Hi Guys,
Shocks are shot all-round on my 240 and i was wondering who manufacturers the original shocks for the car. Could anyone suggest some shocks that work well on the car. The car seems to roll a lot around corners and I am wondering whether this is because of the shocks or whether this is just the normal handling. Any suggestions on how to minimise body roll cheaply if this is the case?

Regards Nick.

J.C. Whitney's sells Gabriel VST rear shocks. They are pretty good and are under $20 each. Don't buy the struts though. Their $12.50 "generic" rear shocks are really made by Tenneco of Tennessee and also work just fine (I have a pair on my wife's 245). I installed the shocks myself, and they are easy to do.
My strut cartriges did not fit as well as the originals. I had a shop install the struts. They rattled inside the housings and when I tightened up the loose gland nuts, they strippped out. Had to have the tops welded on. For the struts, I would go to IPD. They sell Boge and Bilstiene struts although they are kind of expensive.
Ben

"...and i was wondering who manufacturers the original shocks for the car..."

Probably Boge. And, if not, Boge shocks do a great job in a 240.

Replacing the rear shocks is easy. The front shocks are more of a challenge because they're McPherson strut cartridge inserts.

"...car seems to roll a lot around corners and I am wondering whether this is because of the shocks or whether this is just the normal handling..."

Typical of a stock 240. Heavy duty sway bars, partricularly in the front, will help considerably. You can buy from IPD or try to find a set from a 240 turbo (produced from '81 to '85).
--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)

240's are tall, boxy cars and relatively softly sprung... that's a combination which results in a lot of body roll. Good shocks will help a bit... but they really work like a screen door closer in that what they do affects the RATE of body roll, but not the amount. Sway bars such as those which IPD sells (well worth the money) reduce body roll, and good shocks assist in that effort.

Bottom line: if you want to improve your Brick's handling, make sure your bushings are in good shape, add sway bars, and install good shocks (e.g., Boge Turbo, Bilstein Touring). If you just want to bring the ride back to OEM condition, or if you're not keeping the car long, still check the bushings, forget aftermarket sway nars, and get cheap shocks.

Good shocks all around will definitely help. I don't know if it will be cheap, however, unless you do the work yourself. Rear shocks are easy. Do a search for the front strut inserts, however. That's a big job and a decent hassle even for a fairly good weekend warrior.

A good cheap mod to reduce the inherent understeer and boxy feel would be to find a set of sway bars off of a turbo model at a junkyard. If you are really, really, lucky you might find a set of the IPD sway bars, which are even better than the turbo bars, but don't hold your breath. I recently got some turbo sway bars from pick-n-pull for $30. It was easy to install them.

Use the SEARCH feature on this site for SHOCKS and you shall find an incredible amount of post regarding the different type and kinds of shocks available for the 200 series. Also looks on IPD's website under SUSPENSION and you will see IPD Sway Bars, Strut Towers Braces, Cherry Tower-to-Tower Braces, & Chassis Brace. These are the most effective ways to minimize body roll. If all of your front end/rear end bushings, ball joints, links, etc, are in bad shape that would also increase body roll becasue of all the play in these parts.

Now as far as minimizing body roll CHEAPLY (taking into account that ALL suspension components are in good/great shape; (cause if your bushings are shot then you should be spending your money on firming up to the suspension before you spend money on minimizing the body roll, IMHO) then the bone-yard IMHO would be the best place to find IPD's Sway Bars and any other GT suspension goodie CHEAPLY. Not saying you will find any but it is worth a shot. You can also try EBAY, local papers, and Volvo Club Events for used suspension add-ons that someone else does not need anymore.

As for me the first thing I did was REDO the entire front suspension in my 264GL and that alone firmed up the front-end and decreased the body roll (front-end had so much play it was moving INCHES). After that I lucked out and found an IPD 25mm sway bar at the bone-yard and I bought it for $10 (%50 OFF SALE). This IPD Sway Bar makes my 264GL feel like it is on rail compared to the stock 19mm bars. Next for me would be Strut Tower Braces for added anti-body roll. Best Of Luck!

Sincerely,
--
Julio Meza

1979 264GL B27F 122K

Features Added:

BW55 To M46, Central Locking System, 25mm IPD Front Sway Bar, 81+ Dash W/ Oil & Ambient Temp Gauges In C, Oil Pressure, Volts

Next Project:

+Cruise Control