Help me make some repairs on my '70 Volvo.

[Painted]

Yep, so I drive a 1970 Volvo 142 S. It's a beater, and an old one at that. Buuuut it was a so-called gift, and is only used for a 5 mile commute and weekend drives around town.

Lemme start with all the info stuff. It's a 2 door coupe, RWD, 89 HP inline-4 engine w/ weber carb, a 4 speed manual transmission. Model #s: 142 S, B20 E engine, M40 tranny. ~140500 miles.

Now the problems. Half the stuff on this car doesn't work. I should start with the important ones, though.

#1: The speedometer and odometer mysteriously stopped working several weeks ago. Happened out of thin air. I checked the fuses, they are all intact (all eight of them). [Side question: If the wire on the fuse is very skinny near the middle, does that mean it's still good? This is the old (duh) kind of fuse thats just a wire on a plastic/ceramic cylinder.] Haven't checked anything else, simply because I don't know what to look for.

#2: Tail pipe rattles, is loosely connected to the muffler, and semi-often the interior smells of exhaust. I suspect these are all related. Anyways, can I buy some hi-temp glue or something to seal the connection of the tail pipe and muffler? Any suggestions are welcome.

#3 First gear sticks. It sticks especially when the engine is cold, however during normal driving it will sometimes stick as well. By stick I mean "very difficult to put into gear". I was told by the previous owner that "forcing it" will break something or other in the transmission, however during my driving I sometimes have to force it. I don't know what the consequences of this are, or how I might start to get this problem fixed, or if it can even be fixed.

That's all tonight, after these three are good theres a few more pages worth on my desk.

Many thanks in advance to any and all contributors. Let me know if you would like anything regarding the car (pics, info, stuff like that.) Thanks!

edit: Number three has been with me since I got the car, and most likely since the mid-1980's when the previous owner retired it at ~135000 miles.

Number two has progressively gotten worse over time, however when I first got the car it did not really have this problem.

Number one reallly just happened one afternoon driving home from work, I noticed the speedo wasnt moving, nor was the odometer. Not really a problem for me, but it makes the girlfriend nervous (when she's already nervous by driving a shakey 40-year-old car). Plus, I do believe not having a working odometer is illegal in several states.

[Ilow]

speedometer sounds like a broken cable. they make some kind of muffler mud stuff that would work on the exhaust. hard to say about the tranny.

[kinsaj]

Unsure about your particular model bu the rattling exhaust is ususally caused by a worn or broken muffler mount which is basically a big rubber loop which stretches to connect the muffler to whatever hangars are provided. This should be a quick fix by buying said mounts... just check what kind there is already.
Concerning the leak, there are patching compounds/kits etc. It would be good to find out where the leak is prior to purchasing anything because different leaks require different solutions. If it is not making any excessive noise it is most likely just a loose joint which they sell a compound for which should be available at any auto oriented store.
Concerning the speedo, I agree with llow.. assuming that it is cable driven(most likely).