Lifted 700 wagon

[adamdrives]

I am planning on putting the largest tires that will fit on 15" steelies on mine to get a similar look. Want to keep the suspension stock for when I change my mind or sell.

[NJTy180]

Originally Posted by Liftd740td

I'm new to the diesel Volvo world but I am the new owner of the sliver 740 that was in the first post. I bought it in North East, Maryland. I've had it a few months now. But for those wonderin it has jeep cherokee front springs in the rear and the front struts have tubes welded on to extend them.

Is that the gold one with the silver drivers front fender??

[R.Mojica]

^ I was wondering the same.

[Liftd740td]

Yeppers it has a gold drivers side fender on it now.

[R.Mojica]

did you pick it up yet?

[Impolvo]

Originally Posted by RedArrow

There is a white one on TurBoBrix that reminds me of a SaFarI vehicle...nicely done (1st pict) and not too much (2nd pict)...another one (3rd pict).
White wagon build`s `wife-excuse`: having less stress about that pan oil sensor and `you see more oF the road` (=safer)

That white ones mine !

[RedArrow]

What is the best and quickest and easiest way to `lift` the sagging rear of the 745?
It isnt really sagging but it actually looks like it does.

BTW I have the IPD anti sway bars at the front and back, IPD (Overload rated!) blue rear spings, new `Bilstein Standard` shocks on all 4 corners. I have 4 matching new tires as well so that is exactly why I Am confused about the (minimal) sag.
The suspension is amazing, safe and stiff and still very comfy. I also have all fresh front bushings so it does feel like a true dream compared to what a neglected, worn 700 can be.

so...
Why does my wagon still *looks* like it could use a 1-3cm `lift` in the rear?
About 3/4 inch.
Best way to achieve that?
It could use improved ride height in the back.
Again, my suspension is fresh and massive, it is very much perfect.

But...
a quick look at the `gap`
from the top of the front wheel to the front fender
VS
the gap from the top of the rear wheel to the rear fender
proves the very obvious: height differences... it looks like a sagging rear. Car is not completely level with the road.

this is not just an optical illusion

What`s The part in the rear that is responsible the most for proper ride height of the rear of this car? I`m gonna climb under the car again and look at all the bushings and all. Can it be crushed rubber under the springs? I barely think so. Those are thin anyway. Maybe there`s a way to shim it up ABOVE the springs. (?) IDK yet, will see it tomorrow.


{I remember once I read that the front springs, through time and wear, can `elongate` but I personally doubt that can happen or happened.
But the only suspension component that is not changed and not new yet, is, voila, the front springs. IDK.}
I have nothing to do at the front but would like to lift the rear up in a very easy cheap and proper way. Some say i could cut the front springs but im strongly against cutting springs on any car and i find it vandalism lol especially on roads that we have here it makes zero sense and unsafe. Also the d24t is a really heavy unit. ((In general, I would rather lift a car than lowering it like most people do. For this neat wagon, I prefer no heavy mods here, I want near-stock, comfy, nothing irreversible... all for regular use))

I dont even think the front springs are near standard but rather made for the diesel. Are these diesel strong ones still available?
What`s the best aftermarket substitution that does very well for this duty, for one day once i hit the lottery??

Nice if you could share your experience. And thanks in advance for the advice on the sagging.

[ngoma]

Originally Posted by RedArrow

What is the best and quickest and easiest way to `lift` the sagging rear of the 745?

Thicker, or (more easily found at the JY) doubled shims at the top of the spring. Very Easy to do.

Originally Posted by RedArrow

a quick look at the `gap`
from the top of the front wheel to the front fender
VS
the gap from the top of the rear wheel to the rear fender
proves the very obvious: height differences...

Does it really prove that? Or could it prove the wheel arch design is not exactly identical front and rear?

[RedArrow]

Originally Posted by ngoma

Thicker, or (more easily found at the JY) doubled shims at the top of the spring. Very Easy to do.

Great great. that`s what i thought.
I`ll look for 2 extra shims for the rear. Thank you

(interesting: IPD is selling some expensive, donut-shaped blue snake lol, a poly crap that gets turned into between the spring coils then attaches by zipties lol kind of ugly. - they are not for my liking)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nppymgbG-YI

Originally Posted by ngoma

Does it really prove that? Or could it prove the wheel arch design is not exactly identical front and rear?

Good point! I wondered that could be the case also.

For the record,
I measured height at front corner of driver door as 13.5-13.6 then I measured height at the rear corner of the rear door as 13.25 inches. I took both of these measurements from the ground up to the lower edge of the door*. The front axle actually was sitting ``lower`` than the rear, due to a slight downhill slope so that adds too (I meant to say that the car was nose-diving on a hill, facing down)
Looks like I need about 1-1.5cm for the rear...half of an inch. It could be that the rubber `pad`under the spring is really crushed or the upper one can be toast above the spring. I`ll definitely look for new shims/spacers somewhere and do what you said.

https://www.google.com/search?newwin...27941606401406

How thick is this? I cant remember, maybe appr 1cm, right?

[RedArrow]

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!