Introducing...the Thunder Wagon

Well the SHO has gone to a new home....in it's parking spot now rests a '95 Volvo 850 Estate...ie; the Thunder Wagon. I was in high school back in '93 when I saw my first 855 and was in love...but I was confused by this love for a FWD wagon LOL...My love was soon affirmed by the BTCC cars that followed a few years later. Always wanted one, but the deals just never seemed to connect.

Recently I'd kept tossing the idea around about selling the SHO and getting something a bit less high strung. While lowly looking and mundane on the outside, my SHO was a a handful on the Autox course as well as just normal traffic. Stiff clutch, weak tranny blah blah...to get anything out of it you were eitrher at 10/10th or 9/10's with a nervous tick. It seemed I should get ready to sell...then I saw the article on Wagons in GRM a month or two ago...and the small appendage about the Volvo Wagons...It was a sign.

I purchased the car a week ago and spent most of last week washing, cleaning, clay-baring and tuning up...a new 02 sensor or two and some new vacuum lines did amazing things for the car. I have some fun stuff due in this week (boost gauge, manual boost controller, new grill, some new poly mounts etc etc...) This will be much more of a velvet lined hammer than the SHO was LOL

I'm stoked.

I LOVE those wagons and want one so desperately. Problem is my wife won't let me buy something that old, but what are those things selling for? I'd honestly like to do a LS1 swap into one with a T56.

Beautiful!

Nice wagon!

Love the prancing moose stickers.

Sad to see the SHO go but I know exactly what you mean. I hope you enjoy this car more than the last! I was hoping to make my way up for a photo shoot, though.

Speaking of SHOs, I've always wanted to stick that pretty Yamaha engine into a Mustang notch. Silly, huh?

volvo wagons are cool. I once drove a 740 turbo and I was hooked. Recently I saw a V70R that they made up till last year, 300 hp and you could have gotten a 6 speed with it. good luck with your wagon.

Good score. I too have always wanted one. How about a little more info like.....

How many miles? Auto or manual? If not too personal.....how much? How did you find it? And so on......for those of us that also want one.

And some more pics!!!!

YES, it has the dancing moose!

Wow! I thought no one cared snif

SInce I got it less than a month ago I got busy on stage 0 and a few fun mods.

In addition to the few Maint things taken care of I installed some Hella Supertones, a new mesh grille, an IPD gauge pod with a boost gauge (the stocker is a nice, vague reference LOL), new upper torque arm bushings (one is a complete poly unit from iPd and the upper firewall unit is a stocker that I poly'd--so instead of $80 from iPd it was a total of $32 or so) Here is the stocker.... Here's the replacement...

I also installed a manual boost control set around 14psi.

Took it to New England Dragway and clicked off a few runs to get an idea where it was...14.9 while spinning the first 100'...not bad. Just need to get used to launching an auto/turbo! Looking at my 60' times when brake boosting versus not, I can DEFINITELY get the car into the low 14s if I feel the urge and get something aside from all season 205/60/16s LOL.

The car had 135k on it when I purchased it for $2500, it's an auto, has the third row seat and the fold down booster in the center, rear. I've been looking for one for months and the prices have dropped quite a bit since last Dec. On the way up to the family camp last week, with cruise set at 75mpg I got 29mpg. Not too shabby for a wagon that can run in the 14's and and hustle down a curvy road!

RJ

Duende wrote: I LOVE those wagons and want one so desperately. Problem is my wife won't let me buy something that old, but what are those things selling for? I'd honestly like to do a LS1 swap into one with a T56. Beautiful!

Problem with this is it is fwd so no V8 swap...but if it makes you feel any better 300hp is a breeeeeeeeeeze. A 7 series or a 9 series might make a nice swap though....a fella in my town has a 940 wagon that has a 302 swap done.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XBu6STlhh8Q here's a 740 with a twin turbo LS1 swap....

I just picked up a 945t a month ago and took it through Deal's Gap this weekend-Volvo wagons RULE!

Sweet! Any pics?!

And I've been having a blast with my 745t 4spd I picked up at the beginning of the month. Lots of fun. :)

14's? That's damned impressive.

The 1995 Z28 6 spd I had would run 14.1's.

That's a fast wagon! Good work!

I once drove a 740 turbo and I was hooked.

My buddy has a 740 turbo wagon and I now lust after them. I will own a mint one eventually.

He welded the diff on it. Sideways at 80km/h in a wagon gets you looks.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view), well above the speed limit (lets say way too fast to post) didn't get us any on a lone stretch of highway. It wasn't my idea (I suggested we slow down once we hit 160km/h, cause some people cruise on highway 2 at that speed so it wasn't too bad) but with the GPS verifying away his foot stayed planted.

Nice wagon.

A friend of mine is converting an older Volvo diesel wagon to a 302 V8.

Varkwso wrote: A friend of mine is converting an older Volvo diesel wagon to a 302 V8.

Oh, that's too bad! I'm still looking for a diesel brick. I missed a turbo diesel manual 740 a couple years ago by a couple days and I've been hunting to find another one ever since.

The Volvette wasn't cheap btw. Lots of money went into that car. I know, I've seen it develop from its days of a stock car, thru numerous engines and transmissions into the beast it is today.

I could think of a few nicer looking uses for a twin turbo v8 than a flying brick.

Heading to the drags again this Friday...anyone near Epping, NH should swing on by!

Nice Sweed Steed!

TOZOVR wrote: Heading to the drags again this Friday...anyone near Epping, NH should swing on by!

That's too bad, I would have swung by! I was at Mid-Ohio, though. Are you going back before winter hits?

Sweet Wagon!!!

On question for the Volvo sort out there.......

With a V8 swap into 9xx Wagon, how much could the thing tow if setup with brakes on the trailer???? I think I could do that.....

My Mercedes 300td wagon is rated at 3600lbs towing with trailer brakes so I would assume it would be around there, probably a little more power towing with the V8 then my diesel.

Re:

Volvo what is a better buy ad 97 850 sw at $22-2400 or a 96 850T, gold, with a valve job at $3500. Both about 130K. The 850T was overheated and blew a head gasket. Now all repaired.

Where did you get your mesh grill?