1958 Volvo 444 Fenderless build

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senginc

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
49
I have a stock 1963 Volvo PV 544.
One day while poking around the web while building the 544 I stumbled on this Photoshop rendering.

Since I am now 70, leaning over fenders is getting hard.
So what the heck maybe I need to build one similar to that next.
 

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While looking at Facebook one day a 1958 Volvo 444 was showing for sale on Facebook marketplace.
I made contact and found it was what I needed for my build. A straight body with bad floors and rockers and wrinkled fenders.
Made a deal and got him to deliver from Ohio to Birmingham, AL.
 

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Time for some disassembly.
 

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The rendering has a circle burner look to it.

Is the Volvo unibody construction?

.

When I was a kid the Hobby class circle track cars were fat fendered cars without the fenders. I think the red car I posted really has that style except street worthy.

Yes it is unibody but will now become body on frame.
 
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I've always liked the look of these Volvos, aside from the curved glass, they look so much like a scaled down 46 Ford. This should be fun to see come together.

I am building a 444 which does have a flat glass split windshield. 544's have a curved windshield. Both have curved back glass although they don't interchange.
 
Your 444 looks just like the 58 I bought off a lot in San Bernardino, CA in the late 60s for $150. Drove it for a year or so. Cool car. I have also had a fantasy about making a rod out of one. I'll be watching.
 
I have drawn the frame and suspension in AutoCad.
The attached pic has all the layers (frame, body, engine, suspension) all turned on so it looks like a busy mess.
When zoomed in I have all the pieces of the puzzle drawn to scale and it makes fabrication have a lot less guess work.
 

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I luv making something out of nothing - most people would have scrapped the car.
I bought a nice running 1993 S10 with the 2.8l V6 and 5 speed manual.
I am using the engine, trans, driveshaft (have to be shortened), rear axle, steering column, pedal assembly, brake booster but a new master cylinder, wiring harness with ECM for the throttle body injection.
I will not be using the S10 frame but instead will build a 2" x 3"x 11ga steel tube frame.
Mustang II front suspension with tubular control arms and coilovers, out back will be a parallel 4 bar with coilovers.

The 2.8l is 125HP which will move a little better than the 60 hp 4 cylinder I pulled out of the Volvo.
 

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Sorting thru my new suspension parts to make sure everything is there.
 

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