My Volvo 850 R Saloon
Discussion
SonicHedgeHog said:
Looks terrific. Makes me want to go and buy a Volvo until I remember how much effort you have put into it. Worth every minute/penny though. Well done.
Cheers unfortunately, as with any older car some effort is required, unless of course your lucky to find one that has already had the effort put in. But they are few and far between these days as rarely people want to spend the money on an older car..Welshbeef said:
Anyway OP question for you love the 850r but what's your end game? Guessing keep it for a few years then move on. The list of items needing doing plus the extras does really make me question why not buy a mint 850r one better looked after than doing all the work and possible a lot more cost than buying a better one? Why spend so much of your time with car in garage or planning next work than out enjoyng the car? Sure it's a rare beast but it's never going to be a classic so money and down drain spring to mind.
Still sped on whatever you want BUT I'm guessing you like the car and want to drive it so drive the thing.
Unfortunately unlike the other more cult cars the Volvo’s tend to get used as family cars and driven, usually into kerbs and things, and if lucky somewhere along the line they get serviced. But that does usually mean they are very rarely low mileage and usually require some form of work especially as they are getting on a bit now. This one was the best I could find at the time it is for this model low mileage and had a good history. However like most older cars things surfaced after buying but I accept that and tbh never looked to make a profit on the car. I love driving the car but I also like everything to work, where some people can cope without the air conditioning not working I must have that sort of thing in good shape otherwise it just annoys me. Unluckily for me this attitude is an expensive one to have with cars but it looks like I am stuck with it.
In respect of driving the car I have now clocked it up to 104,000 miles which works out at 16,000 miles I have covered in the car, most of which I have enjoyed. Most recently I have completed a holiday trip to Scotland and back, details to follow, so it does get used despite the fact it has been off the road a few times in the last 3 years for various bits and pieces. Had the car have been mint factory condition I would have probably done less than half that, as I did in the Orion, for fear of ruining it again just the way I am..
MonkeyBusiness said:
What a great read. Fantastic car and a credit to you.
I love seeing projects like this where there is no way the owner will get the money back on the car - its done purely for the love of the car.
Great stuff.
Thanks for your kind comments, your right I doubt I would get a 1/4 of what I have put into it and it is purely done because I wanted to and I love the car.I love seeing projects like this where there is no way the owner will get the money back on the car - its done purely for the love of the car.
Great stuff.
cosworth330 said:
Just read through this thread, really good read. We used to have an 850R a long while back now but loved it so much after a couple of years the wife bought a 2yr old V70R (phase 3 the 300bhp one 03 plate) kept that for 4yrs. Now she has a V70 D5 R-Design about 18 months old now,she loves it.
I'm always looking at prices of 850R manuals as i keep thinking of buying one and modding it. I have a E39 M5 facelift which i've had for a year but wouldn't want to part with it for an 850R.
Mark Shead fitted a chip to one of my old Cossie's years ago,he was working out of his parents garage back then !
The quickest 850R i have been in is Elliotts red 850 saloon ( he's sometimes on T5D5 ) that is one quick 850. Also whent out to the Ring last year with some guys from T5D5 and Tim Williams took me for a lap in his white T5 estate, the driver of one of the V10 M5 ring taxis commented after the lap that he couldn't keep up with us ! Just to give you an idea of how quick you can make the 850 and handling/braking, Elliott was doing BTG at the Ring in around 8.10-8.30 constistantly in traffic !
Cheers Simon.
Hi Simon, Thanks for your kind comments, sounds like you have had some nice Volvo’s over the last few years.I'm always looking at prices of 850R manuals as i keep thinking of buying one and modding it. I have a E39 M5 facelift which i've had for a year but wouldn't want to part with it for an 850R.
Mark Shead fitted a chip to one of my old Cossie's years ago,he was working out of his parents garage back then !
The quickest 850R i have been in is Elliotts red 850 saloon ( he's sometimes on T5D5 ) that is one quick 850. Also whent out to the Ring last year with some guys from T5D5 and Tim Williams took me for a lap in his white T5 estate, the driver of one of the V10 M5 ring taxis commented after the lap that he couldn't keep up with us ! Just to give you an idea of how quick you can make the 850 and handling/braking, Elliott was doing BTG at the Ring in around 8.10-8.30 constistantly in traffic !
Cheers Simon.
I know that these 850’s can be transformed into really quick cars if you are prepared to go for it. Elliot’s car is well known on the Volvo scene and I have seen/heard about his achievements with the car and a 8.10 on the ring isn’t to be laughed at! I have also seen and heard about Tim’s car.
Welshbeef said:
Amazing fuel economy a 850r does not far off 40mpg yet focus st owners en mass struggle to get mid 20's what gives? Are they just hooners? Or is there a genuine fault with the st and economy which the Volvo overcomes??
Might be the way they drive the car, but as stated the engine in mine isn’t the same as the ST engine and being the 2.3 is actually a stronger unit if you want to go down the tuning route. Fuel consumption wise the computer isn’t 100 percent accurate I recently worked out my consumption when on holiday in Scotland and the car achieved 34 mpg overall but that was with luggage and 4 people so still very good but obviously not the 39 mpg that the computer is currently showing. However the consumption of the car is the best it has been since I have owned it which is probably as a result of being able to have the car live mapped meaning it can be setup specifically to give the best on this car, having said that it used to always achieve 27-28 mpg which still sounds better than the ST’s you mentioned.jt racing said:
Hey Andy, I have a 850 t5 running the absolute map and a few bits. Have been thinking about doing the heat wrap on the boost hoses for a while now... Did you notice any improvement with it? I did the exhaust a while back on the primera gt and it was a nice difference but just wondering how you found it.
Couldn’t say if there was any improvement, I doubt there is much if any tbh. I did it because it was different to what everyone else does under the bonnet. Exhaust wise it’s just something I have always done as it deepens the sound of the exhaust and as a result I prefer the improved sound it gives and apparently it improves the performance but again I couldn’t say if it does this or not tbh but under bonnet heat does appear to have reduced since I have done it which must help for heat soak I guess..Well I am now back after having my holiday in Scotland.
I did a total of 1,771 miles and the car absorbed everyone of those miles in true comfort in the only way a Volvo can. I was very very impressed with how easily it coped with the hills outside of my home surroundings. The trip to Inverness was as near as makes no difference 600 miles I completed the trip in 11 hours with 2 fuel stops and 4 passenger stops. I didn't really have to stop for fuel as often but decided to refuel every 300 or so miles that I found a Shell garage so I could maintain 100 percent V Power fuel as that is what the car was mapped to run on.
It would seem that the onboard computer was slightly optimistic with it's reading of 39.9 mpg showing a full tank range of 615 miles, but I did still manage a trip average of 34 mpg which being as it was quite well weighted I was more than impressed with being as I was hoping to achieve between 28 and 30 average on the trip.
The Scottish roads were pheonoenal, unfortunately it did rain most of the time I was in Inverness but I did manage to make the most of one dry spell and get out and enjoy them and the scenery.
On the way home we did a weekend stop over in Edinburgh which included a night on the town and I have to say the places I went to were very welcoming and certainly much much more relaxed than I have ever been used to when out of an evening, as a result I will be going back for another long weekend and undoubtedly more after that as well. :thumbs_up:
Now when I say quite well weighted this is how the car sat with all luggage loaded and all bar me inside the car, as you can see it is sitting rather low but gives me an idea of how the car will look when lowered :thumbs_up:
Luckly even as a saloon the 850 has a fair sized boot so managed to swallow all the luggage....just
During our stay we went along to walk around the remains of Urguhart Castle along Loch Ness so had to grab a few shots..
From which the view is phenomenal
Then a couple more shots of the car just outside Inverness on the A862 along side the Beauly Fifth..
and had a little fiddle with the camera to take a couple of shots in the same place but in black and white, I think they work well..
