[142 Guy]

Do you mean the specific Volvo accessory roof rack for the 245 and 145?

In the Volvo 140 accessory brochure that I have, the pedestal mounting point in the roof for the pedestals at the back of the rack on the 145 appears to be right in front of the hinges for the tailgate. In the photos that I have seen the mounting points for the rear pedestals on the 245 all appear to be a couple of inches forward from the rear tailgate hinges.

The physical appearance of the 245 rack is different that the 145 rack so the 245 rack is not a simple carry over from the 145. The 145 factory rack in the 1971 140 brochure had a series of long pad things that attached to the roof between the main rails of the rack. Neither the 145 rack or 245 factory rack had any wood rails on them so perhaps the North American wagons received different parts than the GB estates.

The interesting things is that I know my friend's 145 had a 'naked roof' - no receiver points in the roof sheet metal and my 745 definitely did not have any receiver points in the roof and all the 245s I remember seeing did not have receiver points in the roof. This leaves the possibility that the factory roof rack was a drill to fit option which means that you could be free to position it wherever you want. Presumably Volvo provided instructions that positioned the mounting pedestals where there were roof reenforcements. If that is the case then based upon the pictures the pedestals on the 245 rack may not land at the correct spacing for the 145. You would need to measure the pedestal spacing on a 245 rack and compare it to a 145 rack to confirm that the pedestals are going to land in the correct positions.

Volvo also offered gutter mount roof racks for the 140 and 240. The gutter attachments to the roof are interchangeable; but, as I recall the racks had a fixed width. According to the specifications the 140 is 0.6" wider than the 240 so a 240 gutter mount rack may not be a perfect fit on a 140.

If you are just looking for period correct appearance, then the fixed mount factory rack may do the trick. However, if you are looking for load carrying capability I think you will find that they are inferior to the racks using the gutter attachment points, the gutters probably being the stiffest part on a 145 roof. Aside from that, the whole idea of drilling holes into the roof after the roof has been painted just strikes me as an open invitation for rust, particularly in a climate noted for rain.

If you are looking for utility, I would just go with some Thule or Yakima gutter mount roof racks. I have some ancient Thules that have done duty on my 242, my 745 and now do occasional duty on my 142.