General: 164: 164 Model Year 1975

[number]

Apologies if this topic has already been covered previously, but looking on eBay recently I noticed a 1975 US Volvo range brochure showing a 164 alongside a 244 and 245, however in Europe I understood the 164 had been discontinued in 1974.

I looked a bit further on the internet and came across this French site which gives the 164 production history and links to various brochures at the bottom of the page:

http://www.auto-forever.com/construc...lvo/volvo-164/

The site confirms that 164s where sold in the US until July 1975 but discontinued in Europe late 1974. The US brochure with a 164 outside a garage shows a 164 fitted with 200 series style badging and 264 seats. Does anyone know why the 164 lasted longer in the US and why they went to the trouble of updating the trim? Was the 164 actually assembled locally in a US factory and the reason it continued was they could not re tool in time?

[Triple-S]

That article looks interesting - pity I don't speak French! However, the only N-reg 164 I've owned was registered as a March 1975 car (now in Ireland I believe), so may have sat on a dealers forecourt for a few months.......
There are a few N-reg cars listed as current on my database, the highest VIN number I have as 131570, so they made quite a few more of them after this one when comparing with the production figures quoted.
Certainly all the late L and M-reg cars (ie those with big US-spec bumpers) I've owned look identical give or take the addition of reading lamps and head restraints in the back, etc. Haven't looked at the seat structure to compare with the 260 range yet but people do swap seats about.
More research required I think......... Do you have one for comparisons?

Paul

[guitarman]

As far as I know they were made in Sweden; I've seen these late cars appear a number of times on sites such as 'Curbside Classics' in the USA. They were, I believe known to have rather poor paintwork and came in a very limited number of colours.
The American cars had an awful buzzer which sounded if you failed to put your seat belt on too...

[guitarman]

My Franglais is passable; the only thing some may not be aware of mentioned in the article is that electronic ignition was installed on 1975 year cars. From my experience of early electronic ignition modules that may have been a mixed blessing!

[Andrew164]

The PRV engine in 264 wasn't compliant with US emmision regulations for launch in 1974 so 164 was continued in North America and i believe also Japan for 1975 MY. The 1975 model 164's did have many feutures of 200, handbrake in the centre of the car for example.

I understand that Volvo only became involved with PRV engine at a late stage and it was largely a French engine. Presumably the 1973 oil crisis had affected the choice of engine. Volvo had developed a V8 which I believe has only been used as a marine engine

[guitarman]

The PRV in Volvos and Renaults was lousy, especially the early 2.7; soft camshafts and timing chain problems and considerably less power than a B30E.
In Peugeot Talbot form (with totally different heads) it was a much better proposition; both the 604 and Tagora went very well.
A shame the 260 Volvos got lumbered with such a lump; with the later straight 5 and 6 cylinder engines they would have been good cars. I believe I'm right in saying that early 2 series cars had other quality control issues as well as the PRV.

[number]

Thanks, the PRV engine emission compliance certainly explains why the 164 lived on in the US and probably also why the seats where from the 264 as production of the original highly cushioned 164 seats had already ceased.

It is curious however why Volvo went to the trouble of moving the handbrake for such a brief stay of execution?

[Andrew164]

Presumably the 1975 164's were a 264 with a 164 front end including engine

[Derek UK]

"The PRV in Volvos and Renaults was lousy, especially the early 2.7; soft camshafts and timing chain problems and considerably less power than a B30E.
In Peugeot Talbot form (with totally different heads) it was a much better proposition; both the 604 and Tagora went very well."

Must be a story there as I thought the idea of the PRV was to have the same engine as a better economic deal. I know stories of having to cut access holes in the Volvo bulkheads to do cam changes without taking the heads off. Perhaps the P/T heads had cam caps so you didn't have to slide them out the back. Who's watch was that designed on! Which version is in the DeLorean?

[Volvorama]

Weren't the few 165s produced essentially a 245 passenger cell with a 164 front end? I seem to remember looking at the one in Brixham and that it had 240 rear suspension and handbrake.
The use of a 240 floorpan in very late 164s would match with the 240 seats which do not fit in a regular 140/240 (my 144 has them now, but it took a great deal of modification to the seats themselves).