Once home again the following day my brother and I shot across to RT's to collect his car and you can see by now the car is looking rather filthy after it's trip so now I have a mammoth task of cleaning it up again, still it was well worth it :thumbs_up:
I would like to say special thanks to BobbyCH for the radio mod, it worked perfectly. I was going to refit the original unit on the return but I don't think I can live without the MP3 player in the car now. Also special thanks to Russ and Mark for the work they did on the car prior to the trip having now had a chance to drive the car a total of 2,400 since I do really love the way the car drives and it made the trip hassle free :thumbs_up:
I did a total of 1,771 miles and the car absorbed everyone of those miles in true comfort in the only way a Volvo can. I was very very impressed with how easily it coped with the hills outside of my home surroundings. The trip to Inverness was as near as makes no difference 600 miles I completed the trip in 11 hours with 2 fuel stops and 4 passenger stops. I didn't really have to stop for fuel as often but decided to refuel every 300 or so miles that I found a Shell garage so I could maintain 100 percent V Power fuel as that is what the car was mapped to run on.
It would seem that the onboard computer was slightly optimistic with it's reading of 39.9 mpg showing a full tank range of 615 miles, but I did still manage a trip average of 34 mpg which being as it was quite well weighted I was more than impressed with being as I was hoping to achieve between 28 and 30 average on the trip.
The Scottish roads were pheonoenal, unfortunately it did rain most of the time I was in Inverness but I did manage to make the most of one dry spell and get out and enjoy them and the scenery.
On the way home we did a weekend stop over in Edinburgh which included a night on the town and I have to say the places I went to were very welcoming and certainly much much more relaxed than I have ever been used to when out of an evening, as a result I will be going back for another long weekend and undoubtedly more after that as well. :thumbs_up:
Now when I say quite well weighted this is how the car sat with all luggage loaded and all bar me inside the car, as you can see it is sitting rather low but gives me an idea of how the car will look when lowered :thumbs_up:
Luckly even as a saloon the 850 has a fair sized boot so managed to swallow all the luggage....just
During our stay we went along to walk around the remains of Urguhart Castle along Loch Ness so had to grab a few shots..
From which the view is phenomenal
Then a couple more shots of the car just outside Inverness on the A862 along side the Beauly Fifth..
and had a little fiddle with the camera to take a couple of shots in the same place but in black and white, I think they work well..
Once home again the following day my brother and I shot across to RT's to collect his car and you can see by now the car is looking rather filthy after it's trip so now I have a mammoth task of cleaning it up again, still it was well worth it :thumbs_up:
I would like to say special thanks to BobbyCH for the radio mod, it worked perfectly. I was going to refit the original unit on the return but I don't think I can live without the MP3 player in the car now. Also special thanks to Russ and Mark for the work they did on the car prior to the trip having now had a chance to drive the car a total of 2,400 since I do really love the way the car drives and it made the trip hassle free :thumbs_up:
EdJ said:
Great read and congrats on a lovely car. Back in the 80s, I took my test in a D reg 740GLE and ran an M reg 960 for a year or so and understand what you see in Volvos. I love how you've kept the car as original as possible and I simply love the alloys on your car (I remember loving them at the time) and can't understand why more cars don't have the darker alloys as they look so good.
Thanks for your comments. The first car I drove was an '86 760 GLE estate, it was my parents car, and this was the start of my love for the marque. Tbh I think I prefer the early 700 series cars to most of the Volvo's produced and will probably have one at some stage myself. I am sucker for trying to stay close to the originality but whilst adding individualism as well. cosworth330 said:
Nice pic's.
I was up in Scotland last month with the family (the mother-in-law lives in Scotland). We had a day out at Loch Ness and also went to Urguhart castle and took loads of pic's ! Went to Inverness to see friends. Did just over 2000 miles in 2 weeks. We averaged about 580 miles to each fill up,computer said about 38mpg on a D5. You must be pleased with the fuel consumption on your car,my standard 850R auto used to manage about 28mpg on a run & V70R manual was about the same,my M5 is currently on 18.8mpg average !!!!!
What part of the country are you in, do you ever go to any of the meets or trackdays organised by T5D5 people ?
Cheers Simon.
Hi Simon, sounds like you also had a good time in Scotland. Personally I love it, all of my family originate from there and one day I will probably live there myself.I was up in Scotland last month with the family (the mother-in-law lives in Scotland). We had a day out at Loch Ness and also went to Urguhart castle and took loads of pic's ! Went to Inverness to see friends. Did just over 2000 miles in 2 weeks. We averaged about 580 miles to each fill up,computer said about 38mpg on a D5. You must be pleased with the fuel consumption on your car,my standard 850R auto used to manage about 28mpg on a run & V70R manual was about the same,my M5 is currently on 18.8mpg average !!!!!
What part of the country are you in, do you ever go to any of the meets or trackdays organised by T5D5 people ?
Cheers Simon.
Was indeed very pleased, as were the passengers, with the fuel consumption on the trip. I was expecting at best 28-30 mpg based on previous trips and the added weight of luggage etc I have done prior to the recent work.
I am based in Essex and am yet to visit any T5D5 events tbh I haven't been on the forum for a while now, M5 sounds juicy but I am sure well worth every penny!
799boy said:
Really useful write up and a great looking car. I've just purchased a '96 850R manual estate in the same colour. It's a very straight, un-abused car with FSH so quite a lucky find.
Ferrita 'cat-back' arrived yesterday - hope you don't mind but i'll probably pinch a few of your ideas, yours is proving to be quite inspirational!!!
Regards, Adi.
Thanks Adi, these grey R's are quite rare cars you know and sounds like you managed to get a good one. Do you have any pictures of the car yet?Ferrita 'cat-back' arrived yesterday - hope you don't mind but i'll probably pinch a few of your ideas, yours is proving to be quite inspirational!!!
Regards, Adi.
No problem to pinch ideas, they aren't secrets and it would nice to have the work appreciated to the point where you want to do them yourself. If you can get a thread started it would be good to follow your progress with the car.
Andy
Tune R said:
Hi Andy,
I just wanted to pop a quick message to congratulate you on the meticulous work you have done on your "R". I thought I was picky with my 850 R, but your attention to detail takes the cake!
Really enjoy reading you posts. Hope you keep us informed of any more enhancements.
Cheers
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for your kind comments.I just wanted to pop a quick message to congratulate you on the meticulous work you have done on your "R". I thought I was picky with my 850 R, but your attention to detail takes the cake!
Really enjoy reading you posts. Hope you keep us informed of any more enhancements.
Cheers
Steve
Another brief update. I have finally got round to doing something about the suspension, and had a but of a result with it too. An acquaintance of mine up until recently owned an 850 R estate with a recently fitted full set of Koni adjustable shocks and -40 mm springs. Unfortunately he decided to break the car, but as a result for me, I got first dibs on the suspension. I wouldn't normally buy second hand parts but I knew these parts were relatively new and hadn't been abused. Upon purchase I set about inspecting and detailing the suspension which ended up with me repainting all four shocks due to stone chipping, sad I know, I also sourced new top mounts, bolts and washers from Volvo. I did take pictures during the process but due to a technical hitch, not saving the pictures I think..., I seem to have none now....
That said I have been out with the car and taken a few shots of how the car sits now,
and before..
....and in comparison to before I am sure you will agree the whole car sits a lot more level with the front not dropping much but the rear coming down enough to level the car without looking too low. I am still experimenting with the dampening rate of the shocks but with them currently set at half way all round I don't think the experimenting will last too much longer as I am more than happy with how it rides currently.
Road holding is very much improved, rather than squating and diving under heavy acceleration and heavy braking the car stays alot more level and under hard cornering the car doesn't dive down to one corner like it did previously and sits a lot more level as a result making turn in more confidence inspiring. Adding a feeling of more to give when cornering under conditions considered over the limit previously with the standard setup. So all in all very happy with how the car now handles, sometimes it's difficult to believe I am driving a Volvo..... :0
That's it for now, until next time thanks for reading and feel free to add your comments.
Edited by Andysr on Wednesday 27th April 23:59
Well it's been sometime now since the last update so I guess it's time for another...
For some time now the condition of the front and rear bumpers, door mirror caps and boot spoiler have bugged me. I have never been a fan of having paintwork done, because I am really fussy, but the need to get the above redone was greater as it was getting to the stage that they were the only areas of the car I focused on and were starting to drag the appearance of the car down.
