Better late than never
Translation of the article "Bättre sent än aldrig" in the PV-Entusiasten # 4 2001.

By Kenneth Olsson

You sometimes read in motor magazines about restorations that took many years to complete. This is a lengthy story about me and my cars.

My PV life started when I was transported home from the maternity ward in February 1961. I had the privilege to travel in an olive green PV 544 A Special.

What a start!

My parents bought the car new in March of 1959. This car followed me during my growth through 1976 when it was considered too rusty and unfortunately was then sold to a recent license holder. Shortly thereafter it collided with a tree and was scrapped.

Three years later it was time to start driving practice in order to obtain my license. I wanted to buy a PV but could not find a suitable car. Instead I bought an Amazon Sport with overdrive of the fine vintage 1961.

After I got my license in the spring of 1979 I had a chance to buy a 1958 PV 544 A Standard. I had traveled in this car too as a child as it had belonged to friends of our family since the early sixties. The car was not very good looking where it stood under a tree. It was pale with rust holes in it´s fenders and a defective engine. By means of towing, the engine was started but had to be stopped at once since it sounded like a rock crusher.

But who can resist an old PV? The price was reasonable, SEK 300 including three extra engines and a couple of gearboxes. So the car was towed to my home and I started to dismantle it. The badly rusted fenders were removed and uncovered the somewhat rusty fender fittings.

A closer examination showed that the rest of the car was rather free from rust. The rust that was found was repaired by means of a gas welder and my father who knew how to weld.

When the engine was dismantled we learned that one big end bearing was damaged. With parts from the extra engines and some new parts we could put together a working engine.

Most of the winter and spring of 1979 I worked on cleaning the chassis and finding used fenders in usable conditions in order to have the car ready for painting.

Back in the 60:s the car had been repainted from black to shale blue number 67 and now it had new paint in the same color.

In May 1980 the car was tested without complaints. Since then it has only been used for pleasure driving and as extra when some other car in the family was broke. It has until now, in the fall of 2001 nearly 17000 kilometers after the restoration.

From the beginning the car was owned the AB Volvo Pentaverken in Skövde. In February of 1961 it was transferred to AB Volvo in Gothenburg. In June of the same year it was sold to Erik Johansson in Uddevalla. The car remained with the Johansson family until 1979 when I bought it.

At this stage most normal persons would have been satisfied. But as I am a PV enthusiast the restoration gave me appetite for more. My grandfather once owned a PV 444 ES, so I was interested in owning an older PV. It should have split windows both front and rear.

In the autumn 1980 I therefore bought a 1953 PV 444 E.. The car was dismantled and most of the rust was repaired. Many parts were included as well as a red and white PV 444 ES upholstery.

The car was scraped and painted and three engines were taken apart in the search for one that was possible to restore.

At this stage my interest was cooling down and the car sat for a while. Instead I started a beach buggy project that was completed in the spring of 1983. As I did not think the PV would ever be completed I sold it to a relative.

The years went by. I had the PV in mind now and then. I started to regret that I had ever sold it. My relative had bought two new fenders for the car. Otherwise it was still dismantled and in the same condition as when I sold it. On an autumn day in 1989 when I was asked if I wanted to buy the car back I did not hesitate one second.

The car was brought home and during the winter 1989 – 1990 and the car was repainted with pearl gray on the outside and black on the inside.

The engine gave me problems. I had earlier taken several engines apart and the parts had been mixed. As new engine bearings with standard dimension could not be obtained I had to have the crankshaft ground and then install oversize bearings.

In the spring 1990 the car had a working engine and could be moved by its own power.

Now started a period that for most people means that hobby activities get second priority. This includes house building and children making.

But after ten years, in 2000 it was time the brush the dust from the PV again.

When the car was painted the surface result was like a dried orange. I had plans to have it repainted but I heard a rumor saying it should be possible to fine sand and polish the orange surface away so I tested this idea on one rear fender. The result was better than expected so I made the same work with the remainder of car with sanding papers down to # 1200 and # 2000. After machine polishing with rubbing and polish I am content with the result.

Finally the car was assembled and equipped with a new front window and all rubber details were exchanged with new ones. My girlfriend Ann-Britt used the sewing machine and transformed some meters of gray fabric to a new ceiling. Finally a towing hook was attached and new 5.90 x 15 tyres with white walls.

The car was tested in June 2001 without remarks and has now been rolling about 1000 kilometers.

The documents that came with the car show that it was sold new in 1954 by Volvo dealer Bil AB Bröderna Brandt in Uddevalla. The buyer lived in Hunnebostrand in Bohuslän. In 1961 he sold the car to a man in Ellenö in Dalsland. It was taken off registry and left for scrapping in 1974 but luckily saved by an enthusiast who after fixing some of the rust got bored and sold the car to me.

Now it has red and white upholstery from the ES model. If any readers have a blue and gray stripe set of upholstery and want to trade so get in touch. I would also consider buying whole sets or parts of upholstery.

I have had lots of help when restoring from my father Nils Olsson who was a bus mechanic. He also has a PV background. Apart from having owned an A model and a 544 A he worked at Volvo in Gothenburg 1946 – 1948. His job was to be a test driver of new models like the PV 830, the PV 60 and the PV 444. He drove many miles in the first hand made 444 and then also in the first series car.

So at last, you who have an ongoing restoration and have lost inspiration. Do not give up, even if such as my case takes more than 20 years from the time of buying the car to the moment it is completed

Kenneth Olsson