The Adventure Wagon: A 2004 Volvo XC70 Overland Build

[Young Satchel]

PART II: CARLISLE INVASION

We arrived at Carlisle and I quickly busted out the awning and set up shop as people looked on with amusement and curiosity.

Snack was of course in order

After that we strolled the field looking at cars and met a few folks. Prolix was working at a stand selling parts, and hawk decided to wreak havoc there knocking over stacks of wheels and throwing center caps around screaming "MONEY!!!"

There were some nice cars on display....

My personal favorite was this 240 rally brick lifted on coilovers with grabbers, big-ass Hellas, and custom steel front and rear bumpers [emoji41][emoji7][emoji14]

****ing sick build. Makes me wanna get a vintage Volvo rally car going myself, but I've got a slightly different idea than the classic 240 that I've discussed with prolix that involves a bit of the old overseas import action so time will tell [emoji33]

As you boys know, I'm not a car guy really. So I must confess that 3 hours of that **** was more than enough for me. With the kids getting restless and Antherzoll and I craving coffee, we fired up the Primus for a quick espresso ...

Then we linked up with Prolix who was rolling with pinky, grabbed his brother in law, and hit the road for the beautiful evening drive back to basecamp....

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[Young Satchel]

PART III: BALD EAGLE TRAIL RUN

After a wonderful steak dinner cooked by yours truly Saturday night, we packed it in to rest up for Sunday. Antherzoll and I planned to run a pre-prepared a Gaia GPS route that Overland Bound's own wawaskittletits was generous enough to share with us the next morning and needed to get some rest in.

Wawa had prepared this route for the Mountain Roo mid-Atlantic gang's meet-up a month prior, and it promised over 80 miles of gravel roads, forest access paths, and trails. We were on the road by late morning for a day off the pave and it was a blast.

One thing about Bald Eagle: the people who said it was really rocky? Yeah. Well.........it's really ****ing rocky. And for the most part it's not big rock sparsely placed. It's just small to medium sized rocks EVERYWHERE [emoji24]. With the car weighed down and my suspension damn near shot, I was bouncing all over the place and loving it.

Here's a brief video short Antherzoll and I made with cellphone and his "ghetto GoPro" (hint: lots of duct tape [emoji39]) of our journey into bald eagle, and up to the trip's epic final summit.


This was my first time using Gaia's offline GOS app for iOS , and with Wawa's help and advice it didn't lead us astray even when we were well out of cell range. It was awesome.

Longwell Draft Road (featured promenently in the video) was probably the highlight of the trip offering some rocks, smoother portions, and a few puddles to jump through.

Boy that's one filthy pipe Antherzoll [emoji6]

One of the great things about this route was the abundance of narrow, sweeping, curvy forest roads. Unlike the rocky trails, we could fly down these in the XCs at 45-50mph with relative ease which was exhilarating. It's safe to say that I got out-handled by the XC70ATR every time though. With no tune, no sways, beat shocks, and hundreds of pounds of top-heavy gear it was tough for me to corner quickly without the car wanting to tip over completely!!!

These cars look badass together. Beauty and the beast. Or something. Who's who though????

While the route was awesome, it was a wee bit less challenging than either of us imagined. In retrospect, I realized this was my fault. I think my description to our generous guide included an XC at stock ride height that did not end up joining us, so he cautiously ensured we wouldn't get into "The ****" so-to-speak. After we returned to camp from our 80 mile jaunt, both of us craved a bit more adventure to conclude.

Luckily, Anthony had scouted a wonderfully rocky ascent the evening we arrived late. He decided to have me lead us up it as our "last hurrah" before my departure and I couldn't have been happier with the decision. It was the most technical of any trails we drove, littered with rocks of all sizes galore, and the payoff was well worth it! As seen in the video, I was FULLY loaded for this one, and my ass was practically scraping along as the wagon bobbed its way up the steep incline. It didn't look lifted in the least with over 300lbs of gear + passengers and I scraped a bit, but no harm no foul, right!

Here's Antherzoll creeping up a particularly rocky pass on the way to the summit.

Once we got to the top it immediately became clear that this was the perfect place to end our trip.

The overlook was gorgeous and the surroundings just right for some poser shots, so pose I did!

After phoning our respective homes from the summit, we prepared to part ways. It was easily the most epic of our meet ups yet in all respects, and both he and I look forward to revisiting Bald Eagle State Forest in the near future for more mud and rocks. Next time I'll be packing a full size spare for sure [emoji16][emoji33]

Until then, Over and out!!!

