850 T5 Project - Ivy
Discussion
Yours looks fantastic! Love the colour on those Volans too, looks great.
Not much to report so far on Ivy. Just been driving it (550 miles since purchase so far, trotting up and down the M1). Performing great, lock is good - surprisingly easy to navigate the rather tight multi-storey car park that my uni rents out. Masses of glass everywhere make visibility amazing and its a cinch to park as a result. Cabin is nice and light as a bonus too. So far averaging 25mpg - which is a little low for one of these, and costing me about £75 a week in petrol. Still, I knew I'd be paying more for fuel when I got into this.
Beyond that, got a new rear exhaust hanger for £8.99 that will hopefully be fitted this weekend when there's some daylight. I've also ordered a new set of pads and discs for the rear (for the same price as a pads and discs all round cost on the old Corolla!
) as the o/s/r caliper has stuck. Also trying to chase down a better condition headliner, which is a massive ballache, and a few trim pieces I'm missing... most importantly the cover for the centre-mid brakelight as at the minute every time I brake at night light shoots into the cabin. Did not expect parts to be such a pain for these, I must say.
Is anyone able to recommend a good automotive re-trimmer in Sheffield/Chesterfield/Nottingham area?
Not much to report so far on Ivy. Just been driving it (550 miles since purchase so far, trotting up and down the M1). Performing great, lock is good - surprisingly easy to navigate the rather tight multi-storey car park that my uni rents out. Masses of glass everywhere make visibility amazing and its a cinch to park as a result. Cabin is nice and light as a bonus too. So far averaging 25mpg - which is a little low for one of these, and costing me about £75 a week in petrol. Still, I knew I'd be paying more for fuel when I got into this.
Beyond that, got a new rear exhaust hanger for £8.99 that will hopefully be fitted this weekend when there's some daylight. I've also ordered a new set of pads and discs for the rear (for the same price as a pads and discs all round cost on the old Corolla!
) as the o/s/r caliper has stuck. Also trying to chase down a better condition headliner, which is a massive ballache, and a few trim pieces I'm missing... most importantly the cover for the centre-mid brakelight as at the minute every time I brake at night light shoots into the cabin. Did not expect parts to be such a pain for these, I must say.Is anyone able to recommend a good automotive re-trimmer in Sheffield/Chesterfield/Nottingham area?
Thanks, and couldn't sgree more. Love the shape of the 7, 8, and 9 series Volvos. 2 series too, thinking about it.
Another minor update; graphite powder is the best. Lacking a working remotre fob (on the list, been investigated already - fob I have doesn't have matching immobiliser code, and won't be reprogrammed), I'm reliant on central locking by the key, which has until now been quite stiff and almost snapped my only key on a cold morning. £3.99 for 50g of graphite powder might just be the best £4 I spent, quick shot of that into both front locks and its almost unbelievably smooth, smoother even than the brand new door locks on my patio doors. Even worked wonders on the house locks. Fantastic stuff.
In slightly more exciting news, the gaiter trim piece has now arrived so I'll be fixing that soon. Better still, I've sourced a cover for the rear centre-high brake light and a headliner that isn't saggier than a wizards sleeve (its actually not saggy at all) from a chap breaking an 850 less than an hours drive from Pontsian - which is where my parents live and where I'll be for tomorrow and Saturday. £25 for both, which frankly is a stonking price imo. Hopefully that means shortly I'll have all the interior trim sorted, and the headliner amended - the two biggest gripes I have with the car at the moment. With a bit of luck I'll also find the time to put the new hanger on and sort the rear brakes.
Another minor update; graphite powder is the best. Lacking a working remotre fob (on the list, been investigated already - fob I have doesn't have matching immobiliser code, and won't be reprogrammed), I'm reliant on central locking by the key, which has until now been quite stiff and almost snapped my only key on a cold morning. £3.99 for 50g of graphite powder might just be the best £4 I spent, quick shot of that into both front locks and its almost unbelievably smooth, smoother even than the brand new door locks on my patio doors. Even worked wonders on the house locks. Fantastic stuff.
