What do I do with this Volvo?

The car: 1986 Volvo 740 turbo wagon, 4 speed + OD. Red, black cloth interior, no third row seat.

The AC doesn't work, the blower motor blows a fuse (and occassionally melts some wires) if I turn it over 2. The dash is cracked. There's a small dent in the hood. The paint is faded. The tailgate is rattly.

I knew the motor was pretty loose. It already ate three turbos now, I think due to oiling issues. I didn't replace any flame trap fixin's, it's belching smoke, running extremely rough... It has about a quarter-million miles on it.

What do I do with this car?

Pull and rebuild the B230FT? If I had money for it, I'd love to do a nice RSI stroker, 16v head, bigass turbo...

Buy a crappy donor turbo 7 and plunk the running motor into my nice straight wagon?

I don't know if I can afford an LS swap, but I have been looking for a parts car for my LT1 Roadmaster, which means I could potentially have an extra LT1 around the garage... I don't know that I have the patience and fortitude to do a complicated engine swap.

Should I just know when to fold 'em and offload the car cheap to another bricker? It does drive, but it isn't at all fun anymore.

What, oh what, shall I do?

Lugnut wrote: Should I just know when to fold 'em and offload the car cheap to another bricker?

If it wasn't rusty or too far away I'd be interested. I keep throwing parts at mine with the knowledge that I'll eventually swap everything to a better shell.

If the body/electrics are shot but the drivetrain is salvageable you could always Locost it. There is at least one on turbobricks iirc.

rallycross!

Junkyard_Dog wrote: If it wasn't rusty or too far away I'd be interested. I keep throwing parts at mine with the knowledge that I'll eventually swap everything to a better shell. If the body/electrics are shot but the drivetrain is salvageable you could always Locost it. There is at least one on turbobricks iirc.

It's exactly the opposite of both of these. The engine puked, but aside from the climate control all of the electrics are great and the body is rust free and solid.

Lugnut wrote: ...but it isn't at all fun anymore.

That is all I have to hear. Sell it and move onto a new toy.

I'm with jrw, why wrench on a car that's no fun unless you have to?

You should sell it to me cheap enough that I can afford to come get it for an LSx swap. You should do it now, so I can have my family drive it up for my cousin's wedding on Sat....

How much do you want for it? Could it make it to Normal and back more than a few times?

If it isn't fun - ditch it unless you have a plan to make it fun. LS motors are sexy, but a good old 302 fits nice, and they're pretty cheap up to 300-350 hp.

I would argue that turbo Volvo's are inherently fun.

1988RedT2 wrote: I would argue that turbo Volvo's are inherently fun.

I would argue the exact opposite after living with one for 2 days now.

Granted, mine is in need of lots of stuff (sounds a lot like the OP's but as far as I can tell the engine is in reasonably good shape)...but it seems the turbo is just there to make it other-than-ridiculously-slow.

Clem

As to the OP's question...

I'm new to my Volvo Wagon. Today, I'm particularly unimpressed with the interior (after removing the headliner last night because the fabric was falling and shedding foam all over me and my belongings, not to mention the folks behind me on the interstate). That's not to say the interior isn't (originally) nice and comfy...but now that it's old, it's kind of going to be a mess to keep nice.

If you have a need for an un-fun station wagon...it's probably worth hanging onto and putting another and/or rebuilt engine into. Mine seems like it will be very good for utility purposes (hauling kids, bikes, canoes, camping gear, groceries, boards, etc.). On the other hand, I don't imagine it will ever feel sporty and "tight" enough for me. Time will tell, I suppose.

If something that IS fun can fill the place of this car, I'd say go that direction.

Clem

My wife has an 850 T5. I really enjoy driving that car - more than my old 7 for sure. I am not necessarily leaving the Volvo family. I would like to find a nice turbo wagon for my wife so I can have the sedan she's driving.

Is it that much easier to put in a 302 instead of an LT1?

I don't know about driving to Normal... It ran for quite a long time with its last blown turbo, I just kept topping it off with whatever fluid it happened to need that day. Maybe it would... I dunno.

trade it in for:

2010 V50 - just saw one on the road yesterday and it was love at first sight

Nah, I don't really do cars over three figures

Lugnut wrote: Nah, I don't really do cars over three figures

understood, but seriously, admit it - for a second, you thought about it - that new V50 is slick!

Oh it is, don't get me wrong. And Volvo has the absolute best white. Every newishy ('03+ maybe?) white Volvo turns my head. It's like the Xenons of white paint.

No wonder it's not fun: it's not a 240 Wagon. As for the rough running, how's the air mass meter? The are prone to failure, as I found out in my 240. After replacing it, I have had zero issues with my B230F. Of course, your B230FT sounds like a PO beat the hell out of it. I'd pull it and rebuild it, and get some sway bars from iPd.

Or, rebuild the B230FT and drop it into a 240 Wagon, putting its engine in the 740 and selling it.

The 700-Series was Volvo's first move into the luxo market. I drove 240s for years, then I tried a 745T just like yours. All of the luxo stuff fell apart; just like yours. Needless to say, I switched back to 245s.

I am thinking of buying the JTR V8/TPI books and seeing about that LT1 transplant... I just don't know if I have the patience and fortitude for a project like that. 100% of my wrenching is me, solo.

I guess if I could get five or six hundred for it, I would happily move on to something else... Like I said, I would really love a T5 of my own...

Price is right, but damn thats a long drive. No rust at all? Not even the seam for the floor to the firewall?

Hmm. I can check when I get home. I can snap some pictures of the bottom.

Turn up the boost. Drive it like you stole it. Enjoy until this happens:

I have a copy of that JTR book I could loan you, you could send it back when you've gleaned what you need to from it.

Here are a couple of pictures:

I'll check the AFM.