Rehabilitating the T5M

[volvolugnut]

What a great story. I had a random meeting with the previous owner of my V70 T5. They had the car in Europe at one time. They must have been in military. They told me how their son one day took a rock and started scratching the side. I had polished out the mark.
volvolugnut

[FireFox31]

Another fortunate coincidence happened today. Today, I made a phone call necessary to complete a project that's years overdue. It resulted in me making an appointment elsewhere in the state for next month. 45 minutes after ending the call, the previous owner of the T5M called me to say he had gathered up the spare parts I could pick up. As fortune would have it, he lives near where my appointment will be and can meet me then. The timing is uncanny.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping snow shoveled off the car until I can make time to begin its rehab. I have a bunch of research to do, replacing my 1999- NA experience with -1998 turbo knowledge. Then make an efficient work plan, acquire the parts, and get it done. "The work is easy, it's the planning that's hard," is the lesson I learned from home renovation.

Once the T5M is done, I may have a buyer lined up for my green 2000 V70 NA automatic: its previous owner. While recently visiting with her daughter, I told her I've put tons of money in to it but will eventually replace it with the T5M. She said her mom wasn't happy with her Subaru and might want to buy back the V70. I would be thrilled to sell the car to someone who enjoyed it enough to want it back, especially if I get it solid enough to be reliable for years. Of course, I'd offer to buy it back (again) if she wants to sell it.

[WhatAmIDoing]

Since you read my restoration thread, it seems only right I read yours. Wow what a score and fascinating story! Definitely looks a lot nicer than mine. Also sounds like we will be into similar projects. I will probably do PCV and timing soon. I'm also suspicious of my alternator, so I'd be interested in what you learn from that experience. It's very cool you are in contact with the former owner. Seems like you have way better fortune than me. Genuinely excited to see where this project goes. Feels good to be in the T5M club.

[abscate]

It’s amazing that I know 8 of the T5M owners out of that rare 150 bunch !!

[Clemens]

That just proves that you are the nautic blue epicenter of the 90ies T5M wave ...

[FireFox31]

Today, I met up with the previous owner of the T5M. He's a great guy with a reasonable enthusiasm for driving and vehicle maintenance. It was fun to hear stories of how he enjoyed driving the car for 20 years.

He sent me home with a wagon full of extra parts: Four aftermarket 17" wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires from 2011, four Volvo steel wheels with snow tires from 1998, the TME exhaust down pipe (cat?) still in the box, a set of power slot rotors and all brake pads, cargo cover, cargo net, trunk liner, the original sales brochure and owners manual, a USA Spec iPod adapter, and various small OEM parts.

I can't wait to get the car up to stage 0 because I'd love to throw on the 17" sport tires and throw it into some curves. Though they're from 2011, there is only minimal cracking in the tread (far less than my daily driver 2018 tires).

I'm torn if I should replace the original catalytic converter with the TME down pipe to match the installed TME cat back exhaust. I'll have to research opinions on the kit on SweedSpeed and VolvoSpeed to see what people think. I'm planning to have the Bear River Converters repair flange welded to the cat-to-muffler connection, so would need another welded to the TME down pipe. I'll have to figure this out soon because repairing the exhaust is high on my list. That is, once I have time to work on it.

[FireFox31]

On the 04 C70, had they taken the unique subframe brace? I'm still hoping to find one of those some day.

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https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/p80- ... ce.662317/
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I'm now the proud owner of a C70 subframe brace thanks to MoVolvos directing me to a seller on SwedeSpeed. The seller lived far away from me so it didn't seem possible I could get it. In another stroke of fortune, they had a family member visiting who was soon heading home... near my town in NH. That person kindly hauled the brace over many state lines and I picked it up from him.

I paid a very fair price considering my only effort was a quick 90 minute round trip drive to a neighboring town I visit all the time. Sure beats searching for that brace in a junkyard, somehow lifting the car in unsafe conditions, and lying on my back in the mud to remove it.

The brace will go on the T5M to compliment the OEM strut tower brace. The previous owner told me in detailed engineering terms how that strut tower brace improved the handling and predictability of the car. When I mentioned the C70 subframe brace, he couldn't imagine that there would be flex in the middle of the car, but I said the enthusiasts swear by it. Maybe it's just hype, but I feel a little more special for having it.

Another good fortune: When looking through the few pieces of old paperwork that the previous owner gave me, I found... the original window sticker. It's hard to describe how thrilled I am about that. I can't wait to get this car back to stage 0 and try out its improved performance on the road.

[scot850]

Hey if you really wanted to work for it, I also have both that and the sub-frame cross brace sitting in my garage as well!

Neil.

[FireFox31]

Hey if you really wanted to work for it, I also have both that and the sub-frame cross brace sitting in my garage as well!

What's the sub-frame cross brace? Another "performance mod" like the C70 brace that I'll convince myself I need?

[scot850]

There are actually 2 braces on the C70. The one you have and a second 'V' shaped on the bolts to the front of underside of the front sub-frame and the 2 'legs' to the two rear corners. Then the one you have goes from the rear of the front sub-frame mounts and back to about half way down the car.

Neil.