740/940 wagons and nivomats
 

So which Volvo wagons came with nivomats?

I thought all the 940 wagons and many 740 wagons did, but now I'm seeing something implying that only the 940SE(965) and 765 wagons had them?

How do you tell if a particular wagon has them or not?

we had a 960 wagon with them, and I know that when they are good, they are very good, but when they are bad, they are very very bad :) {translation: they work great when new, but when old, they sag rather badly, and replacements are kinda $$$).

I'm shopping for a 740/940 (turbo) wagon. I'm thinking I'd as soon have the IPD overload springs in back, with appropriate shocks. I want a reasonably comfortable ride, but I want to be able to load the beast up to the max too.

I've gone the route of over-sprung and over-dampened cars, I prefer a plush, but controlled ride.

so... what *is* the best suspension setup for a 7/9 series wagon?

760's sedans had them from the get go...1982. I don't know that 740's ever did. Swapping to stock shocks and springs is childs play on live axle cars. If you land an IRS car then you have to spend the bucks for the conversion kit. I had Nivomats on the 760...worked fine but I didn't like going out in the morning and see the rear sagging. Since I am not a fan of either Nivomats or IRS (only because it's harder to mod and find parts) my favorite rear set up would be solid axle, Lesjofors progressive springs, Bilstein HD's and IPD 25/25's. If the wagon is usually empty, then a 23 on the back for more traction. It's a bit harsh though...middle of the road would be heavy duty stock wagon springs and KYB Gas-A-Just's

well, the only IRS wagons, to the best of my knowlege, were the 960-II aka V90, and I'm not shopping for one of those.

right now, I have my eyes on a 92 740 Turbo wagon that has 130k miles and a very clean interior, and is running quite well, but its shocks are pretty bouncy, especially in the back.

I'm thinking these rear springs, http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-700/Susp...0-195-478-629/ and stock front springs, and I dunno if i'll go Bilstein HD or something softer (I had Boge ProGas on a Jetta that was setup rather nicely with mild progressive springs and intermediate sized swaybars front and rear... yes, I know, jetta != 740 wagon by a long shot).

I'm a fat old guy, and comfort is as important as handling to me, our roads around here are in really crappy condition, half the reason I want to move to a 745/945 from my 850 turbo, its too stiff and harsh riding.

Yeah, I think the 960 wagons finally went IRS in 95...I know the rear end in my 90 740 is from a 960 wagon and it's a live axle. In preparation for swapping in the V8 on my 740, I fell for all the crap saying an SBF was heavier than a B230 and installed 7/9 heavy duty rear wagon springs and 760/960 front springs. It rode quite nicely but was quite a bit taller than I wanted. It rode firmly but not harshly.
While IPD has some hard to find Volvo specific parts, when it comes to springs, and especially stock springs, I tend to go with one of our sponsors...here's why...http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exe...ategory_id/182
FCP's customer service is every bit as good as IPD's and I've never had an issue they didn't resolve to my satisfaction.
Oh...here's an embarrassing picture of my 740 sedan with wagon springs in the rear and six cylinder springs in the front...all that's missing is the 4x4!!
By the way...this is WITH the V8!!!
Attachment 20268
Lowered...
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I know my 1990 740 wagon doesn't have Nivomats.
As for shocks, I have Koni red adjustables in the front and KYB GR-2 in the rear, a very nice combination for handling and ride quality.
I don't know how much spring you're going to need, I've towed some reasonable size trailers and had a decent load in my one and it wasn't that bad. I certainly prefer springs set up for 99% of my driving than 1%, if you get what I mean.
An option for the rear of a 740/940 wagon could be airbags in the springs, keep the ride quality empty and adjust to suit when loaded. I'd also say that the IPD 25/25 bars are a must if you want good handling and goo ride quality. As you may know, swaybars control roll well without sacrificing as much ride quality as firm springs.

I've had a few 7 series wagons over the last 20 years and what works best for me is the 25 25 ipd sways ipd overload coils in the rear and kyb gas adjust all around. Curently driving a 745 se turbo. Great car and fat guy friendly!