Volvo 145 1974 Build thread
One dark night, many moons ago, I discovered a White Volvo 145 on Gumtree
After some careful deliberation with the brains trust and a breif call to the seller, the game was on.
A trailer was hired and my fresh 940 GLE (16 Valve for added tow power) filled with 98 octane tow juice.
On arrival and inspection a deal was done.
Under the Dandenong moonlight, and with some persuasion, the mighty B20E fired on 2007 fuels and overcame it's seized brakes to drive onto the trailer.
Carwash inspection revealed more.

Getting the car off the trailer proved more difficult. The 240gl rally car provided the nesccersary tug.
From there fixing things has begun.
Things fixed so far: Fuel distributor rebuilt
Engine tuned (roughly)
Brakes unseized
Lots of interior cleaning
Electrical bits and bobs
Big front bumper mount rewelded
Virgos
New Passenger side guard
Beginnings of full respray
Among many other small things
Still to do in the near future:
Clean up and fit doors from @Angus242164
Complete bodywork/respray including maybe 3-4 rust repairs
M40 swap (BW35 doesn't sound like a good time)
Suspension
On roads

After some careful deliberation with the brains trust and a breif call to the seller, the game was on.
A trailer was hired and my fresh 940 GLE (16 Valve for added tow power) filled with 98 octane tow juice.
On arrival and inspection a deal was done.
Under the Dandenong moonlight, and with some persuasion, the mighty B20E fired on 2007 fuels and overcame it's seized brakes to drive onto the trailer.
Carwash inspection revealed more.


Getting the car off the trailer proved more difficult. The 240gl rally car provided the nesccersary tug.

From there fixing things has begun.
Things fixed so far: Fuel distributor rebuilt
Engine tuned (roughly)
Brakes unseized
Lots of interior cleaning
Electrical bits and bobs
Big front bumper mount rewelded
Virgos
New Passenger side guard
Beginnings of full respray

Among many other small things
Still to do in the near future:
Clean up and fit doors from @Angus242164
Complete bodywork/respray including maybe 3-4 rust repairs
M40 swap (BW35 doesn't sound like a good time)
Suspension
On roads
Comments
Another saved.
What factory options did it come with? Tacho? Radio? AC? LSD?
I'll be changing all of that.
Tacho has now been fitted, and the AM Mitsubishi radio swapped out for a Sony do-it-all item.
Unfortunately no lsd, however, the diff is a 3.73-1 which will be tops for highway use on the m40. Will save the stockpile of m41 for another day.
If you can find a pair of the 89+ 245 rear window seals with the drainage dimples, that problem will never happen again. They fit into 145s, but the later model seals don't have provision for the surrounding trim pieces.
Because I'm so hipster I will be rockin the factory blank plate.
A/C?
I'm keeping the 140 style windscreen surround when I replace that. I understand the later ones offer the best rust protection.
Factory blank is beauty.
Just windows for AC
Next goal is to finish getting the rear windows and quarter panels smoothed out and painted, then windows back in!
How come yours has that metal pole half way along the rear windows on the inside and mine doesn't? My rear seat bealts attach to the ceiling corners for the rear. I think I have the grommet on the lower inside panel lip though.
Nice RAC sticker! Hope you keep that one. I de-stickered mine and left the 2 RAC ones.
Mine is australian assembled, is yours?
There were some choice bumper stickers littering the bootlid that have been removed. The RAC one is neat and will remain, for now...
We must investigate this pole thing. Perhaps some optional extra. Does yours have 7 seats? Maybe the pole was for seat belts in the rear?
@bgpzfm142 and @1971_144GL any ideas?
On Sida 48 of Grupp 9 of the 140 parts manual, it shows this setup with the pole was used on 145s from chassis number 182308 onwards.
(The 140 parts book put seat belts and HVAC / aircon in Group 9 for miscellaneous, instead of Group 8 for body - as was done with later models).
The two rear quarter panels we extracted from a 245 for Chloe had this same pole-like attachment for the rear seat belts, so this setup continued for a long while after.
I dont recall my 74 brown swedish made 145 having the pole either.
Another step closer to b20e + manual!