gotheframe’s 1967 Volvo Amazon

[gotheframe]

Here is the “drive” height preset.


But most roads in my area I can get away with driving this preset.


A couple more

[gotheframe]

​Working on the interior has been an ongoing process.

Stretching VP Auto vinyl on front seat backs. Fabricated a rod to go through the built in mid seam of the vinyl and tied it to the frame crossbar using zip ties so I could get the pinch just right.


Closeup of the bottom of the front seat back. One each of two sizes of diameter rods are slid into the seams then pressed one at a time into the channel. Placing vinyl in the sun helped when it came time to stretch.​


I fabricated tools to hold the rods in the channel using wooden door shims.​


Finished backs.
​

Bottom seam.​


Still have the hardware to figure out before backs are combined with seat bottoms.


Robbing seat parts I kept from a 1971 144 part out.


Some current pics.
A C&C with friends (GTIKole's AE86 in the middle) a few weeks back.



Showing the usability of the truck setup. Yeah, I went grocery shopping with the kiddo, he loves rides in the "noisy car" lol


Pics from a C&C from last weekend that we’re shared with me.



Love this photo and it makes me want to learn how to take better pics.

[Freddye]

Such a clean, good looking Amazon. Love the green seats!

If you want to learn more about car photagraphy, you can learn alot from the best in the game: http://www.speedhunters.com/tag/photography/

[stanhayward]

Looks awesome, great job on the seats man!

[gotheframe]

Such a clean, good looking Amazon. Love the green seats!

If you want to learn more about car photagraphy, you can learn alot from the best in the game: http://www.speedhunters.com/tag/photography/

Thanks for the link, very interesting. Also looked into apps for raw files on iphone.

Looks awesome, great job on the seats man!

Thanks! So far much patience as paid off.

[gotheframe]

Little update.

So 2020 had one last unsuspecting surprise in store for me.

Somehow Rotiform picked me as the recipient of the 2020 Christmas Giveaway.


Choosing which wheel was really a tough decision because I never anticipated going down this path aesthetically. I actually started to go down a completely different path. I gravitate towards disk type wheels so arriving at the LHR-M wasn’t surprising.


The challenge in the decision was how will I fit these 19x8.5 (only size available for this model) wheels - absolutely gigantic for the Amazon? With only two options in offset (+35 & +45), I went with +35 out of fear of needing to space out more than an inch - which was a miscalculation on my part as I had that in my head from looking into poke during suspension fab. In hindsight, a +45 would have been a better choice so I could creep up on the fender.
The 19s present two issues; tire selection and clearence. On the OEM 15x4ish wheels I’ve been running, I wanted a period looking tire and went with the smallest Vredestein Sprint Classics I could find, at 155/80 and outside diameter of 24.8”. Its a tall tire relatively speaking, and I’ve wanted to go smaller to gain another inch in low. My goal with these 19s is to maintain the aired out position of the 15s. So unnecessarily increasing diameter through aspect ratio isn’t an option I want to pursue. Another tire issue is width, which the rear of the Amazon doesn’t favor well in clearance. So the tire had to be no wider than the rim, and no taller than 24.8” So utilizing the Ultimate Tire Stretch Guide thread on Stanceworks, combing through pictures on Tyre Stretch, and plugging numbers through Will They Fit, I arrived at 215/35 tires as an ideal size. More google and combing through stretch pics I arrived at Nankang NS-25 215/35 r19 tires. While not what I had in mind, when you win wheels you try new things.

Stretch (a #2 according to the guide)



Testing fitment


This is what I’m dealing with on the Fender side. So will need to roll. Unknown at this point is whether or not there is room in the curvature of where the fender lip becomes body to fit the 19s if I need to space out more.


On the barrel side of the wheel, I have a clearance issue brought on from the previous owner using the wheel wells to hammer space out for a sub woofer box. So I’ll need to hammer back in from outside into the trunk, and maybe flatten some body seams along the way.


So navigating the clearance issues on the face and barrel side will be my winter project.

[gotheframe]

Got the fronts put on and snagged a few pics. No clearance issues with room to spare. Will decide if I want to space them out once I get the back fenders worked out.

[Yezzz]

I gotta say, I'm quite suprised how well they look on such a classic car. Personally I wouldnt be able to resist the 5x114.3 and get some old japanese alloys, but winning wheels is always a plus.

Cant wait to see some pictures of the whole thing!

[SebastienPeek]

Okay, this is so damn legit. I am so surprised they work so well on this!

[gotheframe]

I gotta say, I'm quite suprised how well they look on such a classic car. Personally I wouldnt be able to resist the 5x114.3 and get some old japanese alloys, but winning wheels is always a plus.

Cant wait to see some pictures of the whole thing!

I’m with you on the Japanese wheels, the ones I like are ultra rare lol. Honestly would like to do a 4x114.3 conversion if I went that route. I’m really looking forward to making it work in the back. It’s tight but I get to work out some things that have been bugging me along the way.

Okay, this is so damn legit. I am so surprised they work so well on this!

Wow, thanks so much! I don’t even know how to follow that

[Yezzz]

Honestly would like to do a 4x114.3 conversion if I went that route.

Is this actually an option? Without to much hassle that is?

Asking for a... who am I kidding? I've been looking into Amazons since forever and am always looking for excuses to get one

[gotheframe]

Is this actually an option? Without to much hassle that is?

Asking for a... who am I kidding? I've been looking into Amazons since forever and am always looking for excuses to get one

Ease of conversion, ehh.... based on the fabrication I’ve done it wouldn’t take that much more to do it I feel. I’m thinking a 7.5 Ford rearend with a 4lug axles and similar front hub, or a more likely candidate, a Toyota rearend. The Amazon’s front suspension is pretty close to MustangII in appearance, I’ve thought about tubular arms and a drop spindle anyway... so... I don’t know? Lol. Everything would have to be fabricated obviously, there’s no direct swap I’m aware of.

[hinrichs]

Damn very surprised how good the 19s look on this one. I cant wait to see the rear rolled or whatever your planning for the back.