Hi Dick,
It seems like your Volvo has the same history as my 74 144 DL (I inherited it from my dad) and its been in the family since it left Goteborg. My Volvo is in Malaysia (I am currently working in the USA and will be returning soon). It was our family hauler for 25 years(before everyone grew up and left home). It was on all of our road trips, my first day at school, first day at junior college, my prom, was at the airport when I came to US, was at the airport when I went home on vacation....took my driver;s test in it...
Being in a tropical climate, rust was never easy to keep out. But most of the rust were surface rust, and a lot of time and money was sunk into it to preserve the body. The past few years, with me being away, and my dad had bad health, the Volvo was getting a little neglected. However, shortly before my dad passed away a couple of years ago, his started to bring the car back to specs. He decided that that would be the car that he will be driving until his last days. Unfortunately, he never lived to complete his dream. Which we did. Many people suggested that we get rid of it, now that my dad is gone, but instead, we continued where he left off, and completed the body work, and gave it a premium paint job (baked in the oven). Today, the car looks and drives like it did in 74. How much spent? Could have probably got a newer 200 or 700 series in mint condition. And until today, I am still looking for parts and sending them home, some for spares, some needed (better looking body trims and so on), and some upgrades (OD, Power Steering). If you ask me why I sunk so much time and money...well, the 144 deserves it for its long and faithful service (never left us stranded anywhere), and also sentimental value. Its something to remember my dad and all the good times our family had together. Another thing is that the 73/74 are great classics in my eyes because they are the "bridge" between the older 140 models and the 240 series, although most people don't think so. By all means, restore it, if you have the time and resource. But that's just me. I admit, I have a very soft spot for 73-74 140s.

Well, here goes.....
I'm also 65. In about 1993 I lived in Panama and worked for the US Army Tropic
Test Center, which had been recently transferred (administratively, not
geographically) to Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. My daughter and her husband
were stationed at YPG at the time. While I was visiting them in conjunction
with a business trip we went up to Phoenix and found a 73 145E that a guy was
working on, trying to get it to run right. As a desert car the body was in
pretty good shape so my son in law bought it. Never did run very well for him.
In 1996 or 97 I was talking to my daughter, who by that time was at Augusta, GA
and she told me they were trying to sell the car. I asked her how much she
wanted for it and she said that they had been asking $700. I asked her if she
would take $800. After a lot of hard-boiled soul searching she finally said
"Oh, I guess so." So I sent her the money, figuring it would be on our way
home to pick it up when we retired and returned to wherever. We visited
them at Christmas 1997 and put a water pump in it at the time and began sorting
the accumulation of parts that her husband had collected at Yuma, totalling
about 1000#, including a complete but disassembled engine and a LOT of other
stuff. We retired the end of May 97 and flew into Charleston, SC, where our
122 wagon was waiting for us, and drove to Augusta. Had the 145E going in
about 3 days and drove it home to Bartlesville over another 2 days, with the
1000# of parts in the back, finding out that it had a tremendous addiction to
motor oil, using over 4 gallons in a thousand miles, and leaving a trail
devoid of mosquitos. I started work on it pretty soon after we got here but
in 99 I hurt my shoulder and pretty much quit until last spring.
My grandson and I went to work on it and it is about ready to go but we have
had to replace just about everything in the front suspension. I built up one
of the engines that came with it and didn't pull the engine out of the car
until this summer. On teardown we found it in pretty sad shape - you can see
pix of the pistons if you do a search on the Brickboard for "Yellow Peril",
probably, or in the tech gallery section. All the top rings were broken and
parts were missing from #2 and 3 top rings with serious damage to those pistons top ring grove exited the top of the pistons). We will probably have it going
this week or next week. My grandson can hardly wait. (I think.)

Worth it? To me, if you don't have a good body, you don't have a good car.
I found that it is mighty hard to restore a car that also serves as a daily
driver, especially in Panama. No road salt but it rains every day most of the
year and the sun is really hard on things that don't rot. (for example, paint,
rubber, plastics, especially the black bumper covering stuff).

If this car had not had a really good body I would not have been interested.
The other stuff is much easier to replace than the body.

BTW I have been working on a 1966 122 wagon off and on since 1984, having
invested quite a bit in it a little at a time but I am going to replace it
with a car I found on ebay, 40 miles away, 8000 serial numbers earlier, same
year because it has a better body and all nearly unused leather upholstery.
That car cost me $1005. You can't do much body work for that unless you do it
yourself and don't count your time (and are set up to do such work).
I figure I can transfer all the goodies to the better body in a matter of
maybe a week of hard work, put the stock engine in the other one and sell it
as a beater, probably for more than $1005.

So that's my view on the 73 145.

Other things that make the 73 unusual - it is the one year that has the new
dash and the D-jet injection system. Also opening vent windows in reinforced
doors. Pockets in the doors. Sturdier (but lookalike) bumpers than earlier
models (I don't think they are cast - maybe forged?)
From the back it is nearly a dead ringer for my daughters 1980 245.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US

Dick,
I'm seventy-two and last fall started to do the sort of things your car needs, plus an engine overhaul and an M41 for BW35 swap, to a 1971 142E. I've the front end and suspension improvements pretty well done, and at this point am welding in rust repair patches in the rear and dealing with fuel tank and pump issues. Which goes to show that age and experience does not necessarily promote wisdom, but, man, am I learning new stuff!!! From strictly a logical, economic point of view, fixing up an old crate like this makes little sense, so you've got to have "better" reasons, be they nostalgia, love, adventure, or the need to satisfy cravings after a sense of accomplishment; and it would seem that old Volvos that have a bit more of a "mystique" about them, like PVs, Amazons, and P1800s fit the bill better there. On the other hand, the "forgotten Volvo" 140 series seems to be coming back into vogue on this side of the pond, albeit very slowly, and for a number of good reasons: the "old charmers" I mentioned above are getting scarcer and pricier, while 140s can still be found for next to nothing; 140s, despite the stories about quality problems Volvo was having at that time, are really pretty nice cars -- they can be made to handle as well, or better than, 122's and certainly better than 240s with their floppy front-ends. They have some safety features the earlier models didn't have, and the styling - and this, of course, is entirely a matter of personal taste - is tastefully understated, which give it a lasting appeal. It's not a car that calls attention to itself, but you don't get tired of looking at it either, in fact, I find that the more I look at mine, the better I like it.
So I would say, be a nut and go for it.
Bob S.

From a financial standpoint... no. Wouldn't be worth as much as you will have to put into it.

But, being the original owner and all, if you love the car...

-Matt
--
-Matt '70 145s, '65 1800s, '66 122s wagon, others inc. '53 XK120 FHC

It's a tough call. It really depends how much you love the car. It sounds like you have the resources to restore it.

I agree that the 73 has a certain charm and it being a one-off year and all that. I loved my old 73 142e and only sold her at the time as I did NOT have the resources to restore her. I sold her via the AutoTrader for a good price to someone who appeared to be another enthusiast who was going to.

What are your options? Find another project? Possibly regret having let the car go? Got anything better to do?

Personally I love to see these cars around so it would be a shame to lose one. I say keep it. And if you do go ahead with the restoration, come back here with photos for us.

Good luck.