54inches
1/2 ton status
Very nice! I DD a V and as they are becominh harder to find, i have been thinking about garaging it and grtting one of these or a VW TDI.
Cool build.
Cool build.
CK5
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The Un-Boring DD Volvo Wagon
- Thread starter 496truck
- Start date
Thanks for the compliments guys! 
I honestly had no intention of going this far with this car. I really thought all it was going to be was a DD to get me back/forth to work while the K5 just hangs out in the garage.
Anyone ever see this vid? Obviously one of those "all out" builds putting out some serious power out of a 4 cyl.
I honestly had no intention of going this far with this car. I really thought all it was going to be was a DD to get me back/forth to work while the K5 just hangs out in the garage.Anyone ever see this vid? Obviously one of those "all out" builds putting out some serious power out of a 4 cyl.
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Found a set of used IPD sway bars out in Cali. Apparently people in Cali spend money to mod their cars and buy stuff for them and then when they are done with the car just send it off to the junkyard. 
Most all of the used custom parts I have seen for sale for these cars come out of Cali. These bars came off a car that was in a picknpull yard.
Shipped them out here and I spent my slow time at work cleaning them and painting them. I used a Rusto rattle can that was really close to IPD blue.
And installed.
What a HUGE improvement in the way the car handles. It's a wonder they didn't come with bars like this from the factory. They certainly didn't add any negative effects or harsh ride.
Most all of the used custom parts I have seen for sale for these cars come out of Cali. These bars came off a car that was in a picknpull yard.
Shipped them out here and I spent my slow time at work cleaning them and painting them. I used a Rusto rattle can that was really close to IPD blue.
And installed.
What a HUGE improvement in the way the car handles. It's a wonder they didn't come with bars like this from the factory. They certainly didn't add any negative effects or harsh ride.
Old, faded bumpers are old and faded.
Used a heat gun to bring back the original dark gray color.
That lasted about a month.
Now they were faded again and this time all blotchy. 2 cans of Krylon Fusion semi gloss black to the rescue.
Before...
After. Did the grill too.
Rear, before...
After.
And, most recently, I swapped out the original 745 tail lights with some 965 tail lights. Much cleaner yet still stock look without the orange lenses.
Also notice, no fart can tail pipe. I'm not into that sort of thing.
Used a heat gun to bring back the original dark gray color.
That lasted about a month.
Now they were faded again and this time all blotchy. 2 cans of Krylon Fusion semi gloss black to the rescue.Before...
After. Did the grill too.
Rear, before...
After.
And, most recently, I swapped out the original 745 tail lights with some 965 tail lights. Much cleaner yet still stock look without the orange lenses.
Also notice, no fart can tail pipe. I'm not into that sort of thing.
I have always liked those cars! 
Good job having fun with it!
Good job having fun with it!
Curse you!
I'm seriously considering buying this one:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...00&searchRadius=500&bodyStyleCodes=WAGON&mmt=[VOLVO[960[]][]]&listingId=340086416&Log=0
I'm seriously considering buying this one:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...00&searchRadius=500&bodyStyleCodes=WAGON&mmt=[VOLVO[960[]][]]&listingId=340086416&Log=0
For some reason the autotrader ad won't copy over correctly...
It's a red 1996 960 I-6 wagon with 145,000 miles and in cherry condition.
It's a red 1996 960 I-6 wagon with 145,000 miles and in cherry condition.
965s are nice. A little harder to mod sometimes but there are some Volvo junkies out there that have pulled the twin turbo stuff off the FWD S80s in the junkyard and added the turbos to the 960 I6. The manifolds and turbos bolt on. They make some real good power too. The 960 IRS is hard to lower or modify too. 960s use a FWD wheel offset (even being RWD) so there are a lot more wheel options available for that car too. In general the 960s are nice if all you want to do is just drive it, maybe add different wheels and not mess with it otherwise. Or do a LS swap... 
965s are nice. A little harder to mod sometimes but there are some Volvo junkies out there that have pulled the twin turbo stuff off the FWD S80s in the junkyard and added the turbos to the 960 I6. The manifolds and turbos bolt on. They make some real good power too. The 960 IRS is hard to lower or modify too. 960s use a FWD wheel offset (even being RWD) so there are a lot more wheel options available for that car too. In general the 960s are nice if all you want to do is just drive it, maybe add different wheels and not mess with it otherwise. Or do a LS swap...
I'm just looking for a decent low-priced car to commute in while the Yukon undergoes its transformation, but why not have a little fun while I'm at it?
I would just drive it, maybe get some custom wheels for summer and put snow tires on the stock rims. Other than that, I'll just use it to do the 95% of the driving I do on pavement.In that case, those cars are super comfy and ride real nice. I couldn't link to the ad so I'm just giving you general info. That 6 cyl is a torquey motor and very few things go wrong with it. It is a timing belt motor and an interference head, so if the belt breaks, you're F'ed.
If you do end up getting that car or any other Volvo don't hesitate to ask me tech questions or where to get parts or whatever.
If you do end up getting that car or any other Volvo don't hesitate to ask me tech questions or where to get parts or whatever.
Cool 
Added some stripes. This is my quick and dirty recreation of factory sport stripes that were not offered in this country. I used that plasti-dip from a rattle can in case I didn't like it I could just peel it off. So far, I like it.
