Estate T-5R 1995 Opinions on restoration and modification

villagepc · Post by **villagepc** » 22 Dec 2008, 14:42

What to do... what to do...

Is this car considered "rare" since it's supposed to be 1 of 2000..etc etc etc yadda yadda? Is this car special since it's the first run of the R version?

There's many things I'd like to change / update with the car, but I'm not certain if doing so will detract from it's overall value in the future. I've tried to find current pricing information on this exact year / make / model, but I haven't found any other examples like mine (black), mostly the yellow ones...

I don't know.

If YOU owned it, would you keep it "stock" or change it up to your own liking?

LMK.. thanks!

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 22 Dec 2008, 16:17

Your car is rare for a number of reasons. At the time of its production, it was the Fastest Volvo, with the most horse power and torque ever made. It still is a fast car but has much locked up as "potential energy" than it exhibits in its stock form. The good news is, it doesn't take a whole lot to unlock that extra engergy.

If I was going to sell it I would keep it stock and replace all the stuff that's wrong with it with stock items.

If I was going to keep it and enjoy driving it, I would certainly do some upgrades:

1. Not an upgrade, but I would make sure everything was right which is called "Stage-0" (every vacuum hose changed- preferably to silicone hoses as well as silicon turbo hoses http://www.stylinmotors.com sells great kits for our cars. I would also make sure the brakes were good- maybe even slotted rotors, but I would keep the pads, OEM Volvo . I would also make sure there were no codes- replace 02 sensors and other sensors as needed. Also flush the coolant, brake fluid, transmission with new and go synthetic with this and engine oil. Getting a car to Stage-0 also means all of the engine mounts are good too.
2. IPD Swaybars next (best upgrade ever) with heavy duty sway bar end links.
3. Next, I would do an ECU upgrade (Upslute is good but so is IPD- I have IPD).
4. With the ECU upgrade, I would make sure and get a real boost gauge that is attached to the A-pillar (not depend on the one in the instrument cluster). This is cheap and can be had for under $100 with pod, tubing and nicely lit-to-match your instrument gauge, lighting.
5. I would also switch out the air filter to a K&N drop in filter (also cheap).
6. Consider a better down-pipe and 3" exhaust- Magnaflow catalytic converter and muffler (I don't have these but it will add about 10HP to your car).
7. Next to last, I would consider Koni Yello struts and shocks with H&R or similar springs to lower the car 1.5 inches or so.
8. Last, I would consider 17" "R" wheels.

Certainly, the list could go on- ported intake manifold or switch to the S60 "R" or Japanese manifold, ported turbo or larger T18 Turbo, bigger injectors, aquamist system with a stage-3 ECU upgrade, etc., etc. At some point it becomes over-kill and the money just isn't worth it (at least for me).

Guess that's about it. I have done 1-5 above and feel it is more than adequate for my S70 T5 and it's my daily driver...still can blow most others away on the road if I wanted to.

Let us know what you ultimately decide to do.
-MIJ

Oh, P.S....would love to see pictures of your T5R!

villagepc · Post by **villagepc** » 22 Dec 2008, 19:14

Thanks for the awesome reply!

I'm going through the stage-zero stuff right now, weather permitting. I'm in FL.. and a native at that, so when it drops below 60.. brr!

In regards to the rest of the list - those are exactly the types of things I am planning on doing... which, in my opinion, really shouldn't take away from the fact that it's a "rare" car - in fact, I believe it would make it more appealing.

It's definitely a keeper - despite the high mileage. This is one of those "I've wanted one since I was a kid" cars for me.... so I'll have it for a quite a while... It meets all of my basic needs.. respectable fuel economy, great storage space and with a little coaxing: major ass-kickery on demand! I'm not so keen on the slushbox for a performance car, but now that I'm older - it's not such a bad idea. My RX7... its walking and driving at the same time....

I'm torn on the wheels though - I like the OEM meshies in the 18" variety...

Great list of upgrades... I was thinking along the same lines..!

I'll get pictures posted here soon, or get them posted on Cardomain.... once Christmas gets out of the way!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 23 Dec 2008, 08:25

I'm torn on the wheels though - I like the OEM meshies in the 18" variety...

