Quote:
Originally Posted by Othen
I've suggested: LED headlamps, a stainless exhaust and electronic ignition - those are all things I'd do if it were my car (but it is not of course).
:-)
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A note on the electronic ignition. If you are thinking about the modules like the Pertronix which just replace ignition points, be aware that the bigger issue may be the rest of the distributor. On a 50 year old distributor the shaft bushings may be worn and the mechanical advance mechanism may be sticky or the springs out of spec. The vac servo function may be non operative. The distributor may be rebuildable with the exception of the vac servo which I think is out of production. My B20E displayed a lot of timing fluctuation above 2500 RPM which I fixed by eliminating the distributor.
If the distributor is mechanically fine, modules like the Pertronix are useful for eliminating the points wear issue; but, they do not improve performance. The Pertronix module has a fixed voltage drop across its output terminals (about 2 volts) which drops the available voltage across the ignition coil and limits peak coil current and spark energy. That is not a particular problem if the vehicle charging system is running close to 14 volts and the engine does not run over 6000 RPM. It can be a problem in cold weather starts where the cranking voltage drops to 10 volts (or a lot less at the coil terminal). The reduced spark energy can make cold weather starting problematic.
If you want to make an ignition system improvement, I suggest a fine wire sparkplug such as the NGK iridium plugs. The fine wire center electrode creates a stronger local electrical field at the tip of the plug which allows it to generate a strong spark with compromised fuel mixtures. I have been running the same iridium plugs in my B20E for about 5 years without issue. I do not recommend them if the engine burns oil or has poor fuel mixture control because they are too expensive to be changing on a regular basis because of fuel or oil contamination.
If the starter motor dies, make sure that it is replaced with the later Bosch SR 437X starter motor which is a gear driven permanent magnet starter. It is pretty much a drop in replacement for the existing Bosch SR 37X. Every Volvo 2, 7 and 9 series RWD car starting sometime in the 1980s received the SR 437X. The SR 437X draws less current when cranking (you end up with higher voltages which is good for the ignition system) and it spins the engine faster. Improves starting because of the higher cranking speed and higher cranking voltage.
Finally, you made an earlier comment about installing correct headlight sockets using a soldering iron for the repair. I would treat soldering as an absolute last resort for repairs. Getting large gauge copper wires hot enough to avoid a cold solder joint usually results in heat damage to the adjacent wiring insulation. The insulation on the 1800's wiring will be 85C at best. The second problem is that if you get the wire hot enough to avoid a cold solder joint solder will migrate up the strands of the copper away from the joint stiffening the wire. In the long term this makes the repair subject to fracture from vibration because of the inflexibility. My preferred method for simple splices is an uninsulated closed barrel crimp style butt splice covered with a piece of heat shrink tubing - double walled if the area is subject to moisture. A correctly sized closed barrel splice covered with heat shrink will only be slightly larger that the existing wire avoiding the ugly pink / blue / yellow blobs associated with common insulated butt splices.