1959 volvo pv 544

i know i will probably get alot of flack for this but i was wondering if anyone has any info or anything at all for a 1959 volvo

 

im thinkin about a ford 289 with 3speed and 9 inch rear..

 

Bit of a search using the search function gets you photo,s like this.

 

thats close but thats an older modle do to the split windshield

 

I don't know about a 59, but I learned to drive standard shift in a 64 544. Of course I had to put it together first....

 

Put high zoot 4.0 V-6 with a 5spd in it and hang on! They have a really tight engine compartment and even less foot room if you intrude into the firewall/floor area. My good buddy cabover thought a V8 60hp flathead would be bitchin too. I agree but it wouldn't be scary

 

same here mine is a 4 speed... well was. now it is a bare shell and getting ready to start body work that i hate... never know what you have till you get rid of the bondo from other people

 

There isn't much room in there for an engine, and the two big pieces of "frame" that swoop down from the firewall are about all that holds the car together, so you can't really cut them up without having to do a lot of reinforcing somehow.

 

I had a 59 544 Sport way back in the 60's and belonged to Corvettes of Minnesota with it.
I had a blast running road rallys with it.

 

See this page:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5947717&postcount=90

 

I remember driving one in high school. They had a 2 liter engine with dual SU carbs. Accelerated well like that, but only had a 4 speed so high rpm's were really high. I would threaten to do it with a newish 4 cylinder and 5 or 6 speed. I think the original had something like 80 hp.

 

I had a 57 444 (B14 engine) - neat little ride...thought about an SBF but it was so much fun to run around in, I never started the project - then I traded it for something else - a boat, I think...that guy (friend) drove it for 8 or 9 years, then his kid drove it to WSU for five years, then his daughter drove it for a couple more years, then I think a Volvo guy talked him out of it finally.

dj

 

There's a guy running around town here with one that's got a SBC stuffed in it, and looks really stock from the outside. He had to plumb lines back to the rear and lay a 2nd radiator flat behind the rear axle to keep it cool enough.

 

If you can find a wagon of this vintage, it has a frame under it - 210 model, also called a 'duett'. I've always wanted to put a 544 on something like an S10 frame.

 

Building my 31 Vicky gasser to early 60 style, I used 1959 Volvo PV544 buckets with sliders as there weren't too many bucket options in that time period.

original seats and then what they look like when Sean - Fat Lucky's got after them...

Terry

 

There's this,,,,,,If you install the engine lower (which is easy) you can hide a multitude of sins. LOL

 

My dad has a 60 544 that we r putting a ford 351w in with a t-5 out of a 99 cobra and a 9 inch rear end in

 

Volvo PV 544 had 6V elektic and one piecs winshild the engine was B16 or B16 sport with twin SU carbs. They 58 was the first year with one piecs window. They come approx 62 with 12V and B18 engine. The last PV was 1966. And the duett was made to 1968 there was some 69 made but only sold in norway. I belve some of the last ones had overdrive togther with twin su. And there was some cars that have 3-speed to. but i think the were never exported to US. The first PV 444 was introduced 1944 but the frirst poduction models was 1947. To 1953 (E,ES) they have spit rear window.




The 1947-1950 model ad.



This is a B to E model (1951-1953)

 

Her's a ad from 1958

 

I had a '59 for awhile. Twin SUs 4 gear. Nice little car.

I bought it from a wrecking yard with the intention of putting a 283 4 speed in it. All I did was clean the points and throw a used battery in it to drive it away from thw wrecking yard. I had so much fun driving it that winter I never did get around to shoveing the V-8 in it.

Baby Fords is what everyone used to call them. They used to get rodded once in awhile. If I had one today I wouldn't be asahmed to rod it and drive it.

 

you can shove anything in there.
a Buick-nee range rover V8 215 works to fit no mods other than motor mounts.
a ford 302- drops in without cutting, maybe a little to the trans tunnel
any 4 banger Volvo motor up to the 244 turbo from 1992 will fit same block (the Red Iron block) and it can make enormous power with some turbo tweaks.
this is a nice platform.
I have an Amazon- 122 coupe. have a 2.0 block bored up different crank- i think it is 2.4 liters about now, with an adapter and a TKO T-5 form a mustang-
go crazy- check out turbobricks dot com or brickboard.. these have lots of info

 

I had a '67 122s... different body, but essentially same driveline. GREAT car! The PV444/544 kept the same design until the late 60s or early 70s.

There are several threads on the HAMB about custom/hot rodded Volvos. They are popular cars the world over and lots of parts are available in the US and Canada. Volvo still made many parts for them up until the time Ford bought Volvo

 

Do you have any pictures? Im putting a ls1 - T-56 and a narrowed ford 9'' in my 1963 Pv 544. I have some pictures in my photo album.

 

A 2/3-scale '46 Ford! I love these cars! There was one for sale in KS last year, on the HAMB that I really thought about getting, but a lack of $$$ kinda shot that idea up. Good luck on your build!

 

My dad had one of these with side-draft webers on it in the early sixties

 

I had a 122 when I was a kid, a sbc/sbf wont fit without cutting the firewall. The chevy needs the shock towers notched too. I would like to get another 122 to put a sbc and solid front axle in. There was a sbc 122 in one of the east coast mags in the early 70s, if anyone is interested, i will dig it up and post it.

 

A lot of good ideas out there!
I have this for my 121 / Amazon. It's a twin screw supercharger on an original 2 liter engine (it might not classify as traditional, but the twin screw s-c was actually invented in 1932). I'll put a newer 4sp+overdrive from a Volvo 240 in it. By using a bellhousing from an early (1975 I think) 240 you can mate the old engine to the newer gearbox, though I don't think the 'box will fit in the 544 without modifications to the transmission tunnel.

Let's see if I can manage to post a pic here…

 

I knew a guy back in the 80's who had one with a chopped top and a small block. Not too sure what became of it?

 

Back in '64, a Yreka HS buddy (in no. calif.) had one and put a 265 sbc in it. tight, but it fit. I recall he had to use some chain and gears to offset the steering a couple inches to clear the exhaust.

 

I just bought a 1965 544 a week ago.

It took a week to get the bumpers back on and to get the engine to run right.

I think that it runs about as good as it can with the 1800 engine it came with.

I intend to put one of my 470 Mercruiser 224 cu/in 4 cylinder engines in it.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=256713

These engines don't weigh much more than the cast iron 1800 but they put out 225/230 reliable hp and substancial torque.

I have measured the engine compartment and I think that a 470 with a T-5 transmission can be made to fit quite nicely.

My only concern is the handling and braking.

I have read about putting a narrowed Ford Ranger 8.8 limited slip rear end in a 544 and think that that is what I will do.

The ranger rear end has very good drum brakes and I could put the later disk brakes on it if I felt the need.

I have also read about putting a later model Volvo front end under the 544. They have disk brakes.

One person put a Buick V6 in his and uses a Mustang II front end. I don't know how he handled the extra width.

Anyway I want the car to handle well and with the 10 to 1 weight to Hp ratio it will have to have good brakes.

The 544 that I bought has a very rust free body that is almost perfect.

It needs good prep and some red paint.

I want the car to look as stock as possible but I do like the wide chrome wheels that came on it.

In order to make it stealth I might have the centers of the stock wheels that also came with it welded to wider rims.

It will still have the 4 cylinder sound so the chrome wheels won't be a real give away to it's go-power.

If any of you go to my Profile and view my Pictures and albums you will see that I am a Model A Ford guy by nature but I think that the light body 2160 lbs and the better Aerodynamics of the volvo will make for a better daily driver than the Model A's.

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