Replacing rear carpet panels with wood?

Post by **sleddriver** » 15 Nov 2016, 14:43

plumsmooth wrote:HI There proud Volvo enthusiasts. Has anyone thought of or actually replaced rear carpet panels with something other than junkyard replacements...

Yep. A single piece of nice carpet remnant. Original rear carpeting still looks new...19yrs later. I didn't want mine looking like yours!

A wagon is versatile, but a truck it's not as the useful load is about 950#'s....including the driver. I discovered this when hauling asphalt roofing shingles that weigh 85#'s/bundle. I could only carry about eight at a time. Seeing how I needed about 70 to do my own roof, that's a lot of trips...and wasted time. So I borrowed a mid-90's Ford F150.

Forget about it being a large gravel hauler: See above.

I'd suggest contractor-grade clean-up bags. They're less likely to leak!

Post by **plumsmooth** » 15 Nov 2016, 14:48

You guys can project all of your Romanticized versions of Volvo Wagon reality you want to on me...

But the realty is that it 'is' my "Truck" and I am proud of it...

I got no one to impress definitely not you guys so take a hike...

There's plenty of parts of the world where villages/villagers would be more than happy to put this Truck though every rigor and farming task known and possible to help feed their Families!

I think my 850 Wagon (which does have a soul) is proud to be a Truck!
When I pick you up hitchhiking I will clean the garbage juice for you so you have a clean place to sleep with the back seats down...

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 15 Nov 2016, 15:02

I like to treat my wagon nice, but the utility aspect is one of the best parts of having a wagon. You have a nice DD while having a "truck" at the same time. An actual truck would be nice at times, and of course for dirtier stuff, but my wagon works great for more basic things. I've hauled a couple hundred pounds of dirt (bagged and on a tarp, of course) in my wagon no problem. I love it!

Post by **sleddriver** » 15 Nov 2016, 15:07

Dude, the REALITY is that the wagon has a max. useful load limit.....before you PERMANENTLY sag/shorten the rear springs and bend the rear suspension. Then your wagon will trot down the road with its butt out to one side and your tires will wear funny.

We're not impressed......no worries there.

Why don't you build a box out of 2x4's and CDX ply if you want to haul?

Gravity: It's Not Just a Good Idea. It's The LAW!

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 15 Nov 2016, 15:14

Not like I was hauling it cross country. Yes, the car does have a load limit, which I had not exceeded. I'm not an idiot.

skloon · Post by **skloon** » 15 Nov 2016, 17:36

: dawg.jpg (10.68 KiB) Viewed 1558 times

I too have hauled stuff in the wagon- have the plastic base thing and another vinyl thing like this one- have thought of replacing wood or covering it wiht aluminium

Post by **98v70dad** » 15 Nov 2016, 20:31

weathertech cargo liner will cover the nasties you already have and hold any liquid that you spill since it has a lip all around. Get a used one - they're cheaper.

s10lowrider1994 · Post by **s10lowrider1994** » 15 Nov 2016, 21:35

I'd be tempted to take every panel out and have it done with line x

Post by **precopster** » 16 Nov 2016, 03:20

I often had 140KGs/300lbs PLUS in the rear of my 2000 wagon and it took it like a champ. Yes the rear springs are probably a little lower than the factory intended and I don't have NINO-MATS

The luggage boards are steel reinforced with box tube. Try doing that in a Camry or Mazda.

I stayed off freeways when lugging weights as I didn't want printers breaking through the rear seat area if anything happened. I now have a VW diesel Transporter with cage for the heavy stuff.

Front bumper only stayed on because of a single zip-tie after a hit and run.

This is how my wagon ended up tonight on her last night of ownership. She was worked hard as an A3 printer carrier for 5 years and almost 100,000kms in my ownership. Her last odometer was 352,000kms with only one breakdown due to a failed regulator. Recently she carried back the entire engine/transmission assembly for my 2001 XC70 and there was some oil/grime spillage. The carpets and boards were already torn up by the printers.

My family rarely rode in her except for morning school drop offs as the A/C never worked. I'm going to miss that reliable engine that still has original MAF and engine mounts (sagging now)

Post by **shaker_chi** » 16 Nov 2016, 07:28

Pull everything out and powerwash EVERYTHING. The day before you do that pre treat the whole thing with spray on oxi-clean. It is going to take a while to clean all that out so be patient. If you have a power washer at home, connect it to your washing machine hot water supply. Once it dries, go to Sam's or Costco and buy 2 of their large entrance mats. One should cover the back portion and the 2nd will cover the back of the seats when you lay them down.