Hey folks,
I was browsing on the net when I found some pics on http://hem.passagen.se/v8rod/tech/topp.html

I noticed the ports looked pretty clean, although no guides yet. I also noticed the 'squish-area' (opposite of sparkplug) is cut away to a large extent. What would be the reason for this? Will this engine still run ok with low rpm?

To go 'deeper' some more: why did volvo designed the combustion chamber the way they did?
My 'intuition' tells me that the CC should be a nice regulary shap, hemispherical or so.
Did volvo perhaps want to prevent engine damage in case of failing valve timing, and because of that placed the valves in a way that they could never hit the piston (even if opened)? So did the CC perhaps needed to be shaped with the squish area because otherwise the compresion would be too low? Or is the squish area realy neccesary to create a good mixing with low rpm's? Hardly any engine has it the way the B18/20's do.

Also, in case one would fit a turbo/charger onto a B18/20 it might be wise to lower the compression. A thick gasket would not be the best solution, so the CC would have to be enlarged. Would the squish area be the spot to take away material, or should the area around the sparkplug be cut?

Any thoughts or ideas on above questions?

cheers, Ben

--
Daily driver: P130, '65, B18+M47. In the proces of restoring: P131, '69, B20+AW71L. (www.knutselsmurf.web1000.com)