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1970's & '80s Volvos

220 messages,  Last post on Jan 07, 2008 at 10:20 AM

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What is this discussion about? Volvo 240, Sedan

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#25 of 220 by jrosasmc Sep 23, 2002 (12:00 pm)
Starting with the 1975 models, Volvo used the 242/244/245 designations. They did this up until 1979. Then for 1980, when they underwent minor cosmetic revisions and interior changes, they went to DL/GL/GLE, etc. This continued through to 1985. In 1986, when the series got those big TV-like headlights, every model went to the 240 designation and stayed there until the end in 1993.
#26 of 220 240s by stickguy Sep 23, 2002 (3:42 pm)
IIRC, the engine on the first 240s was very weak (2.1 liter?). It was a new OHC engine that replaced the "tried and true" B20 (whatever designation that was up to).   I still remember going to the NY auto show around 1977 -78, and seeing a 240GT, with rectangular fog lights, alloys, sport seats. Really sharp. Too bad I was only 15 at the time.   I learned to drive on a 1969 144 4-speed, so I have a soft spot for older Volvos (among other things).   Maybe I should have looked at the '83 turbo wagon for $350 that was in the paper after all (so it needed a clutch...)
#27 of 220 by jrosasmc Sep 23, 2002 (4:26 pm)
Yes, it was the B21 that replaced the old OHV B20. Not until the B23 of 1983 did the 240 series get some adequate power.
#28 of 220 by jrosasmc Sep 23, 2002 (4:28 pm)
Maybe the reason the B21 was pretty weak in those years (1976-81) was due to the fact that just like any other car of the late '70s, it was pretty much emasculated due to emissions crap.
#30 of 220 Emissions crap by bhill2 Sep 25, 2002 (2:51 pm)
I don't know about the late 70's, but I had a '72 164E and, probably because of the fuel injection, it suffered much less from emissions crap problems than most of the other cars of that era. In fact, despite Shifty's distain for these cars, it was light years ahead of the domestic jobs in drivability. It would also show its tail lights to most of them (it was a stick). Of course, you have to consider what I was competing with.
#32 of 220 jrosasmc by amazon Sep 26, 2002 (7:32 am)
The reason the first year of 240's are all but gone from our streets has to do with rust more than anything. Volvo made some changes to their paint process at the model year change '74-'75, which resulted in less than adequate paint quality. In Sweden, Volvo paid to have those cars repainted. Also, the fact that Volvo had re-sourced their steel for cost reduction purposes didn't help the matter.   The B21 was a large performance improvement over the B20. Reliability wise, these engines (the family of B21-B23) were definitely of Volvo quality. THe cars did get heavier during the 70's though, which is why the performance was anemic in this era.
#33 of 220 jrosasmc by amazon Sep 26, 2002 (7:37 am)
That car could have been a car from 75 to 79 from that description. The model years of wagons are very hard to tell apart.
#34 of 220 Ah: by jrosasmc Sep 26, 2002 (8:35 am)
So the first-year issues with the 240 were more of build quality and fit and finish problems than anything else.

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