Fix or Scrap? Topic is solved

[foggydogg]

This is the first time numbers appeared in the thread; $2k is a bit stiff for a '99 XC with those miles and an engine problem - likely a burned/broken valve. Most of the theoretical musings here have presumed owner repairs. Professional shop rates make both projects economically challenged. The river raft transport is starting to sound ever more attractive.
As usual, our friend Robert has some helpful hints on the hatch swap.

[scot850]

I see in the parts section, the owner of the other car has offered to buy this car for the engine!

Neil.

[FireFox31]

I am waiting for two other estimates on the engine swap. I am hoping it can be done as a unit since my engine and transmission have only 95,000 original miles - but it's sounding like $1500 - $2000 for the swap.

Back in 2009, I blew the engine in my 2000 V70. I paid $10,000 for a used engine, shipped from out of state to a mechanic who installed it and did a bunch of other work (clutch replacement, etc). I got another 115k miles and 10 years out of that car until it got totaled like yours. I think that was worth the money.

I'm sure someone must have done a tailgate swap on a V70 in the forum - but have not been able to find one via search...

I just did one "recently", guess I forgot to write it up. I ran in to multiple little issues which made it frustrating. I couldn't unscrew the large head torx screws on the side of the tailgate because one wanted to strip. I tried unbolting the entire hinge assemble from the roof but that just barely didn't fit out the hole in the body; don't try it. I must have ultimately removed the side screws and the tailgate came off easily.

You can spend 3 hours under grinding off 25 year old exhaust stuff , though

Or five days, ask me how I know. I did cleanly remove all four studs, it just took an heroic effort.

[abscate]

Oooof. If you its coming out , throw caution to the wind and just cut off the manifold studs. I had my shop replace them so I didn’t suffer the drill out pain. 30 minutes of shop Rate was cheaper than the 6 broken drill bits it would take me

[TRNorton]

Well it looks like Jriddels and I have come to a deal and Yetrude's vital organs will live on in his donor V70 !
Thanks Jriddels for meeting my meger budget for this project!!

My mechanic quoted me around 10 hours for the engine swap which lines up with the advice from this forum.

- A quick digress of thanks to the members of this forum who have provided their 2 cents and helped me in this process - you guys are THE BEST ! -

Yetrude (my V70) has less miles on her body (95K) so I will also swap the seats - giving Frankentrude (Jriddels donor car) a unique Guiness inspired Black & Tan interior

Jriddels put a rebuilt transmission in less than 1000 miles ago so that will stay in the donor and mate with Yetrude's engine.

Do you all think I should swap a 95K miles rear AWD gear box out? The donor car has around 200K. Not sure of the book rate of hours for that - but seems like something to consider.

My big question is what additional parts should I consider harvesting from my original car. Unfortunately I don't have unlimited storage or I would just keep the whole car - but open to suggestions of the key components I should pull and save for the future or go ahead and bite the bullet of swapping out while she is already up on the lift so to speak...

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to have the spirit of Yetrude live on in Frankentrude!!

Thanks in advance!!

[TRNorton]

Can anyone recommend an aftermarket carpet kit for 99 V70? Since the seats are swapping I thought I should consider swapping the carpet...

POLL: Should I keep it Tan or go to Black to match the seats?

[volvolugnut]

Can anyone recommend an aftermarket carpet kit for 99 V70? Since the seats are swapping I thought I should consider swapping the carpet...

POLL: Should I keep it Tan or go to Black to match the seats?

Tan for dirt hiding.
volvolugnut

[Sveedy]

Since the AWD is ( one of ) the Achilles heels of the V70, I'd keep as much of it as possible.
So many other parts come to mind that you could just put in storage boxes ( just ask Neil ) before sending it to the junkyard.
In short, keep as much as possible.

As a big Guinness fan, I'd have to go with tan

[FireFox31]

It's great to hear that you both stuck a deal and you'll get to keep an XC on the road. You both win knowing that two car halves will make a whole.

I just started a newcomers guide to ownership and maintenance to help you and others level up their experience with these cars. It began as a comment about replacing your interior and ended up as a guide I've already retyped a few times over the years.

From what I've seen, tan seats wear out terribly while black stay nice for a long time. I would consider swapping the entire interior because I don't feel it's all that hard (except the dash and the sunroof trim). The Haynes manual (linked in the guide above) has info on removing seats, console, dash, trim, etc). Get a set of trim removal tools for flat, wide application of pressure/prying. Go easy on removing the brittle plastic panels and watch YouTube videos to learn where the connection points are for proper application of prying. Heck, disassembling the tan one can be learning/practice; no big loss if you break a part. From the donor, take all the trim clips you don't break and reuse them on yours, or buy a bunch of each in advance. A tasteful mix of black and tan might look really nice, actually.

There's a thread in the For Sale section about "parts to never leave in the junkyard". When parting out your car, save all the AWD components, rear axle parts, rear braking parts. Search the forum for more about AWD parts to save, like the "eccentric bolts" (I think). There are also some components which you might want to strip off the dead motor like coolant pipes and ignition coils. Save the power steering rack and its hard lines, dropping the subframe to more easily remove it (which the shop might already do when swapping the engine). Save the catalytic converter and muffler, especially if they're high quality original parts. Working ETM / throttle body are hard to find and easy to harvest. Heck, I'd keep anything which isn't a wear item (moving part, rubber). Do AWD have turbo, because if so keep all that including the PTC snorkel. I hope you find some locals who want the parts that you can't keep. Maybe find a Facebook group of Volvo enthusiasts in your area and/or list for sale on Facebook marketplace.

What's the back story on the name Yetrude?

[TRNorton]

Thank you so much for this thoughtful and thorough reply!
The Newcomers guide is fantastic.
Will definitely check out the never leave in the junkyard- I will do my best to harvest as much as I can store.

Yetrude is the Swedish name of my best friends Farfar (grandma) and when my wife and I first got the car we thought it had such a great “vibe” we named it after her.