Hey guys. My mom owned a 1984 240 DL. I never got to drive the car but it WAS going to be mine before my dad decided it was too much of a money sink to be worth it.

I'm basically looking for a car to do SOME work to for fun and have a reliable vehicle. Volvos are supposedly reliable, I just don't know how sporty they are.

I was looking at the e30 bimmers (Im in love with that box look), but I may also look at working on this volvo because it has sentimental value.

So a few questions, once I discover the problem(s) with the car from my dad, would it be worth working on? Can Volvo's be a sporty ride, or are they just a reliable vehicle with no real power? Obviously Im not expecting a hotrod, but I mean, a car can be fun to drive without being a powerhouse.

I never got to drive the thing so Im just looking for impressions for you guys. It's been sitting for at least 4 years... so I may be in over my head. Given that I can do work for it with a reasonable cost, should I go for getting it running again, or just continue looking at those bimmers?


Edit: I *think* its a 240. I do know its a 84 and a DL. Heh. Ill be finding this out later today (the car is in Houston, Im in College Station)

 

All I can say is I love my 88 240 very similar car. The seats are comfortable, the brakes are wonderful, and my *** is safe. If you do the work yourself volvos are inexpensive, if you have the work done you will soon be singing the blues.

 

If you want a sporty car from volvo in that era, make sure it is a turbo and manual. The 240 dosn't weigh much, so making it go faster, stop quicker, and handle better is easier.

How much are you planning to spend?

Nick

 

What engine does it have? 240's are only 4 cylinders so they don't have much ***** unless they are turbos. So get a turbo model if you want some power. Or get a 260 or 760 because they have 6 cylinder engines. My 240 with a 2.2L has enough power to get it going but I think it's underpowered. On the whole though it is a great car and I love it. Handles well, brakes are great, rides nice, runs perfect with with 230K on it and I know i'm safe.

 

OK well the engine is more or less shot.

the exterior isnt in tip top condition but it still looks good, and the interior has seen better days....

BUT the car carries alot of sentimental value.

What kinds of engines can I stick in the thing? Do many engine swap Volvos? Yes, its a bit of a strange idea...

 

you can get a replacement from www.car-part.com go to the page with the asterisk to find a low cost engine then sort by distance to find the one closest to you. You will see they can be had pretty cheaply.

 

Are there any non volvo engines that can fit in the car? Perhaps something with a bit of muscle? My dad was talking and he said he read somewhere that some smaller truck engine, like a V8 would fit in. Perhaps a 305 or something?

Anyone know where I can find my information on what engines can be swapped in to the caR?

 

You can stick a 305 into these but you can also use a 350 which might be a little cheaper and easier to find. There are plenty of websites showing how or refferencesof where to go.
http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Volvo_200_V-8.html this website also gives you a book of how to do it.

 

Or you can add a turbo to the existing engine. It really isn't all that hard to do and I don't know if anyone has done the conversion on this site, but there is TONS of info on doing so on Turbobricks.com. The 1984 240 came with a b23f and LH injection (electronic bank fire injection) so just follow all of the info in this link and the conversion should be very easy! Read this, it has nearly all of the info needed to turbocharge your Volvo: http://www.turbobricks.com/mods.php?content=art0024