As I was going to have the bumpers redone I contemplated going back to the textured grey bumper tops, the car has had these colour coded since before I bought it, and I had a fellow forum member mock me up some images of the car to reflect this. Anway I decided that I was going to stay with colour coded bumper tops and I have to say the results are, for me anyway, most impressive. It looks even better than it did the day I got it thanks to what originally was a cheap quick job and a bit of a nasty repair to the o/s/f corner of the front splitter. Despite spending longer due to a few nasties the bodyshop found they kept to the agreed price and I must say the job is better than I expected it to be..
So no more scuffed mirror caps..
No more cracked and chipped front bumper/spoiler.
No more cracked rear bumper or keyed and scuffed spoiler tip..
The keen eye'd will also notice I have opted for a gloss black finish to the spoiler tip, rather than the standard light grey, and also the front lower lip spoiler is gloss black. Again I was unsure about going down this route but after lack of confidence in getting the right shade of light grey for the spoiler tip it seemed only right to have the lower splitter and spoiler tip matching and I think the car pulls it off rather well.
So overall I now have...
After waiting so long to do it looking at it now I wonder why I left it so long... Oh that's right because I am now paranoid about stone chips.... lol
For some time now the condition of the front and rear bumpers, door mirror caps and boot spoiler have bugged me. I have never been a fan of having paintwork done, because I am really fussy, but the need to get the above redone was greater as it was getting to the stage that they were the only areas of the car I focused on and were starting to drag the appearance of the car down.
As I was going to have the bumpers redone I contemplated going back to the textured grey bumper tops, the car has had these colour coded since before I bought it, and I had a fellow forum member mock me up some images of the car to reflect this. Anway I decided that I was going to stay with colour coded bumper tops and I have to say the results are, for me anyway, most impressive. It looks even better than it did the day I got it thanks to what originally was a cheap quick job and a bit of a nasty repair to the o/s/f corner of the front splitter. Despite spending longer due to a few nasties the bodyshop found they kept to the agreed price and I must say the job is better than I expected it to be..
So no more scuffed mirror caps..
No more cracked and chipped front bumper/spoiler.
No more cracked rear bumper or keyed and scuffed spoiler tip..
The keen eye'd will also notice I have opted for a gloss black finish to the spoiler tip, rather than the standard light grey, and also the front lower lip spoiler is gloss black. Again I was unsure about going down this route but after lack of confidence in getting the right shade of light grey for the spoiler tip it seemed only right to have the lower splitter and spoiler tip matching and I think the car pulls it off rather well.
So overall I now have...
After waiting so long to do it looking at it now I wonder why I left it so long... Oh that's right because I am now paranoid about stone chips.... lol
Stedman said:
Have you thought about getting paintshield Andy? I wish I had it done to protect my front end respray Oh well!
Yeah I did consider it, just not really a fan as it never looks quite as shiny as the real thing. I know that means it leaves it open to stone chips but hey ho... Oh well!At least the pistonheads symbol on the bonnet of yours will protect some of the paint.. lol
Been a while since I updated this and quite a bit has happened since I did, here is a (quite extensive) update with plenty of pictures to fill you all in on what has been happening with my 850R
So Damien has been locked away for 1 year unused and ignored, other than the occasional battery recharge and push about so it didn’t flat spot my tyres. As I said last year Damien would be coming back in 2013 and here we are in 2013 what’s going on?
Well on March 2nd I had the car transported down to RT’s where at some point this coming month the engine will be removed stripped and the cause of the engine noise will be found, expecting it to be a bent rod and then the fault rectified.
Plans are to refresh and rebuild the engine using new genuine Volvo parts wherever possible, fitting H Beam rods, new shells, new rings and a hone etc etc, maybe new pistons although will wait to see what the existing ones are like. Tbh I’d like to keep with the standard ones if possible, Not looking at any substantial power hikes, before the engine noise I was quite content with the power and the engine ran well, however I am looking to have a few tweaks, be rude not too :smileypul
Having done some research into high powered auto’s I am also having a genuine Volvo auxiliary gearbox cooler fitted and switching to some upgraded gearbox oil, other than that and new seals the gearbox will remain as was. When the engine is out I will be cleaning the engine bay as this is something I did on my previous car and I have always wanted to do to the Volvo.
There are a few goodies on their way from America and I have a few little bits already that are waiting to go on….
Once the car is all back together, mot’d and taxed Mark Shead will be tweaking my map so it’s up to scratch. Then maybe another outing to a ¼ mile event to see if we can’t get it a little closer to some of the faster manual times, especially if I can see more than 1.1 bar in 1st and 2nd gears, which seems to be where it counts on the ¼, the auto’s only going into 3rd at the end which is where my higher boost previously started to kick in…
As the car progresses I will add the updates here but I expect it to be a couple of months until I have the car back on the road ready, I also plan to drive it to the Ring this year and after last years trip as a passenger I am really looking forward to that :rally_dri
In the meantime this is how the car looked just before it came out the garage ready to be loaded on the trailer, even in the garage it can’t escape the dust, almost a barn find! Lol
Odd how it doesn’t look that bad from a distance
But up close?
On the trailer, just, about to head off…
Arrived at RT’s and waiting surgery next to a T5 which is also having a bit of an overhaul…
I’m going for a different look in the engine bay as well so these will be gracing the bay once it’s all back together 
That’s it for now, nothing to exciting yet but that’s where we are at as of now, thanks for reading and as always comments are welcomed. 
Update time… :smile:
So have had a few goodies arrive ready for when the engine starts to go back together..
Rods…
Snabb big bore inlet kit :smile:
Which comes with 2.5 inlet manifold, which I've had powder coated black
the inlet also comes with a poly inlet spacer (not pictured here) which bolts between the inlet manfold and cylinder head and helps to prevent heat transfer from the engine to the inlet manifold. Also to completement the inlet manifold and complete the big bore kit it would be rude not to include a reconditioned 960 throttle body which includes the correct throttle linkage to allow direct fitment to the cars existing throttle setup and enlarged silicone intake hose (not pictured here)...
Also decided to opt for the genuine maf to turbo pipe to replace my existing aftermarket maf to turbo pipe, again I opted to have this powder coated in black...
And…….
From this
touring car engine positioning anyone.. lol
to this
the engine is out, now the important part begins..
I have to clean this area that’s left….
The plan is to clean the bay at some point towards the end of this month which is the soonest I can get away from work long enough to allow me to have sufficent time to do the cleaning properly, pictures of my progress will be added as I go but that's probably all updates wise until then.. :smile:[/QUOTE]
Got some more pictures through from RT Mechanics today, it seems, although unwell, Russ has been busy starting the strip down of the engine and a number of the parts ordered from Volvo have arrived :smile:
Parts selection
Autobox cooler :smile:
Shame it's had to be stripped as it's oil leak/weap free on the outside
Rocker cover and cams out
Oil pump out
It's now ready to have the head removed and pistons out which is hopefully happening tomorrow, will be keeping fingers crossed that the crank, block and head are all ok :bricks:
I have also decided to renew the subframe bushes as they're just starting to split, although only very minor at the moment it seems like the perfect opportunity to do them whilst the subframe is out. I've also decided to go for standard Volvo replacements, I know other uprated items are available but it's what I'd rather.
Damiens current resting position, keeping Russ's freshly restored T-5R company, can think of worse places... lol :smile:
So Damien has been locked away for 1 year unused and ignored, other than the occasional battery recharge and push about so it didn’t flat spot my tyres. As I said last year Damien would be coming back in 2013 and here we are in 2013 what’s going on?
Well on March 2nd I had the car transported down to RT’s where at some point this coming month the engine will be removed stripped and the cause of the engine noise will be found, expecting it to be a bent rod and then the fault rectified.
Plans are to refresh and rebuild the engine using new genuine Volvo parts wherever possible, fitting H Beam rods, new shells, new rings and a hone etc etc, maybe new pistons although will wait to see what the existing ones are like. Tbh I’d like to keep with the standard ones if possible, Not looking at any substantial power hikes, before the engine noise I was quite content with the power and the engine ran well, however I am looking to have a few tweaks, be rude not too :smileypul
Having done some research into high powered auto’s I am also having a genuine Volvo auxiliary gearbox cooler fitted and switching to some upgraded gearbox oil, other than that and new seals the gearbox will remain as was. When the engine is out I will be cleaning the engine bay as this is something I did on my previous car and I have always wanted to do to the Volvo.
