Restoration: I Bought the Cheapest Running 98 V70 T5M (2023)

[FireFox31]

Haven't actually checked the paint code yet. According to the title and the PO, a foundation bought 6 identically spec'd V70's. I'm now the 3rd legal owner.

It's great that you're saving another rare T5M. It's apparently one of only 127 brought to the USA. I recently picked up another one and have a similar restoration thread. You've got more work to do but I'm certain you'll finish before me. Good luck and good hunting in the junkyards.

It's surprising that yours is on only the third owner. How long did the second owner have it and how did they let it get so run down that it was headed for a demolition derby?? How did you find out that a foundation bought a whopping 5% of all 98 T5M imports?

Mercedes had the 90 degree opening hood since about 1980's. They needed it since the big grills were attached to the hoods.

And yet, I can't find that feature on my newly purchased 2016 E350 wagon. Loved it on my 2002 E320. I'll have to look for this on my V70. Thanks bmdubya1198 for pointing it out.

[WhatAmIDoing]

Haven't actually checked the paint code yet. According to the title and the PO, a foundation bought 6 identically spec'd V70's. I'm now the 3rd legal owner.

It's great that you're saving another rare T5M. It's apparently one of only 127 brought to the USA. I recently picked up another one and have a similar restoration thread. You've got more work to do but I'm certain you'll finish before me. Good luck and good hunting in the junkyards.

It's surprising that yours is on only the third owner. How long did the second owner have it and how did they let it get so run down that it was headed for a demolition derby?? How did you find out that a foundation bought a whopping 5% of all 98 T5M imports?

So the story is, their family worked for the foundation and this car got passed around family members a lot. The lady who was driving it prior to him had dogs in the back and they did a number on the interior. He got it when the foundation officially sold it after it stopped running around 265k miles in 2019-20 (allegedly he has all the other Volvos on a farm somewhere). He put a fuel pump in it, timing service, pcv, and a bunch of other stuff. And drove it all over the country with his family, bringing the mileage up to almost 324k. At some point he bought a trashed V70R and used the good interior to fix the R. He is now in poor health and can't fix it like he wants to, so he's liquidating his stock. He said in the spring or summer there will be an auction to get rid his collection of parts cars. And that's how I heard it.

Finally got the passenger seat in. Heater core seems to be functioning well. The ECC is throwing a code for something.

Next on the list is the door gap. Unfortunately I think it's too bent up to be salvageable. The window is off track and that door gap is huge. I think the only good bits on that door are the mirror, handles, and speaker. I did pull a black (dark blue?) Door off an S70 that should be ready to go. Just need to swap the lock cylinders.

[bmdubya1198]

Ooof, yeah I think a replacement door is your best bet. It could probably be fixed, but it would take some patience.

[scot850]

I would talk to a body shop or a paintless dent shop if you know any good ones. You will be surprised what they can sometimes repair and without the need for painting which will likely be a lot more expensive. Looks like someone had the same issue as me last weekend when the only key and fob got locked in my friends car. The AMA (AAA in Alberta) used a large rubber wedge to bend the door outward, then used a small cell phone sized airbag to pump the door open and then slide a looped rubber around the door lock pull and it was open in a few minutes. This looks like the amateur approach was used!

Neil.

[WhatAmIDoing]

I would talk to a body shop or a paintless dent shop if you know any good ones. You will be surprised what they can sometimes repair and without the need for painting which will likely be a lot more expensive. Looks like someone had the same issue as me last weekend when the only key and fob got locked in my friends car. The AMA (AAA in Alberta) used a large rubber wedge to bend the door outward, then used a small cell phone sized airbag to pump the door open and then slide a looped rubber around the door lock pull and it was open in a few minutes. This looks like the amateur approach was used!

Neil.

I was guessing it was broken into by more unsavory individuals, but I didn't bother asking. All the local body shops around here are either F rated or very expensive. I was quoted $1600 to fix a 1.5" x 6" rust spot on my roof and that didn't include paint, just sanding and bondo. I tried to have several shops work a crease out of my hood from a deer hit and none wanted to touch it. I do know a couple of former body guys I was planning to ask. But since I already bought a door, might as well use it for the time being.