In slightly more exciting news, the gaiter trim piece has now arrived so I'll be fixing that soon. Better still, I've sourced a cover for the rear centre-high brake light and a headliner that isn't saggier than a wizards sleeve (its actually not saggy at all) from a chap breaking an 850 less than an hours drive from Pontsian - which is where my parents live and where I'll be for tomorrow and Saturday. £25 for both, which frankly is a stonking price imo. Hopefully that means shortly I'll have all the interior trim sorted, and the headliner amended - the two biggest gripes I have with the car at the moment. With a bit of luck I'll also find the time to put the new hanger on and sort the rear brakes.
Brompty said:
Can I ask, what did you actually do with the graphite powder, and where did you get it from?
Sorry to jump in here, but:-rub a pencil lead on a bit of W&D paper over a piece of card or paper, that's been folded down the middle
-tap the graphite dust into the middle of the fold of the paper
-tip the graphite dust from the fold into the lock barrel
-enjoy a silky-smooth key action
Honestly, it's that simple
Graphite powder is available on eBay or Amazon for cheap, or more expensively from a locksmith.
I just put the bottle on an angle and squirmed a small amount into the lock barrel. After that just run your key in and out and cycle the lock a few times to distribute the powder and voila.
Barchettaman is also spot on for a cheaper still option.
Drove from Chesterfield to Pontsian last night, A44, Devils Bridge and the A487 are some of my favourite roads and I'm shocked at how well the 850 handles and grips. Feels like a much smaller car and there wasn't a hint of understeer despite pushing on a bit. Thoroughly impressed and found it highly enjoyable.
I just put the bottle on an angle and squirmed a small amount into the lock barrel. After that just run your key in and out and cycle the lock a few times to distribute the powder and voila.
Barchettaman is also spot on for a cheaper still option.
Drove from Chesterfield to Pontsian last night, A44, Devils Bridge and the A487 are some of my favourite roads and I'm shocked at how well the 850 handles and grips. Feels like a much smaller car and there wasn't a hint of understeer despite pushing on a bit. Thoroughly impressed and found it highly enjoyable.
More progress, and more miles! 500 covered this weekend, all flawlessly and with a much better 33mpg average - despite having a lot of fun on the A487 and A44.
Managed to collect a headliner from a guy relatively close to my parents house and get that fitted. 2 hour job in total, including obsessively cleaning each trim piece from its rather disgusting former self into something somewhat respectable. Only broke 1 of around 40 clips too, which was a locator clip and not one that held-on - so no rattles!
Grimm...:
Tolerable:
Makes such a difference, interior is much lighter, smell is much better (ex-smokers car
), and there's more light as half the windows aren't covered!
Unfortunately the breaker snapped a few too many pins from the centre-mid brake light cover so that doesn't fit, but he's going to send me a different one in the coming days. Awfully nice of him.
Beyond that I also managed to sort my exhaust hanger out, old one was in pieces - and I do mean pieces...
Fewer rattles and vibrations all round now.
I also found the missing trim piece, bit of an odd story there. When I first vacuumed the car I found lots of broken plastic beneath the rear bench; one of which I now recognise as the centre-mid brake light cover, and the other looked like some vents.
At the time I couldn't see any trim that it correlated too, but it had Volvo stamped on it so I chucked it in the shed in case. I promptly forgot about it, and so when I noticed the front tow-hook trim was missing I failed to make the connection. Anyway, when hunting for a 13mm socket today I stumbled across the trim and it dawned on me, leading to a complete front end:
Noticed the trim beneath the headlights is starting to come away from the wings, which might be why the indicator lamps looked like they weren't seated properly!
Lastly, quick picture of my Dad's P2 V70 (the one that can't do a u-turn on a football field, but also my favourite modern estate looks wise) behind Ivy at their place.
Oh, and Dad also managed to 'fix' the speakers... Turns out the balance was just set to the front right, and I couldn't figure out where the balance controls were. Luckily it was the same as the 940s we used to have so he promptly sorted it within about 10 seconds of turning the radio on, and without me even mentioning that I suspected the speakers were dead.
Managed to collect a headliner from a guy relatively close to my parents house and get that fitted. 2 hour job in total, including obsessively cleaning each trim piece from its rather disgusting former self into something somewhat respectable. Only broke 1 of around 40 clips too, which was a locator clip and not one that held-on - so no rattles!
