Overlander Volvo

[rockaholic]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, but not completely new to Volvos. There was a V70 mkII, two XC60s in the family, all great and reliable cars, but I am after something quite different. And would love to hear what the Volvo enthusiasts have to say about it.

I have just returned from a 6 week motorcycle trip around the Black Sea and seen so many amazing places. Most of them were quite wild and remote with bad roads. Now the Missus wants to go travel together on my next adventure, but two-up on a motorbike is no fun. Therefore I wish to build a do-it-all car.

So the main idea would be to buy an older estate car (for the carrying capacity and ability to sleep in if the weather goes sour), lift it a wee bit, put some more rugged tires on, a roof rack, pack the gear and head off to get lost somewhere. The main criteria are reliability, ability to tackle bad roads (I know that these volvos aren't off-road vehicles, but to a degree anyway), highway credibility, gas mileage, corrosion resistance (the winter roads are salty in Lithuania, where I am from) and affordability. Also, I am oldschool and will only consider manual transmission. The candidates so far are 940, 960, 850 and V70 mk1.

So my inner conflict comes down to xxx-wheel-drive selection. I found some budget examples of V70 in XC or AWD trim, but additional complication to the drivetrain might be troublesome, especially as many of these adds state that the rear wheel shaft was disconnected. The newer models with front-wheel-drive can be found with turbo engines, which add the fun factor to driving, but probably drag behind in the off-road sections. And also, do turbos compromise reliability of these engines significantly? Finally, there are the simple RWD old tractors, but will there be enough punch and comfort for longer highway stretches? I am also considering diesels, just a little worried about emission regulations and all that stuff.

So basically, I'd love to hear your opinions on the matter. Did anyone try and build something like this with their volvo?

Cheers!

[Spike56]

Like these?

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=227934

Or these?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0a/39...35aeb357c7.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/98/ba...ee884074af.jpg

[HDAV]

How big do you want to go?

https://youtu.be/Puh_UoNMlDc

An ambulance or dare ai say hearse to camper compnversion could work certainly has the space as for pooor local roads? Big tyres steel rims and spares might be he answer, add a winch to self recover and sand ladders it will be slow going compared to a 4x4 but you should get where you need too.



http://www.theparking.eu/used-cars-d.../GA06SFJ5.html Might make a good basis for a camper?

[855 tdi]

I seriously looked into doing this before but I expect insurance will be expensive/ a pain to get so I never bothered which is a shame as these are actually great overlander cars. Firstly don't touch an 850/v70/960, they are too complicated for what you need, the 240/740/940 are the best car for the job. They have simple suspension, good rust proofing, simple mechanics and are known for their reliability, if you can get a g80 locker even better. The turbo 940 is very reliable and i'd go for the turbo model over non without hesitation, assuming the car isn't a complete heap and has a good service history. These car's are mile munchers and long journeys never gave me any physical discomfort like smaller cars, the bad side is fuel economy which isn't great but short of a diesel engine nothing old will be for the job you propose.

The most used method to raise the front is welding strut tubes from another set of 940 suspension legs to get a few inches rise, not sure which springs are used on the front but 940 diesel springs ring a bell. For the rear you can use jeep springs and Vw vanagon shocks, i'd weld something to hold the spring in place incase you go over a jump and they escape, then fitting larger tyres gets you a bit more ground clearance.


Here's a stock car showing just how good they could be, add a roof rack with light bar and a winch to the front bumper support, sump guard and enjoy. There's a group on facebook called "lifted Volvos" which might be useful joining for advice from those who have done it.

+ YouTube Video

Here's a 940 lifted:

+ YouTube Video

[rockaholic]

That's great stuff! Exactly what I was looking for.

What gas mileage can you get from a 940 turbo? I expect it to increase a little due to larger and wider tires, additional weight, if I go into overland mode.

And diesels? Would you consider one? I've heard good things about these old diesel engines, but they might be very slow in traffic...

[855 tdi]

Fuel economy can vary wildy by so many variables that it's hard to give an exact answer but i'd say on a run low 30s at 65-70mph and around town probably low 20s if you don't speed up then slam the anchors on and use higher gears. The biggest factor to fuel economy will be how you drive it but you can do little bits to help out too.

Can't speak from personal experience but the diesel engine is a vw lump, I owned an 850 TDI and a V70 TDI and both were brilliant also fitted with a VW diesel engine, I doubt they would of used an engine that could put their reliability at stake. I have heard the diesel is quite torquey but not exactly fast, I would think fixing anything on the petrol model would be much easier along with getting parts. Diesel are few and far between nowadays and most aren't in good shape atleast in the U.K anyway.

My money would go on a 940 turbo with M90 gearbox and i'd fit a G80 locker at the back, you could sleep 2 in reasonable comfort and if you created a small frame to put a mattress on you could have storage underneath, in drawers or boxes etc. I used Vinyl to block out the boot window on my V70, you could do the same for privacy or create a curtain, fit an LED battery operated light to the headliner and fit wind deflectors to keep the window open a crack without people seeing at night. When you only have a small amount of room to pack you realise how little you actually need. The key is to add as little weight as possible, the rear seats aren't light and the passenger footwell is a decent space for storage. Hopefully i've been some help.