There are a few goodies on their way from America and I have a few little bits already that are waiting to go on….
Once the car is all back together, mot’d and taxed Mark Shead will be tweaking my map so it’s up to scratch. Then maybe another outing to a ¼ mile event to see if we can’t get it a little closer to some of the faster manual times, especially if I can see more than 1.1 bar in 1st and 2nd gears, which seems to be where it counts on the ¼, the auto’s only going into 3rd at the end which is where my higher boost previously started to kick in…
As the car progresses I will add the updates here but I expect it to be a couple of months until I have the car back on the road ready, I also plan to drive it to the Ring this year and after last years trip as a passenger I am really looking forward to that :rally_dri
In the meantime this is how the car looked just before it came out the garage ready to be loaded on the trailer, even in the garage it can’t escape the dust, almost a barn find! Lol
Odd how it doesn’t look that bad from a distance
But up close?
On the trailer, just, about to head off…
Arrived at RT’s and waiting surgery next to a T5 which is also having a bit of an overhaul…
I’m going for a different look in the engine bay as well so these will be gracing the bay once it’s all back together 
That’s it for now, nothing to exciting yet but that’s where we are at as of now, thanks for reading and as always comments are welcomed. 
Update time… :smile:
So have had a few goodies arrive ready for when the engine starts to go back together..
Rods…
Snabb big bore inlet kit :smile:
Which comes with 2.5 inlet manifold, which I've had powder coated black
the inlet also comes with a poly inlet spacer (not pictured here) which bolts between the inlet manfold and cylinder head and helps to prevent heat transfer from the engine to the inlet manifold. Also to completement the inlet manifold and complete the big bore kit it would be rude not to include a reconditioned 960 throttle body which includes the correct throttle linkage to allow direct fitment to the cars existing throttle setup and enlarged silicone intake hose (not pictured here)...
Also decided to opt for the genuine maf to turbo pipe to replace my existing aftermarket maf to turbo pipe, again I opted to have this powder coated in black...
And…….
From this
touring car engine positioning anyone.. lol
to this
the engine is out, now the important part begins..
I have to clean this area that’s left….
The plan is to clean the bay at some point towards the end of this month which is the soonest I can get away from work long enough to allow me to have sufficent time to do the cleaning properly, pictures of my progress will be added as I go but that's probably all updates wise until then.. :smile:[/QUOTE]
Got some more pictures through from RT Mechanics today, it seems, although unwell, Russ has been busy starting the strip down of the engine and a number of the parts ordered from Volvo have arrived :smile:
Parts selection
Autobox cooler :smile:
Shame it's had to be stripped as it's oil leak/weap free on the outside
Rocker cover and cams out
Oil pump out
It's now ready to have the head removed and pistons out which is hopefully happening tomorrow, will be keeping fingers crossed that the crank, block and head are all ok :bricks:
I have also decided to renew the subframe bushes as they're just starting to split, although only very minor at the moment it seems like the perfect opportunity to do them whilst the subframe is out. I've also decided to go for standard Volvo replacements, I know other uprated items are available but it's what I'd rather.
Damiens current resting position, keeping Russ's freshly restored T-5R company, can think of worse places... lol :smile:
News from RT Mechanics, engine is now completely stripped. The cause of the fault was traced to a minor bend on no. 2 conrod, it's just slightly "kissed" the balance weight section of the crank so thankfully no serious damage was caused and you can't actually visually detect the bend in the rod it was that slight. Quite pleased I resisted using it after hearing the noise tbh... So the block has gone away to be professionally measured/tested and the head has also gone away to another specialist for some testing etc..
A few shots of the stripped components.
The damage to one of the balance weight sections of the crank
Pistons and rods out...
Piston skirts looking good with no abnormalities.
Piston crown with no signs of det.. (this is no.5 but they're all the same)
Crank all good, apart from the slight mark causedby the rod but this won't cause an issue and will be dealt with by the machine shop
Big end shells looking all good
Bore, looking nice with factory hone marks still present (won't "bore" you with all five)
However despite the hone marks still being present news back from the specialist is that the bore has worn unevenly and has worn 5 thou at the bottom of the bore but is worn to 9 thou at the top of the bore which means that the bores will need to be test bored to see how much needs to be done to get them straight again, this is something that often goes undetected but is faily common to the T5 engine from what the specialist has said. The likely hood is that they will need to go out to around 82mm which is a little too large for my 81.02mm standard pistons even with oversized rings when running the level of tune I will be. This means I will be looking at fitting oversized pistons (which Volvo don't make anymore) so will be looking to seek the help of CP pistons for those but it does mean that the potential delay added by having to wait for the pistons to be made will result in Damien missing the Ring trip this year
Still will wait to hear from the specialist to see if oversized pistons are my only option.
In the meantime I have returned to an old time haunt, cleanyourcar.co.uk, and have been buying a few valeting goodies for use in the engine bay, I have some time off next week so plan to get to work on cleaning the bay at some stage during my holiday break, amongst other things, so more on that as progress occurs, that's all for now :smile:
Yesterdays events…
So having had a lovely relaxing week away from work I decided to take a trip down to see Russ and the team @ RT Mechanics with the intention of giving the engine bay a spruce up. Luckily for me my brother’s car was now ready for collection, having been at RT’s for a service and some other bits and pieces, it was also a good excuse to jump in with him rather than drive myself…
Having spent the last few weeks amalgamating and adding to my collection of cleaning bits and for fear of needing something I had left behind I took almost everything I had. At this point it was just as well James was using RT’s 960 estate, so I was now well prepared to do battle with 17 years worth of dirt and grime. We left home at 07:00 and having done nearly 3 hours contending with the tolls, M25 road works and traffic jams we arrived, those 960’s do eat the miles well I can see why so many for sale are high milers!
Now the fun part starts! I lift the bonnet and see a large hole once occupied by an engine and gearbox to see a large and very dirty area filled with nooks and crannies… yummy! No problem I’ve got a lovely collection of degreasers and cleaners so off I go attacking the bay with confidence that this will be a breeze! This confidence lasts all of about 5 minutes when I realise that actually its going to be a nightmare and no amount of cleaning product is going to replace elbow grease! I was lied too the cheek of it….. lol
It was also at this point, having cleaned a small area, that I realised I hadn’t taken any before pictures and worse still that I had left my camera at home, so the pictures I did take were all done using my phone so aren’t brilliant, apologies in advance.
Anyway all joking aside having spent the best part of 5 hours cleaning away 17 years of heat treated grease, dirt and dust I now have an engine bay which looks slightly cleaner and more presentable, even the areas that will be hidden by the engine and gearbox.. lol
One thing I was quite surprised with was the sparse use of paint, I was well aware that the engine bay itself wasn’t lacquered but the paint level pretty much ceases from the top of the chassis rails down. Oh and no I didn’t clean the paint off the metal, I was quite careful being aware that the paint would be delicate without the protection of lacquer, caring out product tests in inconspicuous places in advance as advised.
For those interested, and despite putting Halfords to shame with my product selection, I only ended up using Autoglym Engine and Machine Degreaser, warm water, a soft paint brush and a standard kitchen moppet on the painted areas. The Autoglym to be fair to it was a brilliant product and unlike so many degreasing cleaners I’ve used in the past I still have quite a bit left. In the more difficult heavier affected areas mainly the subframe, I used a stiff brush and allowed the Autoglym to dwell for around 10-15 mins. I also used a product available from Tesco which I’ve read reviews about on Detailing World called Daisy. It’s a cheap entry level general all purpose cleaner which I diluted 1:5 and found it worked great on the inner arch liners and plastics. After that, and with help, I pushed the car outside the workshop, rinsed the painted areas and upper engine bay with a handheld pressure sprayer, then jet washed the subframe and lower engine bay areas finally damping dry afterwards with a soft microfibre cloth. Seeing the engine bay clean it was refreshing to see that no corrosion had set in despite having seen a few of the 850’s suffering with corrosion around the battery tray area, presumably due to a previous battery leakage causing any corrosion inhibitors to be stripped from the metal.
Anyway the pictures.
