1800: 1972 pv1800es

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I remember seeing them for about £7-8 many moons ago (and that was in an overpriced place) and hoped they'd still be in the same price bracket John.

I hope whatever mirrors Alan has got (from "Janet") to fit on Dolores suit the car well, i've always liked the chrome "bullet" style mirrors like these :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152818859685

On the last Skyline i had, the original mirrors were very similar to what was fitted to Allegros and similar in the late 70s, the pedestal mount rectangular efforts and always planned on changing to those bullet style mirrors - never happened though.

Funnily enough, I had those (or something very similar) on a Sunbeam Imp Sport in the '70s, 'L.S.'. They suited the car well and looked, err ... rather sporty.

Regards, John.

[Derek UK]

I've no idea what the mirror in the box looks like but if you are considering fitting it to the door these pictures show the type of Volvo mirror that works best. i.e. with the arm at the front. The more common ones with the arm at the rear don't allow you to open the quarter light very much and when you do the window upright and edge of the quarterlight shows in the mirror and blocks your view. With the arm at the front you much less of this problem but best of all is that you can reverse the quarterlight fully forward to give excellent forced input air when needed. You still have to select the positions carefully. The front arm type has 2 studs that go through the door with nuts on the inside. The rear arm type has self tapping screws from the outside. Having the screws show is also less neat. This front arm type is more easily obtainable now and can be bought from Brookhouse.

[142 Guy]

Originally Posted by Othen

b. Check the impedance of the fuel gauge from the sender wire (should be 58 ohms plus a bit for the return cct), if that looks okay then ground out the sender wire via a 20 ohm resistor to replicate the sender mechanism and see if the gauge registers full.... if it does pull the sender unit out and see if it is stuck.

PS. One more thing: Delores doesn't have any wing mirrors fitted - which looks marvellous but isn't safe on the road. 'Janet' has obtained some - but I'm very scared of drilling holes in the beautiful doors to fit them. I may need that beer before I pluck up enough courage!

If the fuel level sender has never been removed from the tank, I recommend that you purchase a new sealing ring for the sender to have on hand. Once removed, it is likely that the original sealing ring will no longer seal and the interior of the car may end up with that 'essence de petrole' fragrance.

In North America, side view mirrors on the door were a dealer fitted afterthought. Wing / fender mirrors were exceedingly rare, I expect only driven by British Expats. The location of the mirror was at the whim of the mechanic who installed them and certainly on 140s you can see various positions, none of which really work. On the 140, the location that provides the best rear view obstructs the vent window. Positioning the mirror to allow good vent window operation results in reduced rear view plus obstruction of the mirror when the vent is open. On my 142, I filled all holes in the door as part of the restoration so I had a 'greenfield' to work from. To find the best location for the mirror I used heavy tape to hold it in place while I sat in the driver's seat and tested the view. I suggest you let the owner validate the location of the mirror. What is optimum for you probably will not be optimum for her.

As has been noted by Derek, the mirror in the box appears to be have the rear mount arm for the glass. As suggested, I think you will find that the forward mount arm will likely work better.

https://www.cvi-automotive.se/en/art...nuts-fr-inside

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

The very same. They've gone up a bit, though!! J.

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I remember seeing them for about £7-8 many moons ago (and that was in an overpriced place) and hoped they'd still be in the same price bracket John.

I hope whatever mirrors Alan has got (from "Janet") to fit on Dolores suit the car well, i've always liked the chrome "bullet" style mirrors like these :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152818859685

On the last Skyline i had, the original mirrors were very similar to what was fitted to Allegros and similar in the late 70s, the pedestal mount rectangular efforts and always planned on changing to those bullet style mirrors - never happened though.

Hi John and Dave,

I understand the mirrors 'Janet' has procured are original fitment - they go on the doors and do look absolutely right for the period. I'm rather hoping that when I take the door cards off I'll find some original holes maybe welded over) as a guide. I'm scared of damaging those beautiful doors!

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

I've no idea what the mirror in the box looks like but if you are considering fitting it to the door these pictures show the type of Volvo mirror that works best. i.e. with the arm at the front. The more common ones with the arm at the rear don't allow you to open the quarter light very much and when you do the window upright and edge of the quarterlight shows in the mirror and blocks your view. With the arm at the front you much less of this problem but best of all is that you can reverse the quarterlight fully forward to give excellent forced input air when needed. You still have to select the positions carefully. The front arm type has 2 studs that go through the door with nuts on the inside. The rear arm type has self tapping screws from the outside. Having the screws show is also less neat. This front arm type is more easily obtainable now and can be bought from Brookhouse.

Originally Posted by 142 Guy

If the fuel level sender has never been removed from the tank, I recommend that you purchase a new sealing ring for the sender to have on hand. Once removed, it is likely that the original sealing ring will no longer seal and the interior of the car may end up with that 'essence de petrole' fragrance.