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[Steve]

Wow! What a weekend! The kids look like they had fun, the photos are fantastic as usual, and the car continues to amaze.

 

[Young Satchel]

Wow! What a weekend! The kids look like they had fun, the photos are fantastic as usual, and the car continues to amaze.

Thanks Steve!

The kids easily had their best trip yet, which--you guessed it--means that I had my best trip yet! The wagon continues to amaze me as well. These things are remarkably capable and we didn't even get them close to their limits this time. Looking forward to a return trip in the not-so-distant future!


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[#4692]

Very nice XC70! Volvos from that era are very close to my heart. My first car was a 2001 S80 T6. My S80 had the same oem floor mats and ipd brace mounts just like yours. Not sure if you have ECU remapping on your list, but I was very happy with the Rica tune.

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[Young Satchel]

Very nice XC70! Volvos from that era are very close to my heart. My first car was a 2001 S80 T6. My S80 had the same oem floor mats and ipd brace mounts just like yours. Not sure if you have ECU remapping on your list, but I was very happy with the Rica tune.

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Thanks G.

Stage 1 Hilton Tune to come but probably not until next fall earliest. There's just too much else I want/need to do first beginning with suspension overhaul and tranny cooler, then more lift, illumination, etc.


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[Young Satchel]

The things you do to that wagon of yours Satchel make me cringe...

I'll use this quote as a jumping off point for my latest adventure write-up [emoji41]

While I beat on the wagon regularly, and am admittedly not up-to-date on all my PM items, is like to think that I'm generally a pretty ok wagon owner who knows how to keep his trusty steed running and in good working order. Buuuuuuuuuttttttttt, occasionally I venture into territory that even makes me cringe, if only momentarily.

Such was the case this past weekend. I resolved to have the Wagon wheels touch dirt every day of the holiday weekend, and got things off to a proper start on Saturday with our first trip of the season to Lutheranville State Forest. Lutheranville has been seen before by those who follow this thread. It's about 90 minutes northwest of home, and is one of the higher points in the surrounding schoharie valley. It's got a nice main loop with several side trails and sizeable mud pits that are deceptively deep.

It was pretty much a lock-off for most of this past winter. The access road in to the forest features a sustained 1/4 mile climb at a 10% pitch or greater and it was basically solid ice the 3x we tried between late December and the end of march. So we were really excited to get in there and check things out after the thaw.

Those of you who follow our adventures on Instagram may have noticed casual mention of me nearly drowning the wagon the day prior on Sunday morning's post [emoji23]. This was no exaggeration. After hitting several mud baths, we decided to venture onto a narrow rutted-out side trail I had never been on before, we approached a mud pit I was unfamiliar with, and as I often do, I hopped out to check depth with a stick before proceeding. I surmised there was about 12-14" of standing water over a bed of soft, muck; certainly well-within the wagons capabilities. We mashed through it with much splashing and excited yelling from the boys in the back; Easy-peasy. It was on the return trip, hitting the same mud puddle from the opposite direction that we encountered trouble. The approach angle was a bit steeper from this side, and the nose plunged pretty deep upon entry. Maybe 18-20" under. We continued through successfully, but as I pulled up the bank on the other side, something immediately felt amiss as power delivery started to surge. After cresting the bank, the DIM flashed all its glorious lights at me at once, and the entire car promptly died. Dash cut out, power steering gone, engine off.

**** [emoji85].

I was thankfully able to pilot the wagon back onto the main trail under its own speed. I promptly hopped out, popped the hood and took a look.there was lots of steam, but no indication of anything more than a light splash on the intake heatshield, no popped hoses, and generally no obvious indication of "wrongness" I had service, but was 60+ miles from home in a forest with a difficult approach on a holiday weekend with no 4x4 friends in the area to call-upon for rescue. So.......I called Antherzoll [emoji23]. After I described the situation, he surmised that it was possibly an electrical fault caused but the sudden water immersion. I agreed, and followed his advice l, letting the car sit and cool/dry for 15 minutes while my kids screamed and cried in confusion.

After 15 minutes I hopped in and turned the key. It fired up immediately with no issues or hesitation 1st try. Disaster averted!!! We continued along through the forest and I noticed no appreciable change in performance. Car was still pulling strong, and mashing through smaller puddles had no ill effect. So We flexed in celebration [emoji16]:

I was happy to have dodged a bullet. I have KNOWN for the past 2 years that the day would come where something like this happened. And you know what, that day will still come. But god damn I was happy it wasn't Saturday, and that the wagon seems to have survived without major incident. We headed out of the forest toward home

Though we escaped total disability by the luck of the gods and skin of our teeth, the wagon did sustain some light damage and got painted a shade or two darker....