Before – Apologies for the low light, these were taken inside the workshop
After :smile:
Close up comparison
[/QUOTE]
Having cleaned the engine bay and seeing the car outside in the sunshine I quickly grew irritated by the “barn find” look the car had adopted over the last year so I had to clean it..
Using the jet wash I found most of the accumulated dirt washed off, indeed I was quite surprised to see the water beading nicely even just after a rinse before washing, proof that polishing and waxing on a regular basis is well worth the effort!
So having purely washed and dried the car I am left with the paint finish I remember, I still would have polished and waxed it but time was getting on, it now being around 17:00 and James and I needed to be getting back.
Having always wanted one of these Russ was also kind enough to source a black faced SC-805 so I popped that in as well,
So Damien was returned to his temporary home at the back of RT’s workshop awaiting the rebuilt engine to be fitted when done but at least its a lot cleaner now :smile:
That just leaves me to say a very big thank you to the team @ RT's today having allowed me to borrow various tools, ramp space, wash bay and to just generally annoy and get in your way whilst you continued to battle a busy work filled day it generally was a pleasure as always :smile:
So having had a lovely relaxing week away from work I decided to take a trip down to see Russ and the team @ RT Mechanics with the intention of giving the engine bay a spruce up. Luckily for me my brother’s car was now ready for collection, having been at RT’s for a service and some other bits and pieces, it was also a good excuse to jump in with him rather than drive myself…
Having spent the last few weeks amalgamating and adding to my collection of cleaning bits and for fear of needing something I had left behind I took almost everything I had. At this point it was just as well James was using RT’s 960 estate, so I was now well prepared to do battle with 17 years worth of dirt and grime. We left home at 07:00 and having done nearly 3 hours contending with the tolls, M25 road works and traffic jams we arrived, those 960’s do eat the miles well I can see why so many for sale are high milers!
Now the fun part starts! I lift the bonnet and see a large hole once occupied by an engine and gearbox to see a large and very dirty area filled with nooks and crannies… yummy! No problem I’ve got a lovely collection of degreasers and cleaners so off I go attacking the bay with confidence that this will be a breeze! This confidence lasts all of about 5 minutes when I realise that actually its going to be a nightmare and no amount of cleaning product is going to replace elbow grease! I was lied too the cheek of it….. lol
It was also at this point, having cleaned a small area, that I realised I hadn’t taken any before pictures and worse still that I had left my camera at home, so the pictures I did take were all done using my phone so aren’t brilliant, apologies in advance.
Anyway all joking aside having spent the best part of 5 hours cleaning away 17 years of heat treated grease, dirt and dust I now have an engine bay which looks slightly cleaner and more presentable, even the areas that will be hidden by the engine and gearbox.. lol
One thing I was quite surprised with was the sparse use of paint, I was well aware that the engine bay itself wasn’t lacquered but the paint level pretty much ceases from the top of the chassis rails down. Oh and no I didn’t clean the paint off the metal, I was quite careful being aware that the paint would be delicate without the protection of lacquer, caring out product tests in inconspicuous places in advance as advised.
For those interested, and despite putting Halfords to shame with my product selection, I only ended up using Autoglym Engine and Machine Degreaser, warm water, a soft paint brush and a standard kitchen moppet on the painted areas. The Autoglym to be fair to it was a brilliant product and unlike so many degreasing cleaners I’ve used in the past I still have quite a bit left. In the more difficult heavier affected areas mainly the subframe, I used a stiff brush and allowed the Autoglym to dwell for around 10-15 mins. I also used a product available from Tesco which I’ve read reviews about on Detailing World called Daisy. It’s a cheap entry level general all purpose cleaner which I diluted 1:5 and found it worked great on the inner arch liners and plastics. After that, and with help, I pushed the car outside the workshop, rinsed the painted areas and upper engine bay with a handheld pressure sprayer, then jet washed the subframe and lower engine bay areas finally damping dry afterwards with a soft microfibre cloth. Seeing the engine bay clean it was refreshing to see that no corrosion had set in despite having seen a few of the 850’s suffering with corrosion around the battery tray area, presumably due to a previous battery leakage causing any corrosion inhibitors to be stripped from the metal.
Anyway the pictures.
Before – Apologies for the low light, these were taken inside the workshop
After :smile:
Close up comparison
[/QUOTE]Having cleaned the engine bay and seeing the car outside in the sunshine I quickly grew irritated by the “barn find” look the car had adopted over the last year so I had to clean it..
Using the jet wash I found most of the accumulated dirt washed off, indeed I was quite surprised to see the water beading nicely even just after a rinse before washing, proof that polishing and waxing on a regular basis is well worth the effort!
So having purely washed and dried the car I am left with the paint finish I remember, I still would have polished and waxed it but time was getting on, it now being around 17:00 and James and I needed to be getting back.
Having always wanted one of these Russ was also kind enough to source a black faced SC-805 so I popped that in as well,
So Damien was returned to his temporary home at the back of RT’s workshop awaiting the rebuilt engine to be fitted when done but at least its a lot cleaner now :smile:
That just leaves me to say a very big thank you to the team @ RT's today having allowed me to borrow various tools, ramp space, wash bay and to just generally annoy and get in your way whilst you continued to battle a busy work filled day it generally was a pleasure as always :smile:
Small update, the block had to be bored to 82mm as suspected and I've opted for CP pistons. They're coming from America so will probably delay things a little but I'd rather it was right after going to all this trouble...
Head wise, all checked out fine, holding pressure nicely and valve guides like new. So a quick freshen up, valves reground, new stem seals and a very minor light skim to the head fac, a good clean up and it's back.
Just waiting on the pistons now so the block can come back and then it's engine back in the car
Nothing much to report on the engine front as still waiting for parts but the new screen is now in
Genuine Volvo of course
So hours before I set off to Germany I got a message to say that the pistons had arrived at the machine shop. So I am now back and have loads of pictures to show you all
While I was away work started on the block to bore it to the correct measurements for the new pistons obviously making the bores perfectly straight as they would have been when new.
The new pistons as they arrived, seems a shame to lock them inside the engine they look that bling!
With their new rods..
Picture of the test bore to make sure the block was ok to go again
Then the final bore
Machining the cut outs in the lower part of the bore to ensure no contact with the new wider H beam rods.
Measuring and adjusting the rings to the correct size for their new homes.
And then fitting the rings to the pistons ready to go in the block
Piston rings on and rod fitted all ready to go into the block
Head wise, all checked out fine, holding pressure nicely and valve guides like new. So a quick freshen up, valves reground, new stem seals and a very minor light skim to the head fac, a good clean up and it's back.
Just waiting on the pistons now so the block can come back and then it's engine back in the car
Nothing much to report on the engine front as still waiting for parts but the new screen is now in
Genuine Volvo of course
So hours before I set off to Germany I got a message to say that the pistons had arrived at the machine shop. So I am now back and have loads of pictures to show you all
While I was away work started on the block to bore it to the correct measurements for the new pistons obviously making the bores perfectly straight as they would have been when new.
The new pistons as they arrived, seems a shame to lock them inside the engine they look that bling!
With their new rods..
Picture of the test bore to make sure the block was ok to go again
Then the final bore
Machining the cut outs in the lower part of the bore to ensure no contact with the new wider H beam rods.
Measuring and adjusting the rings to the correct size for their new homes.
And then fitting the rings to the pistons ready to go in the block
Piston rings on and rod fitted all ready to go into the block
Block decking and fitting the pistons.
Part way through decking
Piston going in
[/QUOTE]
Pistons installed
Block now back from the machine shop and fitting of the bearings and crank
Headgasket and head
Along with a new water pump of course..
Cams in
My small 15G turbo now back on...
So that’s the status with the engine so far….
I’ve also decide to complement the build with this..
Well if nothing else it will not be blowing end tanks off the intercooler anymore and if it does I’d be seriously worried… lol
More updates as they come... Shouldn' be long now.. Can't wait ::
On the subframe complete with gearbox
Damien awaiting his engine
Nearly there...
And.....
Ta da!!
