So I've installed the new all-steel gear set. I took my time to do it right, double checked everything, torqued everything to factory specs.

Since the car was starting to run rough a few weeks ago, I did a major tune-up, including taking the carbs apart and cleaning them. They are a bit worn, but now sync'd to the max. The engine runs smoothly.

I've been driving the 544 for a few days, but I have mixed feelings. Noise wise, there's almost no difference. If you know it's now steel instead of plastic, you may be able to hear it. Otherwise, it's a non-issue.

What I noticed, however, is that the car doesn't perform as well as it did before. Subjectively it accelerates a bit slower, and it seems to have to work harder as well. I used to cruise at 4,000 rpm on the freeway, and now it seems like I need 4,200 rpm to maintain the same speed.

The only explanation I have for this is that the steel wheels are still very tight and have to wear in a bit. After assembling, I coated them with engine assembly lube. But it's really hard for me to believe that a steel camshaft wheel should be able to have an impact on performance that can be felt when driving it normally.

Any thoughts?
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My Volvo, so far on 8 pages at: http://www.californiaclassix.com/Bernard/PV544-1.html