So on Wednesday last week, we busily hurried to get everything done at the office so we could head to Jesse’s garage to work on the 1964 Volvo 122S that had made residence there since he purchased it a few months back. The Holidays and work had kept us from being able to invest much time into; in fact, we hadn’t done a single thing to it since cleaning it and pushing it into the garage. Finally, we were able to break away from work and put some much needed wrench time into it. And do we have some exciting news!

Since we haven’t worked on the 122S in a while, we weren’t sure what all we were going to do or what parts/tools we were going to need. So we zipped over to the shop and started looking it over. We pulled the spark plugs, poured a little Marvel Mystery oil down each cylinder, and debated what we should do next. Jesse was checking the condition of the auxiliary belt and he noticed how easily everything moved, so he purposed we get it ready to be fired up. We made a quick list of everything that needed to be done first to make this old gal run again. Since the engine was free and the SU carbs still had oil in them, we only had two major issues that we could see needed to be addressed. We needed to check the fuel pump and make sure the old fuel had not turned to paste and we didn’t have a key for the ignition.

So the first of these issues was relatively easy, if not incredibly smelly, to resolve. I popped the glass inspection bowl off the mechanical fuel pump and discovered that while the old fuel had turned to turpentine, but it hadn’t gelled up as we suspected. This meant all we needed to do was hook up an external fuel source to the fuel pump (we didn’t want to risk running old fuel or debris through the engine). The issue of finding a key seemed like a rather massive issue at first, but then we discovered that the old ignition wasn’t the factory installed unit. It had been switched with a universal ignition that can be found at just about any parts store. Now that we knew what we were dealing with, we made a trip to the store.

Since it has been sitting for at least 20 years, we needed to change the oil and if we’re going to be doing that job we might as well install a new oil filter. So, we picked up 5 quarts of 10W30 oil and a new oil filter. As it turned out, the filter that was on the motor was a Purolator and you can still buy the same one, but now in Classic form. Volvo filters may be the best, but we figured this would work fine for the time being. With oil and a filter in hand, we grabbed a piece of fuel hose and a new universal ignition switch from the parts store. We then shot back to the garage to get the car ready for its first start in about 20 years.

Jesse got to work on draining the oil and changing the filter. While he was busy working on that, I worked on replacing the ignition switch with our brand new one. It was a simple task that once completed revealed that the original radio still powers on and that the interior light works. I was not able to get the headlights, turn signals, or heater fan to come on, but those issues could be as simple as tracking down the right wires. With 3.75 quarts of new oil in the motor and a new ignition installed, we were about ready to make our first attempt at starting the motor. I put the spark plugs back in the motor, reattached the spark plug wires, and we rolled her out of the garage (Marvel Mystery Oil will make the car produce a large amount of smoke when burnt).

By the time we had pushed this 122s out of the garage, the sun had gone down and it was getting quite cold. With the camera rolling and Jesse manning the carburetors with a little carb cleaner ready in case the motor needed a little extra coaxing to come back to life. The excitement and anticipation could be felt in the crisp evening air, even Jesse’s little boy wanted to join in (safety concerns and cold ultimately forced him back into the house). I couldn’t wait to turn the key for the first time. Once Jesse had removed the air cleaners and done a quick check of the engine bay, he gave the all clear. I turned the key over and heard a thunk sound. My heart sank; it wasn’t the sound I had been waiting for. It sounded like a major issue, but one more quick turn of the key resulted in sparks coming from the battery.

The old battery connectors were tightened as much as they would go, but still weren’t making a tight connection with our modern car battery. I swiftly jumped from the car, pulled out my Leatherman, and squeezed the connectors as tightly together as I could. They were will still a little loose, but were now much tighter on the battery posts. I climbed back into the Volvo, turned the key one more time, and was greeted by the sounds of a motor turning over. For a brief moment, it sounded as if the motor was going to fire up, but no luck. So, we started the processes of trying to narrow down what was keeping the motor from starting.

As we ran through each possible culprit, we were clearly getting fuel and air, so it had to be an ignition issue. I pulled the spark plug wires and tried turning it over again, sure enough we weren’t getting any spark (I don’t recommend this technique). We started testing the coil and we were getting power from the coil to the distributor. This left the distributor as being the cause of our issues or least that was the initial thought. Then Jesse noticed what appeared to be a cut wire leaving the coil and a similar color and size of wire that had been cut at the distributor. A quick look in the repair manual indicated that there was supposed to be a wire connecting the two, called the coil lead. We grabbed some wire and ran a temporary replacement where the wire had clearly once been. With our new wire in place, it was time to attempt at starting this old B18 up.

I climbed back in the car, with Jesse kneeling next to the car holding the fuel can to insure adequate fuel supply. He gave me a quick nod and I turned the key. Jackpot! The engine turned over, sputtered, and fired back to life instantly. The old gal purred and idled as well as any Volvo engine I’ve ever seen, sure she hesitated a little when I gave her a little extra gas, but the cause of that became quite clear when I looked behind the car. There was a cloud of dirt, sand, and rat’s nests. Clearly, a mouse or two had made the exhaust system home for many years. Once the nest and all the various items that had been used to build it were cleared form the exhaust, our Volvo ran great!

We still have a long ways to go before this Volvo will be road worthy, but it sure felt great to get her running again. The throaty sound of this B18 gave both of us a much-needed victory and now we cannot wait to get back over to the garage and get our hands greasy. Once we get the brakes working, we will attempt our first drive. That will certainly be an exciting, terrifying, and learning experience. If all goes well on that first drive, we will have successfully resurrected this Volvo with nothing more than some oil, a little wire, a few brake parts, and a lot of patience. Doing things the right way can be patience testing, but its well worth it in the end. Be sure to watch the video of our first attempt at starting the Volvo and stay tuned for more updates!