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I replace all of my underhood hoses every 5 years or 100K miles.
I replace the upper and lower radiator hoses, thermostat, two heater hoses, (what a PITA!) and the upper and lower hoses that go to the overflow tank.
At 200K I replaced the cap on the overflow bottle.
I use genuine Volvo hoses from a mail order dealer, but IPD usually puts these items on sale once a year or so, at a price a lot lower than the dealer. I think IPD's sale price for the radiator hoses is like $7 + shipping and the dealership is like $18-$23 or so. I'm sure FCP Groton probably has them for a good price also, but I'm more concerned with quality than price, as I don't want to save money and be stuck in the middle of nowhere!
The genuine Volvo radiator hoses come with new clamps (I always use new clamps for the same reason stated above...) However, they do NOT supply new clamps with the other hoses. IPD has some EXCELLENT hose clamps that won't gouge your new hoses (or your wallet!) I highly recommend their clamps.
As far as what you are about to do, I would go to Home Depot, Lowe's etc. and buy appx. two feet of clear vinyl hose and drain your block using the drain cock located on the passengers side of the engine, behind the exhaust header. That will take the coolant down enough so that it won't go all over the place when you try to change out the hose. ALSO, I usually CUT the hose with a sharp razor blade if it is stuck, as the plastic on the over flow container and on the radiator can break easily. For the hose on the top of the overflow container, I use 5/16" (7.9mm) fuel/emissions line from AutoZone. (Sorry, I didn't check to see if you were in the USA or not.) It takes about 14 inches and it holds up very well. I think it ran about $1. They usually sell it by the foot, but they were nice enough to cut it 2" longer for me at no addional charge.
When working around antifreeze, I always hose off any spillage, as animals are attracted by the sweet smell, and it only takes a small amount a few hours to wipe out their kidneys.
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If it needs to be maintained, repaired or replaced on a 1990 240, I've probably done it. '90 240DL, 245K looking forward to 300K badge. >>You haven't really worked on a car until you draw blood<< :-}
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