Grimm...:
Tolerable:
Makes such a difference, interior is much lighter, smell is much better (ex-smokers car
), and there's more light as half the windows aren't covered!Unfortunately the breaker snapped a few too many pins from the centre-mid brake light cover so that doesn't fit, but he's going to send me a different one in the coming days. Awfully nice of him.
Beyond that I also managed to sort my exhaust hanger out, old one was in pieces - and I do mean pieces...
Fewer rattles and vibrations all round now.
I also found the missing trim piece, bit of an odd story there. When I first vacuumed the car I found lots of broken plastic beneath the rear bench; one of which I now recognise as the centre-mid brake light cover, and the other looked like some vents.
At the time I couldn't see any trim that it correlated too, but it had Volvo stamped on it so I chucked it in the shed in case. I promptly forgot about it, and so when I noticed the front tow-hook trim was missing I failed to make the connection. Anyway, when hunting for a 13mm socket today I stumbled across the trim and it dawned on me, leading to a complete front end:
Noticed the trim beneath the headlights is starting to come away from the wings, which might be why the indicator lamps looked like they weren't seated properly!
Lastly, quick picture of my Dad's P2 V70 (the one that can't do a u-turn on a football field, but also my favourite modern estate looks wise) behind Ivy at their place.
Oh, and Dad also managed to 'fix' the speakers... Turns out the balance was just set to the front right, and I couldn't figure out where the balance controls were. Luckily it was the same as the 940s we used to have so he promptly sorted it within about 10 seconds of turning the radio on, and without me even mentioning that I suspected the speakers were dead.
Edited by Cookeh on Sunday 18th February 16:14
Not much to report, up to a total of 1200 miles so far. Not bad for a car that sat for 6 months prior. I do have a seized o/s/r caliper, which I've ordered the part for - but oddly doesn't seem to affect breaking, no pulling or anything like that.
I did decide to do something about the boot though. Previous owner used it for its intended purpose but didn't put any protection down... It was a mess, oil spill at some point, mud from bikes, lube and grease marks from chain rings etc. Got it sorted in about forty minutes all told.
Some befores:
Oil spill?
Chain rings:
50/50 shot, as you cant clean something without a 50/50 shot...:
That oil spill:
And its completed state:
I did decide to do something about the boot though. Previous owner used it for its intended purpose but didn't put any protection down... It was a mess, oil spill at some point, mud from bikes, lube and grease marks from chain rings etc. Got it sorted in about forty minutes all told.
Some befores:
Oil spill?
Chain rings:
50/50 shot, as you cant clean something without a 50/50 shot...:
That oil spill:
And its completed state:
Cleaned it today, and did something about the very faded trim. Found some Autoglym Bumper and Trim Gel in the back of the shed, but despite it being very easy to apply and having a nice matte finish I wouldn't recommend it. Coverage is far from universal, looking patchy all over and it doesn't have the greatest restorative effects, also took about a third of the bottle in 2 coats to get to this stage, so not particularly cheap either!
Paint isn't in bad condition for its age, few larger scratches here and there that will need touching up, but swirling isn't too bad so should be pretty ok to correct. Waiting for the weather to improve before breaking the DA out and waxing her properly.
Paint isn't in bad condition for its age, few larger scratches here and there that will need touching up, but swirling isn't too bad so should be pretty ok to correct. Waiting for the weather to improve before breaking the DA out and waxing her properly.
2000 miles review/recap:
After just under six weeks of ownership I've now competed 2000 miles in the brick. Absolutely loving it. I think I mentioned before that it feels almost bipolar, it can be such a calm and relaxing drive with big comfy seats, excellent ergonomics and that muted beast of an engine producing max torque from 2000rpm to 5000rpm. I've done four 5hr drives now without stops and it never feels tiring. But then if you find a fast A-road, like the last (or first on the return journey) 2.5hrs of those four drives, and open the throttle its like you're in a different car.
