Customer Spotlight - Michael Evers - 1965 122s
I can still remember the first time I saw a 122 for sale on eBay. I was researching a newer model in 2010 when the screen was reflecting back at me a pale colored fifties style car but what was it doing on a Volvo search? I was impressed at my new find. Impressed at this car being a Volvo. Having had previously owned 240 and XC70 wagons I really had no idea about these cars. I was still looking for a newer model but could not help but keep searching for the 122's. I was impressed at how large a following they had and decided to see if I could find one for myself.
In doing so I started thinking about this as my daily driver, Why Not? Enthusiast sites for performance, parts, stories, customization, bragging etc were everywhere the more I searched. It was only 2 months after seeing a 122 for the first time that I made my purchase. Bakersfield California to Long Island NY my car was shipped on an open carrier. By the time it arrived I was pumped with excitement. The car arrived filthy from the journey but cool as cool can be.
The transport operator fired'er up and that was my first introduction to the sound of a B20. I couldn't wait to go for a ride.
2 weeks later of driving the car around town I decided this was going to be my daily cruising machine. I spent a solid week of tearing the car down to the nothing left on the chassis status. Happy and surprised this car was Clean, no rot no rust period. I sent the body out for repair paint and a little custom work. In the meantime like a fevered maniac I was a research machine finding every supplier from here to IPD and over seas. I was ordering parts like a kid checking off his holiday list from the sears Christmas catalog. Days went by and the engine was torn down to inspect for wear, it was a bit tired, the trans set aside, parts were arriving daily........Excitement. I ordered custom patterned carpet of a favorite artist, pulled center consoles out of 'other' make cars, bought every part from suspension bushings to a brand new wiring harness to head liner bows, IPD became a house hold word around here. The engine made its way to upstate NY to a known Volvo performance shop for a complete over haul including porting the head, over sizing the valves, all new internals, shaving the block, complete balancing, lightened flywheel we just went a bit over board but why not right? The trans was debatable...... a BW 35? Nahh so we went for a trans swap but not just any swap, we went to a Ford T-9 five speed. Doing the swap ourselves was a pain but well worth the effort. The engine ended up somewhere in the 130-140 HP range with the pro rebuilt SU's and high performance ignition, IPD header. The body came back in great shape and the next few weeks was nothing but early mornings and late nights working on the re-assembly. In the end I loved the car but was really not liking the look of the dash so a Frankenstein dash was built from a 1800 and a 122 morphed together and bolted in now working with a full set of Auto Meter Ultra Lights. Now the car looks good from every angle, goes like crazy and runs smooth at 70 MPH with a tach speed of 3200 due to the 3:90 rear gears and has power and speed to spare. Over all I love this car and after 3 1/2 years of lovingly rebuilding it I drive it everyday. I have more plans for custom work but am enjoying the car for what it is right now and that is nothing short of Awesome. Its hard to park the car and walk away without turning around to admire it.
