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MyNameIdeasWereTaken AWD C30 Progression Thread

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#1 · (Edited)
2008 Volvo C30 T5 "Belle"


Phase 1:
V2.0 Cosmic White / Laser Blue Metallic
FWD M66​
272whp
345ftlbs of torque
0-60mph: 4.925 seconds
Phase 2:
V2.0 Cosmic White / Laser Blue Metallic
AWD M66​
266whp
331ftlbs of torque​
Stock Options:
Bi-Xenon headlights (DRLs disabled)
Fog lights
Dynamic Stability Traction Control
Cruise Control
Rain Sensing Windshield
Brushed Aluminum Interior Trim
Power/Memory Driver Seat
Dynaudio
"Illumination"
Sport Pedals
Carbon Fiber B-Pillars
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Sunglasses Holder
Rubber Floor Mats
Rear Bumper Reflectors
Auto-dimming Mirror with Compass
R-Design Gauges
Rear Mudflaps
Stock Options:
Bi-Xenon headlights (DRLs disabled)
Fog lights
Dynamic Stability Traction Control
Cruise Control
R-Design Interior Trim
"Illumination"
Sport Pedals
Carbon Fiber B-Pillars
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Rear Bumper Reflectors
Auto-dimming Mirror with Compass
R-Design Gauges
Rear Mudflaps
Exterior Cosmetic Modifications:
Exterior Cosmetic Modifications:
Interior Cosmetic Modifications:
Interior Cosmetic Modifications:
Audio & Electronics:
3 Way 12V Splitter
Garmin GPS
Cobra Radar Detector
Kinivo Bluetooth Aux Unit
Glowshift Boost/Vacuum Gauge
Glowshift Volt Meter
Battery Relocation
(see more info here)
Eyourlife LED Light Bar (see more info here)
Black Box G1W Dash Cam
Quad Fog Lights
Audio & Electronics:
Performance & Handling:
H&R Coilovers
Elevate Rear Sway Bar
Massive Adjustable Rear Camber Arms
Forge Recirculation Valve
Elevate Turbo Control valve
IPD HD Coilpacks
Custom Short Ram Intake
Elevate Intake Plenum
Do88 Intercooler
Elevate Intercooler Hardpipe Kit
Elevate Silicone Hose Set
Elevate Non-Resonated Cat Back Exhaust
Manzo Catless 3" Downpipe
Newman Camshafts
Custom Shark Tune
Stainless Steel Brake lines
Eurosport Tuning Front Strut Bar
TheBelgian Half Cage
(see more info on rear brace here)
Meyle HD Endlinks
Mazda 3 Torque Mount with WhiteLine Kit
Greddy RS type BOV
Fumoto Oil Drain Valve
Porsche 70mm Throttle Body
(see more info here)
Hotchkis RSB Brackets
Mishimoto Aluminum Coolant Reservoir
(see more info here)
Wilwood 6 Piston 320mm Front Brakes
TheBelgian 320mm Rear Brakes
(see more info here)
drjonez Race Mode switch (see more info here)
KYB Adjustable Shocks
Clutch Shock Load Limiter Delete
(see more info here)
Performance & Handling:
AWD Conversion (see a video here)
H&R Coilovers
Elevate Rear Sway Bar
Massive Adjustable Rear Camber Arms
Forge Recirculation Valve
IPD HD Coilpacks
Custom Short Ram Intake
Elevate Intake Plenum
Evolve Intercooler
Elevate Intercooler Hardpipe Kit
Elevate Silicone Hose Set
Custom Non-Resonated 3" Exhaust
Custom Catless 3" Downpipe
Custom Shark Tune
Stainless Steel Brake lines
Eurosport Tuning Front Strut Bar
Custom Rear Upper Stabilizer Bar
Honda Pilot Endlinks
Damond Torque Mount
Greddy RS type BOV
Fumoto Oil Drain Valve
Porsche 70mm Throttle Body
(see more info here)
Hotchkis RSB Brackets
Mishimoto Aluminum Coolant Reservoir
Volvo 320mm Front Brakes
TheBelgian 320mm Rear Brakes
(see more info here)
KYB Adjustable Shocks
Clutch Shock Load Limiter Delete
(see more info here)
Awards & Features:
 
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#658 ·
Damn, I had a yellow X1/9...with no A/C...in Arizona... Youth, I was full of then... Yours is an interesting build--that under powered 1.3 liter sure could rev, but sure that Honda power plant will power it like it deserves.
 
