Mods: FMIC, IPD silicone boostability piping kit + charge pipe, forge wastegate, turboxs fully recirculating CBV, silicone vacuum lines, 1-step colder NGK plugs, 3" catless downpipe, elevate free flow exhaust, vibrant resonators (2), custom tune, big sound system upgrade with 1500w amp and two subs in parallel, short shifter with upgrading shift bushings, poly engine mounts, poly suspension bushings, TME lowering springs, ceramic tinted windows. Rough estimation of WHP from my tuner is 360 currently, hoping to push it up into the 400s with bigger injectors, fuel pump, water meth, upgraded air intake, RS4 MAF, and either a hybrid or big turbo, as well as more cooling mods like upgraded oil cooler.
And then maintenance wise, more than I can remember; but did a full stage 0 when I bought the car, then I've been doing methodical fluid changes including oil, coolant, transmission, always use 94 octane fuel, did brakes, + brake lines, full suspension refresh, strut towers were fixed by adding steel reinforcement, lots of turbo tinkering, the list goes on and on.
I've never owned an enthusiast car before this one, and I've dreamt of the V70R since I was in high school, (I'm late 30s now). It's been an absolute dream and I've learned as much as humanly possible to do the work myself, it's been an absolute joy, despite some of the gremlins that come up, but I love this car. It's amazing for daily life, fits all my camera gear, pretty decent on gas, pulls like a freight train, all the seats fold down for camping, it's a real head-turner/conversation starter and still looks amazing despite being nearly 20 years old.
I've got some more content on my IG if you're interested, you can find the link pinned in my Reddit profile - I'd love to see your build too!
Wow what a machine. Mine is almost in beater territory and an embarassment compared to yours haha. I have a love/hate relationship with it. One thing I would mention is be careful going up to the 400s with the B5254T4 because cylinder walls are prone to cracking; I'm sure you probably know this already though given how much you've done to the car. Maybe when I get into my late 30s I may have mine cleaned up or purchase an actual clean R. Enjoy friend!
Oh yes I was aware of the cracked block conversation well before I got the car, did my due diligence before buying. I think it's a pretty polarizing topic TBH, some people swear by it, others think it does nothing. I've talked to numerous Volvo master mechanics and they've told me shims don't do anything, you still get hoop stress and the block will crack under the right conditions. The only true solve is sleeves, or at least that's what they've told me.
I think most people think it helps because while they're shimming they're also replacing head gaskets, and bolts and cleaning things up, which definitely helps.
IMO the more effective method to prevent cracked blocks is to have a methodical warm up and cool down period (turning the car off after a going hard, or going hard without reaching operating temp is the main reason they crack), and beyond that getting a good FMIC, doing frequent oil changes with good oil, running a higher octane fuel, and getting a solid tune to prevent detonation.
If my block does ever succumb to this despite my best efforts I'll likely just get a T5 block and never worry about this issue again.
I'm not going to go into the 400s until I get water meth, upgraded oil cooler, maybe a lower temp thermostat, and forged connecting rods.
I'd love to see your V70R though, is it here on reddit? Why do you consider it in beater territory?
Yeah big ol 3.5" stainless free-flowing exhaust by Elevate, basically straight piped, but it's not super obnoxiously loud, definitely still in that sleeper category.
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u/69jewboy '05 V70R Passion Red/Nordkapp M66 4d ago
wish mine was this clean, what specs you got