It's in, lots of little bits to refit like the rads and autobox cooler, also got a new brake fluid reservoir to compliment the coolant header tank, but the bulk of it is fitted and I am very pleased so far with how it looks, seeing these pictures have really got the itch back to drive it... And to a larger extent clean it, I'm getting the itch to go the same route I did with my Orion and go for concourse, loads and loads and loads of work to do to get to that level, as its a long way off but that's potentially my next step with the car, if I can be bothered.. Lol
Anyway thanks for reading and comments welcome if you fancy
Part way through decking
Piston going in
[/QUOTE]Pistons installed
Block now back from the machine shop and fitting of the bearings and crank
Headgasket and head
Along with a new water pump of course..
Cams in
My small 15G turbo
now back on...
So that’s the status with the engine so far….
I’ve also decide to complement the build with this..
Well if nothing else it will not be blowing end tanks off the intercooler anymore and if it does I’d be seriously worried… lol
More updates as they come... Shouldn' be long now.. Can't wait ::
On the subframe complete with gearbox
Damien awaiting his engine
Nearly there...
And.....
Ta da!!
It's in, lots of little bits to refit like the rads and autobox cooler, also got a new brake fluid reservoir to compliment the coolant header tank, but the bulk of it is fitted and I am very pleased so far with how it looks, seeing these pictures have really got the itch back to drive it... And to a larger extent clean it, I'm getting the itch to go the same route I did with my Orion and go for concourse, loads and loads and loads of work to do to get to that level, as its a long way off but that's potentially my next step with the car, if I can be bothered.. Lol
Anyway thanks for reading and comments welcome if you fancy
Small update…
So last time I posted an update the engine had literally just been bolted in. A little more progress with the build in that the intercooler, radiator and a/c condenser are all now fitted, then the next port of call is to get new X70 autobox cooler fitted in place tomorrow. Then at a guess I would imagine it won’t leave much else left to do for the initial fire up. Then it will be a case of getting the car MoT’d, run in, mapped and then I will collect it, clean it to death and finally enjoy it…
Anyway some shots of the progress with the fitting of the rads..
In place and free of restriction now the horns aren’t in the way and the centre support has been hollowed out, not sure how much you will or won’t see through the grille yet, will be interesting to find out.
The horns in their new home
Now looking 90% there
And finally since the car first arrived at RT’s I impressed on Russ that I wanted plenty of pictures of the build and he’s just inundated me with a large number of photos that have been taken, honestly there’s loads! I’ve browsed through them and wanted to include some close up shots in the thread of a few bits that I think show the level of attention that Russ and his team has applied to the car. I realise why I waited and carefully considered my options to have the existing engine rebuilt into what it has become rather than just thrown any old second hand lump at or indeed venture into the realms of rebuilding it myself.
Freshly re-wrapped downpipe
New header tank and overflow pipe
Coolant pipe from water pump, not just cleaned but polished.
On advice from Volvo UK’s technical department I opted to fit a brand new oil pump, instead of the original which when stripped actually revealed a hairline crack in the case….
Which can be seen below
New pump
Inlet manifold all in place
Why opt for that inlet manifold and throttle body..?
Well it’s wider and less restrictive.
So is the throttle body…
Modified throttle body linkage
To say it's taken a while to get my butt into gear and get this sorted is an understatement but my interest level in the car has increased 10 fold since the engine parts have been back from the machine shop, genuinely grateful to Russ and his team for the effort that's gone into this and indeed the fuss and general hounding I've been giving them over it whilst it's been with them while I constantly move the goal posts.... Cheers guys, can't wait to get it back
Quick update,
Autobox cooler all in place and the lower grille, with some careful modification, is also now in place.
More importantly the car as of 12:00 this afternoon is now MoT'd, with flying colour's I might add, I managed 2,700 miles in 16 months, not bad considering it was off the road for 12 lol...
I've now got to wait until Sunday to tax it and then on receipt of the disc I'll post it to Russ, as it's now at the running in stage.
Word back from Russ is that it feels great and that throttle response is instant
Yep definitely looking forward to getting it back now, the running in stage can't pass quick enough so it can be mapped again and I can have it back
So tax arrived Friday and I sent it straight over to Russ, he's now received it so let the running in period commence
Can't wait to get it back and drive it, oh and detail it as well
Very quick update
So on Monday this happened
(Car clocked the 500 miles running in period)
And then the following day this gentleman arrived (the legend that is Mark Shead)
Which meant this was needed
And various wires were installed
Considering that realistically the only differences to the engine were the intake, larger throttle body and intercooler it needed quite a bit of tweaking to the fuelling and the ignition, to prevent detonation which was found during initial testing it also was graced with a little more assistance from the turbo and after some laptop issues and the passing of 6 hrs Damien behaved faultlessly and is now mapped
I understand that "I'll be impressed"
I'm away on a short break at the moment and then busy until around the end of the month so it's going to be a long few weeks yet before I see the car but there are a couple of other things I'd like done before I collect it and it gives Russ a chance to drive the car a little to make sure all stays well
Like I said a quick update but for the benefit of anyone who was wondering what's been happening there you have it, that's what's been happening... Lol
So last time I posted an update the engine had literally just been bolted in. A little more progress with the build in that the intercooler, radiator and a/c condenser are all now fitted, then the next port of call is to get new X70 autobox cooler fitted in place tomorrow. Then at a guess I would imagine it won’t leave much else left to do for the initial fire up. Then it will be a case of getting the car MoT’d, run in, mapped and then I will collect it, clean it to death and finally enjoy it…
Anyway some shots of the progress with the fitting of the rads..
In place and free of restriction now the horns aren’t in the way and the centre support has been hollowed out, not sure how much you will or won’t see through the grille yet, will be interesting to find out.
The horns in their new home
Now looking 90% there
And finally since the car first arrived at RT’s I impressed on Russ that I wanted plenty of pictures of the build and he’s just inundated me with a large number of photos that have been taken, honestly there’s loads! I’ve browsed through them and wanted to include some close up shots in the thread of a few bits that I think show the level of attention that Russ and his team has applied to the car. I realise why I waited and carefully considered my options to have the existing engine rebuilt into what it has become rather than just thrown any old second hand lump at or indeed venture into the realms of rebuilding it myself.
Freshly re-wrapped downpipe
New header tank and overflow pipe
Coolant pipe from water pump, not just cleaned but polished.
On advice from Volvo UK’s technical department I opted to fit a brand new oil pump, instead of the original which when stripped actually revealed a hairline crack in the case….
Which can be seen below
New pump
Inlet manifold all in place
Why opt for that inlet manifold and throttle body..?
Well it’s wider and less restrictive.
So is the throttle body…
Modified throttle body linkage
To say it's taken a while to get my butt into gear and get this sorted is an understatement but my interest level in the car has increased 10 fold since the engine parts have been back from the machine shop, genuinely grateful to Russ and his team for the effort that's gone into this and indeed the fuss and general hounding I've been giving them over it whilst it's been with them while I constantly move the goal posts.... Cheers guys, can't wait to get it back
Quick update,
Autobox cooler all in place and the lower grille, with some careful modification, is also now in place.
More importantly the car as of 12:00 this afternoon is now MoT'd, with flying colour's I might add, I managed 2,700 miles in 16 months, not bad considering it was off the road for 12 lol...
I've now got to wait until Sunday to tax it and then on receipt of the disc I'll post it to Russ, as it's now at the running in stage.
Word back from Russ is that it feels great and that throttle response is instant
Yep definitely looking forward to getting it back now, the running in stage can't pass quick enough so it can be mapped again and I can have it back
So tax arrived Friday and I sent it straight over to Russ, he's now received it so let the running in period commence
Can't wait to get it back and drive it, oh and detail it as well
Very quick update
So on Monday this happened
(Car clocked the 500 miles running in period)
And then the following day this gentleman arrived (the legend that is Mark Shead)
Which meant this was needed
And various wires were installed
Considering that realistically the only differences to the engine were the intake, larger throttle body and intercooler it needed quite a bit of tweaking to the fuelling and the ignition, to prevent detonation which was found during initial testing it also was graced with a little more assistance from the turbo
and after some laptop issues and the passing of 6 hrs Damien behaved faultlessly and is now mapped I understand that "I'll be impressed"
I'm away on a short break at the moment and then busy until around the end of the month so it's going to be a long few weeks yet before I see the car but there are a couple of other things I'd like done before I collect it and it gives Russ a chance to drive the car a little to make sure all stays well
Like I said a quick update but for the benefit of anyone who was wondering what's been happening there you have it, that's what's been happening... Lol
Update time…
Been a while since I updated this so thought I had better get it done. So where are we? Well last weekend I went down to see Russ and his family whilst also tying in a quick test drive of the car to see how the new engine and map were doing
When I say quick it was supposed to be a 10 minute drive but we were out in the car for a good hour, more on that in a bit….
