Hi,

This is my first post on this forum. Hi to everyone, and I appreciate this forum and the many helpful people on it!

I just purchased a 1989 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon. This car's body is in great shape and runs, but i'm not sure how much life is left in it. It has ~270,000 mile on it.

I'm talking to another person on craigslist that has a wrecked 1991 Volve 740 Turbo wagon. He states that the car had 184,000 miles and ran good until the accident. He says the bumper, lights, and radiator needs to be rebuilt.

My question, are these cars compatible? Can I either:

a) take parts (ie. the radiator, bumper, lights, etc) off the 270,000 mile 89 and put it on the 91?
b) rip parts off of the 91 and stick in on the 89?
c) are the engines the same, in regards to: will the 89 fit into the 91's compartment? and/or the other way around?
d)do these have the same transmissions (both automatic)

I really need some responses, as someone else is interested in this wrecked vehicle and I basically need to buy it or walk away tomorrow afternoon. I'm trying to put together a reliable car from 2! Im poor and need a working car...


Thanks everyone!

 

The body changed in 1990 significantly, again mildly in 91. However, that isn't to say your 89 stuff won't bolt up to the newer car...because it will. Both cars are LH2.4 fuel injection...if you put the turbo motor into the wagon, be sure to swap both the engine control unit (ECU) as well as the ignition control unit (ICU). The engines are externally identical; internally, the nod goes to the 91 motor as that is the year that all B230 motors had the larger 13mm rods. Your 89 has 9mm rods. You can swap either way, meither is particularly challenging. Personally, I'd swap the turbo motor and transmission into your wagon as I'm not a big fan of cars that have been hit hard enough to be non-drivers. It should be noted that if both transmissions are auto...the turbo has an AW71L which is seriously stronger than the AW70 found in 89 n/a cars. Also, the 91 will have a 1041L rear end, sedans had a 3.73 axle ratio equipped with a limited slip rear end. So...snag the motor, trans, rear end and start wrenching!

 

Thanks for the swift reply

I've been waiting anxiously for some input before I spent 400 bucks! The good news you bring (as well as the research I've been doing), definitely makes me want to pick up the car.

I've spent $600 on the 89. If I spend $400 on the 91, I'll have 2 operable vehicles for $1000 bucks! I'm sure I can make one super reliable car with the 2. I have a good, cheap, and trustworthy mechanic and I myself am good with cars (when it's not cold out lol).

I'll post pictures on here tomorrow of my 2 new vehicles

These are my first volvo's. If anyone else has some feedback please post!

 

Hi

So I bought the wrecked 740 wagon for 400 bucks. It only has ~120,000 miles on it.

The kid I bought it from said the radiator was broken, but to my surprise, there were no leaks, and the car didn't overheat over a 30 minute drive! The wrecked damage isn't that bad either. I can ghetto fix it, no problem. I just put in requests for a headlight and drivers side mirror at online salvage store.

-Problems with this car:

- it burns oil out the exhaust (smokes just a little). The guy said, a mechanic said, the turbo has a leak? Im not sure what that means. Anybody know? is that expensive
- the power steering doesn't seem to work well. It's hard to turn the wheel. I checked the fluid level, and it's full. Any ideas?

Here are some pics!

The wrecked side


and the non wrecked side



This car just had it's belt changed, new brakes, and muffler. He spent 800 dollars fixing it, then wrecked it and wanted to sell it.


I will post the 89 740 I bought a couple of days ago, tomorrow. I need to get it from my mechanics tonight.

 

Sweet deal! The fender will need to be from a 90-92 740. I believe the early 940 will fit too but not sure how late you can go. You'll see when you have the 89 alongside that the cut out for the parking lights is different as well as the sculpting for the sheet metal. Tail lights different too. Different headlights and grills. Still, fenders are a quick and easy swap. You'll want to put the wagon on a rack and check out the steering. The rack could be failing, pump may be bad...but...something might be torqued from the collision so...best to take a peek!

 

Thanks for the tip buddy

Last night I drove my 89 home from the shop. My mechanic welded 2 sections of exhaust pipe that had holes in it (this car was really loud when I bought it!). He also fixed the power windows and changed the oil. 170 bucks for everything...

Here she is. Quite a beauty..

Right side. The body is in really good shape. It has a leather interior and cd/mp3 player and upgraded speakers. Drives well. Paid 800 bucks

Left side. Body is in good shape



This is the only damage to the body. I'm working on fixing this, no biggie...




So I have some repairs to do on my 2 cars. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchases. I think I will have 2 cars that will last a long time.

I'll keep posting repair pics...

 

Love the 89...classic. You'll find that the headlight surround is the most difficult to source. Did you know you can convert your quad headlight set up to the version used in Europe? Single headlight set up w/ much more light output.
84 760 before and after...

 

Sweet! Where can I get lights like that? and the grill?

I'm about to head off to a pull and pay lot. Hopefully I can get a fender and headlight for the 91

The 91 will go to my mechanics on Monday. If it wasn't so freaking cold, I would be doing more of the work myself! I don't have a garage though...

 

Happy hunting! The headlights can be purchased through fcpgroton.com, one of our sponsors. Not sure if they're in the online catalog or not...might have to call 'em. The grill is called an "egg crate" and was used on turbos. I sold the 84 last year and kept the grill....shoot me a pm if you want it...here's a better pic of it...

 

Just got back from a pull and pay junk yard. 2 hours in the snow yielded every piece that I need for both volvos!

91 dollars was the damage for:


I found the trim piece to the 87!

This was the first time I've ever been to a pull and pay. I can't believe they had everything I needed!

 

Awesome score!