For some time I've been doing a bit of research on Volvo's old V8 from the fifties, the forgotten B36AV. This cute little engine was used in a couple of trucks (L420 Snabbe and L430 Trygge) from 1956 to 1966. The engine was also modified for marine use as the Volvo Penta AQ180.
The B36 was developed from a protype engine called B8B, an engine used in the concept car Philip. I've read somewhere that Volvo's management bought a closed production line from a manufacturer in the US in the early fifties. Unfortunately my source doesn't mention which manufacturer.
I have six complete B36 engines in my collection, including the engine in my L430 truck and a cut-through engine I bought from Volvo's industrial museum in Skövde, Sweden back in 2006.
My research project consists of two sub-projects:
Sub-project #1:
From which US car/engine manufacturer does the B8B engine origin?
I guess that "closed production line" is somewhat misleading. My assumption is that the Volvo guys bought a prototype production line that never came into regular production.
The B8B and also the B36 have many similarities with the first generation of modern american V8 engines that was issued in the late forties/early fifties, for example Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Studebaker. Even the early prototypes from Chevrolet and Kaiser have many similarities with the little Swedish engines.
Below I will list the main characteristics for the Volvo engine:
-Deep skirted Y-block design
-Air gap intake manifold
-Siamesed exhaust senter ports
-Self locking valve adjustment screws (like Studebaker)
-Shaft-mounted rocker arms
-Oil pump mounted on the rear main bearing housing
-Separate thrust washers on bearing no 5
-Water distribution pipes pressed into the heads to lead water to the hot areas around the exhaust valves
-Separate oil filter canister (B8B)
-"Semi-integrated" oil filter canister mounted top rear, next to the distributor (B36AV)
-Carter WGD manual choke 2-barrel carb
-Fuel pump mounted top front, on the oil filler tube
-Extensive use of aluminum. Water pump, timing cover, intake manifold, oil filler tube etc
The B8B prototype engine has some ribs on the valve covers not found on the B36. Perhaps these ribs can help me with the origin issue.
Some technical specifications:
Bore: 3,3125
Stroke: 3,1496
Displacement: 217 cu.in.
Output: 120hp
Main bearing diameter: 2,4977
Rod bearing diameter: 2,1299
Sub-project #2:
Complete rebuild!
This is hard. No parts available for the lower part of the engine. I've spent some hours in the Clevite online catalog looking for bearings that are almost identical. The main bearings are sorted out (a mix of olds 350 and buick 300). The rod bearings will be modified Volvo B18 shells narrowed down to B36 specs. Cast pistons (custom made) are most likely available from JP Pistons in Australia. Thrust washers can be custom made in bronze.
Luckily, most parts in the valvetrain are identical to the famous B18 engine. Oil filters are available from different manufacturers. The distributor cap is identical to early Mercedes V8. I have some ignition parts from a surplus sell-out. And finally I've bought a couple of carburetor repair kits from The Carburetor Doctor (carbkitsource.com).
Some pictures:
As you understand, I need help from the forums expertise to shed some light on the B8B origin question. Of course I will try to question the different Volvo resources in Sweden as well, but they are, sorry to say, not very talkative.
By the way, feel free to correct my English, it's not my everyday language
Thanks,
Theodore Rimspoke
