I bought my 240 wagon with 132,000 original Kms on it about 10 years ago. This car is my daily driver, at about 1000 km / week. I love the car. Its never left me stranded and you could say that I have abused it unfortunately.
It now has about 600-700,000 kms on it(original engine/transmission) and the interior looks nearly mint. The body is about a 7/10. Shes white with black trim and tinted windows. automatic.
My dilemma: Should I do a complete overhaul of the original engine and retire it as a classic with collector plates and anemic engine? or trick it out with a v8 and custom racing suspension?
I understand that it would increase in value over the years as a restoration to almost factory condition. Just looking for advice from other 240 wagon enthusiasts.
Classic restoration is cheaper. (about 10,000 Canadian$) the fun version around 20,000$.
Also. Opinions on which Volvo I could purchase(newer model) that would be most reliable for commuting as far as I do. Mostly highway
I really like the cross country, but unsure if they have the reliability of the 240.
Any comments and opinions on what to do would be appreciated.

 

Anything you do to this car will be to please you The present value is maybe $3000 US and a fully restored one would be worth the same. The same would go for a V8 conversion. This car might be classic in age but is not something the market feel is a collectible. So once again do what pleases you.

 

We have four Volvos in our immediate family. Mom's 940, a 245 wagon, my 244DL sedan and another 244DL sedan that is a parts donor. One of the problems we have is that these darn Volvo engines just won't wear out. I keep planning on putting a V8 in the first one that does and finally, it looks as though I'm going to resurrect the parts donor if I am to ever have a V8 Volvo.

Unless you're going to buy a new LS crate engine, I don't see where the V8 swap would run $20,000. Maybe I'm just out of the loop.

If you have not purchased the V-8 Conversion Manual for Volvo 200 Series from Jagsthatrun.com, you owe it to yourself to get this book. I have had the book a long time and I can tell you that it is worth the money.

The book was actually written before LS Chevrolet engine swaps became popular but there is a tremendous amount of information there that is very apropos. The entire viewpoint of the authors is NOT to merely swap in a V8, but to do it in a way that makes the car a sheer joy to drive. You will have a car that is very docile in heavy traffic, can run the A/C all day in stop and go without overheating and generally all around behaves itself until you mash hard on the loud pedal.

Here is a link to that book, BTW: https://jagsthatrun.com/collections/...version-manual

 

Thanks for the link. The 20,000$ is Cdn $ and is based on the engine addition or build as they called it at the shop, ( the quote is 10,000 for the engine) plus with a transmission swap, then all the suspension would need to be upgraded.Assuming I would do none of the work myself. yah so work /parts/ and taxes with warranty I'm looking at 15,000 US anyways.Here in canaduh they charge 120-130/hr for labour.
the told me to expect about 475 HP

 

Ok, I get it now.

There are those who will say that the car is not worth that sort of investment, but I disagree. There is a very intrinsic value that cannot be described in words, I think. The JTR book for which I included the link, made this point in almost the same words. For me, if I wanted to see value, I would compare it to a new car and remind myself of the way that I would never really get exactly what I wanted in a new car. So I would go for the investment into the old Volvo. I've always said that my 244DL was an excellent car except when it came to power. ...which it never had even close to enough. This is especiallly true when my truck has a 454 big block in it. I find myself driving the truck because of the power when I'd REALLY rather be driving the Volvo because of its handling. By doing what you're proposing, you can have it ALL!

BTW, 475 hp is RADICAL. If you're wanting to pretty much maintain the stock look of the car, you won't be able to find any rear tires that will hook 475 ponies to the ground - even with a limited slip diff. Also, from what I understand, the Volvo rear axle is a Dana 30. It's good for around 400hp. So you'll need to take care of it. I think with that much HP, if you go with stickier tires, you're going to break something. (Of course, you'll have a lot of fun right up to that point.)

In your first post, you also asked about suspension components. I installed IPD's sport springs, sway bars, Bilstein gas shocks and poly bushings on my car in 2012. I've now lived with this set up for these past six years and I would never go back to stock. I have driven this car many times over The Tail of the Dragon. (Google that) This is a section of Hwy 129 in east Tennessee that has some 306 curves in 11 miles. There is no passing on the road because it's just too dangerous. But I can leave cars behind me that you would think are far more suited for such a road. Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes and the like, do not have better handling than my car. They only have more horsepower.

At the time that I installed everything, my car was really needing the two big bushings that located the rear axle. They had deteriorated to the point that the car had settled down and the axle took a cockeyed set. My car was doing the infamous 244 crab down the highway. Switching these two bushings for new poly bushings was not a task I could find a mechanic to do and so I did it myself. It drove me crazy! I had to make a tool to press out the old and press back in the new ones.

I would suggest that, if your car is not needing these bushings, you might consider leaving them for a later date - like when you've got time to plan how you can get them changed.

The sport springs gave my car a very very nice stance that is slightly lower than stock and a little lower in the front than in the rear. To me, it looks perfect! Additionally, the fronts are just short enough not to have to use a spring compressor to change shocks. Here are two photos:

 

funny you mention those bushings. I called around and was assured that the Volvo dealership would do it. I called them and asked. They didn't even know about them. They said that they would look into it and call back. Needless to say , they didn't call back.
Luckily I found a local Volvo / import garage run by some older guys who knew about the rear bushings and said they have a guy that will do it. May as well replace the trailing arms as well. Ordered them from volvoparts.com. Still in stock.
Havent decided on an engine yet. I would like to start on suspension first, oh and heatercore, needs doing before winter.

 

You will need to settle on not just the engine, but the transmission to go with it. That's another reason that I pointed towards the JTR book. They will tell you what transmissions will work well. You will not be able to match any of the American V8s with a Volvo transmission. (-not that you would want to anyway)

Also, I know this to be true. A number of enthusiasts have been able to squeeze Ford engines into the Volvo's engine bay. But Chevrolet engines are dimensionally, slightly smaller, so you'll have more room to work with. If you were to go with the old venerable Small Block Chevy, AND if you got one with aluminum heads, the weight would be very similar to the Volvo Redblock. If you went with an all aluminum LS, the engine would actually weigh less than the Redblock engine. If you're looking for an honest 450-475 horsepower, the LS is going to be your best bet. These amazing engines make incredible amounts of power for being so small. Here is a link to my favorite LS engine that would get you close to the 500 hp club:

https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/19369333.html

Yeah, this engine would just anhiliate the stock Volvo tires at will and at just about any speed. It would be like driving on ice. LOL

Your biggest clearance issue will be with the steering column. The JTR book shows how to move the steering column to the left, how to machine the exhaust manifold on that side and make it all work very well. Also, there will need to be some hammering of the firewall and tunnel to clear the auto trans if that's the way you want to go. If you want a manual, it won't be as critical.

If you choose an autotrans, you really should go for a four speed auto, such as the 700R4/4L60. If you were to go with one of the older TH350 or TH400 trannies, they are only three speeds and they are really not right for use with the Volvo's gear ratio.

 

Thanks man just ordered the book.