[scot850]

If you don't care about the colour, then it is easy enough to remove and install with a bit of help. You could always keep the original door incase you can find someone to straighten it. You could try removing the glass and beat it with bits of wood and a hammer to see if you can straighten it enough.

Neil.

[FireFox31]

It's great that you know the story behind the car. That so often gets lost.

(allegedly he has all the other Volvos on a farm somewhere). ... He is now in poor health and can't fix it like he wants to, so he's liquidating his stock. He said in the spring or summer there will be an auction to get rid his collection of parts cars. And that's how I heard it.

Five more T5M coming on the market soon? Surely the MVS crowd would do the right thing with those and bring them back to service. Put in a good word for us so you and the members in your area can get some rare wagons to fix up. Or see if he'll let you know when the auction happens so we can have a shot at them.

Those seats look amazing, and power passenger to boot. Where did you find ones in such good shape? If they came from a 99-00, their side airbags won't fire in a 98. I'm considering my options for this same problem, having lovely 00 seats to replace a moderately worn 98 seat.

I was able to get a front and rear door in my green color from a junkyard for $100 each with me pulling them (which is quite easy). They're not in amazing shape but replaced two which were hugely dented. Vastly cheaper than repairing, even including my time to get them and swap them. Consider looking for a silver one in your area instead of repainting the blue. My T5M has a large scratch on a door so I plan to carefully search yards for a top quality blue door to replace it. Heck, I'd consider buying yours if you're in the north east.

[WhatAmIDoing]

It's great that you know the story behind the car. That so often gets lost.

(allegedly he has all the other Volvos on a farm somewhere). ... He is now in poor health and can't fix it like he wants to, so he's liquidating his stock. He said in the spring or summer there will be an auction to get rid his collection of parts cars. And that's how I heard it.

Five more T5M coming on the market soon? Surely the MVS crowd would do the right thing with those and bring them back to service. Put in a good word for us so you and the members in your area can get some rare wagons to fix up. Or see if he'll let you know when the auction happens so we can have a shot at them.

Those seats look amazing, and power passenger to boot. Where did you find ones in such good shape? If they came from a 99-00, their side airbags won't fire in a 98. I'm considering my options for this same problem, having lovely 00 seats to replace a moderately worn 98 seat.

I was able to get a front and rear door in my green color from a junkyard for $100 each with me pulling them (which is quite easy). They're not in amazing shape but replaced two which were hugely dented. Vastly cheaper than repairing, even including my time to get them and swap them. Consider looking for a silver one in your area instead of repainting the blue. My T5M has a large scratch on a door so I plan to carefully search yards for a top quality blue door to replace it. Heck, I'd consider buying yours if you're in the north east.

He told me the others are in very poor shape, missing many parts, and are not running. They may not even still have their M56s, as he was talking about selling one. He said they are probably only worth scrap at this point. I will keep track of when the sale is.

I pulled them from a 98 S70. Was very impressed with the seats considering the shape of the rest of the interior. They were even nice enough to replace the heater core right before they junked it and not put any of the panels back. Unfortunately, my pass side is not wired for a power seat. I guess powered passenger seat wasn't standard even in a T5?

There was only a 98 S70 and a 00 XC available locally. I really needed a hatch and door, so unfortunately didn't have time to wait. The paint is completely trashed. So not too worried about color matching. The hatch has the typical XC rust under the decal, but it only looks like surface rust. Will sand and prime to stop it. The door I pulled is far from perfect. Lots of typical city parking related scratches.

Oh, did I mention this V70 is going into immediate daily driver status? Since I lost my S70, I need to get work done somehow. So she'll be racking up 500 miles a week while being restored.

[abscate]

Please share the zip where These are located. P80 AWD stuff is obsolete and a 2000 XC70 is a great source for NLA parts

[bmdubya1198]

Well, a P80 is a good car to depend on as a daily driver during repairs at least!