The throttle is nice and responsive, gearbox is crisp with quite a short throw, and if you keep it on boost she really shifts. I do believe the 0-60 time, whilst not 'slow', doesn't fairly represent just how quick these cars are. That same muted engine has that fantastic 5cyl growl to it towards the upper end of the rev range that becomes quite addictive, almost urging you to keep pushing on and push it that bit harder.
The handling is great, turn is in nice and I like the weight to the steering - light enough to make multistory car parks easy, but heavy enough to feel connected to the road. Even on the horridly cheap and under-damped coilovers some moron thought were a sensible option she still corners nice and flat and I haven't yet found her lacking grip through the corners (perhaps I need to try harder!). That's not to say she isn't lairy, I can still get wheelspin in third in the damp, so some better tyres are definitely on the list.... She's on Avon ZT7s at the minute.
I'm averaging 30.1mpg across that 2000miles so far, which isn't terrible, especially given more than 500 miles of that has been the aforementioned fast A-roads, and 7 miles of my 30 mile daily commute is in Sheffield's A630 and city centre parking lots.
Beyond that, I decided it might be interesting to look at how much I've spent on her so far - especially given both o/s calipers have partially seized, requiring £250s worth of caliper, disks and pads to be bought. Weirdly no advisories on the MOT, so clearly the inner pads (just the outers on both not working) provides enough braking efficiency and there is no pull.
Volvo 850 T5 Costs
Purchase (inc sale of old) ... 600.00
Indicator lamps .................. 16.47
Wipers ............................... 18.03
Interior mats ...................... 17.99
Tracking ............................ 28.00
Exhaust hanger ................ 8.99
Headliner .......................... 20.00
Full + Stage 0 service ...... 367.42
Air con regas .................... 45.00
N/S/F caliper .................... 70.68
N/S/R caliper .................... 54.95
Rear disks ........................ 50.98
Rear pads ........................ 17.99
Rear guide pins ................ 7.59
Total 1324.09
Not the cheapest 2 months, but considering I was originally budgeting £2000 for a new car I'm doing fairly well. Brakes shouldn't be a yearly affair either (at least I hope not!), and service prices should be lower and also fall into 1 a year (ish). I will need new tyres at some point, so that will probably be around £320, and I'm planning on refurbishing the drivers seat (£100), if I can't find a manual set of seats from a P2 V70 first.
Lastly, a quick pic because you cant simply post a wall of text...
After just under six weeks of ownership I've now competed 2000 miles in the brick. Absolutely loving it. I think I mentioned before that it feels almost bipolar, it can be such a calm and relaxing drive with big comfy seats, excellent ergonomics and that muted beast of an engine producing max torque from 2000rpm to 5000rpm. I've done four 5hr drives now without stops and it never feels tiring. But then if you find a fast A-road, like the last (or first on the return journey) 2.5hrs of those four drives, and open the throttle its like you're in a different car.
The throttle is nice and responsive, gearbox is crisp with quite a short throw, and if you keep it on boost she really shifts. I do believe the 0-60 time, whilst not 'slow', doesn't fairly represent just how quick these cars are. That same muted engine has that fantastic 5cyl growl to it towards the upper end of the rev range that becomes quite addictive, almost urging you to keep pushing on and push it that bit harder.
The handling is great, turn is in nice and I like the weight to the steering - light enough to make multistory car parks easy, but heavy enough to feel connected to the road. Even on the horridly cheap and under-damped coilovers some moron thought were a sensible option she still corners nice and flat and I haven't yet found her lacking grip through the corners (perhaps I need to try harder!). That's not to say she isn't lairy, I can still get wheelspin in third in the damp, so some better tyres are definitely on the list.... She's on Avon ZT7s at the minute.
I'm averaging 30.1mpg across that 2000miles so far, which isn't terrible, especially given more than 500 miles of that has been the aforementioned fast A-roads, and 7 miles of my 30 mile daily commute is in Sheffield's A630 and city centre parking lots.
Beyond that, I decided it might be interesting to look at how much I've spent on her so far - especially given both o/s calipers have partially seized, requiring £250s worth of caliper, disks and pads to be bought. Weirdly no advisories on the MOT, so clearly the inner pads (just the outers on both not working) provides enough braking efficiency and there is no pull.
