WCP's V70 T5 wagon

WestcoastPete

Gudday all

So I bought Black Dynamite( @Slowbrick )'s V70. We worked out a complex deal that meant I met him in Canberra and then I drove it back here to Melbourne yesterday. It went really well and I'm pretty pleased with it. It's a bit rough body/trim wise though, and it needs a few things sorted out pretty promptly. I wired up the reverse light today no worries, but there are other things such as:

- The front right indicator rattled out on the drive down. It's broken so can't be screwed/clipped in. The headlights are pretty much useless too. Where should I look to get replacements? I tried to remove one of the headlights, but one of the bolts holding them in just turned and turned without loosening.
- It needs new boot struts. Again, where should I get them from?
- I need a roadworthy certificate for it. The timing belt is 9yrs old too, but only about 30,000kms. Ryan reckons I should replace it and I kind of agree. What do you think? It probably needs a couple of front end bushes replaced too. Where should I take it? I have a great mechanic now, but he specialises in French cars.

That's about it for now. Just as a bit of a background, I am not a car mechanic and won't be doing any mechanical work on this car. I can replace a headlight and boot struts etc, but I won't be doing any bushes or timing belts. My thing is bicycles. I can fix bicycles no worries, and I want to spend my time doing that, and riding, and not fixing cars. I haven't taken any of my own pictures, but here's one of Ryan's from the sale.

Righto! Ta. I reckon there's a good chance we'll get to know each other a little bit, and I look forward to it.

Rob

Simple rule with timing belts is if there is any doubt, change it.

Don't worry too much about the headlight bolt turning. If you pull the other bolts out the headlight will come out and you will be able to undo it by holding it with pliers. Standard headlights are pretty crappy. get some decent globes and adjust them correctly and they will be ok. otherwise get a set of ABM's

A second hand indicator won't be hard to get, I have some here but I am certain someone closer will be able to help you out. Can even help with boot struts if there are none closer.

The front end bushes and timing belt are not rocket science. Any competent mechanic will be able to do those tasks and provide a roadworthy.

good luck with it..

Ex850R

Welcome!
Good buy this one!
Where are you? West coast like Warrnambool?
As Rob said , if the headlight bolts turn , the nutsert should pull out of the radiator support panel or putting lateral force on the bolt may hold it in place enough to get bolt out otherwise its a bit of a pain.
Are the headlights chrome good? If so , leave them there , get some 120%+ globes , proper quality ones or HID kit and adjust properly.
When taking mine off my R I noticed the PO had shimmed them on the lh bolts with washers to give more on road light than the adjuster could , interesting...
Sounds like most wear items have been done bar the TB and bushes which even your French car man could do , other Aussie car Tech's won't like it cos they don't know and will get parts from Volvo $$$... If you can visit Mark at Berry's or John at Voldat you will get cheap parts and best service for rwc , worth trip to Melbourne maybe or get parts from them delivered.
Go to the parts supplies thread for overseas suppliers.
Have fun!

WestcoastPete

I'm in Coburg; Melbourne's inner north. Berry's looks closest. I really like my current mechanic, he's very honest and reliable, but one of the things I like most about him is his knowledge of French cars. Ideally I'd like a similar mechanic but with the same knowledge about Volvos. I'm pretty sure my guy would do it if necessary though, and he's just down the road. Do you think it'd be best for me to get the parts and get him to do the work? That's what we did with the Renault.

What are ABMs? I did undo the other bolts but couldn't get the light out. Do I need to unclip the lens to dismantle the light so that I can access the other side of the bolt?

Where should I get the boot struts from? Volvo? Berry's? Overseas?

Thanks for your advice so far! Much appreciated.

Rob

ABM's are aftermarket headlights. they look a little like this.

or this

Rob

or if you are very lucky you will be able to locate a set of unicorn 'crystal' lights from an 03 or 04 C70

WestcoastPete

Ah cool. Like these then? There's a joy in great headlights eh.

Rob

Yep, they are the right ones, they come in chrome or black.

Ex850R

Ask Mark at Berry's for parts , he does near as the ones you get from UK or USA anyway.
And he will have stock.
They have loan cars too...

Ex850R

I would try HIDs in them.
I am building headlights with twin projector lights , Frankenstein!
You don't take off the lens the unit should come out with three bolts.

