1995 Volvo 850 5-speed Turbo Estate Wagon
Page 1: intro
Page 2: Interior
Page 3: suspension and brakes
Page 4: Manual transmission swap.
After rolling my 95 Subaru Legacy into the Lompico River, I decided my dreams of owning a Volvo turbo were due to be realized. I found this 1995 850 wagon on a used lot in Fremont, CA for $3300. I paid $3k out-the-door, and drove it trouble-free for three months. Then I burst the heater hose while mashing out of a parking lot, dumping coolant everywhere.
The Stormtrooper: with his arsenal of tools.
...It wasn't until early 2009 that I began to fall in love with car repair. It was mainly out of necessity- I wanted my cruise control to work again, and after having been charged $600 for heater hoses by a truly awful place in Santa Cruz called "Specialized Auto" (so-called Volvo garage) I decided to take it upon myself. Of course, as it is more than half the time, a bad relay was to blame, and a $15 replacement from the junkyard solved it- so far, at least.
Pioneer p3100 In-Dash DVD and iPod interface. An unusually frivilous amenity for me, but I hate fumbling with an iPod while driving, and being able to watch a Simpsons marathon on long drives is also nice.
Drilled/Slotted Brake Rotors with Gold Anodized finish.
Two-tone interior- See Page 2.
A pic of the engine before adding Samcos and removing all the useless plastic covers from throttle and plugs.
New Bilstein Heavy Duty shocks, front and rear
New spring seats, bushings, bump stops and rear plates, OEM
16" Volvo Persus wheels from a platinum edition 850
New Raybestos semi-metallic brake pads all around.
New Pioneer p3100 in-dash dvd/ipod control touch screen
New IPD short ram intake
New MSD blaster ignition coil
Added factory roof racks.
Added black sport grille, honeycomb.
Added Signature Tint, 70% rear, 30% front (?)
New front bumper cover and lower valence (OEM, nothing fancy or breakable)
New ABS-TRACS Control Module (it works!)
New Heater Core
New Urethane upper engine mount bushing
New OEM lower torque rod mount
New Bosch Platinum spark plugs
New Bosch Distributor cap, rotor and wires
New Falken FK452 Front tires
Replaced damaged rear liftgate
Replaced Master window switch
Replaced Brake pedal switch
Replaced Climate control unit
Replaced Cruise Control unit
Replaced dented right rear door and swapped window motor.
Passed CA smog
Coolant flush
Timing Belt, water pump, idler, pulley, tensioner, and serpetine belt.
New Yokohama yk-520 Front tires. After the first rain in LA>
10/09/09 Removed headlight wiper assemblies and replaced front trim. Painted factory grille black with chrome trim. Re-badged with turbo 855 name.
