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

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 25 Jan 2023, 07:42

I'm back from the dead. After suffering the tragic loss of my beloved 324k mi 98 S70 T5M to a rod knock, I did the right thing and went on Marketplace to buy the closest Volvo V70. To my delight it was a tuned 98 V70 T5 with a factory installed M56 and some other under the hood goodies (R manifolds, etc). It evens runs and drives! An additional rare goodie, she came from factory with the Volvo car phone. Of course the antenna and wiring is all that remains. Seller also claims it has upgraded HD front axles (whatever that means). After years of searching I'm finally the proud owner of an "affordable" silver V70 T5M.

The bad: She's not a looker and with 325,000mi on the clock she's been well used. Needs a driver's door, tailgate, and 70% of the interior replaced. Well the interior doesn't really need to be replaced, because it was gutted when I bought it. In about 4-6 more weeks she was going to become a derby car, how tragic. The only interior I had to start with was: complete dash minus kick panels and bolster covers, drivers seat (doesn't move), pass side (trashed) and rear door panels, rear seats (trashed), and I think all the floor for the cargo area. She also doesn't have heat. The heater core and circuit was totally gutted. And there's the issue with the shifter. It's very hard to get into first or downshift to second. I have to push down and tweak the shifter just right. Aside from that, she's in desperate need of a tune up to get to Stage 0.

My plans: I need to get this daily-able for right now. So at a minimum I need a driver's door, tailgate, pass seat, working driver's seat, fix the shifter, and heat. Come this spring/summer, I will decide whether to keep this one together, or use the engine to fix my S70 T5M. I don't plan on getting rid of this V70, but she may become more of a grocery getter while my S70 remains the "fun car". I plan to document the progress on this V70 here in this topic, so check back for updates if you care to. Pictures coming soon.

Post by **scot850** » 25 Jan 2023, 07:59

I wish you luck with that! Glad you saved another one!

Neil.

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 25 Jan 2023, 08:51

Sounds rough, but being a T5M it's worth saving! Nice find!

Post by **volvolugnut** » 25 Jan 2023, 08:54

Lots of missing parts, but you did not mention rust. Sounds like fun.
volvolugnut

Post by **foggydogg** » 25 Jan 2023, 08:56

Nice score - hope there are no big surprises.
PM sent.
There are some bushings in the console end of the shifter, not a hateful job, a couple aftermarket folks make them in some magic plastic. The bushings in the trans end of the cables are a different animal, I don't think Mother Volvo lists them separately and the cables are a bit spendy. Robert Spinner has a video where he replaces those bushings with ball bearings and fender washers, pretty nice little repair. This is all depending on whether it's just a shifter issue, naturally.
Another suggestion for a quick troubleshooting guess would be to bleed the hydraulics, worth a try ?

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 25 Jan 2023, 10:59

volvolugnut wrote: ↑25 Jan 2023, 08:54 Lots of missing parts, but you did not mention rust. Sounds like fun.
volvolugnut

Apart from some dings, she is very clean. The rubbers and plastics on the other hand.

foggydogg wrote: ↑25 Jan 2023, 08:56 Nice score - hope there are no big surprises.
PM sent.
There are some bushings in the console end of the shifter, not a hateful job, a couple aftermarket folks make them in some magic plastic. The bushings in the trans end of the cables are a different animal, I don't think Mother Volvo lists them separately and the cables are a bit spendy. Robert Spinner has a video where he replaces those bushings with ball bearings and fender washers, pretty nice little repair. This is all depending on whether it's just a shifter issue, naturally.
Another suggestion for a quick troubleshooting guess would be to bleed the hydraulics, worth a try ?

99% sure the ball seat for the shifter is broken. If you pull up it sort of lifts the whole shifter out of place. Doesn't look like a fun job to replace it. Nor does the part seem readily available. FCP lists it as backordered.

Post by **Clemens** » 25 Jan 2023, 11:16

If I see no photos it didn t happen. Just saying ...

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 25 Jan 2023, 11:39

Clemens wrote: ↑25 Jan 2023, 11:16 If I see no photos it didn t happen. Just saying ...

All right, all right. Here are some quick and dirty pics from my phone. (And no this isn't my garage, and it was only supposed to be here for a few hours)

JayPea44 · Post by **JayPea44** » 25 Jan 2023, 11:48

Do love the v70 wagons. Had an AWD glt not so long ago but had to sell it. I've done a similar thing and bought the only 850r I could find around. It's a total pig, but it needed saving.

This one doesn't look THAT bad. Look forward to seeing it move along.

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 25 Jan 2023, 11:59

Wait, is that water pump missing teeth?