Volvo Amazon register 

According to the volvo amazon register, 9160, but look for yourself.Not good at posting links so google it!

that appears to be the number of 4 doors for the last 12 months of production, but I am interested also in how many came out with a B18b, as it seems to be an unusual option and based on the South African review a very rare option indeed. did Volvo maybe do a runout at the end of the 4 doors with b18bs to help them sell?

None of the following will answer your question but........... You might like to look out for a copy of "Volvo downunder" by Pedr Davis & Tony Davis. Published by Marque books. It gives Volvo car sales in Oz (all models) as 496 for 1968, 652 for 1969, 782 for 1970 and 2002 for 1971. South Africa assembled 120/220 models from early till late '60s from CKD kits. The specs seem to vary from normal Euro models going by the odd few that have been imported to the UK. I don't think that they made any 2 doors or B20 Amazons, I maybe wrong on that. It wasn't unusual at that time for cars made/put together in SA to be exported to Oz, GM/Holden did it, probably Ford too, so Volvo could well have shipped a few Amazons in from there and this is maybe where the engine specs get a bit blurred. I can't find anything in the parts book which mention SA cars. Of interest to you would be the fact that only the P12394 series of 4-door Amazons were fitted with the B18B. All of the P122** series had the B18D and the P121** the B18A. See which one is on your plate.

now that IS fascinating, I am certain that i have confirmed on here before that my car has a B18b, but my body number is 122342 M and the plate has Sweden printed on it. how can i tell again if it is a b18b?

decoding 122342 

Greetings from Canberra, dd. From the Dieter Gunther - Walter Wolf book "Volvo P120": 1st digit: 1 = saloon 2nd digit: 2 = 4-door or estate 3rd digit: 2 = B16B or B18D motor 4th digit: 3 = export model 5th digit: 4 = four-speed, floor change 6th digit: 2 = right hand drive Despite the third digit above, a previous owner of your car could have fitted a B18B. Note also that Gunther's figures are for Swedish production cars. The Anders Ditlev Clausager book "Essential Volvo 120 Series and P1800" has a data section for "120 SERIES, B18B engine, 123GT 2-door saloon (1966-68)". This data finishes with the enigmatic statement that "NB: the B18B engine was also fitted to certain other models, including some South African 1967 models, and effectively to 1968 models of the 132/222 range." Who knows? Probably you'll only have a definitive answer after you pull the head off and measure the compression ratio. However you could try calling Gerry Lister at Volvo DownUnder. If anyone knows the details of Australian-delivered 122s, it would be Gerry. Or George Minassian in the Volvo 1800/120 Club Australia. Incidentally, most of my Volvo books quote the B18B as having either 10.0:1 or 10.1:1 compression ratio, not 10.5:1. Bob (132342)

ok, thanks, the engine is definitely the original, the previous owner rebuilt it himself i believe. so none of the numbers on the case or head indicate which engine it is? I agree that I have almost never seen 10.5:1 listed, but the previous owner was very much adament about that, so maybe he gave the head a tiny shave during the rebuild.

As far as i remember the only 10.5:1 compression ratio was the B20E

just checked the engine numbers, on the block there is 4968 4 4 1 21 08 B18 then lower down 419330 then on the head 1-418 G15A 205