Just been shopping!

[The Flying Moose]

Well finally decided to order myself a Strut brace for the 850, I was given an aftermarket one a while back but as it looked so tacky and was in poor condition never fitted it. So ordered a genuine Volvo part this afternoon.

Heard it makes a massive improvement to the ride quality and firmness of the front end.

For anyone else's reference the genuine volvo part number is 9204180

Ordered from Rufe at FRF for £67 delivered via DHL 24 hour courier service.

Should arrive well before weekend which gives me time to fit it before the events at the weekend!

Pictures to follow once fitted :)

[JelT5]

Good man :)
Helps with handling and traction, a very worthy addition.

[t5_monkey]

Great Upgrade - made a big difference on my S40 which is alledgedly a stiffer NCAP-5 car so can only imagine how much better it'll be on an 850.

You find that the polybush engine mount (if you have it) improves wet weather traction in the 850's ?

[The Flying Moose]

Great Upgrade - made a big difference on my S40 which is alledgedly a stiffer NCAP-5 car so can only imagine how much better it'll be on an 850.

You find that the polybush engine mount (if you have it) improves wet weather traction in the 850's ?

Really? Didnt know a poly mount could make that sort of difference. I have seen them for £20 so will probably change it next month but I have spent enough today apparently.

[t5_monkey]

Really? Didnt know a poly mount could make that sort of difference. I have seen them for £20 so will probably change it next month but I have spent enough today apparently.

The Engine mount is a good buy.

Mines a bit different as the mount is the gearbox (below the engine) however what I found was there's a lot less 'tramp' in the wet as the mount is stiffer it winds and unwinds a lot less when you lose traction.

Not sure if you'll find the same, but you will probably be pleasantly surprised such a small cheap upgrade can make such a big difference overall to the car (noise, feel etc...)

[The Flying Moose]

Well it arrived today! Couldnt be a better day really as both strut brace and driving licence returned and I recieved my tax rebate cheque.

Ok so here is a few pictures for your pleasure.

I cant seem to post anything in the how to section at the moment so ill post here. I have done a simple picture guide for anyone else who wishes to fit a strut brace.

Ok firstly what you'll need is:
-Wratchet
-13mm Socket
-15mm Socket
-13mm spanner

The box and its contents:

In the box you should recieve three metal components, these consist of the two suspension mount brackets and the cross member. In addition to these you should have two 13mm bolts, six 13mm nuts and two 15mm nuts.

http://i55.tinypic.com/28iumo7.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/k9yh6p.jpg

Ok the first step is to remove the three retaining bolts on each of the suspension mounts using a 13mm spanner. (As a word of warning do NOT jack the car up when doing this).

http://i53.tinypic.com/3499e05.jpg

Next is to fit the left hand mounting bracket. You can fit the whole assembly in one go but I find it easier to align everything if you put the brackets on first. When fitting the mount remember to remove the washer as you will need to re-use this later on.

Supplied in the bag you will find the six 13mm nuts. I would advise replacing the old mounting nuts with these new ones as in many cases the nuts will be 15 years old.

When you fit the mount do not tighten up the nuts completely. Repeat fitting to the oposite side then you are ready to fit thr cross member.

http://i55.tinypic.com/9vlcup.jpg

The next stage then is to fit the cross member. When fitting this you will need the two 13mm bolts and two 15mm nuts. The nut should be fitted closest towards you so the bolt is inserted from the back.

http://i53.tinypic.com/9uw2tl.jpg

By now it should be fitted and you can align everything and tighten all the nuts up. The suspension mount nuts should be tightened to 40nm and the cross member securing bolts to 25nm.

Before:

http://i52.tinypic.com/mjlq85.jpg

After:

http://i51.tinypic.com/28i89w3.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/2z3w2kn.jpg

[Flatout Phil]

Nice one - but get those leaves out of your air intake! I can't bear this sort of untidiness ;)

[The Flying Moose]

Nice one - but get those leaves out of your air intake! I can't bear this sort of untidiness ;)

Cars parked under a tree.... I only emptied it a couple of days ago. Keep getting bits of leaves fly into my face when I turn the heaters on!

[woody]

It's a cracking little mod to do. I've even seen Pete (dooby) use his to hang his catch-tank from! I must pick his brains about that little number!