Volvo wagon rear sagging solved!
This is an upgrade project I had several weeks ago. Since then it tested fine in all road conditions including towing about two tons of cargo weight for hundreds of miles (4000lbs).
The pictures speak for themselves.
What I also did while in there:
-refreshed the
undercoating in the rear
-cleaned the rear ipd anti-sway
bars and springs
-lubricated the
handbrake cable system
-inspected the
exhaust system (yes I need some new pipes)
-added a new exhaust
hanger for the rear `drum`
-checked the tow
hitch
-found the key first, then lubricated the
lockable axle that secures the ball to the hitch, also cut out and spraypainted a
tennis ball red for the hitch ball (I always bump into it)
-cleaned the large
bushings that are under the springs
-also wirewheeled and rust proofed against surface
rust at the bottom trays where the bottom bushing (& rear spring) sits... I used rust
neutralizer from Loctite
-replaced the breather hose that is basically the
vent for the rear axle (the tube was totally brittle and chipped, not attached; now it has a brand new and rerouted flexible rubber hose, also longer than what it had before, secured to a higher point and the longer end is bent downward to avoid contamination getting in)
-checked and lubricated the rear
brakepads
-spray-cleaned the
discs
-used
antiseize (grease) on the wirewheeled Hydra rims where it meets the hub and
torqued lugnuts to factory specs
-plastidipped the rear
mudflap bc it looked faded
(the donor car I just bought had a `new`35yo left one, and I kept it so that`s my next easy project for when I need an easy day
NOTE:
I was lucky because the upper mounting bolts came out totally fine, nothing broke.
Note 2:
I had to
use longer bolts because the ones holding the factory spacers were too short. (the bolt I used came off the suspension of a 4motion vw passat... good to have that around)
Immediate results, looks and rides great! Also very cheap.
And there is an endless supply in multiple sizes, thicknesses And colors.
The design is very strong, those wheels are made to last under lots of tension,
stress and heavy people jumping around as heavy load, vibration, etc. Also very heat resistant, try torching one of those to see.
The spacers Volvo offers are very thin, I would have needed to buy 3 for each side; so 6 times $22 is not my style for something that simple.
The Volvo spacer on the left side was cracked, the right side spacer was totally split in half.
The scooter was the perfect donor. The diameter of the center holes was the same as the bolts I had to use. Of course, I took out the bearings from the wheels (not hard).
I also had to compress the springs a few inches, because due to the thickness of the new spacer, I couldn`t simply slide the unit back in. Once the springs were `shorter`, all went smoothly. When/if you do this project, don`t forget to inspect for rust. I sprayed in some rust neutralizer into the body behind those plugs in the wheel-well.
Isnt it nice to have a hitch?
WARNING!
For your safety, use jackstands on both sides
and use
wheel chocks both sides when you lift the car like that.
WARNING!