So 1 and ½ years after I last sat behind the wheel I was feeling equally excited and nervous about driving it again, not quite sure what the nerves was all about, I think it was a mixture of worry that I would not being impressed with the car anymore, I hadn’t missed it that much of late tbh, and perhaps there was an element present that I was scared of breaking it…again!! On the other side I was excited to see how the car went and how it performed and drove from cold, having the opportunity of driving it straight from the cold start.
So it’s 08:30 on a cold bright sunny Sunday, it’s been raining heavily for the last 2 days but this morning we’ve got blue skies and sunshine. James (my brother), Russ and I head out to the driveway where the car has been parked overnight. Very kindly Russ has offered to clean the car the day before and despite the collection of dirt from his drive home in the rain and the high levels of dew the car is still shining well. As soon as I set eyes on the car again I find an overwhelming level of excitement is suppressing the nervousness. I take the opportunity to have a look at the engine bay for the first time after the build and I’m impressed. The engine bay looks undisturbed despite the heavy surgery and the finish is excellent. I can see my carbon finished engine trims and cambelt cover in the flesh and they complement the freshly rebuilt engine well. My only disappointment is all the cleaning I did myself is now covered away and out of sight but at least I know it’s clean.. lol
Anyway I jumped into the drivers’ seat and was greeted by this oddly fitting trip reading, also the amount of miles since the engine was rebuilt.
Simple things I guess? Turn the key and the engine cranks and fires into life without a hint of any change to how I remember it, except of course the ticking has gone! That’s where some similarities end, the first touch of the throttle and I notice an instant urgency about the car that was never there before. The change in the engine’s responsiveness from standstill at light throttle is unbelievable, we move away and drive up the road and two other differences are immediate. With the drivers window open I can hear very slight piston slap, the sort I have become accustom to on cars with race spec pistons, this noise goes as the engine warms from cold. More importantly the gearbox changes gear seamlessly, the Silkoline race spec ATF I’ve opted for has transformed the gearbox.
My current company car is fitted with VW’s latest silky smooth 7 speed DSG gearbox so you can imagine my surprise when I find my 110,000 mile 17 year old Volvo is on par, this was a very pleasant surprise indeed, the gearbox on the Volvo has always been what I considered to be nice and smooth I didn’t expect this sort of improvement. Once out on the open road I find the car to feel solid, stiff and sure footed even on wet roads from the night before, all traits of the car I’d forgotten or perhaps become comfortable with when I was driving it but subsequently forgot about when I wasn’t.
Still admiring how driveable, smooth but firm the car felt we’d now been out for 20 minutes and the car was safely up to operating temperatures so I started to pick up the pace. The mere prod of the pedal brought the boost in, still essentially being a 15G the car never really suffered from turbo lag but what lag was it’s now almost non existent. The boost comes in earlier, smoother, stronger and now I’m seeing the factory boost gauge going past the horizontal position it had previously rested at with the pre-build custom map, indeed now were pointing at the top of the temperature gauge symbol. It’s safe to say that performance is almost definitely effortless not requiring more than ¾’s throttle to make very decent headway. As pace gathers so does the speed it creates this pace with and by that I mean it seems to accelerate faster the faster you go, it feels like it won’t stop accelerating, something my brother also commented on. Yet despite the cars increased performance the engines’ sound output has quietened slightly, it’s almost as if its generating pace in its stride and sounds like its not even working. Of course you still have the 5 cylinder growl but it’s slightly dampened on how it once was a product perhaps of it’s new found love to rev and accelerate with less time spent labouring? I’m not sure but it’s certainly quieter than it was pre-rebuild/pre-bent rod. That aside WOW my god does it go! It’s been a week since I drove it but I’m still as excited, at the time I wanted to ring people who knew the car and tell them about it but I managed to resist! It’s taken me a week to condense this post down to a reasonable level.. lol
One thing however that did become apparent is that the brakes aren’t really up to the job anymore, I’ve always felt that the 302’s with the Ferrodo DS2500 pads were an ample setup for the car. Now the pace of the car has clearly increased the reassuring bit they once had has gone and I find that I’ve lost a little of the confidence I once had in them as a result. The rear brake discs and front brake discs are now showing signs of being warped and I feel it is the time to consider an upgrade.
There are several big brake upgrades but I’ve always been fond of the AP set up and I feel this is the set up I shall go for. Being specifically designed and made to go on the Volvo AP have taken into consideration master cylinder size and therefore no other upgrades are necessary and having driven a couple of 850’s with the AP upgrade thankfully the standard pedal feel remains but with added positive confidence inspiring results. In any case with Christmas on the way it will be something for the New Year now and something else to save for.
So after spending the best part of an hour on test drive it was a good time to swing into Chichester town centre for a Costa, I did manage to get a couple of shots of the car when we parked so here they are. It’s now grubby again and I’m very much looking forward to detailing it again and getting it back to looking pin sharp again ready to get covered in snow and salt.. lol
There are now just 2 things to sort and I will be finally collecting the car, the first is to refit the splitter and the second is the final touch for the front of the car, and here’s a sneak peak….
Yes, the egg crate grille. As you can see I’ve opted for the one with the chrome outer surround really only because I think it looks more like the factory egg crate grilles from the X70 series cars. I’m really fussy when it comes to aftermarket grilles on 850’s and I’ve always maintained original is best but equally I’ve always wondered what an egg crate would look like on the car. Tbh as it stands at the moment I am not a fan, in fact I hate it, and it may not stay but it’s also not finished yet. I’ve bought a brand new XC90 slash and Russ is hopefully going to be able to modify it so that it will fit flush to the grille. The reason for the later slash is that the chrome finish will be new and the later Volvo emblem will complement my wheel centres. Once this is fitted then I will assess the grille and if I like it then it will stay, thankfully the original is still safe and ready to be refitted should I hate it. Also since I’ve had the front splitter fitted whenever I’ve removed it I’ve always hated the look of the car so hopefully with the slash and the lower splitter refitted I’ll like the grille, who knows! Lol
Anyway, to summarise I’m again smitten with the way the car drives, it’s silky smooth but devilishly quick, indeed much quicker than before. Boasting more boost in 1st gear and high boost now present in 2nd gear, where as before it only came in from 3rd onwards. The way it picks up from standstill will also give an improved 60ft time so with that and the boost hike it will definitely give an improved ¼ time…. Maybe good for 14 flat or high 13’s however that will have to remain a theory for now, definitely not bad for a lame old auto[/QUOTE]
So to bring this thread up to date the grille is now complete and the splitter is on the car, got this last picture through from Russ on Friday
I've also made my decision about the brakes and that is I will be getting the AP's for the front and going with new Volvo rear discs and Ferrodo rear brake pads, this is however something I shall be doing in the new year perhaps March/April time when the weather improves again as I have now collected the car from RT's and have it here at home with me, and what a drive home it was! Despite not experiencing full throttle yet I can confirm it is indeed one very fast car even at 1/2 throttle, in fact I'd go as far as to say of all the cars I've driven to date it's probably the smoothest fast car I have ever driven. The power is relentless from the moment you put your toe down to the moment you take it off, the car is even better on fuel than before and it makes me extremely pleased to say it is actually mine, I can not tell you how happy I am, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, well well welll worth the wait!
So to conclude this chapter all that is left to say is a VERY VERY big thank you to Russ and his team for all the hard work and effort that has gone into the build they have definitely surpassed themselves with the build as now having been over the car in my own time the attention to detail is amazing, the car drives the best it has ever driven and despite having had major surgery and having been with them since March the car hasn't even picked up the tiniest of marks. I am so so pleased with your work guys so thanks for all you've done, and thanks for putting up with my nagging and constant questions/added on work requests, guys this car is a testimony to you
How the car looks now I have it back and have had a chance to clean it
The engine bay
Been a while since I updated this so thought I had better get it done. So where are we? Well last weekend I went down to see Russ and his family whilst also tying in a quick test drive of the car to see how the new engine and map were doing
When I say quick it was supposed to be a 10 minute drive but we were out in the car for a good hour, more on that in a bit….