Volvo 850 T5 Costs
Purchase (inc sale of old) ... 600.00
Indicator lamps .................. 16.47
Wipers ............................... 18.03
Interior mats ...................... 17.99
Tracking ............................ 28.00
Exhaust hanger ................ 8.99
Headliner .......................... 20.00
Full + Stage 0 service ...... 367.42
Air con regas .................... 45.00
N/S/F caliper .................... 70.68
N/S/R caliper .................... 54.95
Rear disks ........................ 50.98
Rear pads ........................ 17.99
Rear guide pins ................ 7.59
Total 1324.09
Not the cheapest 2 months, but considering I was originally budgeting £2000 for a new car I'm doing fairly well. Brakes shouldn't be a yearly affair either (at least I hope not!), and service prices should be lower and also fall into 1 a year (ish). I will need new tyres at some point, so that will probably be around £320, and I'm planning on refurbishing the drivers seat (£100), if I can't find a manual set of seats from a P2 V70 first.
Lastly, a quick pic because you cant simply post a wall of text...
Fixed two of my largest grievances with the interior today. Firstly, the unceasing rattle of the barely usable glovebox lid. Missing screws in the RHS hinge meant the lid flopped around and wouldnt align properly with the catch. It also meant the hinge was free to vibrate at will - which it did, endlessly.
Easy enough fix, just had to pop the plastic guides out of the lid (took a lot of effort as no space to lever it on the RHS), but then its just 5 T25 Torx screws and the glove box liner comes out, giving you access to heater blower/various wiring and the all import hinges. Popped a short T30 screw into the hinge hole and voila, lid fixed.
Next up was the gaiter. As you may have seen from early pictures the trim piece had broken and and so the gaiter was not held in place - moving with the gear changes and leaving the shaft of the gearstick and the bushings free to see. Naturally this also rattled.
(Old pic, from collection day... My cars are never that dirty!)
Even easier to fix, just requiring a bit of superglue and a new trim piece (from a breaker car). Simply remove the broken trim, slide the new trim over the knob, and slot the rubber gaiter into it. Then just pop the leather cover over the trim, using the clips to secure it in place and add a bit of glue on each corner to keep it nice and tight. Then just press the trim into place. Voila, no more rattles, no more dirt in the bushings, and no more trans tunnels/hardware sightings!
Easy enough fix, just had to pop the plastic guides out of the lid (took a lot of effort as no space to lever it on the RHS), but then its just 5 T25 Torx screws and the glove box liner comes out, giving you access to heater blower/various wiring and the all import hinges. Popped a short T30 screw into the hinge hole and voila, lid fixed.
Next up was the gaiter. As you may have seen from early pictures the trim piece had broken and and so the gaiter was not held in place - moving with the gear changes and leaving the shaft of the gearstick and the bushings free to see. Naturally this also rattled.
(Old pic, from collection day... My cars are never that dirty!)
Even easier to fix, just requiring a bit of superglue and a new trim piece (from a breaker car). Simply remove the broken trim, slide the new trim over the knob, and slot the rubber gaiter into it. Then just pop the leather cover over the trim, using the clips to secure it in place and add a bit of glue on each corner to keep it nice and tight. Then just press the trim into place. Voila, no more rattles, no more dirt in the bushings, and no more trans tunnels/hardware sightings!
Excellent read and excellent car, good work.
I've had several T5 equipped 850 and V70 models over the years and whilst the R models may be the Holy Grail and command strong money these days, as an all rounder a nice, unmolested T5 is very hard to beat. I deeply regret getting rid of mine and find myself looking for a replacement most days and have made the moves to buy a couple lately but for one reason or another, it hasn't materialised.
I do still have a 1998 V70 T5 Auto, which is in essence, the same car so I can relate to a lot of the content in here. One thing I would say is don't modify the engine, certainly not a 3" exhaust, cheap map and manual boost controller sort of modifying as they are brilliant as standard and very very reliable if looked after. They definitely respond well to fresh plugs, leads and filters and make sure all the vacuum hoses to and from the turbo and around the inlet manifold, especially the 90deg elbow on the power steering pump end of the inlet manifold aren't split or perished and if so, replace them.