I think my rear bumper is trying to tell me something . . . [emoji380][emoji91][emoji375][emoji38]

After all of the hoopla on Saturday, Sunday saw a much more relaxing dirt access road climb up onto Mt. Everret in Mass to stop at our favorite reflection pool in the conifers. It's a great place for a picnic, or just a quick hang. It can also be accessed by paved roads for those who favor an easier approach:

Until next time... [emoji342][emoji342][emoji342]

Epilogue:

I'm very curious to hear different folks' ideas about what exactly happened that caused he vehicle to shut down. It DID throw a celly after the fact on Sunday morning after start-up, but I haven't pulled codes yet. Will update when I do.

Suggestions so far include: CEM overheating, serpentine belt issue, Fuel Pressure Sensor short, and general electrical gremlins.

While I'm of course happy that the vehicle was not in fact drowned, I would like to get to the root of this problem because in the future, we obviously might not be so lucky. I've waded deeper with no issues, so I'm a bit puzzled.


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[Wawa Skittletits]

Looks like you had a great time. While I certainly can't say exactly what caused the issue I can say with confidence it didn't have anything to do with the belt. Electrical would be my guess. It wouldn't be a bad idea to go around to every plug you can find and give them a good helping of dielectric grease. It will serve multiple purposes but the one you're after right now is it will keep water out.

 

[Antherzoll]

[emoji12]

 

[Young Satchel]

[emoji12]

The Man.

The Legend.

Samir.

In all seriousness folks, if you haven't watched the above video, PLEASE DO. It is rally gold. Not to mention a profound Inspiration for my approach to automotive enthusiasm.


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[Gadsdan]

I came here not knowing what to expect with the Volvo, you are doing very well! I love some of the things you have done.

 

[eeethan]

Sorry, real late to reply here, thanks for that list.

Two questions:
- Do the 225/70R16s fit without the lift? Without massive rubbing I mean. I'm not sure I want something as heavy as the KO2s but they're pretty bad ass.
- Have you seen any actual performance difference with the cold air intake? I've seen vastly varied opinions on them.

I've also been looking around to try and figure out a rear tire carrier. Once I get real tires on it the donut obviously isn't going to cut it. And I'd rather not put it on the roof for noise purposes. There are plenty of hitch mount carriers, but mainly all for 2" receivers, which I haven't found. I haven't done the measuring and mock up to figure out if I can make that work with adapters and a 1.25" receiver or not.

Hahahahaahaha

.

You know what, I've considered editing the initial post with a "Modifications & Accessories to Date" section. I'll use my reply here as practice.

As she sits currently relevant mods and accessories include:

- Bad Swede 52mm Lift Kit
- P2 XC90 Front Axle Swap
- Sparco Terra 16x7" Wheels w/ BFG KO2s (225/70r16)
- H&R Trax 15mm Wheel Spacers (rear only)
- IPD Aluminum Skid plate
- IPD Aluminum DEM Protector
- IPD Solid Aluminum Strut Bar Inserts
- AEM Dryflow Cold Air Intake w/ Eurosport Tuning Heat Sheild
- Yakima Load Bars
- Yakima Load Warrior Basket (w/18" Extension)
- Volvo All Weather Floor Mats
- Weathertech Cargo Area Liner
- Volvo Steel & Nylon Cargo Net
- BROG MOLLE Interior Organizing Accessories
- ARB Touring Awning
- Fourtreks Modular Awning Mounts
- Krazy Beaver MurderSpork Shovel
- Yakima Shovel Brackets

An honest assessment of the vehicle in its current modified state:

I have severely compromised the XC's on-road comfort and handling in pursuit of better off-road capability. While this is a compromise I was aware of going into the project, I can't say that I was completely aware of what the outcome would actually FEEL like. It drives like a truck now. Boat-like, top heavy, clumsy, and slow. The BFGs are in large part to blame for this. They are extraordinarily heavy and all that rotational mass dulls power, numbs handling, and makes simple
Tasks like acceleration and turning more difficult.

Before installing them I replaced the steering rack at 140K since it was leaking badly. I don't believe this was a result of the lift or Cooper ATs I was running previously as it is common on these cars unfortunately.

