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BODY PROBLEM AREAS

Doors:
Doors as on other cars are prone to rust at the bottom in both the skin and the door frame bottom. Good replacements are hard to find, however Door Skins are still available through the Volvo Enthusiasts Club. Doors used on all models produced after 1963 are interchangeable but late ‘E’ and ‘ES’ Doors do have internal side impact crash bars fitted. Be also aware that all 1800 were selectively assembled so fitting doors from other cars can be a problem. Doors fitted to the Jensen P1800 and very early 1800S are unique and will only fit these bodyshells, however later doors will interestingly fit these cars if finding original doors is a problem.

Sills:
This is a major area of problem due to water, which flows down front of door being channeled out through sill. Drain holes block and sill rusts out. The sill is assembled in three main parts (See Fig: 2):

1/ The inner sill, which is split upper and lower by the cars floor.
2/ The mid sill
3/ The outer sill.

1/ The inner sill must be checked both inside the car and underneath. Rust is particularly a problem at the rear end of the sill around the seat belt mounting and under the car where it meets the floor. Check this area well particularly under the rear seats near the rear wheel arch. Replacement inner sills are available but require major work to fit correctly.

2/ The mid sill can only be viewed from under the car, between the lower flanges (See Fig; 2) of the inner and outer sills. There being a gap of approximately ¼ “ between the two over a length of around 2 feet (See Fig: 3). To make sure that the sill is not corroded you will really need to prod up between the two flanges. Obviously some owners will not like you doing this but it is the only real way to check the condition of the member. The cars strength relies mainly on the box made doorstep, inner sill and the mid sill so their condition is extremely important. Many badly repaired cars will have no gap, the Outer Sill being welded directly to the Inner Sill. These cars should be avoided as strength is very much reduced and also values will be reduced.

3/ The outer sill is really only cosmetic. Looking at the side of the car, check that there are two vertical seams at each end of the sill (See Fig: 3). This is where the front and rear wings meet the sill (See Fig: 4). The sill is actually stepped and continues behind the wings. Correct replacement of the sill is therefore expensive, as both the bottoms of the front and rear wings have to be removed to allow the full sill to be replaced

Door Posts:

Check the bottom of doorpost where it meets and disappears into sill/door step

Rear Wings:

Check both the front and rear lower sections and the wheel arch edges. Repair panels are available for all these areas. (See 1800 Repair Panels). Full replacement wings are available but only the later type as used on the 1800E and ES. Restorers wanting to use there on earlier cars will have to fill in the side air vents and the petrol filler.

The inner wheel arch also suffers from rust. Check both inside the car under rear seat and in the boot.

Rear Panel – Coupe:

The rear panel on the coupe model suffers from rust in two main areas. The top lip and channel onto which the boot seal fits and the lower rear valance. A repair panel is available for the rear valance.

Rear Panel – Estate:

The rear panel on the ES suffers in the same way as the Coupe but is no longer available, being out of production for some 10 years. The club can still at preset locate these panels should your car require a full replacement. There are two types early or late, which are identified by the size of the bumper iron holes. Later panels have the large 3” approx. square holes.

Roof:

The roof on the Coupe model seem generally not to be affected by rot but check Estates particularly on the tops of each of the pillars and long the top edge of the front windscreen.

Bonnet:

Rust in the bonnet frame is common particularly around the hinge mountings. The hinges also seize regularly if not used which cause damage when the bonnet is forced open. Rust also affects the bonnet skin particularly at the front edge and corners. Good second hand bonnets are rare and expensive. Remember also that a bonnet from another 1800 may not fit your car correctly.

Boot Lid:

Rust in the rear section of the boot lid skin around the handle is common. Like Bonnets, good second hand boot lids are rare and expensive. Also like the Bonnet, a boot lid from another 1800 may not fit your car correctly.

Front Scuttle – Area below front windscreen:

Pay particular attention when checking this area. Rust is very common under the windscreen rubber and can show itself as rust marks coming from under the seal. The bodyshell here is double skinned and rust can affect the bulkhead – check by pushing down on the panel near the rubber. If rotten the panel will easily move down away from the seal. In very bad cars I have seen this move up to ½ an inch when checked. It is worth at this stage to also check inside the car up under the dashboard to se if the are any signs of rust caused by corrosion under windscreen seal.
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