A friend has some Volvo stuff lying around that I was thinking of making a rally cross car (modified class) out of. Not looking to be competitive just want to have a bit of fun. Specifically there is a 144, a 164 and turbo 4 cyl 4 speed set up out of a 240. I realize the 240 motor is totally different from the stock engines in either car but I've done plenty of engine swaps so not too concerned about the fabrication work.
Just wondering if it's been done before and if anyone has any useful info such as:
Is the oil pan drop on the 240 motor in the right place to clear the crossmember on the older cars?
Will the steering box be in the way?
Any benefit to starting with the 144 over the 164 or vice versa?
Are 144/164 discs the same/similar to Amazons? What bolt pattern are they?
The cars are at my friend's yard so I haven't actually looked them over yet
164 is a rare beast. Hard to find some stuff, like clutch cables and motor mounts. I had to order a head gasket set and rings from Sweden.
140 is double a frame, and somewhat lighter than the 240, but 240 parts are pretty much all available. The B20 and B21/23 are pretty similar. Trans bolt pattern is the same, but it's rolled over the same number of degrees that the engine is. There would be a bit of motor mount fabrication, but a ohc would fit. Whether the trans would fit on the tunnel is another question. 71 or earlier, no way. 72 to 74, maybe. The early tunnels are pretty small.
240 rear suspension is slightly better than the 140. Upper trailing arms are placed better.
Brakes are mostly the same, but you could get vented rotors for the front of the 240. Pads are either Girling or ATE throughout the run. 90% Girling. The 164 will be ATE. 140 could be either front, more likely ATE rears, if I recall.
Bolt pattern on the 140 is the same as the 240. Suspension and brakes are different from the Amazon.
I won a rallycross championship in a Volvo 144.
The car used 164 front springs & 145 (144-wagon) rear springs and the sways bars were removed for suspension compliance.
Despite the body roll the car rocked.
I can't help you with a rally car, but I had a 164 automatic that was lowered 1" in the front and raised 2" in the back, and drove round trip 110 miles to work for years. The highway got too boring at 55mph so I would drive gravel, average speed of 90mph except for that time I crested a hill at 90 and on the other side of the crest was a combine. I didn't hit him, but boy would that car drive. I also had to burn the moisture out of my souped up unlicensed 1800E on gavel all of the time. I could drift on gravel like the best of them. 
Back in those days, Volvo had the best suspension of any BMW or Merc. Unfortunately, the front conveyor belt air dam on the 1800 would scoop up fist sized rocks and the rear side skirts would fling them out at what ever speed I was traveling at out into the ditch at killer speed.