#661 ·
I am not a fan of black cars but I'm glad she likes it.
every time I tell kids toyota owns subaru, they get mad. toyota now owns over 1/5th of the company.
anyway, I ended up with a fiat 124 abarth so my volvo is going on the back burner and an acquaintance had a car accident so they are borrowing it for awhile.
 
#663 ·
I had always wondered about the front splitter, so it's nice to know that it's just pretty. As to the fender flares, have you thought of tapering them in to the bumper/wheel arch so they don't have that 90 degree, abrupt end to them? Of all the necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention mods you've done, this is the only one that, while 100% functional, looks janky

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#665 ·
I've been driving this car daily. Ordered a pair of new LCAs since the used V50 ones were near the end of their life and I can feel the caster change under braking.

There has been a CEL for a fuel-tank-minor-leak, so I swapped the V50 EVAP pump for the C30 one (likely culprit associated with the code), took out the fuel pump assembly and replaced the O ring gasket, and examined the fuel filler cap (which still looks good). The CEL only comes on after a few days of driving, and could be associated with any of those things, so hopefully that fixed it.

But then I went to start the car and it wouldn't turn over. No pressure in the fuel rail; the fuel pump isn't priming when the key is inserted. I'm guessing I just jiggled some wires loose when I pulled the pump out... So now I get to take things apart again.

Just a word of advice for anyone doing an AWD swap. CUT A HOLE IN YOUR FLOOR FOR EASY PUMP ACCESS. It has made my life so much easier.
 
#666 ·
I've been driving this car daily. Ordered a pair of new LCAs since the used V50 ones were near the end of their life and I can feel the caster change under braking.

There has been a CEL for a fuel-tank-minor-leak, so I swapped the V50 EVAP pump for the C30 one (likely culprit associated with the code), took out the fuel pump assembly and replaced the O ring gasket, and examined the fuel filler cap (which still looks good). The CEL only comes on after a few days of driving, and could be associated with any of those things, so hopefully that fixed it.

But then I went to start the car and it wouldn't turn over. No pressure in the fuel rail; the fuel pump isn't priming when the key is inserted. I'm guessing I just jiggled some wires loose when I pulled the pump out... So now I get to take things apart again.

Just a word of advice for anyone doing an AWD swap. CUT A HOLE IN YOUR FLOOR FOR EASY PUMP ACCESS. It has made my life so much easier.
Glad I'm not the only one with EVAP codes after AWD conversion :D

Mine are definitely pump/module related, besides one that was due to original gas cap seal. At this point, there is only the wire harness left to replace - I don't want to drop the entire rear anytime soon, so I'll live with it or make a new harness for just the LDM that can be installed separately & routed more easily. Just need to figure out the tiny pins required for the module end.
 
#667 ·
I've completed 6 drive cycles since swapping everything and no CEL yet. Fingers crossed it stays off!
 
#668 ·
The CEL hasn't come back yet, so I think it's safe to say that swapping the pump fixed my issue.

I got the new LCAs on and aligned it in my garage. Slight toe-in on the rear, square up front, and about -2° camber on all four corners. It's accurate to within 1mm by my ruler, so that's close enough for me.
The car hasn't felt this great since I first bought it. There is only a very slight vibration at 65mph, which is likely from the cupped tires thanks to the old LCAs, or the questionably-balanced front right axle.

You can take your hands off the wheel and it continues on a smooth straight path without any steering wheel shimmy. I'm actually starting to enjoy driving it again.

Happy New Year everyone! 2020 will see more changes to this car. Nothing extreme, but the goal is to strip out more of the interior so I can cut out all the unnecessary wires and harnesses, cleanly route the necessary wires, and maybe freshen up the cosmetics a little while keeping the same general appearance.
 
#670 ·
Do I recall correctly you saying that if you run wheel spacers that you need to have some weirdo bracket to hold the front axels in place?


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#671 ·
Do I recall correctly you saying that if you run wheel spacers that you need to have some weirdo bracket to hold the front axels in place?
The bracket helps hold the hub assembly to the knuckle since these car developed a known issue of the hub bearing slowly walking out. The bracket was Volvo's solution to the problem, so even stock cars should add this.

But it is especially important if you add spacers, more aggressively offset wheels, wider tires, large brakes, or anything that puts more force on the wheel bearings.
 
#673 ·
#678 ·
you got to be real careful with the wheel hub brace
those little black bolts that hold in the brake dust shield are probably rusted in place and will snap off super easily
use hand tools ratchet and go slowly
you can drill them out if they break but it's a slight pain

if you have a 3 car garage just park them inside everyday lol
 
#680 ·
There is nothing left in this car that is not essential. Doing up some prototypes for a new "dash."
Saved about another 80lbs from miscellaneous parts that were still in the interior.

