Each year as my car gets older it turns more heads and I get the same tired old question, what year is it? So much so that I am considering getting some big decals with '68 volvo on them, for the front and rear windscreen/window. I mean where do you go from '68 volvo? It's not like someone will go "oh that was the first full year of twin line brake lines" or maybe, "ah yes new spec soft dash switches, they really haven't held up that well"....blah blah volvo dweeb dweeb dweeb, conversation that would, as a volvo dweeb myself, at least pass the time, and maybe lead to a little run around the block, so they could see how my b20 with electronic ignition actually has some guts and grunt to it.
So the other day as I was parking my car near work, and yet another guy came up with the "what year?" question I answered and for once there was more info. Turns out his dad bought one new from Volvo in '68, they had it til the early eighties, and as his dad had passed he wanted to give me the service manual his dad had purchased along with the car..
I said that would be great, but inwardly thought maybe it is just an old Haynes manual or something like that. I gave him my email address and a couple of days later he arranged to drop off the manual, I wasn't around so I left the car open and that evening found an almost mint set of factory service manuals (13 books is that complete?), in an original Volvo 4 ring binder. He also included a picture of him leaning on his dad's 120 back in '70.
So thank you David K for the nice set of manuals and to David's dad for raising a son with a good heart (he just wanted the manuals to go to someone who could use them). I'll try to be more friendly with the "what year" thing but as I was born in '65 I don't even appreciate hearing how old my car is these days.
Otherwise the car is running great, new front end bushings have really tightened up the handling along with slightly wider rears that have roped in the oversteer I was getting.
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Patrick, '68 220 (used to drive 240s) '53 GMC 4104