Michael_Scott

I don't have any experience with Voldat, but I'd wager you'll find a real live Unicorn before better Volvo service than Berrys.

AshDVS

I have a near new RH front indicator (probably in a box).
We can probably help out with much of your list too.

Ex850R

Voldat have one Volvo factory trained tech and an expert on all old Volvo. Both great blokes and very competent.

A_Volvo_Driver

Welcome to the forum Peter. Good to see another Victorian here :)

I saw that car at Ryan's when it was half completed. It looks a lot better now. You'll have a lot of fun with it.

Slowbrick

Glad that you got it back ok. Awesome to see you here posting! Sorry about the indicator falling out on you. I had replaced the light fitting with one from James's car way back last year and like most other V70s the small tab was broken. I fitted a screw to it to hold it in but it must have broken loose again. I suppose its only tradition. The exact same thing happened to me when I took it home from Canberra to Griffith.

I was contemplating getting projectors if I decided to keep it because I do agree the headlights are woeful. The chrome looks good in them and I even replaced the bulbs with some Narva 120's which helped a bit but not much. I have good eyesight and am used to my poor 240 headlights so it didnt worry me too much.

You are in a good place to get the loose ends sorted on it though as there is alot more Volvo influence on your side of the border to get things sorted.

If you have any questions dont hesitate to ask and I should have the answer for you.

Enjoy!

WestcoastPete

Well, RWC is sorted (still gotta do the transfer bit), but it needed a fair bit more work than planned. New rear disc rotors, an engine mount, new wishbones, window master switch, abs module (the last one was a 2nd hand replacement), tie rod, and other miscellaneous things. I got the timing and accessory belts replaced while I was at it, as well as the expansion tank; added up to more than I paid for the car! Maybe I could have saved a bit by sourcing some parts around the place and maybe doing a few things myself, but like I've said before, I'd prefer to spend my time fixing bicycles. All good though. Better to get it right.

Mark at Berry's was great. Very helpful, kept me informed, did what he could to ease the pain, and set me up with what needs doing in the future (front discs, swaybar links, etc).

None of this is a reflection on the previous owner eh. The car was in way worse condition when he got it. We're really happy with it so far and we've really fallen for it.

WestcoastPete

Hey, do you reckon I could do the swaybar links myself? I'd be using a ratchet and not a socket gun, but it doesn't look too hard.

Slowbrick

So did you manage to get all of the lights cleared? The abs module came from James's blue T5 wagon. It worked flawlessly for about 3 months until the light re-appeared. It will be worth keeping it and sending it in for repair. They have a flaw in which the heatsink is not adequate causing an overheat situation which causes the board to separate. When they get repaired they usually are fitted with a larger heatsink to prevent the issue coming back again. I wasn't aware the rear rotors needed any work, i didnt ever notice any shimmy from the rear even when towing but they may have been worn out and not able to be turned when Mark did the brakes. Replacing the wishbones is the more expensive way of replacing the front control arm bushings but most people go that way to save having to press bushings in and out.

You will definitely be able to get the swaybar links done with just hand tools. I did the gearbox swap with just hand tools! P80s are quite easy to work on so it might be in your best interest to hang out with some of the P80 guys down there and learn a few things.

Im happy to hear its gone to a good home and it sounds like you will look after it and continue where I left off. If you had of taken it into Berry's when I first got it the bill would have been about triple what you payed!

Ex850R

Another happy Berry's lad!
Maybe doing some of that yourself would have saved you a lot but its all done and good.
To me it looks like the swaybar bushes are not easy as the bar needs to be out , the old one looks fused on to me. I could be wrong but that's what I need to fix on my R.....

WestcoastPete

Ex850R;56007 wrote Maybe doing some of that yourself would have saved you a lot but its all done and good.

For sure, but as I've said, I don't want to do the work. Doing it this way cost plenty, but I paid for more than just getting it done. I know they picked the right things to fix, it was done within 24hrs, and the quality of the work was far better than I would have done. And I've built a relationship with people I can trust. For me, that's money well spent.

I've had disc rotor width fail a RWC on cars before. They need replacing when the width is just out of spec. The front ones are very close to this spec, but not quite, so will wait for replacement 'til the next service. There is a slight pulsing from the front brakes now, but you have to feel for it.

Yep, all lights are out! It's quite comforting knowing that all of those things are good.