Let's Talk End Links

The purpose of end links are to connect the sway bar to the struts or the lower control arms.  With the sway bar being linked to both sides of the suspension, it prevents body roll by allowing each side to compensate for the other.

What does this actually mean?  It means that your car is less prone to torquing about on itself, while keeping the body relatively level through a turn.

Now lower that car and push it to the limits.  If your car sees regular abuse, there is a risk that the thin factory end links might break.  This might not be the end of the world, but the car would not handle properly; it would be sloppy and unpredictable.

This happened once on my S40, at the Tail of the Dragon...  To avoid any chance of this happening again, I have replaced the OEM end links with the beefed up, fully adjustable, end links from Massive Speed Systems.

Massive end links

While I cannot say I notice a difference with daily driving, I do have the peace of mind knowing that my end links are ready for any track day.  Are they worth the money?  Not for a daily driver.  If your factory end links break, I recommend replacing them with OEM equivalents for $20 a piece.  However, I got these in a parts box when I purchased my car, so no money out of my pocket!  Plus, they look pretty cool.

Go Wide!

Lowering a car, in my opinion, is both for handling and for looks.  I appreciate the minimized wheel well gap, when the fenders sit just above the tires.  But to truly finish off the stance, the wheels must sit flush with the fenders of the car.

As you will notice on most cars, the wheels sit nearly 1" tucked inside of the fender, giving the car a cowardly appearance.

Wheel subset in wheel wells

Wider wheels and beefier tires can accommodate for this stance, but when you wish to keep your current setup, spacers are the best option.

I do not mean the cheap metal rings that sit between the brake rotors and wheels, I'm referring to quality hubcentric spacers.

GarageLine hubcentric spacers

The hub of a car has a small protruding lip, which the wheel rests on when properly mounted.  This helps keep the wheel centered and balanced on the car's hub.  Hubcentric spacers are designed to sit snugly on top of the car's hubs, extending that lip for wheel mounting.

GarageLine makes special spacers for the P1 Volvo and the new Ford Focus.  Unlike most spacers, these have extended studs pressed into the spacer, so there is no need to replace the factory studs in the hub.  While they do have a hefty price tag, one should never skimp when purchasing a product that literally holds the wheels on the car.

Of course, some modifications were required to go as wide as I wanted.

After removing the plastic fender trim, I rolled the straight metal fenders to flare them outward.  This way, when the car leans in a turn, the metal does not cut into the edge of the tires.

Rolled fenders

Of course, with such an extensive alteration, the plastic fender arches and wheel well liners had to be modified as well.

This required cutting off the protruding plastic mounting clips on the back, along with the inner portion of the arches that would make contact with the tires.

Plastic clips cut off on the inside

Inner edge cut to avoid rubbing

Outer edge of wheel well liner cut to avoid rubbing

The fender arches mount with screws on each end, but to keep the upper portion in place, a strip of double stick tape was run along the fender edges.

Double stick tape to remount arches

It may seem like an extensive amount of work for a very subtle modification, but the end result is an aggressively flush stance.  Even those who are not aware of how a car sits, will subconsciously acknowledge the difference; flush surfaces are more appealing to the human eye.

Wheels flush with fenders

Euro Reflectors

Here in America, those who are enthusiastic about European cars enjoy making them look a little more "European."  This often includes simple cosmetic touches, such as mounting European front license plates.   But many will take it to an extreme by swapping the beefy American bumpers for the sleek European designs.

While Volvo's body style remains the same internationally, for some odd reason, they decided that the American-spec C30s would not come equipped with the lower bumper reflectors.

Only a $20 upgrade, these reflectors add a bit of contrasting color while also making the car more noticeable.

Lower bumper reflectors

Fire Safety is Important

When you have thousands of dollars and hundred of hours invested into your car, the last thing you want to see is it going up in flames.  That is why I have always carried fire extinguishers in my cars... Thankfully, I have never needed to use one on my own car, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Mounting a fire extinguisher in a car requires as much consideration as mounting an extinguisher in a building.  Letting the compressed tank roll about in the trunk is never a good idea, but it is also risky placing it in a spot where passengers might accidentally set it off.

