My second volvo, the first one I reall liked, was a 68 144 with the
original B18 motor. It was a honey of a car, even if it was more than
a little smokey. I drove the bejezus out of it. Living in a distant
suburb of Los Angeles, it wasn't hard for me to drive it 200 miles a
day. It did so without complaint.

Well, okay -- the point of my story -- I was coming home from some
distant place and the car started driving super-crappy. I coaxed it
the rest of the way home, and when I got it running in the morning, it
ran like my 164 (by this time the volvos had multiplied) when my 164
broke the timing gear. No problem, I though, I'll put in a napa alloy
gear and be done with it. I got the timing cover off, and darn it, the
gear was intact.

It turned out that 2 valve springs were broken, on different
cylinders. I think the car had sat in one place for several years
prior to my buying it (there were sun-bleaching patterns in the seat
belts indicating the same thing) and the valves that were compressed
for years were stressed and my driving it put them over the edge.

So, good thought about the valves...
chris