Since lifting it around 8k miles ago I have destroyed the inner passenger side CV joint (an inevitability I'm told ) and decided to replace both driver and passenger side front axles with axles from a P2 XC90 2.5T. I had heard tell of this swap from a handful of folks online, but had no details on how it worked or weather it was plug-n-play. So I had my friend who owns a Swedish specialty Indy shop down in VA test this idea out on one of his customers and it worked! He harvested some axles for me and sent them up. I didn't have time to do it myself prior to my first major trip of the season, so I passed them to my mechanic saying "they are all set up and ready to go; my buddy says you should have no issues". Hahahahaha. Famous last words. They ran into problems with the ABS contact ring and had trouble with figment. After a few tries they had a machine shop custom make this washer which slid over the axle and allowed it to fit correctly with no ABS fault.

Now when I romp on it it accelerates cleanly with no shudder at all or noises. Wooooohoooo!

BUT, I'm still getting some vibes at highway speeds. There are several possibilities for this. The wheels I use are a larger hub bore. Could be hubcentric rings are an issue? Could also be tires not properly balanced? I'm due for a suspension overhaul and have a leaking front strut which certainly doesn't help. Basically, the more I do to this the tougher it gets to diagnose the source of an issue hahahaha. But I also love it more with each mod so who knows.

Upcoming Mods include:

- Aux Transmission Cooler
- 1/2" strut-top spacer lift
- Sub-frame spacers
- stage 1 Hilton Tune
- OEM trailer hitch
- some sort of custom front and/or rear bumper solution
- swing out tire carrier




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ry

 

[Montaska]

Awesome build and adventures! I just read it straight through!

 

[Young Satchel]

Awesome build and adventures! I just read it straight through!

Sick!

Glad your feeling it. More to come . . .


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[Young Satchel]

Sorry, real late to reply here, thanks for that list.

Two questions:
- Do the 225/70R16s fit without the lift? Without massive rubbing I mean. I'm not sure I want something as heavy as the KO2s but they're pretty bad ass.
- Have you seen any actual performance difference with the cold air intake? I've seen vastly varied opinions on them.

I've also been looking around to try and figure out a rear tire carrier. Once I get real tires on it the donut obviously isn't going to cut it. And I'd rather not put it on the roof for noise purposes. There are plenty of hitch mount carriers, but mainly all for 2" receivers, which I haven't found. I haven't done the measuring and mock up to figure out if I can make that work with adapters and a 1.25" receiver or not.


ry

1. 225/70r16s may fit without a lift if your suspension is in good shape and you don't run aftermarket wheels with wider offset and/or spacers. I have both of the latter AND worn suspension in bad need of a refresh so I get rear rub on the fenderliners over large bumps. Doesn't bother me too much. I'll be lifting more soon and doing a whole bunch of suspension work along with that so I should rub no more. I have lock to lock steering capabilities. If you want a tire that DEFINITELY fits without a lift, and is a little less heavy/aggressive I would highly recommend the Cooper Discoverer AT3 in 215/70r16. I ran those prior to these and they were fantastic. Not quite as good off road, but waaaaaaay better on-road manners.

2.I didn't get the intake for the performance gains. On its own on an un-tuned engine I doubt it makes for measurable gains. I got it from a friend used cheap because it made really fun sounds [emoji23]. When I tune and get exhaust etc perhaps I will be able to take advantage of a few extra ponies? We'll see . . .

3. I don't currently run a full-size spare in part because I just haven't gotten around to purchasing one, but also because I really don't want it on the roof. While the roof basket doesn't get filled day-to-day of course, when camping with my family it often gets pretty full. The tire will effectively use almost half of it. What do I plan to do? Step 1 get the OEM 2" Volvo hitch and install it. It's more of a pain than the smaller curt hitch, but ultimately it's more useful. I suppose one could use an adapter, but that introduces another flex point and I don't like that. Then I will either fabricate or get a custom steel bumper with integrated swing out tire carrier, OR grab the Wilco Hitchgate Solo which I hear is very high quality and does not shake, rattle, or otherwise make noise.

Hope all this is helpful to you man. Take Care . . .


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[eeethan]

1. 225/70r16s may fit without a lift if your suspension is in good shape and you don't run aftermarket wheels with wider offset and/or spacers. I have both of the latter AND worn suspension in bad need of a refresh so I get rear rub on the fenderliners over large bumps. Doesn't bother me too much. I'll be lifting more soon and doing a whole bunch of suspension work along with that so I should rub no more. I have lock to lock steering capabilities. If you want a tire that DEFINITELY fits without a lift, and is a little less heavy/aggressive I would highly recommend the Cooper Discoverer AT3 in 215/70r16. I ran those prior to these and they were fantastic. Not quite as good off road, but waaaaaaay better on-road manners.

