Antherzoll's 2005 Volvo XC70 Vehicle/Trip Thread

I assume any overland vehicle should start with the basics, big tires. The stock tire size for the XC70 is 215/65R16, the vehicle came with a worn and old set of Pirelli Scorpion STR and General Altimax Arctic, I was able to squeeze some life out of them. With the new set I kept to a summer and winter setup, but for this post I’ll only focus on my Winter/Trail tire. The tire I chose is Kumho Road Venture AT51 in 235/65R17, the size is original fit for an XC90. Normally this tire size wouldn’t fit an XC70, but with a little hammer and heat gun action I was able to get enough room in the rear wheel wells. The fronts will rub a bit at full lock, but I just ignore that.

Tire and Wheel
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Flexing
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Snow
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Trail Shots
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I quite like the AT51s. They handle the snow and ice well, loose surfaces and rough roads perfectly, and they have acceptable road manners. I may just run them year round when my summer tires wear out.
 
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With the kids getting bigger, and our pack getting larger it's time to expand the cargo capacity of the XC, so I purchased and installed a Yakima Loadwarrior with Extension. A few things I like right off the bat, it's stable, it's mounted higher so the hatch can open, and I'm able to load the basket up under the canoe.

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The cross bars on the rack are 1" diameter and can accept any rack accessories available. I purchased and installed a set of Yakima Load Stops to keep the canoe centered. Also, paddles are a PITA to store in a loaded vehicle, with a set of Quick Fists I'm able to mount 4 of them to the rack.

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The Quick Fists are setup quite crudely using ½” insulated clips and SS hardware.
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Ha, and yes, the canoe is quite beat up, but it's solid. I do plan on refinishing the clear to show off the battle scars [emoji48]. The patches are from taking over a waterfall then getting it wrapped around a rock after a swift, thank **** I had duct tape [emoji23] .
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Brake Conversion/Upgrade

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That's right folks. XC90 front and rear brakes. [emoji16] [emoji108]

Rotors are Wagner Premium E-Coated, Pads are Pagid.

The calipers were a generous donation from a friend and fellow SS member [emoji8], they were well used and were in need of a spa treatment. Once fully disassembled and the pistons ejected they went for a nice vinegar/brine soak to melt the rust away.

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... much better.

Now some people at this point would decide on some radical colour to paint their fresh caliper for that ultimate effect behind the wheel. Me being me, I went with the best... Tremclad High Heat Enamel in Flat Black [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

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Also rebuilt the calipers with new boots, seals, pin guides, and hoses.

Install was straight forward like any brake job with the exception of the larger caliper mounting bolts for the fronts, and the dust shield for the rears. To mount the front calipers to the spindle the bolt holes had to be enlarged enough for the M14 bolt. I used a 13.5mm or 17/32" drill bit then reamed out the hole to 14mm finish with an adjustable reamer.

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[emoji8] [emoji108]

Bleed it.
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Slap the wheels on.
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...and take it for a spin.

Initial thoughts, they are not as grabby as the old performance brakes but there is a noticeable difference in brake force. I can also feel the additional weight of the calipers/rotors in the steering wheel.

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Cheers [emoji482]
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Fire side install of the IPD Skid plate
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It has already proven it’s worth saving my oil pan.
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Transmission Cooler and Thermostat.
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Cooler is a Hayden 679…ain’t no kill like overkill. Thermostat is mounted firmly in place using an 4-11/16 electrical box cover, 1/4" 20 bolts to mount the thermostat, and self drilling screws in the frame. All hoses and the thermostat clear the splash guard very nicely.

...and that folks is pretty much where my Vehicle is at currently. I'll update my latest trips when I get a chance. Hope you all enjoy.
 
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Yesssssssss.

Give my fellow XC-owner and professional Adventure-dad a warm welcome people [emoji1319][emoji1319][emoji1319]

If there were a VH1 "Behind The Music" for The Adventure Wagon[emoji769], it would essentially reveal that Anthony was behind it all [emoji23]. He's arguably got the best sleeper XC going and uses it like a real man should.

Subscribe now because this will be great [emoji3]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Toronto ON to Kaslo BC 2017

This is our most recent road trip.
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Trip Total ended up being 8830km or 5519mi and 110h driving. I did the first leg of the trip solo to Winnipeg, picked up a family member, then drove the rest of the way to Calgary to meet the family who flew in from Toronto. Met up with a few Volvo enthusiasts in Minneapolis on my way through at 1am.

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Left Toronto Friday morning, made it to our first camp spot in Golden BC Sunday Night, that’s 4000km/2500mi in 2 and a half days!
She was loaded down!
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When the mountain gets in the way...
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Camp
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The next day set out for Kaslo for a few days.
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Our original plan was to leave the tent trailer in Winnipeg and stay with family in Kaslo, but there was a bit of a misunderstanding. So instead of staying in a Hotel we camped out in Kaslo for a few days. Nothing spectacular so I’ll save the pictures. We enjoyed some lazy days with family in Kaslo. Spent a lot of time on the beach.

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Took a short hike up one of the peaks, and man I wish I had a mountain bike.
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Village of Kaslo
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Early morning Sunday we packed up a set sail for new grounds.
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Part 2

This began our return trip back home, A pretty big travel day along some really nice twisting roads with awesome views. We didn't have much time to appreciate the scenery, but the kids rated the roads 2 out of 2 vomits [emoji23]. Our destination for the night was Mt.Fernie Provincial Park located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A beautiful area know for skiing in the winter, hiking/mountain biking in the summer.... My photography is lacking, but trust me, search for yourself.

