Since you picked up the '93 wagon, I'd focus on making THAT the reliable daily driver, and take it to Colorado. Already fuel injected, and shouldn't take much. A '93 wagon represents in some respects the very best of what the stock Volvo 240 had to offer, and wagons make for great road trip cars. What's the deal with the one you picked up? Tell us more about that. I'd spin the '80 into a project +T w/ later EFI parts, and Megasquirt.
Also... The reason people keep suggesting the relatively easy +T setup is because the ITBs are still going to be a total dog on the stock motor. If you want the car to move half decently, you need boost... or at least a hell of a lot of 8V head work or 16V swap, high compression pistons, cams etc... and then you're STILL behind what you can do with boost. If you take your time, you can find the parts you need to do the +T for a very reasonable amount of money.
Don't mind if I do my man! Its blue and a bit rusty haha. Other than that, fires right up and the only forseeable issue I have with it is that it weeps a bit of coolant from the water pump.
I was told that the motor was swapped out about 20K miles ago with a B230 with 100K miles on it. Odometer is broken and I'm not sure what mileage if broke at, but I'll get some pics this weekend. In any case, I am using it as my daily, just swapped the plates tonight and put the 80 in the garage
It's beautiful, but I agree that it needs some work before I drive it into the ground in it's current state just to feel cool haha.
Other than that...it's kinda weird having ABS in it just by the feel of putzing around in my neighborhood this evening with all the ice still on the side streets, but...oh well. Brakes are a bit mushy compared to the 80. Methinks I just need to bleed them. Interior is blue cloth that is in dire need of a cleaning, but it does have factory plastic mats that are pretty cool. *THAT BLUE THOUGH GAHHHH*
Ummm...what else. Kinda kick ass new stereo in it... Other than that, it's a stock 245 guys... Has a roof rack that I'm not terribly fond of. If I take it off, I'll have two in the garage (the other from my '83)... No 3rd row seat (only the '80 has it). Maybe I should take pics of all of them and throw them up here for reference. What I know for certain (the only thing at this point) is that I need to get the '83 that's hanging out in the driveway scrapped! I need the doors (already removed the liftgate and one rear door), suspension components (front and rear), axle/diff, steering rack, master cylinder/booster... think that's bout it. I'd like to take the front quarter panels too, but it seems that they're welded in.
ALSO, I'd like to take the rear glass, but I have no idea how to get it out without breaking it. What would really be sweet is if when I'm chopping it up, which I have to do to get the damn thing to the scrapyard because these yahoos want to charge me to come get it (no engine or rims and "scrap price is low this time of year BS"), I could take the rear window "frames". The windows in my 80 leak a little into the cabin and I wonder that if in time, I could get the good ones from the 83 grafted in to relace the leakers. Does this make sense or should I just pay someone to take the windows out and repair/re-weld the bad areas which I heard is quite labor intensive (expensive). But there again, I don't want my baby to rust out over something that damn dumb.