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Replaced my trailing arm bushings yesterday on my 87 244 (227K and climbing).
I'd say they were original. With the right kind of air chisel, like one for removing mufflers, it's not a bad job. Of course I had the use of a lift, and a transmission jack to support the axle as needed. That helped tremendously. The bushings are pretty cheap- see FCP Groton's web site (www.fcpgroton.com)
Any independent shop should be able to put them in in about an hour. Book time for Volvo is like 1.3 hours each, so the dealer gets to make some money. There is a special puller tool for installing and keeping the two tabs straight while doing the install. If you want to confirm that these are the problem, jack up the car on the jack mounts, so the rear axle hangs unsupported. A pry bar up over each side of the axle will show you soon enough that the bushings are toast. Mine moved AN INCH! My car sagged really low in the back- the new bushings brought it back up level. Imagine that! I thought it needed springs! These are the biggest culprit in rear end noises and clunks, but of course there are others- also can have the bushings wear out on the rear shocks. Just replace the shocks (any shop can do this, or you could do it yourself with a breaker bar or impact wrench).
Good luck!
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 744GLE, 91 244: 808K total
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