I've had a couple of them and would advise you to go ahead.

I'm still driving the 69 I bought in Panama in 1971 and plan

to keep it for the long haul.

I would get one with overdrive and FI if I were you. If the

FI gets too much you can always put carbs on it. You should

probably also find a spare M410 and be on the lookout for a

camshaft for it. The M400 and M410 get noisy after maybe

100K but it doesn't seem to affect their functionality.

Seems to be bearings, probably the front layshaft bearing

judging from when the noise is the worst. Gears are remarkably

durable as is most of the rest of the car.

You'll probably need new suspension bushings, front and rear also.

(they DO get old.)

I've got a 70 164, a 68 144, a 67.5 122 and a 73 142. I've got

friends with a 71 144s and a 67 122. (I'm throwing out the 142 and

will likely try to sell the 122 after I finish fixing it up some)

The short answer is that I love my 164. It has all the advantages

of the 144 (can store huge amounts of stuff, uses easy to find parts,

drives well, looks good) plus it is easily the fastest car I've ever

owned. I like the power steering, and everyone else seems to think

it is the best looking car of the bunch.

I'd avoid one with fuel injection; too much stuff to go wrong.

Others may say differently, but I like the simplicity of the carb

setup. I've got stromburg carbs on mine; I understand that it is

possible and easy to swap the old style SU carbs onto an intake

setup for stromburgs; I would do this if the stromburgs started to

give me trouble. Similarly, I'd avoid any automatic 164; the BW35

doesn't seem to be very reliable and it is nearly impossible (or so

I've read) to swap a manual into a car setup for an automatic).

These motors are prone to eating cams. I wouldn't let a dead cam

stop me from getting an otherwise good car; view it as a $500 opportunity

to put a hotter cam in and make the car even faster. I've heard that they

break crankshafts; I'm not sure if this is true.

Otherwise, they're great -- same doors and glass as the 240, solid motors,

good looks. A real winner. Too bad volvo never made a 165 or 162.

I believe the wheels on the early 164 would be 5". When they started with the squareish holes, they would have been 5 1/2.

I'm fairly certain that the screw hubcaps will not work with the early wheels.

As for the wider 140/160/1800 wheels....

I have 3 slightly different types here:

one is stamped with 684910 (Between the lug holes)

another is 684000

and the third is not stamped with anything.

All 3 of mine are 5" wide.

I believe the number that would be on a 5 1/2 would be 684001. They would have been original on later 164, early 142e, and 1800e/es starting 1971 or 1972???

I think the 5 spoke alloys that were stock on the first 1800e were also 5 1/2.

You CAN measure the width with tires attached using dial calipers. THe square holes are just big enough and just close enough to the edge to get the calipers through and measure the outside edge. Of course, you are measuring outside bead the bead edge, so you will have to subract for the thickness of the steel. A 5 inch wheel measures about 5.25 on the outside.

If you don't have dial calipers, for cryin' out loud....go get some! Harbor freight sells decent cheapo Asian made calipers for about $20... money well spent.

I'm not absolutely certain about the numbers...so you best check them before you throw anything away!

Another option is to have stock wheels widened. I think it can be done for about 80-100 bucks apiece....which ain't cheap, but if you want that original look, its a good way to go, and you can go as wide as your heart desires. Definitely a sensible alternative to 240 turbo wheels, which seem to fetch almost as much.

Good luck!

-Matt B

65 1800s

71 145s

71 142e parts car

53 XK120 coupe

George-

I would be very interested in the p/n's for the 5" wide rim vs/ the

5 1/2". I'm going through 140 rims deciding which to keep' and I sure don't want to toss any of the wider ones. They have tires mounted, so are hard to measure accurately.