Well, like a junkie getting a fix, I went out and got
another volvo. This one is my last one, I promise.

I got a 68 145. Chasis number 3415. There is some
surface rust and a dent in the rear but nothing serious.

It was $300 and listed as "not running" I called and
asked what was wrong with the motor, and the owner said
"it burns oil". I went and looked at it, and it came
with a motor in the cargo area and started and ran okay.
It has a broken exhaust manifold stud, but nothing
serious. It hadn't run in 5 years. It had all the glass,
aftermarket mirrors, the headliner and inside in okay
shape, IPD sway bars, B20 with FI head and a weber
downdraft carb.

I bought it and started driving it home. Boy
did it smoke! Some smoke at higher speeds, lots of
smoke when I let off on the gas. This plus the expired
license plates insured that I was going to get pulled
over if the police saw me...

After about 20 minutes, it started to overheat and
then completely overheated, but it got me to within 100
miles of my house so I used the auto club to haul it the
rest of the way home (it is $8 a mile over 100 miles and
I covered about 25 miles so I saved half the cost of the
car).

Got it home, and it started and idled okay. The head
gasket is probably blown and the thermostat is likely
blown as well. So, I checked out the motor in the trunk...


It has 4 into 1 headers, double wound valve springs,
and IPD push rods (or at least non-volvo pushrods). It
turns freely and doesn't make any strange sounds. I'll
need to borrow one of those "look inside the engine"
devices to see if the bores are okay and do a compression
check to see if the motor is okay.

When did they switch the rear windows to the rectangular
single piece windows?


Looks like I've really got to get rid of my 122. Anyone
want a poorly running 2dr 67.5 122 with a B18 motor, d
grind cam, newly rebuilt front end, and overdrive
transmission? I've got a new exhaust, headliner, lots of
extra aluminum trim, headrest seats. It has some rust
holes in the floor (several nickel sized holes), crappy
paint some rust scale in the engine bay, a hood that
doesn't seat right, 4 flat tires, and a crunch in the
rear. The electrical system is perfect and the gauges
work. The windshield is scratched from the wipers. The
doors have rust, but I also have replacement doors.
Riverside CA. No reasonable offers refused....

chris