Subscribers to the VCOA mailing list will be familiar with the recurring controversy between the "modifiers" and the "preservationists." This usually starts off with someone posting a question along the lines of "How can I put an overdrive in my 544..." followed by an immediate "Thou shalt not!" response, usually spearheaded by a humorous but determined fellow I'll call Fred Furnace. People then choose up sides and a certain amount of acrimonious "discussion" ensues. The name "Frankenstein" is likely to arise, as well as the ever-popular "abomination." This can be both entertaining and tedious.

I do not declare for either camp. To the preservationists, old Volvos are works of art designed by engineers guided by possibly divine inspiration. Their viewpoint is that any modification is akin to airbrushing the Mona Lisa -- the object is changed, but certainly not improved. To many of the modifier persuasion, any changes which make the cars more powerful or more "modern" are to be encouraged. On the extreme fringe of this group are the types that would really like to have 7-liter Corvette motors under the hood.

I certainly enjoy seeing cars maintained in the exact condition in which they left the showroom thirty years ago. I admire the effort involved, particularly if the cars are actually driven regularly (Volvos were made to be driven -- I think "garage queens" are a waste). On the other hand, I'd be interested to see a really well-engineered conversion to Corvette mechanicals if it resulted in a workable car. I don't think I'd call it a Volvo, though, any more than I'd call a Shelby 427 Cobra an AC Ace, and, since Volvos are what I like, I would not want to pursue such a project myself. I would not favor using a perfectly restored showroom-condition car as the starting point for this conversion, either: old Volvos are not a "renewable resource;" when they're gone, they're gone, and I would tend to think that another one had been "killed." But what if the project started out with a stripped-out hulk relegated to "parts car" status? I would think that one had been given "new life." The only real truth is that it's strange how we anthropomorphize mere machines the way we do!

Volvo continually made changes to the cars over the years, so I do not give much credence to the idea that changes cannot, by definition, be beneficial. The Amazon series progressed from the B16 motor to the B18 and, finally, to the B20. Overdrive was a factory option from the introduction of the B18 onwards. So, if I put a B20 with overdrive into a car which came with a B18 and no overdrive, is it an abomination? No! Is it incorrect? In the sense that the car no longer matches the type specified in the ID plate, yes. Is the car improved? Maybe.

Some of the most interesting old Volvos are the result more of expediency than forethought on the part of "inspired" management. The 123GT was built because the delivery of P1800 bodies from Scotland never reached the production goals, leaving Volvo with a surplus of "modified" B18B motors and M41 transmissions. Making virtue of necessity, Volvo installed these into 130-series chassis, added a trim package, and sold these as the limited edition cars we now cherish. If Pressed Steel had been more efficient, the model would never have been built.

To adapt the cars to different markets, Volvo put together "tuning kits" which were installed locally by dealers. In Germany, the market for fast Autobahn cruisers resulted in Amazons sporting a Weber 2-barrel carb conversion with a P1800-style dual-downpipe exhaust, and a "stage two" mod with Weber DCOEs and a header. Are these cars worth more or less than stock? Are they stock? In England, the rare Ruddspeed modified cars are highly sought after... It's your call.

Our 122S has "evolved" over the years to a point where it is definitely modified. This began before I developed the appreciation of Volvo I have today -- it was just a beat-up old car that had to provide basic transportation on a tight budget. The more I repaired it, the more I came to like it, and the more I liked to drive it. Eventually, I preferred it to our modern "first" car. The modifications began with the idea "as long as I'm replacing stuff, I might as well put in the heavy-duty or high-performance parts," and the process continues today.

I discovered painfully, quite a few years ago in my pre-Volvo days, that I am not an automotive engineer. I'd finally save enough to slap a high-rise manifold and a big carb on some poor motor, and I'd be disappointed in the result. A high-performance cam just made for poor running, bent pushrods, and a depleted bank account after I paid a real mechanic to put the stock stuff back in. It is entirely possible to "injure" your Volvo with inappropriate mods, even using original Volvo components. Take the aforementioned overdrive conversion: a 122S sedan with a B18D came from the factory with 4:10 gears; if ordered with overdrive, 4:56 gears were installed. If you bolt on an overdrive transmission and leave it at that, you will not get satisfactory highway performance out of the standard motor.

If, however, you already have an "improved" motor producing wads of torque, you might wind up with a real freeway flyer by using this setup. I would hope that you would design something more elegant to activate the unit than the usual taping of a toggle switch to the shift lever, but I guess that's your business, isn't it? On these pages, I may sometimes point out problems with modifications, but I have no intention of condemning anyone for wishing to try. Frankly, anything that makes older Volvos interesting to more people is likely to benefit us all -- the preservationists included.

Now, you had better get out of here before Fred Furnace finds out what you've been reading!