1967 volvo 144-anyone have one? Are they good?

Greetings,

My friend is offering to trade me his volvo 144 and I was considering
rebuilding the engine and throwing on some webers.

It is a lovely car, good for my lifestyle with ample room for camping
gear and a roof rack.

Questions,

Anyone have one of these beauties?

How reliable are they?

What gas mileage do you get in them?

Anything anyone can say about this model/year is appreciated.

Peace

 

If you don't mind playing with carbs (I believe fuel injection started
around 1970 or so with Volvo), I've never found a 60s Volvo I didn't
like, assuming it was in good shape. The B18 engine is still, IMHO, the
most reliable engine ever made. Check out the body before you buy,
though--body parts for the 144 in most places are harder to come by than
parts for the 240, or even the 1800 or 122. Everything Volvo made
(except the 1900) up through the 240 was an absolute tank.

 

When it comes to 60's cars, it's about as reliable as you're gonna get.
Remember that it's over 30 years old so you'll be tinkering with it
occasionally but overall they're very solid beasts.

 

Like Cormac said, check the body for rust. Inspect undercarriage, front
floorboards under the carpet/mat, and the trunk.

Haynes makes a good maintenance/repair manual for the 140, and also a manual
for the SU carbs if you're more serious. Lots of folks install the IPD
Weber carb kit on this engine, though I don't know if it's much better than
good condition SU's. The engine is very durable when well maintained, and
usually very re-buildable by any good machine shop, again with several
rebuild/upgrade options from IPD. Unless run dry, the tranny usually lasts
at least as long as the engine. You may look for an overdrive to add on for
an upgrade. It can use the same overdrive as found on most 1800's and
122's, with some drive shaft customizing if you can't find one all ready to
fit. The front seats on the 140 series are the best long distance seats
I've ever owned, and can be rebuilt with some parts from IPD and maybe some
other suppliers. If all of your steering and suspension components are in
good condition, the feel of the drive and the steering are very tight and
almost sporty, with a turning radius smaller than the old vw bugs. IPD
sells a stiff anti-sway bar kit to upgrade the fast cornering capabilities.

Kind of noisy, but can be improved with a hood pad and some other
strategically placed dynamat (or less expensive generic sound deadener). As
you can tell, I think IPD is a good 1-stop shopping center for classic
volvos. But, it's not the only place, so shop around if every penny
matters.

My 1st volvo was a '71 144 B20B baby-poop beige/gold. I purchased used at
top dollar in '73 and never regretted. Since '73, I've advanced quite a
bit: all the way to a '91 240. In between, I've had a 145, a 122, and 1800E
(for fun/project car), one crappy Audi and one crappy Mitsubishi. My
fondness for the 140 has endured. Most other cars (except, perhaps, BMW and
Mercedes) were built by corporations for consumers. The older volvos were
built by engineers for drivers and car owners. I'm not putting down the new
volvos, since I've rarely been in one.

If your friend's 140 is mostly rust free, go for it. Can you believe that
trunk space?

Pat Q