1970's & '80s Volvos
Per Mr. Shiftright's suggestion, I have decided to create a topic for this board devoted to the discussion of all '70s and '80s Volvos. Now the host and the rest of us can dig up some more dirt on these infamous (or famed, whatever you like) Swedish imports. Talking about them on the German car discussion wasn't all that relevant there.
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Also, wasn't there a 144 and/or a 244? How reliable were they?
What changes made the B21 engine better/more reliable than the B18 and B20? What were the displacements and horsepower of these engines? What years were they made? Were the B18 and B20 overhead cam or overhead valve designs?
I, too, will agree that our esteemed host might be shorting the Volvos of yore. As a 740 owner, I'll be first to point out its faults, such as the crack-prone dash (seemed to be a common thing in '80s European cars) and the falling headliner (again, certainly not unique to Volvos.) However, it's built very solidly, has a great paint job after 13 years, and it's the most dead-simple car to work on I've owned (granted, to this point they've almost all been front-drivers.) I'm not crazy about the sealed-beam headlights, though we can pin the blame for those on the DOT.
Is the car sexy? Hardly. If I wanted that I'd have bought something else. Is it fun to drive? Well, in the winter it's certainly interesting. Is it reliable? Hell, yes. I've only put in normal maintenance money (no actual repairs) thus far, which has been pretty much the case since the car was new (I have all the maintenance records.) Simply put, it's good, safe, versatile transport that I wouldn't hesitate to jump in tomorrow and drive cross country. It's not a Mercedes, nor did it ever pretend to be. It's a testament to the car's durability that I'm constantly getting surprised remarks from people (non-car enthusiasts, granted) thinking it's a much newer car than it really is. I can't think of a single American or Japanese car from that era that would have held up as well (my 1994 Honda Accord is starting to rust. My 1989 Volvo is not.) A GM car from the same era? Please.
As one who grew up in the rust belt, and has had experience with rusting cars, your statements about your '94 Accord rusting while your '89 Volvo hasn't intrigues me. Like your Volvo, your Honda has galvanized steel body panels (most of the cars prior to the late '70s didn't, by contrast, which is the principal reason why they were more rust prone). That said, it makes sense that the amount of rust protection differs between cars. If the Volvo indeed has rust protection that's superior to the Honda, that would be a factor for justifying the price differential.
How do you account for your Honda's rust? Do you live in the snow belt or near the ocean? Did both cars reside in the same location since they were new?
Regarding your statement about GM cars, I've owned and own foreign and domestic brands, and am familiar with the reputation of GM cars. However, my experience with GM cars from the '70s and '80s was generally positive. For example, my '78 Pontiac LeMans (first year downsized intermediate) had 114,000 miles on it, and was going strong, when it was hit by a pickup truck and totaled. My daughter, the driver and only occupant in the car at the time, suffered only minimal and very temporary injuries, fortunately. My '86 Grand Am four cylinder went 188,000 miles before it died from head gasket failure. That's not bad. And we keep a '85 Olds '98 (first year for the FWD GM large body) around as an extra car. It has 148,000 on the odometer, and aside from needing the transmission rebuilt twice (the first time by the original owner, under warranty, the second time when I owned it, at 89,000), it's been low maintenance. Of course, we've replaced things that you'd normally expect to fail with age and mileage, such as brakes, exhaust, water pump, starter, headliner (once), plus one item that you probably wouldn't (the rack and pinion steering was replaced at 50,000, under the extended GM warranty, but needs to be replaced again), but overall it's been reliable. The Olds also is also roomy and rides well. The Olds is especially relevant to this topic because it was in the same price range as the Volvo 740.
Then, there's a number, which indicates the displacement. I.E. a B21 is a 2.1 liter gasoline engine.
The last letter(s) designate the type of induction system:
"A"- Single carb
"B"- High output Dual carb
"D"- Low output Dual Carb
"E"- Fuel Injection
"F"- Low compression Fuel Injection for use with unleaded gasoline
"T"- Turbo
So, a B23ET is a 2.3 liter gasoline engine with turbo and fuel injection.
The B16, B18, B20, and B30 engines were Pushrod OHV, while the B17, B19, B21, B23, B27, B28 were OHC.
From what I've been able to look up though, it looks like the 740's were all 4-cyl, while the 760 sedans were 6-cyl, but the wagon had a turbocharged 4-cyl. The 780 was available only as a coupe, with a 6-cyl engine.
Back in 1991, our neighbors bought a slightly used 1989 7-series wagon (can't remember if it was a 740 or 760 though). It was a dark gray with (IIRC) a black leather interior. It seemed like a solid, well-built car, and even looked good in 1998 when they finally got rid of it and replaced it with a Legacy Outback. It had gotten to the point though, that every time it went back to the dealer they were looking at $1000+. Worse, the Volvo dealer was the only place that would service it...none of the local shops would even touch it!
