Last time the 850R was at the shop they noted that the factory intake pipe from MAF to turbo was on its last legs and needed replacing soon. Which sounded to me like a great excuse for an upgrade. The stock pipe is an accordion type plastic hose and is a slightly smaller diameter than …
Category Archives: 850 R
Functional fogs
Well, sort of. Factory fog lights on 850s are more cosmetic than functional. But the single most annoying thing about them is that they do not turn on unless the low beam headlights are on. Which is a little frustrating because if it gets foggy enough to need fog lights then the low beam headlights …
C70 rear subframe brace
The rear subframe brace from a c70 convertible fits the front wheel drive 850/70 series cars, so I decided to install one and see how it affects the handling and ride of the 850R. Aftermarket companies makw chassis braces that work in a similar way but why not have the one Volvo made to reinforce …
do88 Intercooler again
I ordered a do88 Intercooler for the 850 when I bought the one for the 240, but I delayed installing it now because I was planning to do an aluminum radiator at the same time. I thought I should probably wait until I do a manual swap so I don’t have two empty plugs for …
960 wheel
This may be the fastest major change I have ever made to a car. In about a half hour I went from this: To this: It is a steering whee and airbag from a 96 960. I’m keeping my eye out for a leather s90/v90 wheel, but for now this vinyl wheel looks so much …
Wiper and hatch upgrades
A profitable day at the junkyard yielded a couple of small but significant upgrades I have been planning to make to the 850. These little things that make the car just a little nicer to drive or live with or make it more modern are by far my favorite sort of upgrades to make. The …
Heat shields
The R did not have exhaust manifold heat shields when I bought it. It has the upgraded late model exhaust manifold and an aftermarket downpipe so the stock heat shields do not fit. Finding the right heat shields for the new manifold on the old car turned out to be harder than I thought it …
Polyurethane upgrades
After running over a large and unmarked speed bump at night I had an exhaust rattle that turned out to be the panel under the second O2 sensor having been bent up and vibrating on the exhaust. But before I figured that out I checked all the engine mounts out and noticed the transmission mount …
850 airbag
The passenger side airbag cover on most 850s ends up peeling up and in general looking terrible after a decade or two in the sun. Mine was irritating me and giving the car a ratty look. Fortunately a beautiful 850 GLT at the local junkyard donated its airbag and dash. If you have never replaced …
850 Rear Mudflaps
The R did not come with rear mudflaps for some reason, and because it rains in the northwest and occasionally people have to drive behind me I bought some rear mudflaps from Volvo and installed them this weekend. Pretty simple job and not only will the cars behind me see less spray and the rear …