Fabulous cars and as you say, surprisingly small by today's standards... but as an all rounder, they really are hard to see past more so given their relative simplicity, cheap running costs, build quality and their surprising turn of speed as and when required.
Fantastic to see a nice, honest example too!
I've had several T5 equipped 850 and V70 models over the years and whilst the R models may be the Holy Grail and command strong money these days, as an all rounder a nice, unmolested T5 is very hard to beat. I deeply regret getting rid of mine and find myself looking for a replacement most days and have made the moves to buy a couple lately but for one reason or another, it hasn't materialised.
I do still have a 1998 V70 T5 Auto, which is in essence, the same car so I can relate to a lot of the content in here. One thing I would say is don't modify the engine, certainly not a 3" exhaust, cheap map and manual boost controller sort of modifying as they are brilliant as standard and very very reliable if looked after. They definitely respond well to fresh plugs, leads and filters and make sure all the vacuum hoses to and from the turbo and around the inlet manifold, especially the 90deg elbow on the power steering pump end of the inlet manifold aren't split or perished and if so, replace them.
Fabulous cars and as you say, surprisingly small by today's standards... but as an all rounder, they really are hard to see past more so given their relative simplicity, cheap running costs, build quality and their surprising turn of speed as and when required.
Fantastic to see a nice, honest example too!
Thanks chaps, certainly no chavvy or engine mods planned just yet - not when I rely on it for 16k a year! At best it will get a new headunit, perhaps a (quiet) stainless exhaust as that I5 really does sound great.
Slightly larger update today.
Finally got around to sorting out both o/s seized calipers. The o/s/f was a doddle, all the bolts came off cleanly and easy, including the brake line. Swapping the new part in went equally smoothly, so now that's all nice and shiny.
aaaand the old one, with a knackered seal and some heavy corrosion on the inner sides:
Brimming with confidence due to the ease of the front one, I moved onto the rear. Same ease of removal with regards to disc and caliper, but I could not get the brake line undone for love nor money. Mole grips, adjustable spanners, flare nut spanners, all just rounded. Applied as much heat as I dared (was fearful of boiling the fluid), that made no difference. Even tried hammering a slightly smaller size flare nut spanner onto the nut to try and get some bite, still fruitless.
Given the rear line is solid from swingarm back I knew at this point I was pretty much committed to getting a new line made. Gave in, and took it to my local HiQ - where the manager is a huge Volvo fan (he has a P80 V70 on upwards of 250k as a daily), and asked them to get the brake line out. 20 mins later, they had also given up and just cut the line off. As it turns out an utter muppet had used a brass fitting for the brake line at some point which was the cause of all our issues. New brake line made up, with a steel fitting, and I was ready to go.
Here's the state of the old caliper, and the brass fitting which was heavily torched in an attempt to loosen it by HiQ. Again, knackered seals seem to be the main cause of death.
I will say that the £7 eBay jobbie I bought to allow me to bleed the brakes myself was a fantastic purchase, being exceptionally easy to use.
At some point in the not too distant past, my radiator grill was broken, which took the bonnet latch with it, and the emblem too. Finding a new grill wasn't exactly problematic, with a couple of sites stocking remakes. Unfortunately, I chose to buy from autodoc/one of their umbrella websites. This means the 1-2 day delivery I paid for took 3 weeks, and I experience the worst customer service I've ever had the dismay of dealing with.
PR NOTE: NEVER BUY FROM THESE CLOWNS, ESPECIALLY NOT ON A DEADLINE. It might all be perfectly fine, but if it goes wrong it will do so in a big way and very hard to sort.
Next up was the hunt for the latch, new parts are utterly unavailable here in the UK - ipdusa has a few remanufactures available but charge £75 plus shipping so that was a no go. Thankfully I found a breaker within 1 day of searching, for £18 inc next day delivery.
Given how easy finding a grill and latch was, how hard could it be to find an emblem? Well, seemingly impossible, as it took those full three weeks for me to find one. 3 weeks of searching and the only thing I could find was from a breaker, complete with a missing part on the 'iron cross' and two of the four pins snapped. Oh well, I'll have to take what I can get.
