B16 Engine Stength

[lukeball]

Hello, my name is Luke Ball and this is my first topic post on this forum. I live in the United States, and I own a 1959 B16A Amazon; which was imported from Sweden a few years ago, as a parts car. I bought it almost 1.5 years ago and now if finally drives really well. I like the B16A because of its low end torque, but it doesn't really have a good power band and I want to increase acceleration.

I have heard so many people say that the B16 isn't a very strong motor. Is the three main bearing crank, the weakest part or are there other parts? How many people have actually broken the crank or had another major problem?

I have a B16A and it actually drives quite well. Usually, I drive it at about 80km/h and sometimes even faster (120km/h). So, I was reading here and someone said "Over 80 km/h, main bearing wear too much due to a B16 is trelagrad and at higher speeds the crankshaft begins to beat more." I understand that the B16A crank is cast and the B16B crank is forged, so the B16B should be able to handle higher speeds.

In Sweden, do many people swap out the factory motor B16A for the B16B or even something else? I found a B16B that was completely overhauled and it has the M40. I am thinking about buying it, and possibly even modifying more. I have seen a few people make 100 hk with the B16B and I am thinking about going for it. Would anyone recommend this?

As for the crank, I would get the main bearings coated; for extra stength. Read this http://www.paeco.com/Paecolloy%20Crankshafts.htm If this was done, do you think it could handle a 9.0:1 compression? I am also thinking about a getting a D cam ground on a B16 billet. Finally, I would probably also get the b16 ported and I would use B18 valves.

Would anyone recommend any of this? This will be a street motor and I would still like to have durability, but I really want to increase acceleration. Any suggestions?

Thank you.

[123GT]

Hi Luke and welcome to the Swedish Amazon Forum !

Wow....is my first impression....your car looks great from here...okey a bit rough around the edges, but definatly better than a "parts car" from what I can see in your album !!! You are doing the right thing, putting it back om the roads, thanks for that !
Car even has the "rare" VOLVO Travel Club emblem in the grill, was that included when you bought it ?

However I'll pass on the B16 questions, but I'm sure you'll get a lot of info and answers from the B16 guys and girls around here !
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress...oh and bye the way...how is your Swedish !?
/ sven

[lukeball]

Hi Luke and welcome to the Swedish Amazon Forum !

Wow....is my first impression....your car looks great from here...okey a bit rough around the edges, but definatly better than a "parts car" from what I can see in your album !!! You are doing the right thing, putting it back om the roads, thanks for that !
Car even has the "rare" VOLVO Travel Club emblem in the grill, was that included when you bought it ?

However I'll pass on the B16 questions, but I'm sure you'll get a lot of info and answers from the B16 guys and girls around here !
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress...oh and bye the way...how is your Swedish !?
/ sven

Believe it or not, I bought the car for $600 USD from some people that originally lived in Sweden. They bought the car as a parts car, but never parted it out nor tried to start it. Some things were missing, but they were not major: front turnsignal lights, left wiper arm, rear chrome bumper corner, and the radio plate. I am finishing up buying the last few parts. I have a "Amazon" radio plate.

The motor runs, and I have rebuilt the Zenith 34VN carb, distributor, starter, upgraded to 6V 60A alternator, and the water pump. The brake system and clutch systems are completely rebuilt. The front and rear suspensions include all poly bushings, new springs, and 123GT shocks. Everything is solid. I also re-wired most of the electrical and everything works now. I just finishing up wiring a 1958 6V VDO tach. I also have Volvo 140 headlights with 6V 60W halogen bulbs.

I didn't know that the Volvo Travel Club emblem was rare. It was there when I bought the car. I am glad it it had the original front grills as well, since I have seen other early cars that have the later grills installed. I think I have the oldest Amazon in the USA at the time being. I really like the car.

I don't know though if I want to do a complete restore. I really want to just drive the car. Up next is fixing and welding in new metal. I want the exterior body rust free, but it doesn't have to be perfect. I will probably also touch up the paint. I want to leave some history to car at the same time though. The interior is going to get a complete restore. I have new fabric on order.

