Damien - The resurrection

[AndysR]

Thanks for the update Andy, it's all looking good mate

Thanks Ian

Good point mate,keep it mint.

Something like that, lol

[merc85]

Cant say anything that hasnt already been said, and for anyone who hasn't seen this car...... you really dont understand what the term MINT means lol

Cant wait buddy to get Blacky and Yours together for those pic's (just dont do to many close up's on mine)pmsl

[T5frankie]

so what is this andy?

[leet5r]

at a guess , something special that picks up det,knock

[t5 pete]

15mm copper pipe quick weigh it in good prices at mo

[martybelfastt5]

outside tap??

[Jamest5r]

I use copper pipe on my pcv, just i plumb it into a catch tank

[AndysR]

so what is this andy?

That is a det pipe, 100 points to Lee. It was quite interesting to find that the car was getting det when using moderate throttle whilst the engine revs were lower down in the rev range. Shows you what a difference a more free flowing intake makes to the way the engine operates and to a certain degree highlights the importance of custom mapping when altering things on the car to improve on standard past the usual exhaust and air filter.

[AndysR]

Cant say anything that hasnt already been said, and for anyone who hasn't seen this car...... you really dont understand what the term MINT means lol

Cant wait buddy to get Blacky and Yours together for those pic's (just dont do to many close up's on mine)pmsl

Thanks Gav, far more complimentary than necessary or than that fiver I promised you earlier will cover.. Lol

Definitely looking forward to some photoshoots once I've got it back and cleaned it so that it's up to your standard

[AndysR]

Update time…

Been a while since I updated this so thought I had better get it done. So where are we? Well last weekend I went down to see Russ and his family whilst also tying in a quick test drive of the car to see how the new engine and map were doing
When I say quick it was supposed to be a 10 minute drive but we were out in the car for a good hour, more on that in a bit….

So 1 and ½ years after I last sat behind the wheel I was feeling equally excited and nervous about driving it again, not quite sure what the nerves was all about, I think it was a mixture of worry that I would not being impressed with the car anymore, I hadn’t missed it that much of late tbh, and perhaps there was an element present that I was scared of breaking it…again!! On the other side I was excited to see how the car went and how it performed and drove from cold, having the opportunity of driving it straight from the cold start.

So it’s 08:30 on a cold bright sunny Sunday, it’s been raining heavily for the last 2 days but this morning we’ve got blue skies and sunshine. James (my brother), Russ and I head out to the driveway where the car has been parked overnight. Very kindly Russ has offered to clean the car the day before and despite the collection of dirt from his drive home in the rain and the high levels of dew the car is still shining well. As soon as I set eyes on the car again I find an overwhelming level of excitement is suppressing the nervousness. I take the opportunity to have a look at the engine bay for the first time after the build and I’m impressed. The engine bay looks undisturbed despite the heavy surgery and the finish is excellent. I can see my carbon finished engine trims and cambelt cover in the flesh and they complement the freshly rebuilt engine well. My only disappointment is all the cleaning I did myself is now covered away and out of sight but at least I know it’s clean.. lol



Anyway I jumped into the drivers’ seat and was greeted by this oddly fitting trip reading, also the amount of miles since the engine was rebuilt.



Simple things I guess? Turn the key and the engine cranks and fires into life without a hint of any change to how I remember it, except of course the ticking has gone! That’s where some similarities end, the first touch of the throttle and I notice an instant urgency about the car that was never there before. The change in the engine’s responsiveness from standstill at light throttle is unbelievable, we move away and drive up the road and two other differences are immediate. With the drivers window open I can hear very slight piston slap, the sort I have become accustom to on cars with race spec pistons, this noise goes as the engine warms from cold. More importantly the gearbox changes gear seamlessly, the Silkoline race spec ATF I’ve opted for has transformed the gearbox.
My current company car is fitted with VW’s latest silky smooth 7 speed DSG gearbox so you can imagine my surprise when I find my 110,000 mile 17 year old Volvo is on par, this was a very pleasant surprise indeed, the gearbox on the Volvo has always been what I considered to be nice and smooth I didn’t expect this sort of improvement. Once out on the open road I find the car to feel solid, stiff and sure footed even on wet roads from the night before, all traits of the car I’d forgotten or perhaps become comfortable with when I was driving it but subsequently forgot about when I wasn’t.

Still admiring how driveable, smooth but firm the car felt we’d now been out for 20 minutes and the car was safely up to operating temperatures so I started to pick up the pace. The mere prod of the pedal brought the boost in, still essentially being a 15G the car never really suffered from turbo lag but what lag was it’s now almost non existent. The boost comes in earlier, smoother, stronger and now I’m seeing the factory boost gauge going past the horizontal position it had previously rested at with the pre-build custom map, indeed now were pointing at the top of the temperature gauge symbol. It’s safe to say that performance is almost definitely effortless not requiring more than ¾’s throttle to make very decent headway. As pace gathers so does the speed it creates this pace with and by that I mean it seems to accelerate faster the faster you go, it feels like it won’t stop accelerating, something my brother also commented on. Yet despite the cars increased performance the engines’ sound output has quietened slightly, it’s almost as if its generating pace in its stride and sounds like its not even working. Of course you still have the 5 cylinder growl but it’s slightly dampened on how it once was a product perhaps of it’s new found love to rev and accelerate with less time spent labouring? I’m not sure but it’s certainly quieter than it was pre-rebuild/pre-bent rod. That aside WOW my god does it go! It’s been a week since I drove it but I’m still as excited, at the time I wanted to ring people who knew the car and tell them about it but I managed to resist! It’s taken me a week to condense this post down to a reasonable level.. lol

