I after driving a 1958 PV444 1960 until selling it in 1967, I have just bought my second one. It is a "project car" and I'm now figuring out what I have here and some basic directions to take on the restoration.

As to "what I have here": The first three lines of the data plate say P44408 1958, 169133, 19. From the info in Volvo World web site I think I understand these - a 1958, U.S. spec 444 with black exterior with chassis number 169133.

The fourth line says 19. I believe this is the upholstery code, perhaps for black (the car has black and white rear seats and trim and solid black front seats but I do not know if this is original). Does anyone know where I can learn what this code 19 means and what the original upholstery would have looked like?

The fifth line says 12-130. Any ideas as to what that means?

The title shows the vehicle ID as "B16B493859434". That sounds like an engine number to me. But the engine has no number on the left side of the block (where I thought they were). On the right side of the block it has the numbers 6986 and below that 403800. These are cast into the block and I suspect they are casting part numbers - I see that the head has the number 403805. Can someone tell me where to find the engine number?

As to "basic directions to take on the restoration":

The engine is not running and has almost no compression (30-50 pounds) which was not helped much by adding some oil to the cylinders. The valves all operate normally when cranking and have the correct clearances. I expect that I will have to disassemble the engine, measure, check and rebuild it.

This brings up the "basic directions to take on restoration" question. I plan to use the restored car to run around town in and drive for short trips and maybe do some autocrossing in local events, just for the fun of it.

There is available locally a complete but too rusty to restore 544 with B18 engine/drivetrain and usable front center section (radiator, center sheetmetal, etc.). My inclination is to stay with the B16B stuff and just keep the car original (and "stock" for autocrossing). But I would appreciate some thoughts about a possible B18 upgrade from some of you who have experience with these cars. Would the upgrade to B18 make a huge difference in the way the car drives and runs? Is the B18 a lot cheaper to rebuild?

Thanks for the patience with this long post.