So 1 and ½ years after I last sat behind the wheel I was feeling equally excited and nervous about driving it again, not quite sure what the nerves was all about, I think it was a mixture of worry that I would not being impressed with the car anymore, I hadn’t missed it that much of late tbh, and perhaps there was an element present that I was scared of breaking it…again!! On the other side I was excited to see how the car went and how it performed and drove from cold, having the opportunity of driving it straight from the cold start.
So it’s 08:30 on a cold bright sunny Sunday, it’s been raining heavily for the last 2 days but this morning we’ve got blue skies and sunshine. James (my brother), Russ and I head out to the driveway where the car has been parked overnight. Very kindly Russ has offered to clean the car the day before and despite the collection of dirt from his drive home in the rain and the high levels of dew the car is still shining well. As soon as I set eyes on the car again I find an overwhelming level of excitement is suppressing the nervousness. I take the opportunity to have a look at the engine bay for the first time after the build and I’m impressed. The engine bay looks undisturbed despite the heavy surgery and the finish is excellent. I can see my carbon finished engine trims and cambelt cover in the flesh and they complement the freshly rebuilt engine well. My only disappointment is all the cleaning I did myself is now covered away and out of sight but at least I know it’s clean.. lol
Anyway I jumped into the drivers’ seat and was greeted by this oddly fitting trip reading, also the amount of miles since the engine was rebuilt.
Simple things I guess? Turn the key and the engine cranks and fires into life without a hint of any change to how I remember it, except of course the ticking has gone! That’s where some similarities end, the first touch of the throttle and I notice an instant urgency about the car that was never there before. The change in the engine’s responsiveness from standstill at light throttle is unbelievable, we move away and drive up the road and two other differences are immediate. With the drivers window open I can hear very slight piston slap, the sort I have become accustom to on cars with race spec pistons, this noise goes as the engine warms from cold. More importantly the gearbox changes gear seamlessly, the Silkoline race spec ATF I’ve opted for has transformed the gearbox.
My current company car is fitted with VW’s latest silky smooth 7 speed DSG gearbox so you can imagine my surprise when I find my 110,000 mile 17 year old Volvo is on par, this was a very pleasant surprise indeed, the gearbox on the Volvo has always been what I considered to be nice and smooth I didn’t expect this sort of improvement. Once out on the open road I find the car to feel solid, stiff and sure footed even on wet roads from the night before, all traits of the car I’d forgotten or perhaps become comfortable with when I was driving it but subsequently forgot about when I wasn’t.
Still admiring how driveable, smooth but firm the car felt we’d now been out for 20 minutes and the car was safely up to operating temperatures so I started to pick up the pace. The mere prod of the pedal brought the boost in, still essentially being a 15G the car never really suffered from turbo lag but what lag was it’s now almost non existent. The boost comes in earlier, smoother, stronger and now I’m seeing the factory boost gauge going past the horizontal position it had previously rested at with the pre-build custom map, indeed now were pointing at the top of the temperature gauge symbol. It’s safe to say that performance is almost definitely effortless not requiring more than ¾’s throttle to make very decent headway. As pace gathers so does the speed it creates this pace with and by that I mean it seems to accelerate faster the faster you go, it feels like it won’t stop accelerating, something my brother also commented on. Yet despite the cars increased performance the engines’ sound output has quietened slightly, it’s almost as if its generating pace in its stride and sounds like its not even working. Of course you still have the 5 cylinder growl but it’s slightly dampened on how it once was a product perhaps of it’s new found love to rev and accelerate with less time spent labouring? I’m not sure but it’s certainly quieter than it was pre-rebuild/pre-bent rod. That aside WOW my god does it go! It’s been a week since I drove it but I’m still as excited, at the time I wanted to ring people who knew the car and tell them about it but I managed to resist! It’s taken me a week to condense this post down to a reasonable level.. lol
One thing however that did become apparent is that the brakes aren’t really up to the job anymore, I’ve always felt that the 302’s with the Ferrodo DS2500 pads were an ample setup for the car. Now the pace of the car has clearly increased the reassuring bit they once had has gone and I find that I’ve lost a little of the confidence I once had in them as a result. The rear brake discs and front brake discs are now showing signs of being warped and I feel it is the time to consider an upgrade.
There are several big brake upgrades but I’ve always been fond of the AP set up and I feel this is the set up I shall go for. Being specifically designed and made to go on the Volvo AP have taken into consideration master cylinder size and therefore no other upgrades are necessary and having driven a couple of 850’s with the AP upgrade thankfully the standard pedal feel remains but with added positive confidence inspiring results. In any case with Christmas on the way it will be something for the New Year now and something else to save for.
So after spending the best part of an hour on test drive it was a good time to swing into Chichester town centre for a Costa, I did manage to get a couple of shots of the car when we parked so here they are. It’s now grubby again and I’m very much looking forward to detailing it again and getting it back to looking pin sharp again ready to get covered in snow and salt.. lol
There are now just 2 things to sort and I will be finally collecting the car, the first is to refit the splitter and the second is the final touch for the front of the car, and here’s a sneak peak….
Yes, the egg crate grille. As you can see I’ve opted for the one with the chrome outer surround really only because I think it looks more like the factory egg crate grilles from the X70 series cars. I’m really fussy when it comes to aftermarket grilles on 850’s and I’ve always maintained original is best but equally I’ve always wondered what an egg crate would look like on the car. Tbh as it stands at the moment I am not a fan, in fact I hate it, and it may not stay but it’s also not finished yet. I’ve bought a brand new XC90 slash and Russ is hopefully going to be able to modify it so that it will fit flush to the grille. The reason for the later slash is that the chrome finish will be new and the later Volvo emblem will complement my wheel centres. Once this is fitted then I will assess the grille and if I like it then it will stay, thankfully the original is still safe and ready to be refitted should I hate it. Also since I’ve had the front splitter fitted whenever I’ve removed it I’ve always hated the look of the car so hopefully with the slash and the lower splitter refitted I’ll like the grille, who knows! Lol
Anyway, to summarise I’m again smitten with the way the car drives, it’s silky smooth but devilishly quick, indeed much quicker than before. Boasting more boost in 1st gear and high boost now present in 2nd gear, where as before it only came in from 3rd onwards. The way it picks up from standstill will also give an improved 60ft time so with that and the boost hike it will definitely give an improved ¼ time…. Maybe good for 14 flat or high 13’s however that will have to remain a theory for now, definitely not bad for a lame old auto
[/QUOTE]So to bring this thread up to date the grille is now complete and the splitter is on the car, got this last picture through from Russ on Friday
I've also made my decision about the brakes and that is I will be getting the AP's for the front and going with new Volvo rear discs and Ferrodo rear brake pads, this is however something I shall be doing in the new year perhaps March/April time when the weather improves again as I have now collected the car from RT's and have it here at home with me, and what a drive home it was! Despite not experiencing full throttle yet I can confirm it is indeed one very fast car even at 1/2 throttle, in fact I'd go as far as to say of all the cars I've driven to date it's probably the smoothest fast car I have ever driven. The power is relentless from the moment you put your toe down to the moment you take it off, the car is even better on fuel than before and it makes me extremely pleased to say it is actually mine, I can not tell you how happy I am, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, well well welll worth the wait!
So to conclude this chapter all that is left to say is a VERY VERY big thank you to Russ and his team for all the hard work and effort that has gone into the build they have definitely surpassed themselves with the build as now having been over the car in my own time the attention to detail is amazing, the car drives the best it has ever driven and despite having had major surgery and having been with them since March the car hasn't even picked up the tiniest of marks. I am so so pleased with your work guys so thanks for all you've done, and thanks for putting up with my nagging and constant questions/added on work requests, guys this car is a testimony to you
How the car looks now I have it back and have had a chance to clean it
The engine bay
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff