66 Volvo P1800 Custom Build ( Pro-Touring Ls1 V8, Body Mods, and Flush Mount Glass) by Iamtheonlyreal1

9 minute(s) of a 136 minute read

I cant believe how hard it is to make an Air Dam/Valance for the car.. Now I see why there are so many of these cars not running anything, or something that is just plain hideous.. I have decided I am going to move toward the Bull Horn Bumpers, so I am trying to blend the bumper and air dam correctly.. I know guys have been suggesting all kinds of bumper styles (split bumpers, bumperettes, full bumper, ect) along with raising the actual bumper hieght.. I have included a few pictures of various bumpers and bumper heights, so maybe you can see the dilema.. This car is much more difficult in person, because you cant really see all the compound curves this body takes.

This has to be the hardest thing to figure out so far, who would have thought. I still have to do a bit of evening up and add a lip on the bottom, but I want to see it it will work first. If you notice, you can see the curving action of the airdam to match the body and bumper.. I am going to open the center of the air dam like I had mocked up earlier, but it will be a bit smaller to work with the bumper horns. Hopefully this will be my last attempt, let me know what you guys think proportionally and shape.

Here are some various bumpers and postions.. It dont really think any of these will work with the style car I am building. Alot of these styles have been suggested, and would look fine on track cars or racers, but I am trying to class this thing up a bit.

4-12-2011

Here is an attempt at making the Valance/Airdam work with the bumper and the nose.. It is just roughed in, and will need a bit of tweeking and centering.. I am thinking that it may also need a gradual upward plane as it goes out to the fenders, starting from the outer walls of the Air Intake. I am also trying to map out a cut out for a brake cooler on the outer part of the valance, and this should also eliminate some of the bulk and also bring it closer to blending with the Rendition theme. Hope this works, because I am really running out of options here.

4-13-2011

I would lke to keep it simple, believe me, but that Ferrari has totally different lines.. Plus the grille position is way off, so the bumper options are totally different.. Unless you have this car in front of you, it is hard to imagine how complex it really is. Obviously the P1800 was not meant to have bumpers in the design phase, and they were after thoughts during the actually manufacturing. It is such a beautiful body with complex compound curves, but there are some severe design flaws with the accesories to the body. The wheel arch position doesnt make any sense at all, the fact that the inner wheel wells are so tall but they let the actual wheel arches affect the ride hieght, doesnt make any sense at all. Take a look at the wheel arch postion right now, along with the ride hieght, and tell me that the factory arches arent in the wrong position and doesnt affect proper wheel clearance and ride height.

I guess what I am trying to explain is, until you actually break this car down and compare it to others out there, you dont really see how far out some of this stuff affects the overall flow of this car. Dont get me wrong, this car is beautiful and unique from the factory, but that doesnt make it perfect in every way. LOL

Here is the MASKING TAPE UPDATE. I have to do a bit of centering and finishing edges, but I want to make sure the concept looks right before I go through all the trouble. I am considering bringing the bottom to a slight upward plane as it moves toward the outside. I figure is should start on the outside of the air scoop, then move outward and upward from there. I will also be adding a bottom lip of some sort, and this should give a final finishing flat outline. And the side profile will be a continuation of the wheel arch lip and flare, which should give it nice transition

4-15-2011

Here are a few pictures of my first fender to air dam blend... Kind of curvy, but I think it fits the car.. I will be working with a couple of other variations, and I hope it isnt as difficult as the actual airdam was.. Dont pay a whole of attention to the purple stencils, I am trying to use them as reference points for the brake vent holes.

Here are some pics with the bumper installed.. I also tried Narrowing the bumpers a bit, I think the bumper shop can take it from here.. I really just collapsed with with a bench vise to the smallest thickness I can go, it did make a difference.. You may see a bit of difference between the drivers and passenger side, because I pushed the drivers side a bit more than I did the passenger.. The passenger has about an inch less overall thickness than factory, so the drivers is a bit more.

I am sure you guys are getting tired of the Front End updates, so here is a bit of suspension. I got my lower control arms in today, so we are back to trying to get things where they will work out.. Once I get everything where it fits the car, We will start all over and have a clean and workable product that supports readily available Mustang II components.

We trying to make a crossmember kit that is a direct bolt in, there will be no Welding or cutting involved to any of the body or unibody frame work. This should make a nice kit for the Novice builder that would like better handling and more engine options if wanted. These kits will support the original Volvo drivetrain also, but will allow it to sit in a lower postion if desired. My Ls1 V8 actually sits lower and further back than the original Volvo 4cylinder motor, and this is with No ground clearance issues.