1974 Volvo 145 Automatic B20F California Car

1974 Volvo 145 Description

For Sale: 1974 Volvo 145 B20F BW35(Running/Driving Project)
(There's a lot of info here, please read everything!)
Original, un-restored condition. Starts, runs and drives in all gears, kickdown works. Starts nicely both cold and hot. Power steering. White exterior, blue vinyl interior. Originally sold at Royal Motors in San Francisco, local Bay Area car since new. The odometer shows 65,387 miles but does not work. The suspension is quiet over bumps. Heater works, blower motor works quietly on all speeds.
I purchased this from the daughter of the original owner, who called it "The Beach Car". Original Volvo owner's wallet included with sale (includes owner's manual, radio user's manual, warranty maintenance booklet and 1974 Volvo accessories catalog). An original 1974 Volvo 140 workshop manual will also be included.
I am a professional mechanic and my collection has become too big. It has been sitting outdoors, parked on the street, not getting the attention and love it deserves. The pictures show the car about six days since it was washed. The car hasn't been detailed since my ownership either--it would certainly benefit the somewhat oxidized single-stage paint.
The right side of the vehicle has had body work done from the right rear taillamp area all the way to the right front passenger's door (overspray present on window seals and bumper trim). The doors on the right side are actually from a 240--the lower door hinge/stop assemblies are of the 240 steel-loop style, where there are OE door check straps on the driver's side. The only rust I've found is at the lower right corner of the windshield, though I haven't dug terribly deep. Notice the panel gaps at the lower edge of the right front passenger's door and right front fender. The pictures don't show it terribly well, but there is a ripple running along the right side, going from the right rear all the way to the right front door. The right front door has been replaced it seems (notice red paint beneath paint chips under the right front door handle).
Work performed during my ownership (since April 2016):
-Replaced distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs, spark plug wires-Replaced fuel injector seals and o-rings-Replaced intake/exhaust manifold combined gasket.-Replaced damaged mufflers and tailpipe.-Replaced ancient tires (1975 164 wheels installed currently, Volvo P/N 684001).-Replaced front brake hoses.-Flushed/bled brake system.-Adjusted base fuel mixture using digital oscilloscope to observe spark plug burn pattern/slope.
Known items that will need attention:
-Recommend replacing rear rubber brake hoses and bleeding brakes. (Brakes work fine; had uncharacteristically weak flow from rear brake bleeders when bleeding--preventative measure).
-Starter occasionally doesn't engage fully with ring gear, making a loud grinding/scraping/buzzing noise. This occurs in roughly 10% of starts. After letting the starter spin down, it always goes on to engage properly and spin the engine, starting the car. It sounds healthy otherwise. I suspect a failing/sticky solenoid.
-Steering wheel is off center, and an alignment will be necessary to make the car drive perfectly straight without pulling/drifting. (The steering wheel points to about the 11 o'clock position when driving down the road, and will begin to drift to the right if you release the steering wheel.) I've included the current alignment measurements for your consumption.
-Charging system fault: idiot lights in dash shine dimly at idle. The lights go out while driving. Possible grounding or voltage regulator/generator issue. It doesn't discharge the battery, and the headlights are bright while driving so I haven't bothered to figure it out.
-Cooling system rubber parts appear to be old, but in good condition. I'd advise the cooling system be serviced before any extensive driving takes place. In concert with this: temperature gauge works but reads low--may be related to a stuck open thermostat (or related to the issue previously mentioned above, or possibly an instrument cluster voltage regulator problem, or something else entirely).
-Automatic transmission fluid should be flushed (history unknown beyond how it's shifting currently).
-Front shocks are weak.
-Front ball joint boots are ripped (which is fair, since they are coated in factory undercoating--meaning they're original). They aren't worn out yet, but their days are certainly numbered.
-Needs valve adjustment (no death noises; just sounds a bit on the loose side).
-Reverse lights don't work. (But all the other lights do! Excepting the right rear sidemarker lamp, which sometimes requires whacking a nearby panel to get working.)
-Rear tailgate release handle doesn't work from the outside. (The inner handle works great).
-Left rear door check strap broken, which caused LR door trim to be dented from over-opening of the LR door. :(
-Right rear window seemed to pop off track when rolled all the way down (would not roll back up). Pulling the window upward while operating the handle got it back to normal operation. There may be future issues with this window regulator--just a heads up.
-Outer window scrapers are original, and therefore brittle/shrunken/missing in places.
-Right rear seat (wheel well area) upholstery is secured with tape.
-Exhaust needs further professional massaging or replacement (over-axle pipe contacts underside of cargo area, various rattles and minor leaks present at rear-most muffler).

Beyond everything I've mentioned--this is a 45 year-old car. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. There may be other issues that I haven't encountered, because in all honesty I've only used probably three tanks of gas since I got it 2.5 years ago. It's never let me down during my ownership, and I'm sure with proper love and attention it will only get better.
I'll attach a video showing a walkaround of the car and also while driving.
Thanks for looking! Volvo for life!



I explain a few things in these videos, definitely worth watching:


Walkaround: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmxdgNf-zpA
Driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbfmNqcW_Sw&t=3s
Hot idle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dza_nj-uRD0