Volvo RWD 140-160 Forum

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option on a 164 in my area 140-160

posted by  someone claiming to be thinkin'... on  Fri May 28 14:40 CST 2004 [RELATED]



I have an option to buy this 164 from a neighbor close to me. I don't know much about them but I've always been interested in restoring an old volvo. This one is an automatic, and hasn't run for aprox 10 years. The body is perfectly straight, all glass intact, and interior not bad. The guy offering to sell it says that it was the distributor that was the only thing wrong with it when he got it.

So... what's the overall verdict on the 164 models... was it a good model overall in the volvo lign-up...? What weak points should I look into before purchasing do you think?







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    option on a 164 in my area 140-160

    posted by  walrus3 on  Fri May 28 15:31 CST 2004
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    last visit: Mon Dec 2 14:20 CST 2013
    [RELATED]

    What year is it?

    The #1 weak point in my book is the automatic tranny, although the
    M400/M410s usually need some bearings and become noisy at about 100,000
    miles or so. Mine has been noisy for a long time (10 years or so) but still
    works OK.

    They have pretty good power but use more gas than a 140. Some say that
    the heavier engine makes them handle poorly but I am happy enough with
    mine and suspect it will be even better with sway bars installed.
    (I have them but have quite a number of higher priority projects at the
    moment.)

    --
    George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US








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      option on a 164 in my area 140-160

      posted by  someone claiming to be thinkin'... on  Fri May 28 19:18 CST 2004 [RELATED]



      It's a 1970. How hard would it be to convert to a manual transmission?

      What's the most you'd pay for a non-running project like this?







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        option on a 164 in my area 140-160 1970

        posted by  walrus3 on  Fri May 28 22:39 CST 2004
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        last visit: Mon Dec 2 14:20 CST 2013
        [RELATED]

        IF you can find a donor car with everything you need, changing trannies
        is not particularly difficult, installing the clutch pedal will be a bit
        more of a challenge but it is all bolt-in stuff. Probably will need to
        change the whole pedal box and one from a little later car will be sturdier
        because the earlier ones had the clutch pedal pivot shaft cantilevered from
        one end. I don't know when that change was made but mine is a 69 and it is
        the old style - I replaced it with one from a 73.

        If it has Stromberg (Zenith-Stromberg) diaphragm carbs you will probably
        want to change to SUs (HIF6) to cut down on maintenance requirements
        (unless it has Fuel Injection).

        One of the advantages of the earlier models is that they had the more
        accessible heater, so if you need to get to the blower motor it's only
        about half as much work as on the later models and the 240s.

        I was offered a 75 with the engine removed, about 40,000 miles, in almost
        pristine shape except for some upholstery rot a few years back. The engine
        came with it and was complete other than some of the hoses had been cut.
        The asking price was $1200 and if I had not had so many cars in the driveway
        already (and if it had not been 250 miles from home) I would have bought it.

        Being close by is a plus, of course. Prices vary a lot depending on where
        you are. They are worth more on the coasts and places where old Volvos are
        more common and popular. (Berkely comes to mind.)

        Don't get this car if you don't want to learn a LOT about it and spend a lot
        of time with it, because you will undoubtedly find a lot of things that need
        attention and will stretch your mechanical abilities and experience. It is
        a bit like planting a garden. Once the glamour wears off there is still a
        lot of hard work.
        --
        George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US








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          option on a 164 in my area 140-160 1970

          posted by  someone claiming to be thinkin'... on  Sat May 29 08:14 CST 2004 [RELATED]


          Thanks for your opinions Walrus.

          I'm still debating quite a bit...

          What kind of engine does this model have, and what kind of distributor would I need to look for do you think?

          It seems to be a pretty good deal for the price, but the gamble is that it hasn't been running for quite a while and I'm afraid of some hidden drawbacks that I can't forsee because it's not running.







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            option on a 164 in my area 140-160 1970

            posted by  walrus3 on  Sat May 29 09:58 CST 2004
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            last visit: Mon Dec 2 14:20 CST 2013
            [RELATED]

            Maybe you need to climb in there and look at it a bit harder. The basic
            engine type is cast onto the side of the block (B30). If it has fuel injection
            it will probably be a B30E and if not, a B30A. If it does have FI, you will
            need a different distributor (that has the points for the injection system
            in the bottom).

            Some B30 parts are a bit harder to find than corresponding B20 parts,
            however pistons, rods, seals, valves, etc are the same.

            The problems of it not running for a while will be chiefly confined to
            the fuel system, and they will be different for carbs and for FI.
            Since you have an auto tranny, you WON'T have the problem of the clutch
            plate rusted to the flywheel, like I did with the 1973 164 I had stored
            in Charleston, SC for US vacations when I lived in Panama.
            --
            George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US








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              option on a 164 in my area 140-160 1970

              posted by  someone claiming to be thinkin'... on  Sat May 29 14:20 CST 2004 [RELATED]



              It's gotta be a B30A then, as it's carbed. I'm such a beginner with the mechanics stuff. Thanks for the tips. I don't suppose I could get away with trying a B18 distributor on a B30A could I?

              What fuel issues do you think I'll have with old carbs? I don't know which type they are by the way, sorry.







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                Not if you want the engine to run 140-160 1970

                posted by  Ken C on  Sat May 29 16:44 CST 2004
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                last visit: Fri Oct 24 11:39 CST 2014
                [RELATED]

                re; "...I don't suppose I could get away with trying a B18 distributor on a B30A could I?..."

                The 164's B30 engine is a 6-cylinder -- hard to match that to a B18's 4-cylinder distributor :-).








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                option on a 164 in my area 140-160 1970

                posted by  walrus3 on  Sat May 29 16:44 CST 2004
                Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
                last visit: Mon Dec 2 14:20 CST 2013
                [RELATED]

                You have to have a 6 cylinder distributor for a 6 cylinder engine.
                Far as I know the B30 distributor is the only one that is a direct
                replacement although there might be others that could be adapted.
                That would definitely be the hard way.
                You should find out what it wrong with the distributor rather than just
                replacing it.

                The Zenith-Stromberg carbs say "Zenith-Stromberg" on top of the diaphragm
                housing.

                Not knowing what carbs it has it is hard to say what issues it might have.
                In any case, recent experience indicates that you should, at a minimum, drain
                the gas tank and put in new gas. Then see if the fuel pump delivers fuel
                to the carbs. Sometimes they get gummed up or get particles of dirt or rust
                in the valves in the fuel pump.
                --
                George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US







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