IPD has some great looking Pegasus replicas with a R logo for a reasonable price. I personally like the look of the Pegs better than the stock Volans.

http://www.ipdusa.com/Volvo-850/Wheels- ... -235-4080/

...Lee

Post by **JRL** » 24 Dec 2008, 06:36

Just remember, even though it's rare, it's worth a few bucks ONLY to a Volvo enthusiast.
I had about 15 grand in my 72K mile 850R, probably the nicest one around, I sold it for a hair under 11 grand a year ago and it was original and perfect.
Yours would have to be a show car cosmetically and mechanically to get maybe 8 grand back so do your own numbers

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 24 Dec 2008, 07:17

Very good point, Jim....thus, the question of "are you going to sell it, or are you going to keep it?" Either way, if you're eventually going to sell it, then a lot of expensive upgrades may be a waste of money. My suggestion is to get all the Stage-0 stuff done then do the basic suspension upgrades (swaybars are nice)...the boost gauge is easy enough and cheap (and can be removed easily too)....if you buy a second ECU and have it upgraded, you can always take it out and put the original one back in when you sell the car and recoup most of your $$ from the upgraded one, selling it to an enthusiast along with the boost gauge if you want.

villagepc · Post by **villagepc** » 24 Dec 2008, 13:41

Thanks for the insight...

I understand the theory behind the point of no return... or limited return (on investment).

I truly, truly, TRULY stole this car in regards to the purchase price (less than an IPD ECU upgrade), so I'm going to invest a few thousand in the restoration.. I should still be OK in regards to future resale (if i even sell it!).

I picked up some 3rd row seats from the pick and pull today... going to go back after some other misc. spares.... PNP... 02 sensors.... switches....

You guys are great... thanks so much for all the input!

Oh! Almost forgot - like a thief in the night, there is something draining my battery. It was charged 3 days ago and today it was dead as a doornail. Haven't started chasing that one yet other than checking the fuses. Two fuses were missing, so I installed those...... interior lights and... the door dingie thing. Soooo.... apparently, the door dingie thing stays dinging no matter what... car on / car off / doors closed... fun. Theres a light by the drivers foot area that stays lit after the courtesy lights go out.... gremlins!

Hope every here has a Merry Christmas!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 24 Dec 2008, 14:32

Two fuses were missing, so I installed those...... interior lights and... the door dingie thing. Soooo.... apparently, the door dingie thing stays dinging no matter what... car on / car off / doors closed... fun. Theres a light by the drivers foot area that stays lit after the courtesy lights go out.... gremlins!

A bad door switch will cause that problem. Unfortunately the switch is a part of the lock mechanism. New they run nearly $200.00 each so they may be pick-n-pull candidates as well.

...Lee

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 24 Dec 2008, 15:01

ingnition key receptacle not retracting when you pull your key out will also cause the chiming. I used silicone lube in my key hole there and things are better, but I had the same deal for awhile on my S70. Good luck with your restoration!

villagepc · Post by **villagepc** » 28 Jan 2009, 18:30

I've been slacking... here's what's going on so far..

Went to the pick n pull and got down n dirty for a couple hours pulling these parts:
Intercooler
All intercooling piping - ALL of it
Central locking system (drivers side)
Drivers door handle (just in case!)
New(er) bosch cap / rotor / wires - looks like the guy did a tune up in hopes that the blown head gasket wouldn't be so noticeable... there was a dealer type price on the windshield for 795...lol
The two plastic dealies that cover the headlight wiper arm area
All the relays
Boost control solenoid
... all for $30.00.

They have 3 850's (only one turbo), a V70, 960... and a couple others that I have no idea what they were... probably 240's / 760's. Most of the cars weren't picked over too bad... it was a neat experience where I could work on my exact car and not worry to much about having to drive it in the morning to go to work... lol!

I put the cap / rotor / wires on and the misfire under boost is gone.

I'm going to tackle the drivers side central locking system / door handle tomorrow...

Oh, the mysterious battery drain was simply a bad battery. It was reporting fully charged on the hydrometer, but wouldn't crank the car / dead under load.....

While I'm scavenging - is there anything else I should yank of the turbo car that I may need in the future? There's a bunch of goofy looking solenoidy type things under there that appear expensive to replace... /shrug. Probably best if I just bring my shopping cart and yank of whatever will come off easily... Gonna go after the instrument cluster next... weee!

SOOOoooo.. the T5R is up and running mediocre. It's drivable enough to take it to my indy who's going to flush the tranny and do the timing belt job w/water pump. Luckily, this guy (sells cars now!) worked for Volvo for 15 years - here's to hoping he knows his poop!

Again - this site is awesome!
....on a funnier note - after the car was up and running I took it for a few blasts around the neighborhood... came home, parked it and got out of the car in time to see a sherriff's cruiser circling my block... hahahahah guess the neighbors weren't happy