
radiator are pretty close-coupled. The metal fan that came on my 164 is a good
example. On the 164 it has about a 2" spacer between the fan and water pump pulley.

Wheel skins- I have bought them at NAPA and such like but the steering wheels
are so big that it is a real stretch. Leaving them in a closed car in the heat
of the day in Panama helped on installation..... They were pretty cheap and
didn't last very long but were OK for a while.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Tonight I drained and pulled my the 1800E radiator from the amazon, slapped on the fan shroud and put it back in. It fits perfectly around the 1800E flex fan that Installed with the radiator a while back. I'm once again impressed by the volvo engineers because the 122 radiator/engine/fan geometry is identical to the 1800E.

I do have one of those asymmetrical plastic 5-blade upgrade fans on the wagon, but I'm trying not to cannibalize parts. I like the "pull" of the 1800E flex fan anyway...

The real trick to get it all to work fine, was to NOT use that 2" spacer on the end of the water pump bracket. I used a much thinner spacer that I found laying around.

BRAKE LIGHT: I have purchased the Hella third brake light from Daniel Stern but haven't had time to install yet. It looks like it will fit nicely. I am planning on mounting it at the top of the rear windshield (comes with strong adhesive) for maximum visability and running the wire in along the seal to hide it.

HOOD INSULATION: I also got some hood insulation from B-Quiet. I bought it along with the other butyl insulation I put on the floor, inside doors and trunk, etc. Seems like it will work very well under the hood to deflect noise and heat and sound good closing. http://www.b-quiet.com/hliner.html

I also got a custom-sewn carbon fiber firewall insulator. it replace the jute mess that comes with the 122. This same guy does a carbon fiber tunnel blanket too (which I need cause mine gets HOT) but I haven't been able to afford that yet. http://www.heatblok.com/product.html

WHEELSKIN The prevous owner put a perforated leather grip on the wheel that is quite nice. It's not totally custom but I can't see a brand name on it.

I admire your focus on your Amazon repairs. I am so busy that I seem to go it at every night for three or four days in a row and then let it slide for 2-3 months.

The Heatblok firewall blanket looks interesting; although I am more interested in blocking noise rather than heat. I wonder how it compares to something like Dynamat in that location for sound deadening?

One good reason I can think of for installing reflective sound deadening under the hood is to keep the top of the hood cool, and thus discourage *@#$! cats from jumping onto my nice warm hood with their dirty little feet; I swear, if I get my hands on one of the little b*stards I'm going to cook it and eat it for dinner!

I've been looking at the rear reflectors as a possible location for supplemental brake lights, and using a super bright LED array behind the reflector lens. I like the instant-on aspect of LED's for getting people's attention, but I'm skeptical about finding a single LED lamp that would adequately replace the brake light bulb in the tailamp housing (inadequate dispersion, or brightness) which is why I would only use LED's to supplement the existing brake lights for now.

You could add some bullet lamps on either side of the car above the side glass, ala Citroen DS19, but if I see you, I will pretend I don't know you ;)

Bill

I was thinking about some way to get an LED panel into those reflectors, but they seem pretty thoroughly sealed up.

Little bullet lights might be...um...effective... but I agree that I would not own up to it either. I am actually going to remove the 122S side reflectors and install the lighted versions I kept from my old 1800E. Not that it will help the brake issue, but it will improve my overall visibility

Brake-wise, I will say that Ron Kwas' advice about using the reflective chrome paint on the interior light panels *really* works. The "luminosity" is much improved.

The issue is more that the yuppie-yokles in Hummer H2s can't see my lights or tail fins over their hoods... I'm hoping that an upper-center cyclops brake light might literally save my tail...

Those daniel stern lights looks nice, but $50.00 is a little steep considering all the other parts I've been getting lately (brake booster, custom welding, etc).

Since the 122 rear reflectors are aluminum-backed and include the mounting bolt
for the housing, putting any kind of lights in them will involve a total
redesign including mounting. Might be worth doing but I would prefer the third
brake light to be up high where it can be better seen by following traffic.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Daniel Stern Lighting ( www.danielsternlighting.com ) has some nice window-mount 3rd brake lights.

There's someone out there making underhood and firewall insulation for the 122. I think they sell on eBay.

I'll check out the lighting.
I know the guy are you're talking about on eBay. He has carbon fiber firewall and drive tunnel blankets.

I was considering a firewall blanket for my 220 and he offered me a good deal on a set. But since I am putting in a drive tunnel extension in the wagon, I passed it up.

I was thinking about some eDead with some of that reflective foil under the hood, but I was a bit worried about trapping all that heat under there and baking hoses, wires, and fluids and helping overheat the engine.

Maybe reflecting heat is not a serious issue, could someone confirm or deny the risk before I start gluing foil to my hood.

Jay at Yankee Trading in Easton, PA used to make them. Don't know if he still
does or not.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Years ago I cut the headliner out of an AMC Hornet station wagon and glued it to the underside of my 144 hood. It cut down noise considerably driving and made a nice "thunk" when latching the hood.