2.I didn't get the intake for the performance gains. On its own on an un-tuned engine I doubt it makes for measurable gains. I got it from a friend used cheap because it made really fun sounds [emoji23]. When I tune and get exhaust etc perhaps I will be able to take advantage of a few extra ponies? We'll see . . .

3. I don't currently run a full-size spare in part because I just haven't gotten around to purchasing one, but also because I really don't want it on the roof. While the roof basket doesn't get filled day-to-day of course, when camping with my family it often gets pretty full. The tire will effectively use almost half of it. What do I plan to do? Step 1 get the OEM 2" Volvo hitch and install it. It's more of a pain than the smaller curt hitch, but ultimately it's more useful. I suppose one could use an adapter, but that introduces another flex point and I don't like that. Then I will either fabricate or get a custom steel bumper with integrated swing out tire carrier, OR grab the Wilco Hitchgate Solo which I hear is very high quality and does not shake, rattle, or otherwise make noise.

Hope all this is helpful to you man. Take Care . . .


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Thanks, I was looking at something similar to those Coopers as well. It's not priority to swap them just yet. I actually got spacers as well because the wheels just look kinda wiener-ish being so inset. Probably putting them on this weekend.

As for the Volvo OEM hitch, have you found a source for that online? I was looking around a bit and I don't think I've even found the right part number yet. I'd definitely rather the 2" receiver (and I like that Wilco tire mount especially), but I'm not too hyped on spending what people say these things cost. I think a 1.25" adapter would probably be fine for one of my tires at least. Not sure about one of yours, though!

Also that photo with the aux lights on the front reminds me: how do the auxiliary lights actually even function? Do they have an independent switch? Do they come on with the highs? The latter is what some folks have implied in my reading. There's a lot of confusion in the instructions from what I've seen, even.

 

[Young Satchel]

Thanks, I was looking at something similar to those Coopers as well. It's not priority to swap them just yet. I actually got spacers as well because the wheels just look kinda wiener-ish being so inset. Probably putting them on this weekend.

As for the Volvo OEM hitch, have you found a source for that online? I was looking around a bit and I don't think I've even found the right part number yet. I'd definitely rather the 2" receiver (and I like that Wilco tire mount especially), but I'm not too hyped on spending what people say these things cost. I think a 1.25" adapter would probably be fine for one of my tires at least. Not sure about one of yours, though!

Also that photo with the aux lights on the front reminds me: how do the auxiliary lights actually even function? Do they have an independent switch? Do they come on with the highs? The latter is what some folks have implied in my reading. There's a lot of confusion in the instructions from what I've seen, even.

I don't have the part number for the OEM hitch. If I dig it up I'll look into it. Several people I know use the smaller curt hitch which is inexpensive and a super-easy install. You may be fine with that for your needs. The OEM hitch costs more, requires cutting the bumper, and also has dealer software that needs installation and programming. I've yet to decide what I'm gonna do in that regard. I have a lot of "competing priorities" as far as the rig is concerned.

The Aux lights thing was confusing for me too until I stumbled upon this thread:

http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?20033-Auxiliary-Headlights-Pictures-and-Instillation-Guide

I more-or-less followed this guide to the letter as Volvo's documentation/instructions can be confusing. In short, they wire to the brights via an OEM harness and are controlled via a button in the center console. So you can ONLY use them with the brights, but can choose whether you want them "ON" or "OFF" when using your high-beams.


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[Young Satchel]

Dropping a couple loosies from recent adventures here for those who don't catch my insta stories. Fun times are being had in The Adventure Wagon[emoji769] as summer approaches!

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[Young Satchel]

More loosies from this weekend's adventures. We hit up 5 state forests and traveled through some really diverse terrain . . .

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

Nice little steam crossing with no electrical faults was an excellent finish to the weekend.

Been integrating some video into these using Instagram's new "Stories" feature. Have a look if ya follow . . . [emoji342][emoji342][emoji342]


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[Young Satchel]

Some radical action in the forest yesterday.

Boys were super excited because we stumbled on some fresh clear cuts complete with tons of stacked logs and plenty of heavy machinery laying around!

There was also this overgrown graveyard that was pretty sick.

And as always some great muddy tracks and puddles to be found to get the KO2s dirty ...

Then Hawk demanded "more trucks" so we had to oblige...

I've been running Adventure updates as Instagram Stories (24hr, disappearing diaries) most weekends, so have a look over there too if ya' does that for the complete multimedia experience with sounds and moving picture shows [emoji41]

[emoji1309][emoji1309][emoji1309]

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