My solution was to mount the fire extinguisher to the base of my driver's seat.

C30 fire extinguisher mount

The simple bracket does not interfere with seat positioning or movement.  It remains out of the way of my legs and it is easily accessible in a time of emergency.

As seen in my S40, a single band of metal was bent and bolted to the seat frame using the existing car seat screws.

Fire extinguisher clip bolted to bracket

Bracket bolted to car seat frame

Mount with fire extinguisher removed

S40 fire extinguisher mount

While I hope to never use my fire extinguisher, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Belgian Rear Strut Brace

Forum member TheBelgian is at it again!  This time, helping me make a custom rear strut brace to stiffen up the car's back end.

Though nothing more than a 1.5" steel bar, welded to two end plates... It has provided a significant improvement in handling, as well as a functional mounting spot for my Sabelt racing harnesses.  This really makes you question how much the car body flexes in order for such a simple support to have such noticeable results.

Rear strut bar

The bar was bolted to the frame in place of the back seat mounting points.

Serves as a functional harness bar

Bolts in place of back seat mounting points

For only $25 in materials, I was astonished at just how big of a difference this bar has actually made.  Even though all suspension components on this car have been upgraded, I found the back end to be very unpredictable through a turn.  This rear strut bar has perfected the handling, making it eerily similar to my S40.

The problem with hatchbacks is the lack support through the body as a whole.  Technically speaking, a hatchback is nothing more than an empty box sitting on wheels.  My S40 maintained better handling because of the rigid trunk deck and rear glass windscreen, both sitting over the rear axle.

By adding this new brace, the C30 now has that rigid support which decreases body flex.  I can tell exactly when the back end is about to break loose, making the car a lot more predictable.  Unlike upgrade sway bars, which only give noticeable improvement when a car is pushed to its limits, the outcome of this bar can be felt in every turn.

While it may limit my cargo space, it does provides a barrier which helps prevent large items from sliding around in the cabin.  Once again, it's a modification that serves both practicality and performance.

Personalized Front Grille

If headlights are the eyes of a car, then the front grille is the mouth.  Like a tween adding colored bands to their braces, a lot can be done to customize a car's grille.  Some people like to remove the badges, others like to black them out.  My preference is to add a touch of detail to compliment the car itself.

My S40 saw multiple iterations, each one representing a modification-style phase I was going through.

Factory chrome egg crate grille

Blacked out grille frame

Carbon fiber vinyl wrapped slash

Grey carbon fiber vinyl wrapped slash and "R-Sport" center badge

Elevate badge added once I got the tune

Even the 850 has had some personalized details added.

Factory chrome waterfall grille

Blacked out inner grille portion

Prancing moose center badge with a carbon fiber background

Upon purchase of the C30, the previous owner had plastidipped the entire grille.  I liked the blacked out frame, but I did not like the blacked out Volvo slash; it masked the car's identity.  If I paid money to drive a Volvo, then I want others to know what I bought.

Blacked out grille with prancing moose center badge

Personalized C30 grille

I contemplated painting the Volvo slash cosmic white, to coordinate with the rest of the car.  But the white stood out in great contrast to the black grille and I was not about to leave it "stock."

While having a strong hatred for shiny car bling, I used a fine sand paper to gently brush the chrome slash until it had a more aluminum appearance.  Gloss black vinyl was overlaid to add a stylistic touch to the slash as a whole, and my Elevate tune badge was then mounted in place using a grille clip.

There is no guarantee that the grille will remain unchanged over time, but for now, I am very please with the results.  It maintains that recognizable Volvo styling, while adding a touch of unique personalization.

Rear Seat Delete Part 2: Rear Shelf

The next phase of my rear seat delete has been to build a shelf in place of the bare metal floor

Rear seat delete

Plywood shelf

Designed as a step down from the trunk level, the plywood platform was bolted into place using the existing screws from the back seat brackets.

Underneath the plywood, we packed the empty space with fiberglass insulation.  This has dramatically reduced the drone from the exhaust, while also masking road noise from the rear wheels.

The finished product was carpeted and currently sits in place awaiting my next modification to the rear cargo area.

Carpeted shelf

Carpeted shelf

Stealth Headlights

One of my favorite customization on the S40 were the stealth headlights with blue "halo" eyes.