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Found this in a Canadian Tire parking lot. “The Fernie Fiend”
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On the move again this morning, destination Regina via the scenic Crowsnest Pass. First stop outside of Fernie is Sparwood to visit "The World's Largest Truck".
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...effin yuge! Riding on 40.00-57 Yokohamas [emoji33]
https://www.otrusa.com/product/40-00-57-76pr-yokohama-y523-e4-tl/

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Frank Slide. Hopped around a boulder field for a nice break.
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...then it's pretty much back on the prairies for miles.

The XC tripped P0136 that cleared, but it did set a P0101 after the last hill climb out of the mountains. Figured it was a boost leak cause a hissing could be heard on boost. Drove it all the way to Swift Current like that, found a large enough park for the family to get lost in for an hour while I sorted it out. A little road side leak test. [emoji23]

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I don't know what to think about the damaged O-ring, but the throttle inlet hose at the intercooler had pulled out from under the band clamp just a little bit and that's what set the code. Like not bad for almost 3k mi of sustained boost [emoji33] . Took only 40mins to sort out, had something to eat, then it was back on the road with the XC running strong on the rest of the way to Regina.
We stayed in a Holiday Inn in Regina. Yes I know, not camping, but we are only in Regina for a couple nights to visit more family and reorganize for the trip home. Wife flewhome from here, and I will tripped with the boys home over the next few days camping along the north shore of Lake Superior.

XC got some much needed treatment!
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A quick cleaning of the interior to get all the apple cores, spilled drinks, and gummy bears unstuck from the seats [emoji23], and exterior to wash off the pounds of deceased insect carcasses. Also treated the XC to an oil change at The Great Canadian Oil Change. She got a fresh fill of Valvoline SynPower 5w40 and a Valvoline VO66 filter [emoji108].

With the XC cared for, and the wife and kids keeping up appearances with the old folks, I took to the roads for a solo trip to Saskatoon, sans-kiddos and sans-Dutchman to meet a few Volvo enthusiasts.

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Saskatoon Shines! [emoji274]

On the way back I took to a back road to see what some of the country side had to offer, and while it wasn't much it was still a nice drive.

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Part 3

The next day we took to Winnipeg for a quick visit then we're off into the wild for a few days. We took our time camping at a few Provincial Parks along the way from Winnipeg to Toronto.

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Arron Provincial Park
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Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
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Rainbow Falls Rossport Campground
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Pancake Bay Provincial Park
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...did the last 8.5h leg home in one shot.

The drive along the north shore of Lake Superior is beautiful, twisty costal roads, amazing views, and it can be quite mountainous in sections. I love this drive every time!

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Quite an epic trip, but it's not the most epic I've been on with the family. The road trip we took In 2015 has by far been the most epic, we did 7000mi in 5 weeks when the kids were 1yo and 3yo with the same setup, I'll post that next. The XC seems to be handling the punishment well. I'm quite shocked that I haven't cooked the engine or broke the transmission yet... knock on wood. [emoji16]
 
Toronto > Yellowstone > Vancouver BC 2015

I’ll spare the details and just photo dump.

The Trip
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Curt Gowdy State Park, Cheyenne WY.
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HWY 26/287, WY
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Yellowstone
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Heyburn State Park, Plummer ID
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Steamboat Rock State Park, Electric City WA
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North Cascade Highway, WA
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Crowsnest Highway, Osoyoos BC
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Yesssssssss.

Give my fellow XC-owner and professional Adventure-dad a warm welcome people [emoji1319][emoji1319][emoji1319]

If there were a VH1 "Behind The Music" for The Adventure Wagon[emoji769], it would essentially reveal that Anthony was behind it all [emoji23]. He's arguably got the best sleeper XC going and uses it like a real man should.

Subscribe now because this will be great [emoji3]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Awesome! I am just getting started updating my 2002 v70xc. I'll using this and Young Satchel's build as inspiration.
 
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Canoe camping with the family this weekend in the Halliburton Highlands. This is one of our favourite spots to camp as it is not too well known so the sites aren't overused. With a little boat in boat action and the vehicle loaded up we set off.

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Access to the lake is down a logging road, nothing special but I pieced together a video leading out from the launch back to the main road that I will post below.

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It was raining pretty hard for most of the weekend, but there were some nice breaks in between storms.

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Got hit hard by a storm cloud on the way out.
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...beats being at home [emoji16]
 
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Awesome trip! I hope to take such a trip with wifey and our spawn some day.

Are your second set of wheels from an 850R? My first car was a '91 940 Turbo sedan, brick red. And I used to be somewhat active on turbobricks.com.
 
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This is fantastic. I've always been a Volvo fan. Used to think about what I'd do with the XC-70. I like that you've done a few things for functionality and just get out there and explore.

Side note: I'm glad to see someone else who liked the V70R.

Thanks!

Awesome trip! I hope to take such a trip with wifey and our spawn some day.

Are your second set of wheels from an 850R? My first car was a '91 940 Turbo sedan, brick red. And I used to be somewhat active on turbobricks.com.

Ha, no, but close! You're thinking of Volan wheels and I really wanted a set instead of the Thor wheels, but I couldn't find a decent set for a good price.