Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000
To whom it may concern:
I had noted for some time a fuel smell in my '64 P1800 after I gassed up, but had never taken the time to trace it down. Recently, I took the car (after an unfortunate 2-year layup) to get it gassed up and drove directly home. While leaning on the rear bumper and talking to a neighbor (about classic cars, yet), we noted a gasoline smell and few drops of fuel falling from the trunk area onto the driveway. I removed the stuff from the trunkof the car, all the way down to the fuel sender. The sender unit mounting depression was awash in gasoline from a leaking sending unit gasket. After I replaced it with a new one cut from a sheet of the recommended cork/rubber material, voila, no gasoline smell in my Volvo. This note was motivated after I read Jamie Thompson's 5 Feb '99 letter to you and your response in the "Interior fumes" section of your newsletter web site.
There is a P1800 local to me which is up for sale because the owner has been told by his mechanic that the structural elements of his car's body are rusting out internally. I would like to know how to determine when a P1800 has passed the "point of no return," as a practical matter. I realize that it is possible to build a P1800 from sheet metal, but also that this is not practical. My parts car is also very rusted out, but I have been considering whether it is possible to restore it, too. I simply don't have the background to judge this. I have tried my hand at welding in the past, but never on such a scale, nor on (thin) sheet metal.
--Michael Tiefenback
Michael - Thanks for your info about the fuel leak. The "point of no return" for a P1800 depends on the condition of the car and the depth of the owner's pockets. The most practical way to determine whether a rusty car is worth saving is to compare an estimate of the cost of repair with the purchase price of a similar car that doesn't need repair. Usually, with a P1800, the car needing rust repair will lose hands down. If you are willing and able to do the work yourself, then the repair cost may be less than the price of a solid car. Many body and frame parts are available new or used from 1800 specialists, and others can be fabricated economically. It is a lot of work, though. -Glenn.