It'll be relatively clean once I'm done. Not professional, as I don't care to spend money on this car to make it look pretty. But it'll be clean, minimalistic, and make swapping clutch master cylinder, heater core, and blow motor all 5 minute jobs.

 
#681 ·
It's a good thing you're in north GA with the dash Jethro-ed up like that! It'll fit right in! I love watching the build of this thing and the reasons you're doing what you're doing.

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#684 ·
While there's a few parts that are considered "illegal" for standard cars (catless, louder than stock exhaust, excessive negative camber, tires too wide, etc.) or a violation for insurance, there is no reason why this wouldn't pass an inspection to be considered safe for the road.

Keep in mind that all rally cars are road legal with annual registered license plates. They have to be road legal cars because they are required to drive on the road with standard traffic between stages.
This C30 is being built for dirt and track, but it is nowhere near as modified as some rally cars are.
 
#685 ·
Very Nicely Done - Professional Quality Information like this ~ One of the Greatest Reason ~ SS is so Strong Today .. ~

Many Other Forums across World have become so Watered down with Fighting , Smears , Virus's , Hackers , Spammers .. SS Probably should get a one time Membership Fee ..


MyNameIdeasWereTaken;7489259]https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-wheel-bearing-lock-brace-31387127
 
#686 ·
Everything is mounted, wired up, and working. Now I just need to finish cleaning up all the wires.



 
#688 ·
I have weighed a lot of the major parts to come out, so I'm at an estimated 400lbs in weight savings.
A stock C30 weighs just over 3200lbs. So the car would be around 2800lbs if it were FWD.

But to add in the AWD bits... I could pick up the FWD rear subframe no problem, but the AWD subframe required use of a roller, so I'm guess it's about 100lbs more with the differential and axles. Plus the center drive shaft, transfer case, and more exhaust piping. Maybe an additional 150-200lbs for the AWD.

I'm hoping for the AWD car to have just under a 3000lb curb weight.
 
#692 ·
AWD in snow/ice review: It's great! Converted cars are running the upgraded haldex controller, so just like my V50 with the upgrade in snow, if you put your foot down too fast, the back end will kick out. But if you ease into it, it grips and doesn't let go. Since it's not a factory AWD system, it's definitely not as composed as it could be. But from a driveability standpoint, on Southeast icy roads which are unlike anything up north or out west, it is greatly improved over the FWD predecessor.

I was plowing most of the roads I drove on. Splitter is gone, haha! Now I have an excuse to build a new one that integrates better with the front arches.

 
#694 ·
In the process of swapping the Sparcos back into the Porsche and moving the Brides over to the C30. The Brides' leg angle makes them extremely uncomfortable for cars where your legs are mostly straight to the pedals (mid engine Porsches), so they're a better fit in the more elevated seating position in the C30.

I still prefer the Sparcos in terms of comfort. But in the spirit of not spending mod-money on this car anymore, I'll use what I have.

I have also finished cleaning up the wires. Everything is packed into pipe insulator and run around the edges of the car. Not only does the pipe insulator provide protection, but it's also easier to fit in place than split wire loom, makes access to wires and connector convenient, and at $0.20 per foot, it's the cheapest option as well. It may not be show car clean, but it's racecar clean.

 
#695 ·
This last month has mostly been work on the 987. Maybe one day I'll be bored enough to care about redoing the cosmetics on the C30.

 
#696 ·
We finally made it to 200k! Wish I could say that was on the original engine, but this is still a testament to Volvo reliability.



I took out the passenger seat and went full truck mode at home depot.
12 bags of mulch, 12 2x6x8s, 1 6' shelf, 2 2'x4' boards, 1 roll of fencing, and 2 other bags of stuff. People were watching in amazement as I Tetris'd everything in.





In other news, I've been spending more time working on the Porsche again. New aluminum light bracket which was bent to perfectly match the curvature of the bumper. New front lip. Raise the car about 1" but I'm still tweaking camber setting to get it handling the way I want it to. Oil pressure gauge installed in place of the useless factory stopwatch. Crankshaft underdrive pulley installed. Sparco seats put back in. Still a few things to come including some resonators to quiet the exhaust, but it's very nearly a perfect car already.

 
#697 ·
This is not a step by step guide, it is an explanation. But it should provide most of the info that people need to complete the swap on their own.

Be sure to read the video description for additional information.

 
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