Dans 850R Build Thread

K3FSAR

Alright! Time for me to shove up my 850R which..... Was purchased blind on the internet. Not the best idea ever..... But at the time, the price was right.....

I've now had the car for a year and it has been my daily driver for most of that year. Later this year once I get a bit organised it will be taken off the road and get the TLC it has needed for years. When I got it I thought I was getting a good deal, but silly me took the gamble and brought it unseen and got it shipped down from NSW. I was expecting a few issues which I was told about (usual TRACS, some paint damage - other than that was told it was in good running order otherwise). I did a bit more poking to the dealer, and some pictures seemed a bit iffy Ie. tailgate was up in all the pics/unseen. It was discovered it was backed into or hit from behind but I did get some pictures of that. Which I thought at the price it was still a good deal. Something I fixed.

So I got it home and checked it all over. Took it for a quick spin and something wasn't right. Boost issues and coolant leaks. All the vacuum hoses were shot (overboosting!) and coolant leaking out of most of the hoses.

I was also told I would get log books etc. with it. Nothing. Kays were low which was a reason I jumped at it (153k at the time) but there was no way I could verify that now that I had it. ODO seems a bit dicky, and I can only assume it hasn't failed. Interior did stack up to a low mileage car minus the sun damage and lack of leather care. So I can only assume it was off the road for quite some time.

So fast forward a year and its going alright. Coolant hoses, heater core, vacuum hoses have been replaced. Other than that, not really done much else with it.

PICS WHEN I FIRST GOT IT

K3FSAR

The TO DO LIST

I expect to be very busy over summer this year with this =P~

EXTERIOR

New tailgate and rear bumper - finish and fit Finish and fit rear spoiler Respray roof Touch up stone chips on bonnet Refinish front bumper Yellow tint foglights Muck around with headlights Fit V70 tail lights Grey dye all the bits that are grey

HANDLING

Fit new brakes and pads. Source brake fluid leak Fix up suspension with new mounts, bushes etc. Respray alloys and fit new tyres Long run..... Thinking coil overs all round Fix TRACS module properly

INTERIOR

Fix all broken bits and get everything working properly! Clean, clean, clean! Long term is put a kick arse audio setup too

ENGINE

Fix oil leaks (mainly coming from turbo oil return) Silicone hoses all round (thanks @Ben !) Fix up turbo boost issues

Should keep me going for a bit lol. Probably more I can't remember

Rob

Good taste.. ;) your not wrong about the twins bit.

It will clean up nice.

Ex850R

G'Day Dan , yknow the second R I drove 15 odd years ago was this colour and I didn't like the beige but its growing on me now! When you did the rad hoses was the rad plastic still OK? The end tanks age and crack doing heads , if the heater has gone the rad isn't far behind. The brake fluid pump is usually the culprit and layer type can be put on as well.Did the crankcase vent box and hoses get done? Give the intercooler a flush out with alloy cleaner and green stuff for oil builds up over time. The ABS/ TRACS can be fixed , one of the ozvolvo chaps does them! Look for a GM boost control solenoid or the one Lucky at ARD Ideas sells , the IPD one is rated as no good. The 302mm brake upgrade is good but Ash is doing a kit for Focus XR5 disc/callipers and we are all hanging out for that!! Good luck wi the build, it will be worth it!

Les.

K3FSAR

Rob said: Good taste.. your not wrong about the twins bit.

It will clean up nice.

Should do. Planning on keeping it quite a few years, so I may as well do it right and proper for many happy years of motoring.

Snoopy said: When you did the rad hoses was the rad plastic still OK? The end tanks age and crack doing heads , if the heater has gone the rad isn't far behind.

Thanks for the heads up Les. I'll be sure to check it out when I replace everything with silicone.

Snoopy said: The brake fluid pump is usually the culprit and layer type can be put on as well.Did the crankcase vent box and hoses get done? Give the intercooler a flush out with alloy cleaner and green stuff for oil builds up over time. The ABS/ TRACS can be fixed , one of the ozvolvo chaps does them!

Crankcase vent hoses/box were all replaced when I first got it (forgot to mention that - first thing I do when I buy a Volvo heh). I did have a bit of a look around both the ABS setup and brake cylinders and couldn't really see much wrong. Was thinking a caliper seal or something but I'll no doubt have a good ol' look and get to the bottom of it.

I should already hopefully have the brakes sorted. Got me some DBA T2 rotors and some decent pads. Might look at a big brake kit further down the road (I'm actually quite impressed it stops as good as it does for now anyways minus the fade).

Snoopy said: Look for a GM boost control solenoid or the one Lucky at ARD Ideas sells , the IPD one is rated as no good.

Good to know about the boost solenoid - I'll check it out. That, and thinking of fitting an external BOV since the internal one is dicky as.

nickm

Twin Green wagons of neglect. This one is a manual. should come up a treat. Abs/tracs a simple fix if you can solder, make sure the insulation on the abs pump is good. Still think the grill should be chrome adds that little touch of grampa to them

Ex850R

Spot on Nick! With abs the problem is getting it apart easily without making it look shit and for $100+ its worth getting done IMHO... I agree with the grille , I have seen many others and the chrome is best for me. Get the discs slotted radially , keeps em nice , no groovi g as they wear and better bit.

Ex850R

Ohh you can get kit for internal wastegate and stronger spring for it too , optimising the WG actuator pressure will help.

K3FSAR

Eh. I like the black grill :P

Was talking last night about respraying the whole car since I've got to do most of the panels due to clear coat damage. I'm thinking the same green as the Caterham F1 team and black mags :D

nickm

Shrek

egads (she/her)

Shiny Shrek :-D

K3FSAR

Its something a bit different. Kind of electric green. Or something. I'm all for a unique car :D

jamesinc

Takata green?

K3FSAR

jamesinc(@jamesinc) said: Takata green?

I've actually come to my senses and decided against changing colour. I like the lack of attention from the cops :P

Aaaaaaaaaaand I'm back. Got my 360 back on the road and everything fixed. And now with a few days off working on fixing up my wagon properly with all the bits I've accumulated in the last 6 months.

Got my 850 a Christmas present with front and rear strut braces. Ultra Racing out of Malaysia and can be had for around $110 each delivered to your door and are worth every penny. Installed them the day before a big trip down to the shack for Xmas and they weren't what I was expecting at all.

Tightened the car up and made the steering more direct which was what I was expecting. But they also got rid of 90% of rattles that come from the front and rear which surprised me a ton (strut mounts will be fixed shortly, so that should stop all the rattles). Steering rebound is now more predictable. It's gone from throw it into a corner and you will be given understeer to throw it into a corner and you get a well balanced beast with predictable oversteer when really pushing it. Only downside I had was installation and one of the rear mounting holes gunked up and bent (from factory I assume). Overall would be the best bang for dollar I've spent on any car (and no idea why I didn't do it sooner).

In the next few days, will have new brakes, tyres and suspension bits. More pics to come!

K3FSAR

Old

New

That red thing was a bump stop once upon a time. Main bearing had deposited its innards over everything and the rubber boot was a little bit worn.......

Tigabu

Fark...

Rob

:-bd

Ex850R

What brakes?

K3FSAR

DBA T2 slotted with Remsa pads. Standard size. I shall see how they go. Still keen on a big brake upgrade at some point, but you know.... $-)

Ex850R

302mm is easy upgrade , VP tuning does good discs with slots and drilled if wanted to order. Where are pads from? How do they go? Slots help even cheap pads work better!