Check this out:

[Amazon]

Are you sure 16A crank is cast and the B16B crank is forged? Never heard about it before.

[lukeball]

Are you sure 16A crank is cast and the B16B crank is forged? Never heard about it before.

That is what the PV Engine B14A, B16A, B16B, B16D Service Manual says. "All the engines, with the exception of the B16A, have hardened crankshafts with special bearing shells and a camshaft giving a relatively large lift. The crankshaft is made of drop-forged steel with precision ground and (except for the B16A) surface hardened main and connecting rod bearing journals. The main bearings and the connecting rod bearings are of the tri-metal type. They are made of steel with lead-bronze alloy linings. The lining is coated with a thin layer of lead-indium. On the B16A engine, however, the bearing consists of a special lead-bronze alloy for the connecting rod bearing while the main bearings consist of specially designed babbit-lined units. On all engine types the crankshaft guide bearing, which has a greater bearing surface than the other main bearings, is babbit-lined."

That is what is says, but maybe I interpreted it a little different. This Service Manual is in English and is dated 1958.

[kth544]

Hi ! All B16 cranks are forged, difference between is that the B16b crank is surfacehardened whith different bearings . If you nitrite (or other metod) your A crank you get the same spec as B . B16b is a durable tough litlle machine !I had a Pv 544 sport a few years ago whith b16b engine and i drove it quite hard,, actually most of the time! I used it as a daily driver for 2 years winter/summer. It was a very fun peppy engine that just kept on going . I drove that car out of the speedometer limit more then once (160 km/h)..Very fun car and I think that a fresh B16b is more fun in compare to the B18 engine. As you probably already knew the B engine has a different camshaft and some more compression ..D camshaft is probably a very good choice of profile in the b16..Good luck and have fun ! Kenneth PS In my humble opinion i dont think its necessary to harden a crank to make it "hold up" but mainbearing clearences wouldnt hurt to keep thight...

[lukeball]

Kenneth, thank you for the information. I think that I will buy a B16B engine and just save my B16A. I have talked with some other people and they said that lightening the flywheel makes the greatest difference in the car. Do you have any other experience with different cam shafts? I found this one, but I wonder if it is a good choice as well:

PAECO VV-6000 For street use, this cam gives strong acceleration in the 2600-6000 RPM range without being temperamental. It will rev all the way to 7000. INTAKE: 27/59 EXHAUST: 63/23 DURATION: 266 LIFT: .400"

[lukeball]

I finally got a reply from Ellemann-Jakobsen. They said that 100hk is easy with their head and camshaft, however the prices seem a little high. They want 3000kr for the upgraded B16 camshaft and 10000kr for their special head. Do you think that this is a good deal or not? She did mention that her grandfather's B16 made 130/140hk, but they didn't record the specs at the time.

I also found out that the B16 with Judson supercharger makes 124hk and 0-100km/h is 5 sec faster. It still seems like a good idea, but I like old NA motors better.

[gudu]

I can not answer your question regarding pricing but want to say that it looks like a nice car. Even though the head is the double price.
And i wonder if it is an overdrive lamp above the fanswitch?

[lukeball]

I can not answer your question regarding pricing but want to say that it looks like a nice car. Even though the head is the double price.
And i wonder if it is an overdrive lamp above the fanswitch?

Actually, the light is for a special option (which is kind of stupid in my opinion). There are special contacts on the back doors which ground when the door is closed and turn on the lamp. When a door is open, the lamp goes off. It should be the other way around.

I actually changed the purpose of the lamp. VDO makes newer fuel senders (they aren't labeled as 6V, but one is supposed to control two 12V gauges; so a single one will feed 6V) and they now include another contact which grounds when there is only 15% of a tank of fuel left. That lamp is grounded to this terminal. When it lights, I know that I have 1.5 Gal of fuel left.