I did this in the parking lot where my daughter takes gymnastics. Found a shady corner and started laying tape. All done by eye. Not bad for my first time doing anything like this. Even up close they look pretty symmetrical.
I did this in the parking lot where my daughter takes gymnastics. Found a shady corner and started laying tape. All done by eye. Not bad for my first time doing anything like this. Even up close they look pretty symmetrical.
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What he said.
How do the automatic's hold up in those things?
Very well. They are more durable than the manuals, at least the manuals offered in the US market.
The AW (Asin-Warner) trans is pretty durable and was also used in Toyota cars and trucks. They hold up just fine with basic maintenance upwards of 300-400,000 miles under normal service. Obviously, higher power and constant beatings will change things. But it's not uncommon for these trans to survive a good long period of time at or below 300hp. Above that it's anyones guess.
It's also not uncommon for someone to sell one of these cars cheap because of transmission problems. Only to find out a fluid/filter change was all it needed. Kickdown cables seize up and cause problems too, also a cheap fix.
The manuals are on borrowed time over 250hp, mainly because people increasing power levels are also beating on them. The common manual swap is the T5 out of a Mustang (for 240s) or a Camaro (for 740/940s). I'm considering this next cause I feel this car needs a proper trans.
The AW (Asin-Warner) trans is pretty durable and was also used in Toyota cars and trucks. They hold up just fine with basic maintenance upwards of 300-400,000 miles under normal service. Obviously, higher power and constant beatings will change things.
But it's not uncommon for these trans to survive a good long period of time at or below 300hp. Above that it's anyones guess.It's also not uncommon for someone to sell one of these cars cheap because of transmission problems. Only to find out a fluid/filter change was all it needed. Kickdown cables seize up and cause problems too, also a cheap fix.
The manuals are on borrowed time over 250hp, mainly because people increasing power levels are also beating on them. The common manual swap is the T5 out of a Mustang (for 240s) or a Camaro (for 740/940s). I'm considering this next cause I feel this car needs a proper trans.
Car was down for a while cause it felt (sounded) like it was running on 3 cylinders at cruise and generally feeling like it had a power loss. Compression test went as follows...
1. 180
2. 120
3. 190
4. 190
Sprayed some oil in #2 and redid the test with no change. So, head had to come off no matter what. Didn't find any burned valves or seats. Piston top and cylinder walls looked good. Piston came up to the same height as #3 so didn't look like a bent rod. But I couldn't find any tell tale signs of head gasket failure either, which to me, was the only thing left to fail.
So, I nervously put the head back on. This time using a Volvo head gasket. Must have been it cause now it runs great.
In the down time though, what sense would it make to do a repair without making an upgrade
?
First thing first, the turbo had been puking oil all over the down pipe. Smelling bunt oil everytime I came to a stop was getting old. Ordered up a rebuild kit for that and got that straightened out. Never done that before so, that was fun. Good thing for internets as there is instructions and vids all over the place. And for less than $40 for the seal/bushing/o-ring kit, I don't know why I waited so long to do it.
Now the fun stuff... exhaust manifold and turbo hot side porting.
Started with this.
Rough cut.
Cleaned up and finished.
Outlet started like this.
Opened it right up.
Extreme close up.
Forgot to take a before pic of this but, holy crap was it restrictive. Opened up the inlet and smoothed out the "bump" where it heads up into the wheel. Also opened up the waste gate hole and the path up into it. Could not get a good pic of that side as it's hard to see in there anyways. You spend a lot of time fingering that hole during the process.
Both of them side by side.
All in all you can feel the improvement right off the bat. Definitely more off the line power even under normal driving conditions. And when you get into it, it really spools up something fierce. This is just "seat of the pants" reporting. It's only been a few days now, still getting used to it.
1. 180
2. 120
3. 190
4. 190
Sprayed some oil in #2 and redid the test with no change. So, head had to come off no matter what. Didn't find any burned valves or seats. Piston top and cylinder walls looked good. Piston came up to the same height as #3 so didn't look like a bent rod. But I couldn't find any tell tale signs of head gasket failure either, which to me, was the only thing left to fail.
So, I nervously put the head back on. This time using a Volvo head gasket. Must have been it cause now it runs great.
In the down time though, what sense would it make to do a repair without making an upgrade
?First thing first, the turbo had been puking oil all over the down pipe. Smelling bunt oil everytime I came to a stop was getting old. Ordered up a rebuild kit for that and got that straightened out. Never done that before so, that was fun. Good thing for internets as there is instructions and vids all over the place. And for less than $40 for the seal/bushing/o-ring kit, I don't know why I waited so long to do it.
Now the fun stuff... exhaust manifold and turbo hot side porting.
Started with this.
Rough cut.
Cleaned up and finished.
Outlet started like this.
Opened it right up.
Extreme close up.
Forgot to take a before pic of this but, holy crap was it restrictive. Opened up the inlet and smoothed out the "bump" where it heads up into the wheel. Also opened up the waste gate hole and the path up into it. Could not get a good pic of that side as it's hard to see in there anyways. You spend a lot of time fingering that hole during the process.
Both of them side by side.
All in all you can feel the improvement right off the bat. Definitely more off the line power even under normal driving conditions. And when you get into it, it really spools up something fierce. This is just "seat of the pants" reporting
. It's only been a few days now, still getting used to it.
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