I spent almost half a day checking for a part for my 1969 Volvo 144. The car has an automatic shift, and a part called a 'gear shift ball socket' has disintegrated. This part is in the steering column housing where the gear selector handle is attached. It is a retainer that keeps the handle locked in a single orientation which allows it to swivel to select gears.
I talked to a Volvo dealer who told me the part (#677277) is no longer supplied by the manufacturer. I tried about ten parts outlets across the country, and nobody had it, either as a stand alone, or on a junk car. I still remember those ads about the Volvo's with a million miles on them still running. Sure the engines may hold up, but the surrounding car becomes impossible to keep up. My engine has only
50000 miles on it, runs great, and I just spent 500 dollars to redo the floor which had rusted out. Now I can't drive the car because of a stupid plastic part that probably costs less than 5 dollars.Sherwin Dubren