Inspired by a pic that 73roundlight took a while back , while in my area , I decided to hop into "the Suede Swede" & head over to shoot a couple pics myself . It's my daily driver (about 200mi./week) , so I tend to take the car for granted - I should shoot more pics . I know it's not American iron , but it's certainly American-inspired iron , both by the manufacturer & myself . Here's some info in THE LOCATION . Here's what the building looed like back in the day : And what it looks like now : While I was there , I saw this stuff closeby in town :
That's a real reliable car you got, and cheap on gas too. But that caravan is SO cool. Any info on it? I've never seen that type before.
Thanks , Magnus . I love the car , and it gets an incredible amount of attention on a daily basis - ya can't go anywhere without someone talking to you about it . Here's another pic I shot of the caravan . Other than that , I don't know a thing about it . A friend of mine has a smaller bare-aluminum Scotty that's pretty cool .
Hey, cool car! I had one of those. It was a ´62 2 door with a souped up B20 engine under the hood... What year is yours? ´65? In Sweden they were sold as "Amazon".
Thanks , guys . The car kinda fell into my lap , and I was thinking of what to do with it . It's already got a B-20 in it , so I don't have to do that swap . My last 122 was a '68 2-door & was too nice to really customize , but had an over-bored B-20 , with an Isky cam , a Weber carb ... the works - it was fun - I pissed it away . I don't want to go that route with this one . My first thought with this one was to make a Swedish cop-car out of it (black , white doors with "POLIS" written on them & a gumball machine on the roof) - then I figured that I'd do a traditional-inspired hot rod instead . I have metalworking/fabbing skills (as well as working with lead) , so I figured I'd do a bunch of custom stuff to it . I needed a daily driver this winter , so I tossed it together & it's working so well , I hate to mess with it , lol ! I will , however , get some stuff done before too long . I might start out with custom grilles (or one big grille) - we'll see . I want to drive it to Bonneville next year , but I've gotta rob a bank for gas money first ! I was going to go this year , but we just had a kid a month ago , and my wallet is getting the beat-down .
Swete! Or is it Sueate? Anyway, I drove one of those every day for 20 years. Bought it from the 1st owner at 175,000 miles. Sold it to a buddy last year at 400,000 miles. He drove it 240 miles home and got 34MPG (what was I thinking?). Built in the '60s with the finest technology the '50s had to offer!
There´s an older type of grille that´s much nicer. And same goes for the handle on the trunk. Throwed in some pics of it.
Yea , what WERE you thinking ?!? LOL !! They're tough cars ... Volvos were definately inspired by what car styling the Americans had . At least they were using independent front suspensions instead of beam axles & stuff . Volvo was , however , the first automaker to put 3-point harnesses in their cars . They didn't take out the patent on it because they wanted all companies to use the technology to keep people safer - this was in the late 50's with the 444/544 IIRC . I hadn't even given the old-school grille a thought . I may start looking for a set . Probably big $$$ for a nicer set . I will probably start working on custom ones till I find some old grilles .
you're making me really miss my '67! instead of trying to find an old grille, use your fab skills to make one inspired by the old style
I've got a few ideas in mind as far as custom grilles go . I've just gotta bring one of 'em to life . Having a newborn doesn't leave me much time to tinker , unfortunately . As she gets her sleep times straight , it'll be much easier to sneak down to the garage & nuts around . I've already got a set of flush-mount round front signals to use & get rid of the bulky square signals - that'll help clean up the front . I got rid of the rear boxed-out reflectors that usually sit under the taillights - that helped . I like the taillights on the 122 Volvos (very Chevy-inspired) . Stock w/reflectors - Mine , without (figured I'd show a dirty shot - from this winter) - More likely than not , I'll french the plate in (always wanted to do that) . Even if I don't , I'm getting rid of the huge chrome lamp on the lid & replacing it with something else . I love the idea of the flake roof . Might have to give that some consideration . From day one I've wanted to put some scallops on it , so that might happen . I'll just have to get some striping re-done , no biggie . Loads of good ideas - anyone got any more ???
Someday , Smokey ... someday . That was the plan for this car , until the little one came along . I like that ride a lot . The wheels are a bit much for my taste though .
Way cool backdrop for photos. I've been through Fleetwood dozens of times and never realized that the old factory was still there. Does someone paint the sign? sure doesn't look like it's 50+ year old paint. O, and the car is cool too!!!
I think you should weld the bumpers together and hide the bolts. Then all red rear lamp glass(?) would be nice and white blinker/position lights in front. Maybe move the rear licenseplate down to bumper and leave the trunk flat(?). And definitely drop it a couple of inches!!!
IIRC they repainted the sign only a couple years ago . It looks 100% as it did back in the day . Thanks ! I actually like the ti-rcolor rear lights (amber turns , red brake & clear reverse) , but they're pricey for just an asthetic - and I thing the (mostly) red makes it look more domestic . If I recall , the early car had an all-red taillight - I guess I could look into trying them out . I have a set of front signals I'll be adding in the near future that should look good , maybe with a small french-in to spice it up . I thought of moving the plate down to the bumper , so we'll see . Oh yea , it IS dropped a couple inches , lol ! It should drop more as the new spring settle in while I drive it . I agree , it needs to be MUCH lower ... like this : Thanks - it was a good time at the picnic , seeing everyone & chatting .
The early all-red taillight lenses (1964 and older) mount differently than yours. Those amber lenses are no longer available, and worth HUGE $ to most 122 owners. The '64 and older grilles had a chrome bezel around each one, but the grille material itself can be replicated with some stuff from Hope Depot. Check out IPD's website: ipdusa.com and brickboard.com for pics and links. Someone had posted pics of a black 2 door with airbags and wide whites, baby moons and trim rings. Very HAMBish. If you haven't already noticed, the wheels have the Ford 5X4 1/2" bolt pattern. Might open up some possibilities for you. Also, that's a Dana 27 diff in your car. The only metric fasteners are on the starter and dizzy. You have converted to the 1-wire Delco alternator, haven't you? That allows you to use lights, heater, and wipers all at the same time! Also, the overdrive trannies from the later 140 series cars are a bolt-in. Life in the fast lane is lots cooler than elsewhere!
The more I see the early grilles , the more I like them . I may get a set to hold me over till I make a set of my own . Maybe I'll use the outer rings & make some cool centers ... we'll see . I have a set of Ford wheels on my car now - they're 15x6.5 off a Crown Vic (up from the tiny 4" wide stock wheels) , and fit perfect on it . I haven't installed the 1-wire alternator yet - got any info on that install ?? My generator seems to be doing the task so far , but I may want to have some kinda radio in here someday , to make my daily commute a bit more exciting . I've just been listening to the loud exhaust to/from work so far , lol ! IIRC , there's some mods needed to install the O/D tranny in a 122 , but it's not much . Before I make the trip to Bonneville next year , it'll have the overdrive . I had an O/D tranny sitting on my shelf for a couple years , but sold it , thinking I was all outta Volvos - but got this one not long after - silly me ! I've got Volvo buds , so I'll get another . This car is loads of fun ...
I remember reading about that car in the defunct Custom Cars mag and even seeing it in Nor Cal in the 90's. I read it was built by a guy from Sweden who was working out here in Cali. Do you know what it's current condition is?
The Jalopy Journal