One thing however that did become apparent is that the brakes aren’t really up to the job anymore, I’ve always felt that the 302’s with the Ferrodo DS2500 pads were an ample setup for the car. Now the pace of the car has clearly increased the reassuring bit they once had has gone and I find that I’ve lost a little of the confidence I once had in them as a result. The rear brake discs and front brake discs are now showing signs of being warped and I feel it is the time to consider an upgrade.

There are several big brake upgrades but I’ve always been fond of the AP set up and I feel this is the set up I shall go for. Being specifically designed and made to go on the Volvo AP have taken into consideration master cylinder size and therefore no other upgrades are necessary and having driven a couple of 850’s with the AP upgrade thankfully the standard pedal feel remains but with added positive confidence inspiring results. In any case with Christmas on the way it will be something for the New Year now and something else to save for.

So after spending the best part of an hour on test drive it was a good time to swing into Chichester town centre for a Costa, I did manage to get a couple of shots of the car when we parked so here they are. It’s now grubby again and I’m very much looking forward to detailing it again and getting it back to looking pin sharp again ready to get covered in snow and salt.. lol





There are now just 2 things to sort and I will be finally collecting the car, the first is to refit the splitter and the second is the final touch for the front of the car, and here’s a sneak peak….



Yes, the egg crate grille. As you can see I’ve opted for the one with the chrome outer surround really only because I think it looks more like the factory egg crate grilles from the X70 series cars. I’m really fussy when it comes to aftermarket grilles on 850’s and I’ve always maintained original is best but equally I’ve always wondered what an egg crate would look like on the car. Tbh as it stands at the moment I am not a fan, in fact I hate it, and it may not stay but it’s also not finished yet. I’ve bought a brand new XC90 slash and Russ is hopefully going to be able to modify it so that it will fit flush to the grille. The reason for the later slash is that the chrome finish will be new and the later Volvo emblem will complement my wheel centres. Once this is fitted then I will assess the grille and if I like it then it will stay, thankfully the original is still safe and ready to be refitted should I hate it. Also since I’ve had the front splitter fitted whenever I’ve removed it I’ve always hated the look of the car so hopefully with the slash and the lower splitter refitted I’ll like the grille, who knows! Lol

Anyway, to summarise I’m again smitten with the way the car drives, it’s silky smooth but devilishly quick, indeed much quicker than before. Boasting more boost in 1st gear and high boost now present in 2nd gear, where as before it only came in from 3rd onwards. The way it picks up from standstill will also give an improved 60ft time so with that and the boost hike it will definitely give an improved ¼ time…. Maybe good for 14 flat or high 13’s however that will have to remain a theory for now, definitely not bad for a lame old auto

[merc85]

Hardly lame auto, quicker than before?? Jesus she must go like warp factor 10 lol awesome update buddy cant wait to hook up for some pics

[V70 Graham]

Great update, glad you've fallen back 'in love' with the car and it's driving as well as it ever has.
ps keep me in mind if you really can't get on with the grille lol

[T5frankie]

Looking good andy for a high miler

[M-R-P]

Nice update Andy. You must be like a pig in poo!

[AndysR]

Looking good andy for a high miler

Yeah yeah, it was lower than yours when I got it and it started when I bought it too

Great update, glad you've fallen back 'in love' with the car and it's driving as well as it ever has.
ps keep me in mind if you really can't get on with the grille lol

Thanks Graham, I'll keep you in mind but the 850 grille doesn't fit the 70 series cars unless your not telling me something

Hardly lame auto, quicker than before?? Jesus she must go like warp factor 10 lol awesome update buddy cant wait to hook up for some pics

She goes well, think you'll be impressed, might even let you drive it

[V70 Graham]

Didn't think RT were doing this kind of work anymore, had this from them last week.....

Hello Graham

Thank you for your enquiry, unfortunately we are no longer carrying out tuning work so could not quote for......

Regards Andrew

[AndysR]

Nice update Andy. You must be like a pig in poo!

Understatement of the century comes to mind Martin... lol

[V70 Graham]

Thanks Graham, I'll keep you in mind but the 850 grille doesn't fit the 70 series cars unless your not telling me something

D'oh.....I been up too long lol

[AndysR]

Didn't think RT were doing this kind of work anymore, had this from them last week.....

Hello Graham

Thank you for your enquiry, unfortunately we are no longer carrying out tuning work so could not quote for......

Regards Andrew

You're quite correct, they will continue to cater for existing customers however they are not taking on any new customers who are interested in performance modifications. They don't really have the time to do it these days.

[T5frankie]

Yeah yeah, it was lower than yours when I got it and it started when I bought it too



Thanks Graham, I'll keep you in mind but the 850 grille doesn't fit the 70 series cars unless your not telling me something



She goes well, think you'll be impressed, might even let you drive it

mine started as soon as i got it mate, only winding you up, mine now has 97k and rising daily