This plastic stuff from URO can be acceptable and this is one of the parts that I would buy. They also make (made?) a P80 tailgate repair kit which is better and cheaper than the OE Volvo sold kit as they came with the plastic clips. When you add that to the Volvo OE kit it was about 4 times the pri...

I got a M56 for free (with a 850 attached to it), but that is not the normal market value, just like Goupil's 20 Euro. But you're right, there is alot to be found in the classifieds for dirt cheap.

I've checked coolant hoses. Little question. Can we use something different than these"f*%/0#1" torx bolts for the thermostat ? Sure, many here have swapped in bolts pulled from other places on the car, gotten from salvage cars. I had considered simply buying bolts from the hardware store...

I usually use nitrile gloves (cannot confirm nor deny they were company supplied) and change them to minimize cross contamination of my tools and other areas of the engine. I would say its better not to let the stuff sit on your hands but periodic exposure will not do noticeable damage. My mechanic ...

In the dark ages (maybe 25+ years ago) in the UK we used to get 'barrier cream' products to protect your hands when working on dirty jobs. Worked really well. Like hand sanitizer you dispensed this hand cream and then rubbed it into your hands and under your nails. Worked really well. I have not see...

If you plan to remove the racks altogether then fitting a set of regular seals is really the only option. I'm not sure if they are still available new anymore, used ones are hard to find in good condition. The black covering tends to split and peel off. Some have managed to remove all the black cove...

Gearworks black vinyl 5 mil at all times. Keep blaccrap off your hands and stops a lot of scrapes

You can buy them FCP and put the broken ones in a box and……

I think I'm using intake manifold bolts for the thermostat housing.

Part 986288 from Volvo , qty 2

I buy the nitrile gloves from wherever available. I do not see much difference in quality. Since they are not left/right handed, I swap them to get a cleaner palm until they get a tear and then get a single replacement glove. Sometimes I keep those with a small hole for jobs like painting where full...