As most of you know.. I picked up well worn and mostly loved 850 two weeks ago:
While not a build thread in the strictest sense. I have been doing enough work to the car that it warrents something:
Drivetrain:
Timing belt- this includes the belt, tensioner, and waterpump. While I was there I flushed and refilled the cooling system with volvo coolant and replaced the thermostat (which was stuck open)
Body:
Roof rails- replaced the aluminum roof rails that were no longer rubber coated with plastic roof rails from a later S70
Grill- the chrom was worn, so I painted the slats black, leaving the outerrim, slash, and badge in chrome
Sidemarkers- Pulled from a C70, these european repeaters now flash with the turnsignals. These replaced the plastic "volvo" emblems on the front fenders
Trunk emblem- I yanked the "volvo" and "850" badges off of the trunk and replaced it with the chrome "volvo" lettering from the S70. To more emulate the latest volvos, I spaced the letters to properly mimic the 23 inche width of the current volvo nametag.
Interior: this is where I have done the most to clean up and update the car
Seats- Front Driver's seat was replaced with a matching tan/taupe seat from a wrecked 850 found in a junkyard. this also fixed the heated seats issue and cost me all of 28 dollars
Door Panels- Both driver's side panels were replaced by ones from that same wrecked 850
Dashpad- again, pulled from tht same 850, but was in charcoal instead of tan/taupe
Steering wheel- Mine had lost most of it's leather covering at the top. A different wrecked 850 donated it's wheel rim to make my car look better
Center rear armrest - Taken from the S70 for it's cupholders
Center rear headrest- also taken from the S70
rear parcel tray - again, the S70 donated it's parcel tray to help clean up and modernize my 850. I dyed and painted it black
Rear View Mirror- fully self dimming, taken from the C70. Most of the forums said it would never work as it is part of the C70's alarm system. I just found the two wires that power it and clipped the alarm wires. Works like a charm
Interior light buttons- taken from the same c70. Rather than tan/taupe buttons, I now have charcoal
Trip computer/OBC - Taken from another 850 in that yard.. this will soon grace the guages of mine
So many small projects that were not worth photographing have made this car a delight to drive. It is certainly no longer embarissing to be seen in or to have people ride with me