Stealth S40 headlights

 Naturally, it was something I had to copy over on the C30.

Unlike headlight tint, which dramatically effects light output, my method retains proper headlight functionality.

Once I opened the headlights, the chrome bits were plastidipped black, the halo rings were painted blue, and the amber side markers were tinted black as well.  Nothing was done to alter the lens, so light output remains the same.

As for colored bulbs being illegal in the States, the blue rings do not illuminate independently and the low beams are too bright for onlookers to notice any color.  I had this exact set up on the S40 for over 3 years and never once got in trouble for it.  It's simply a cosmetic modification that makes the car look a little more mean.

Light off

Lights on

Shift Ball

Weighing the shift knob

Some might call it ricer, but I have always been a fan of the JDM style shift balls.

Weighing in at just over 5oz, it is not the most hefty knob on the market.  However, it does feel durable and the aluminum finish will not wear out as quickly as the Volvo leather shift knobs.

My first order of business was to paint the red lettering to match my car's theme.  Blue of course!

Blue lettering

Installation is where this project got a little tricky.  Unlike most shift knobs, which use a threaded stick, Volvo uses a pin to lock the knob in place.

Threaded base

Using an angle grinder, I cut the pin off, leaving a smooth straight stick.

Modified shift stick

Rather than having the shaft threaded, I bought an assortment of vacuum caps and found one which fit perfectly for both the stick and the knob.

Red vacuum cap for mounting

The next order of business was to modify the shift boot to reattach it to the new knob.  

First, I found a washer which fit the stick.  I then threaded my boot through the hole and realigned it to the console.  Not only does it hold the boot in place, but it also aligns with the base of my new shift knob.

Fitting a washer for the shift boot

Shift boot modification

The finished result is right on par with my standards of perfection.  The alignment is as smooth as factory, while maintaining a clean aftermarket appearance.

Aluminum shift ball

Custom Belgian Exhaust

For throwback Thursday, I thought I would share the last modification completed on my old S40; a continuation of Emissions-Free County Problems.

C30Crew user, TheBelgian, made me a custom muffler delete.  It was designed to swap in and out with the factory muffler, so I could easily revert to the quiet stock tone whenever I wanted.

Belgian Muffler Delete

$120 in piping and clamps, plus 2 cases of beer.  Not even a custom exhaust shop could match those prices!

A couple of other local members came by as well, making it a mini Volvo meet right there in TheBelgian's driveway.

TheBelgian, CollegeKid01, and Macthias

It was also a treat to see the Volvo 142 project car sitting in the covered carport.

Volvo 142

A small Magnaflow muffler was the only piece of resistance in an otherwise straight piped set up.

Magnaflow muffler

The end result was a beastly tone which I very much enjoyed for the week that it was on the car.  As you all know, my S40 was sold just 2 weeks later.  But I have no regrets of that "exhausting" weekend.  Working on cars until the late hours of the night, hanging out around the campfire sharing our driving stories.  It is always a treat to hang out with fellow Volvo enthusiasts.

Quebert, Never Forgotten

No, not the classic Q*bert video game, but Bailey's 1997 Volvo 854.  Old and reliable, he's the perfect commuter car, but he rarely receives the adoring attention that my spoiled C30 now gets.

While the C30 sits in the shop, I decided it was time to conclude a few unfinished projects on the 850.

First up was the gauge pod.  The A-pillar pod came from iPd, the glowshift boost gauge came from a previous project.  Of course, the color has been set to purple to compliment the other purple accents throughout the car.

Volvo 850 boost gauge

We also rolled the rear fenders and slapped on 5mm H&R spacers.  5mm may not seem like a lot, but it's enough to widen the stance for improved handling, looks, and to eliminate any further rubbing against the wheel well arches.

After a fresh wash and wax

Leather gear selector

Lastly, it was once again time to swap out the gear selector, this time because a broken button.  The replacement was an original leather shift knob, adding an additional touch of elegance to this 1997 "Grand Luxury Touring" Volvo.  We plan to keep Quebert for a long time to come, so it always brings me joy to add little details to enhance his quirky Volvo personality.