Hello all,

Thru a lot of these treads, I seem to get the picture, that a lot of you are modifying and changing originality. Do anyone of you know the split between originality and modified? 50-50, 30-70 or?? (I mean in US/Canda/New Z./Aus. etc.)

I myself, are aiming high on the originality, down to bolts and so.. So I was just wondering HOW much originality means to you.. :-)

(sorry for my written english, I'm from Denmark (right there "before" Sweden, if flying) so my original language would be danish........ ;-) )

Soren

Hi, I'm interested in your wheels. How thick are the spacers you are using? What ended up being the total backspacing? Do you have a photo of the wheels? Would be really interested in seeing how they look on a volvo

cheers

ozzi
'67 122s

Well I'm guilty of the modifications. I really, really tried to keep stock, but I felt like I was going off corners so I broke and installed l/springs and gas shocks. IPD sways can on one of the parts cars so I went there too. Color, chrome, seats redone but stock. Another change is I took the color combo from VW when I painted the wheels. I couldn't handle the 'grey' so I 2-toned, rim being white, inside black (1968 Bug) with centercaps (chromed) Looks stock to most, looks good to me...........life is good

Thanks! -for the answers!

I feel that I owe to "answer" myself a little..

Here in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the trend is absolutely that it's quite allright to modify as long as it is within the original supplements availble from Volvo -meaning:

OD (Overdrive), GT seats, (in terms of the mount-flange, chromed, which allow a much better seat-adjustment), head-restraints, H4-lights (actually you can get them WITH the glas curved so they look like orig. bulb-ones), and so on..

-All parts that was origanily availble on either order from new car or as a supplement later.

I myself, of course, equip my cars with these parts too, and of course there is a big difference in getting parts old/new from where I live, to overseas.

Concerning the difference between a "showcar" and a "daily car" I also understand those who try to built-in features that will make the driving more safe, comfortable etc.

I was just wondering a little, reading all these "Toyota-motor with Chevrolette-gearbox"-treads..

And I migth just ad, that I'm NOT only pro-original.. For the moment I "daily"-drive a 1967 121 equiped with; sportssteeringwheel etc, Audi S8 frontseats (alcartare), and 18x8 inch alloywheel from a Audi S8 with 245/35ZR18 tyres.. BUT standard worn B18 motor.. True, and most of all an attempt to see if such big wheels fit.. They do, but only with a special-designed "flange"/"spacer" that is bolted on and has new bolt-circle for the Audi-wheels.. The car is in all other ways original and stand in orig. paint (67 darkgreen) so with the wheels in antrasit-color, the car makes a pretty raw picture..

/Soren

Hi Soren,

I'm really interested in the wheels you installed. How thick were the spacers? What is the new backspacing and how well do the clear the wheel wells. Do you have a pic?

cheers

ozzi
'67 122s

Soren;

Greetings back to Denmark!...your English is better than some, whose first language it is (or should be), which is a sorry comment on attitudes, the state of this country's edumacation system...

I you ask me, if building an absolute show princess (shown at the concours, and driven on weekends only, and only when it's not raining, there's no salt on the ground, the temperature is between 50 and 80 degrees F, when the humidity is no more than 70%), the level of originality is clearly paramount...but if one is making a "daily-driver"...one that may get some chips from sand, parking lot dings, and one that has to hold its own in totay's traffic, a few upgrades (which keep the lights bright, and the keys from breaking, etc.) are sure nice.

The main thing is that from anything over 10 ft away, it looks 100% like the Amazon it was built as...and by the way, I prefer to use old refurbished bolts to new Taiwanese trash hardware ANY day.

Cheers

Hey Soren!
Great to hear from Jutland! My wife's grandpa, Holther Sven Olsen, the
Danish shoemaker, reported to us that, contrary to popular belief, Danish
is NOT a language, it is a dreaded condition of the throat.

I have had a 1963 4-door 122, a 1967 2-door 122 and 2 1966 122 estates.
My view is that I want it to look authentic (within reason) and have
installed the following non-standard equipment:
M41 tranny w/ old style lid and shifter
B20E engine (with carburetors)
HIF6 and/or HD8 carburetors
Street performance cam
front bumper overrider
dipswitch relay connected to turn signal switch
1968 grilles
123GT seats

Most people who see my cars don't realize that there is anything
nonstandard about their appearance but they do recognize the
performance.


--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

I've judged both stock and modified 122s in several concours, and the rule here is that *anything* that's been changed is a point off in the stock class. In actual practice, we wouldn't mark off for safety improvements (a third "cyclops" brake light, for instance, or modern headlamps) unless that level of detail was necessary to break a tie between two cars, which is rare.

No judge would have the time to look for original bolt markings, although I have seen a car that was restored with that amount of detail. Optional equipment that was available in the year the car was built is permissible, whether or not the particular car was originally equipped that way or not.

Both my 1960s Volvos are modified, although I['ve tried to preserve the original "feel" -- it's your car; feel free to do whatever you like with it.