Buying a 780 Bertone?

[Kara503]

I've only owned whiteblock cars so far, but found a redblock that caught my eye a few hundred miles away- a 1988 780 Bertone.
Asking price is $800 which I feel is a steal for something like this. 250k miles on the B280F v6 engine, auto transmission. Original owner.
He says it won't start but I'm not too worried about that. My biggest worry is an electrical gremlin, all I have read is that Volvos older than 91 tend to have pretty bad issues with the wiring harness. I would plan to swap in a manual transmission most likely as well as a turbo engine out of a 740 or 760 donor car.

Any words of wisdom?

[June]

The V6 was junk. It's a PRV V6 = Pougeot- Renault-Volvo. I can tell you from personal experience with mom's 1980 Bertone in 1984 I got blamed for it chewing up it's camshafts and ticking horrible. The replacement was expensive! And a known fault. I know the 1986 year model and likely the years before or after had "environmentally friendly" wiring that the insulation decomposes with age. That's probably what you are thinking about. Some Bertone cars had 2.3 turbo engines. Personally I would run from a PRV V6. June

[jimmy57]

The 87-90 v6 is the thoroughly revised engine that has troughs in head so the cams dip through oil and no longer wear out lobes. It also has the LH fuel systm and computerized ignition. BUT, they have timing chain cover leaks and other issues. The turbo 4 swap makes that a far better car with much better power band. The interior panels for doors and quarter panels separate but if you're good with glue and clever those issues can be fixed. If the headlamps and taillamps are missing lenses or in bad shape you will spend big to find those. Low volume cars are tough for parts searching. That i a nice car and they drove good and are unique.

[Kara503]

Thanks for the info! That 6 cylinder will absolutely go as soon as I have time to do a swap if I buy this car, I have no intention of owning a 2 door without a turbo! It is good to know it is a newer iteration of it though. I know I'd be getting myself into some trouble with something older but the owner seems to know his way around it and he even restored most of the interior. Once I can stomach the 7 hour drive I think I'm going to go pick it up.

Here's the ad if you are curious. Looks like it needs some paint touch up but otherwise is beautiful!!
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/ ... 66859.html

[jimmy57]

When you get it, tug on the tail light lenses. Not any high force but enough to make a lens segment that is about to fall off come loose now. You can glue it back on if you have it. It's too late once it's gone.

[dm635]

I owned a '91 turbo for a couple of years. If it had not been a rusty Chicago car I'd still own it. But I just had to have a Bertone Coupe and traded a very nice Black '95 940 wagon for it. After a couple years the rust just got to me and sold it for the rust free '91 745 I still have 10 years later.

I'm a big fan of the 960 white block. I remember years ago reading about a Bertone that had been converted to the B6304 6 cylinder white block. That engine looked perfect in that car. Looked like it was built that way.

[Kara503]

Dm, good idea! there are a number of low price range 960s in the area that would be suitable as donor cars for a newer inline 6.

Does anybody happen to know- Are any body panels/ doors swappable with the other 700 series vehicles?
The more I look at this 780 the more I'm not sure about the front end. It's very flat and kind of odd looking. I would want to swap the hood, front fenders, and headlights, etc on from a pre 1988 740 with the quad lights. I'm a big fan of that look. Or at least an 88+ 740 which has more of a swept front end than just flat.

[tardcart]

Im under the impression nothing swaps to the 780 except the engine and transmission and rear. Avoid the 960 engine, real dog. should be in a fork lift.