Thanks for the replies. Out of all the info what I took from it is that the B230 has 8 counterweights. I think the reduced friction would be a plus in a motor that's not that efficient to begin with, and the cast vs. forged is not that important. In the 5 Volvos that I had none of them ever needed a crank or main bearing work. The bodies which last a long time were survived by the respective cranks and even cams. I did spend $900 once to get the top end of a B27 redone which included the cams and chains (stupid).

Our 1985 has 180,000 and we got it from a relative for $300. It's a beater and a "3rd" car, but amazingly has no leaks. We avoid driving it if possible to keep the mileage off but not so much that it sits too long. It drives quite nicely but has all the expected quirks like tailamps going out, signal lamps, heater control valve, a/c no longer works, etc.

It's amazing how far technology has come. You can now buy a little 2-liter car for just over ten grand that gets over 35 mpg, lasts a couple hundred thousand miles, and has almost 150 hp and is ULEV. Unheard of back in the 80's huh? We were happy with 114 hp then and 17 mpg.