In North America, side view mirrors on the door were a dealer fitted afterthought. Wing / fender mirrors were exceedingly rare, I expect only driven by British Expats. The location of the mirror was at the whim of the mechanic who installed them and certainly on 140s you can see various positions, none of which really work. On the 140, the location that provides the best rear view obstructs the vent window. Positioning the mirror to allow good vent window operation results in reduced rear view plus obstruction of the mirror when the vent is open. On my 142, I filled all holes in the door as part of the restoration so I had a 'greenfield' to work from. To find the best location for the mirror I used heavy tape to hold it in place while I sat in the driver's seat and tested the view. I suggest you let the owner validate the location of the mirror. What is optimum for you probably will not be optimum for her.

As has been noted by Derek, the mirror in the box appears to be have the rear mount arm for the glass. As suggested, I think you will find that the forward mount arm will likely work better.

https://www.cvi-automotive.se/en/art...nuts-fr-inside

Many thanks chaps,

All we have to go on regarding the type and position of the mirrors is this picture (from the owners' handbook):



... door mounted. I don't know whether the car had mirrors originally - but I'm hoping there might be some evidence to follow when I take the door cards off.

Alan

[cassell]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

I've no idea what the mirror in the box looks like but if you are considering fitting it to the door these pictures show the type of Volvo mirror that works best. i.e. with the arm at the front. The more common ones with the arm at the rear don't allow you to open the quarter light very much and when you do the window upright and edge of the quarterlight shows in the mirror and blocks your view. With the arm at the front you much less of this problem but best of all is that you can reverse the quarterlight fully forward to give excellent forced input air when needed. You still have to select the positions carefully. The front arm type has 2 studs that go through the door with nuts on the inside. The rear arm type has self tapping screws from the outside. Having the screws show is also less neat. This front arm type is more easily obtainable now and can be bought from Brookhouse.

Derek is spot-on with his comments, sadly the mirrors 'Janet' has bought are the screw-on rear arm type which although much easier to fit do cause problems with quarter light opening if they are mounted far forward as per Derek's photos of the 'other' type.

On the driver's side the screw-on type can be mounted further back on the door to clear the quarter light and still give good rearward visibility for the driver. However, if the nearside one is positioned to match there is absolutely no chance of setting it for the driver to see anything either behind or down the passenger side of the car. There just isn't enough radial movement on the head/arm location.

To overcome this the nearside screw-on mirror can be mounted right at the front of the door, but as previously stated it will foul the quarter light and will look odd and unsymmetrical with the driver's side mirror.

[Othen]

An update on progress for the P1800ES: I got the car back today with some parts that had arrived. After something of a calamity running out of fuel first thing (fuel gauge nor working) the rest of the day showed real progress.

1. The rubber gasket under the oil is fitted - and seems to be doing its job (I'll give it a proper test tomorrow).

2. Having run out of gas this morn, I decided I couldn't live with a non-working gauge any longer. I made up a 20 ohm shunt and earther out the tank out - the needle went to full proving the instrument and wiring were good. The only thing left was the float/sender - to I removed the 6 machine screws and took it out: what a horrible sight! Stuck in place and covered in rust (I suspect the car had been stored empty of gas for some years). We thought it worthy of having a fo at freeing the action and cleaning it up. Half an hours with penetrating oil and a wire brush had it moving freely and looking much more presentable. I made up a new gasket and re-fitted it with some silicone grease... it works!

3. I took the right angle drive for the speedo off and found the little bit of Bowden cable between the overdrive and the right angle unit sheared in half (pictured next a photo of a good one):



... the drive moves smoothly and the cable seems to be free, so a new little Bowden cable should solve it (costs about £4 - I do like cheap fixes).

4. I had a go at fitting the new door handle that had arrived - but couldn't work out what sort of clip or pin holds it in place. Does anyone know the answer to that one?

5. Finally I gave the bottom and top of the engine a spruce up with some Gunk and the pressure washer so I can see if the oil leak has been bannished tomorrow.

A good day :-)

[Laird Scooby]

Sounds like you've had a very productive day Alan!

Did i dream it or was there a mention at some point of lowered suspension for it? If so :

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=317186

If not, i must have been dreaming but spotted that just now and remembered what (i think) you said.

[john.wigley]

Sounds a good day's work, Alan. Dodgy fuel gauges seem to be something of an Achilles' heel on old Volvos. We ran our last 745 for years by brimming the tank, zeroing the 'trip', and refuelling after 250 miles. We also carried a gallon can as the 'braces', but never needed it ourselves, although it did help a few folk out over the years.

Regards, John.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Sounds like you've had a very productive day Alan!

Did i dream it or was there a mention at some point of lowered suspension for it? If so :

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=317186

If not, i must have been dreaming but spotted that just now and remembered what (i think) you said.

No lowered suspension Dave.

Alan