Fitting the grill was nice and easy, just six plastic clips (@£3 each, for something 5mm by 10mm) that slide onto the backside of six corresponding pins on the rear of the grill, which left me with this.
Even the blindest amongst you may notice that there are some zipties poking through. Yes, that was the solution to the latch being broken, and enabled me to be able to open my bonnet whilst the new latch arrived.
The new latch was a matter of two 10mm bolts, and popping the lever through the opening in the grill. Easy peasy. Of course, me being me, and even with it being a part that never gets seen, I couldn't possibly put it on the car in the state it arrived in:
Crusty... 15 mins later, after liberal application of degreaser, toothbrush, and a rotary tool with a grinding disc, we have this:
Which was given a shot of WD40 to force any water and crap out, dried and oiled, then installed.
Onto the emblem then... this also arrived in a less than clean state, and was quickly tidied as best as possible for a 24 year old stone chipped part:
I managed to salvage the missing black piece from my old snapped emblem too, and used some adhesive to get that back in:
Just waiting on that to dry fully before I pop it back onto the car. Given its missing two securing pins (on either corner of the 'iron cross', annoyingly, I'm not sure yet how best to mount in. I'm loathe to superglue it as the thought of getting another new grill and dealing with 3 weeks of delays doesn't appeal to me, but then double-sided adhesive wouldn't allow it to sit flush, so some more thinking to be done there.
I also had Ivy in the bodyshop to pull out the dented grill surround that occurred when the grill was broken, as well as a bonnet respray and a touch up of a scuff. Top marks to Steve at Karmagik in Chesterfield who was extremely enthusiastic about the car and work from start to finish and did a remarkable job despite a rather tight time-frame. Highly recommended indeed.
Hasn't stopped raining in three days now, so no pictures of the car, but the second the weather improves I'll get some.
Slightly larger update today.
Finally got around to sorting out both o/s seized calipers. The o/s/f was a doddle, all the bolts came off cleanly and easy, including the brake line. Swapping the new part in went equally smoothly, so now that's all nice and shiny.
aaaand the old one, with a knackered seal and some heavy corrosion on the inner sides:
Brimming with confidence due to the ease of the front one, I moved onto the rear. Same ease of removal with regards to disc and caliper, but I could not get the brake line undone for love nor money. Mole grips, adjustable spanners, flare nut spanners, all just rounded. Applied as much heat as I dared (was fearful of boiling the fluid), that made no difference. Even tried hammering a slightly smaller size flare nut spanner onto the nut to try and get some bite, still fruitless.
Given the rear line is solid from swingarm back I knew at this point I was pretty much committed to getting a new line made. Gave in, and took it to my local HiQ - where the manager is a huge Volvo fan (he has a P80 V70 on upwards of 250k as a daily), and asked them to get the brake line out. 20 mins later, they had also given up and just cut the line off. As it turns out an utter muppet had used a brass fitting for the brake line at some point which was the cause of all our issues. New brake line made up, with a steel fitting, and I was ready to go.
Here's the state of the old caliper, and the brass fitting which was heavily torched in an attempt to loosen it by HiQ. Again, knackered seals seem to be the main cause of death.
I will say that the £7 eBay jobbie I bought to allow me to bleed the brakes myself was a fantastic purchase, being exceptionally easy to use.
At some point in the not too distant past, my radiator grill was broken, which took the bonnet latch with it, and the emblem too. Finding a new grill wasn't exactly problematic, with a couple of sites stocking remakes. Unfortunately, I chose to buy from autodoc/one of their umbrella websites. This means the 1-2 day delivery I paid for took 3 weeks, and I experience the worst customer service I've ever had the dismay of dealing with.
PR NOTE: NEVER BUY FROM THESE CLOWNS, ESPECIALLY NOT ON A DEADLINE. It might all be perfectly fine, but if it goes wrong it will do so in a big way and very hard to sort.
Next up was the hunt for the latch, new parts are utterly unavailable here in the UK - ipdusa has a few remanufactures available but charge £75 plus shipping so that was a no go. Thankfully I found a breaker within 1 day of searching, for £18 inc next day delivery.
