|
The OHC engine is clearly superior to the earlier models, though perhaps a bit lacking in that vintage character that makes the pushrod engines so appealing.
The valvetrain in particular is a major advance, capable of running for hundreds of thousands of miles with no attention whatsoever. Try that with a B20. I've never seen or even heard of a wiped cam on an OHC engine.
As for horsepower, there are several variants of both OHV and SOHC engines, and they range from approximately 90 to 135 HP for both types, leaving Turbos out of consideration. Admittedly the OHC engine is slightly larger in displacement, but it's still pretty darn close.
The strut front end is much easier to work on, and requires a lot fewer parts for a complete overhaul. The rack and pinion steering that comes with it is also an improvement over the worm and roller box, idler arm, and six (!) tie rod ends of the older models.
The only flaw I am aware of in design of the 240 rear suspension is the difficulty of changing the trailing arm bushings when that becomes necessary.
I will agree with you about the appearance of the cars---the 71-72 version of the 140 was the best. I sometimes refer to the later models as the "uglified" 140. The dashboard was particularly awful. The revisions made to the dash for the first 240s were an improvement, but it was still less than wonderful. On the other hand, the change to one piece side glass (for the 74 model) was a major step forward. If the vent windows had worked properly to begin with (not relying on weak, failure prone adhesive) it would been the other way around.
|