One thing I'll say for it though...that Volvo always looked good. Their Outback is already starting to look a bit ratty!
Lancer, what are you doing to that Accord to make it rust already? :-P
Just to throw in my experience with domestic cars of that era, I have an '89 Gran Fury. It's basically a 1976 Volare with more formal sheetmetal, a GM carburetor, and an airbag, so it doesn't exactly represent the forefront of Detroit technology of the time. Before I bought it, the camshaft went bad, around 73000 miles. Supposedly that was a common flaw with the 318's in 1989. The place I bought it from had thrown in a 318 out of a wrecked Diplomat, with about 75000 miles on it, and it hasn't given me a lick of engine/driveline trouble since I've had it...now up to around 117,000 miles. The suspension has also been solid. Don't ask me about starters though. Or the radiator that went bad. Power windows are a touchy subject too! It's also not the prettiest thing in the world, now that its metallic silver repaint is fading.
I'd guess by that time, the 4-bbl carb, or carbs in general, were becoming pretty rare, so Chrysler probably had to go with what was available.
There were 740's with a 6 cylinder diesel. Most 740's had the B23 engine, however.
There were 760's with the B23ET or B23FT. They also came with the V6, and the diesel 6.
Tidbit:
In 1979, Volvo came out with the first 6 cylinder passenger car diesel.
My Accord and rust (since so many people are interested:)
Both cars have lived life in the snow belt. The Honda was originally bought by its first owner in Maine; I bought it in New Hampshire and it moved with me to Iowa. The Volvo was bought new in Delaware and was brought to Iowa within six months of ownership (going by the maintenance records.) I bought it here in Iowa. The rust on the Honda is the typical rust on all Honda's pre-current models; on the driver's side rear fender where it meets the plastic bumper cover. It's a fairly well documented design flaw that allows water and crud to collect and sit behind there.
mminerbi... Yes, it was made by VW, but only in a Volvo was the 6 cyl diesel installed in a passenger car.
shifty
Amazon, if you're around, I'd like to ask about something that's been bugging me for a while. On occasion, I will see an old raggged 144/145 or 164 cruising the streets. However, I very rarely see a first-year 240 around (1975). I saw my first '75 240 on the campus of UVM yesterday; this was a dirty-looking orange 245 being driven by a student from Ct. Why do you think these first-year 240s haven't survived as well as their other peers?
-Andrew L
I still remember going to the NY auto show around 1977 -78, and seeing a 240GT, with rectangular fog lights, alloys, sport seats. Really sharp. Too bad I was only 15 at the time.
I learned to drive on a 1969 144 4-speed, so I have a soft spot for older Volvos (among other things).
Maybe I should have looked at the '83 turbo wagon for $350 that was in the paper after all (so it needed a clutch...)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
The B21 was a large performance improvement over the B20. Reliability wise, these engines (the family of B21-B23) were definitely of Volvo quality. THe cars did get heavier during the 70's though, which is why the performance was anemic in this era.
One of the biggest problems with 140s and 240s is the exhaust systems. For some reason Volvo couldn't figure out a way to keep these things attached to the cars very well. Once the rubber donuts cracked, the system didn't have much backup anchoring.
You'll often notice that these older Volvos are very loud more often than not.
If you ever get one, replace all those donut hangers immediately.
Another thing you will notice on the old ones is that the rear end thumps around a lot. This I believe comes from trailing arm bushings and spring pads that wear out as the miles pile up.
The 140s nd 240s are rugged cars but they are not solid and quiet cars at all. They make a lot of noise internally and externally.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
IIRC, there are a bunch of mufflers, resonators, etc. in the system, so there were more parts to fail.
Darn, I miss that car. Manual steering and brakes, no AC. Only thing complicated on it was the dual carbs.
it was a shock when I took drivers ed though. Only cars I had driven until that point were the Volvo and a super beetle. Imagine going from that into a '77 Caprice (the downsized one). Almost put the instructor through the windshield the first time I hit the brakes.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
But I do distinctly recall that finding the right parts for the 1968 models was sometimes difficult. Perhaps it was "transitional" in the sense of having a number of parts particular to one year, not particular to the previous 122.
Didn't the first 140 series also use that cable actuated Born Warner automatic that the 122 did?
That was a slug of a tranny. Definitely not recommended if you want to enjoy your 122.
I remember seeing an old film clip of the day they opened England's first freeway, the M1. The sides of the road were lined with expired English Fords, the same ones they were sending over here.