Hey All,
I figure the best way to introduce one's self around these parts is rig-first, so at my friend Doobie_Dave's suggestion, I've decided to just dive right in with a rapid-fire build thread to explain the project and get you all up to date.
To put it quite simply, this project was a complete accident; and I have no history of working on or modifying vehicles in any way prior to this. While I've made quite a bit of progress in a relatively short period of time, there is much more work to be done. Some of builds on here are absolutely incredible as far as their attention to detail, utility, and overall looks and my little wagon seems feeble in comparison. BUT, Part of what's exciting about this community is its diversity, and having seen several other "oddball" or "atypical" build threads--but zero volvos--I thought it would be valuable for me to share my own....
With my first son about 1.5 yrs and the birth of my 2nd child imminent, I needed to clear some room in the vehicle stable for a more "family friendly" vehicle than my beloved 1987 Toyota 4Runner. Luckily I was able to find the perfect new owner in Doobie_Dave who'd basically been quietly lusting after it since I first parked it in front of our shop.
I had acquired the Volvo from my stepfather for a song about a year prior when they upgraded, and with the runner gone, I turned my attention to it with fresh eyes. Truth be told, the humble XC70 had never quite captured my heart with its soccer mom looks and quiet, Scandinavian confidence. I took it on board at around 78k miles, and though it was super well cared for, I struggled to really find things to appreciate about it. It was certainly no 4Runner [emoji17]
But once it was my only vehicle, with the runner safe in Dave's hands, I began to look at it and wonder if it had the potential to be something more interesting. The Subaru guys were doing all sorts of wacked out awesome shit with their AWD wagons; why couldn't I do the same sort of things with the Volvo? The seed was planted and began to take root much more quickly than I expected.
Soon I was knee deep over at Swedespeed forum asking any and all questions I could and absorbing information like and eager sponge. I spent hours studying both of the IPD XC70 builds (to which I remain greatly indebted) and days thinking how I might apply similar mods to my own wagon. Within a week the ordering began [emoji16] . . .
THE MODS & ACCESSORIES
I started about as small as one can with the accessory that any and all wagons need to compete their wagon-ness: a good set of crossbars!
While the bars were still in the mail, I was furiously researching racks and settled on a yakima load warrior cargo basket. After ordering that, I realized that it would look awkwardly short on my long roof, and put in another Amazon order for the extension right away (gotta love Prime!).
It was that first late summer afternoon after installing the rack that I came out to the gravel lot and saw the humble beginnings of something stirring beneath the XC's metallic silver skin [emoji3]
The next step was a few quick and simple OEM accessory purchased for the interior: front and rear all weather mats to keep mud and grime off the carpets, and a steel and nylon rear cargo area divider to keep assorted crap from being flung onto the heads of my two little guys.
Done......and done:
The world of IPD was brand new to me, and I dived in with zeal. They remain the largest manufacturer and supplier of aftermarket volvo parts and I looked to them out of the gate for some bits and bobs to help fortify the ride further.
I first installed their aluminum strut brace conversion kit to help tighten up the front end a bit:
Then I installed their aluminum DEM protective shield.
And finally I installed their beefy aluminum skidplate to replace the factory splash guard under the oil pan...
Solid [emoji41][emoji123].
After getting those few basic utilitarian and armoring steps out of the way, it was time for a few little cosmetic modifications to assist with my goal of making the wagon a bit more aggressive in the styling department of that was even possible [emoji23]. So of course......dip to the rescue!
Started in the back:
Then the following week moved to the front ....
While I had the grill out, I ordered the little known OEM auxiliary lighting kit, and a set of black Magic Hella 500s. First time doing any electrical work on the car, and was happy I didn't explode it or set off a million fault codes. These euros can be a little particular [emoji6] with the murdered-out grill back in and the black driving lights on the front, things were starting to take shape as i desired.
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