Given how easy finding a grill and latch was, how hard could it be to find an emblem? Well, seemingly impossible, as it took those full three weeks for me to find one. 3 weeks of searching and the only thing I could find was from a breaker, complete with a missing part on the 'iron cross' and two of the four pins snapped. Oh well, I'll have to take what I can get.
Fitting the grill was nice and easy, just six plastic clips (@£3 each, for something 5mm by 10mm) that slide onto the backside of six corresponding pins on the rear of the grill, which left me with this.
Even the blindest amongst you may notice that there are some zipties poking through. Yes, that was the solution to the latch being broken, and enabled me to be able to open my bonnet whilst the new latch arrived.
The new latch was a matter of two 10mm bolts, and popping the lever through the opening in the grill. Easy peasy. Of course, me being me, and even with it being a part that never gets seen, I couldn't possibly put it on the car in the state it arrived in:
Crusty... 15 mins later, after liberal application of degreaser, toothbrush, and a rotary tool with a grinding disc, we have this:
Which was given a shot of WD40 to force any water and crap out, dried and oiled, then installed.
Onto the emblem then... this also arrived in a less than clean state, and was quickly tidied as best as possible for a 24 year old stone chipped part:
I managed to salvage the missing black piece from my old snapped emblem too, and used some adhesive to get that back in:
Just waiting on that to dry fully before I pop it back onto the car. Given its missing two securing pins (on either corner of the 'iron cross', annoyingly, I'm not sure yet how best to mount in. I'm loathe to superglue it as the thought of getting another new grill and dealing with 3 weeks of delays doesn't appeal to me, but then double-sided adhesive wouldn't allow it to sit flush, so some more thinking to be done there.
I also had Ivy in the bodyshop to pull out the dented grill surround that occurred when the grill was broken, as well as a bonnet respray and a touch up of a scuff. Top marks to Steve at Karmagik in Chesterfield who was extremely enthusiastic about the car and work from start to finish and did a remarkable job despite a rather tight time-frame. Highly recommended indeed.
Hasn't stopped raining in three days now, so no pictures of the car, but the second the weather improves I'll get some.
Edited by Cookeh on Wednesday 11th April 18:15
Loving your work so far buddy! Love the car too (although I may be biased as I've got an 850r). 
Its refreshing to see someone spending time and effort sorting out the small niggles/details on an old car like this. Great work on the grille by the way, looks so much better than before .
I have to say, I echo your thoughts on how capable these cars are. Comfortable, reliable, handle well and properly quick as well as looking cool too.
Keep up the good work, following this thread very closely
Its refreshing to see someone spending time and effort sorting out the small niggles/details on an old car like this. Great work on the grille by the way, looks so much better than before .
I have to say, I echo your thoughts on how capable these cars are. Comfortable, reliable, handle well and properly quick as well as looking cool too.
Keep up the good work, following this thread very closely
Nice buy! I've recently picked up a V70 T5 for shed duties. Sounds like mine might have been in slightly better fettle than yours, but I've still found myself replacing the radiator, and front suspension top mounts/spring pads.
How is it for rattles? That's something I'm constantly chasing too. Every time I fix one, another is exposed... pretty annoying, coming from German daily drivers, I'm not used to this
Love the sound of the T5 though, but aren't they juicy. Mine's averaging around 20mpg, lowest tank recorded was 16mpg, best was 33 (on a run to Norfolk!).
Can I ask your methods on cleaning up the rear boot carpet? Mines had a cover on so is pretty fresh, but would be nice to give it a freshen up too. I quite like the 'Wembley Stadium' effect you've gone for
Cheers
How is it for rattles? That's something I'm constantly chasing too. Every time I fix one, another is exposed... pretty annoying, coming from German daily drivers, I'm not used to this
Love the sound of the T5 though, but aren't they juicy. Mine's averaging around 20mpg, lowest tank recorded was 16mpg, best was 33 (on a run to Norfolk!).
Can I ask your methods on cleaning up the rear boot carpet? Mines had a cover on so is pretty fresh, but would be nice to give it a freshen up too. I quite like the 'Wembley Stadium' effect you've gone for
Cheers
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