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These guys know their PV's better than I ever will, but I thought I'd put in my two cents worth.
I'd agree that the basic body/frame assembly has to be good before you even think of doing much to the car. If you find no serious rust, I'd say buy the car just because it's such a good deal.
These PV's don't handle particularly well, but they are strangely FUN to drive. My last supercar, a Ford Police Interceptor, would drive circles around my old Volvo - but while it would exceed 140 mph and slither through turns like a rocket sled on rails, I still prefer driving my PV. Go figure!
Anyway, the secondary problem areas - which looks like the problems you'd be facing - are mostly dealing with wiring, gauge, and usually cooling problems.
Whether or not Lucas (Prince of Darkness) actually provided the electrical harness or not, they all use the p*ss-poor Lucas-design connectors, which is to say, most elecrical components 'fail' and require a repair of the faulty connnector. I've had moderate problems from my wiring harness, which needed to be gone through and get the connectors cleaned and in some cases soldered.
Not too much of that, thanks to Volvo's insistence on using the most robust components available.
My main problems were corroded ground wires and bad wire-to-wire connectors. The headlights were pretty dim when I got the car, making my 300-mile drive home from San Francisco as night a real adventure. After cleanign the headlight ground wire, replacing the gang connector plug on the left inner fender, and finally upgrading to Xenon Gas headlights, I have great lighting.
Total cost for everything, including a new set of headlights and Xenon H4 bulbs, was under $50 and took a few weeks of fiddling around as I identified and fixed each problem.
The gauges seem to be a recurring problem with virtually every PV. Volvo used a particularly wierd system of balanced voltages to make the fuel gauge work. Until you figure out how it works, you can't even test the thing if it has a problem. Do a search here for 'fuel gauge' and you'll find a good primer on how to test and repair the gas gauge. Since you only have 9 gallons of gas, it's good to know how much you have left!
Otherwise, everything will be reasonably straightforward, much like any other car of the 1940's...er...uh...1960's.
You can dtermine if the car still has the 1800 cc engine by looking for a cast 'B18' on the left side of the block, near the front. Visually, the B18 and B20 (2000 cc) engines are identical, and use much of the same parts. the only real difference is that the B20 has some internal improvements and gives roughly 20-25 h.p. more than the B18. If you're going to do a total rebuild on a B18, you'd be well advised to get a B20 and gain the advantages of that engine. Also, B20's were available with fuel injection, so if that feature appeals to you, you can do away with the Carter SU carburetors.
My own PV has a B20 that is converted BACK to the SU carbs, having its injector ports blocked off and an intake manifold and carbs installed.
There's a lot you can do with the little B18/B20 engine to make it really sing, which is very attracive in these days of $3.00+ gasoline. I have a MSD 6A ignition system to provide the best available ignition, Denso Iridium spark plugs to make sure the mixture gets well fired, a custom-ground Crane camshaft with electronic advance controller to keep it screaming.
I also 'ported and polished' the intake manifold, so it fits the intake ports of the head without any disturbance in the mixture flow. I run 30wt engine oil in the dampers of my SU carbs, which gives me the best accelleration you can get from this setup.
Some people opt for the singel-carburator setup, but I've found that although one carb makes tuning a little easier, it really robs the engine of power. Although some owners are intimidated by the dual SU carbs, once you study them a little so you understand how they work, they are a pleaure to fiddle with once or twice a year. Besides, I'm getting great mileage and plenty of power.
I can't speak for others, but I'm getting 37 mpg out on the open road, and about 30 mpg around town.
Above all, remember that these are FUN cars to own and drive! I hardly ever stop at a traffic light or in a service station without someone giving me the 'thumbs up' sign or wanting to talk about the car. Most people have never seen one of these cars, and are very interested. Some have either owned one or known someone who had one 'back in the day.' A trip to the store with a stop for gas will pretty well shoot the whole aternoon for me!
Although my car is a good "10-footer" I've brought home a steady stream of trophies because it's totally different from anything else on the road.
BTW: I heard someone telling a friend it was the 'new 2006 PT Cruiser' for the SECOND time this past weekend. Gotta love it!
By all means, buy that PV if you can, and get on with getting it road ready. You'll find the brake parts are standard over-the-counter parts at NAPA - unless you actually need to replace a wheel cylinder or master cylinder. Brake linings are also standard parts, and fit several makes and models of U.S. built cars.
Virtually anything else you could wish for can be found on eBay Motors. Here's the search string I use to root out parts: "Volvo (544,,PV,544,,PV544)" and remember to set the search for Parts and Accessories.
Steve
Southern California Desert
(Just southwest of Death Valley)
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