[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Swapped out the slightly worn Elevate torque mount for an E-Focus mount. As I said with the S40, the Elevate mount is great for the first few thousand miles, but it wears out with time and abuse. The E-focus mount is not as firm, but it's a noticeable upgrade from the stock mount and lasts a lot longer.

 

[Fitzy]

I also have that same mount. It's great. Not as stiff as other options but not all loosey goosey like the volvo one.

 

[FosgateLife]

I have the poly mount insert and i love it! Still shifts firm and has 25k miles on it. Can't complain for $60. They make a solid "race" insert which i've heard is REALLY stiff

 

[V50_Elegance]

i serioously wish they made an awd c30 if they did i woulda got it

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Battery Relocation

Why? Here's a good article about how moving a battery can put you closer to perfect balance: http://www.superstreetonline.com/ho...806-turp-hows-and-whys-of-battery-relocation/

• To move 30+lbs from the front driver's side to the back passenger side.
• To extend the life of the battery by moving it away from the hot turbo engine.
• Because I'll need the extra engine bay space for my next project.

Is it safe?

• P2Rs have trunk batteries, it's not something new to Volvo.
• Battery technology has improved a lot, so they're less likely to release harmful gasses. There's still a risk, but there's a risk with everything.

I cut a rectangular hole in my shelf to fit the box, then bolted it down.
The power wire was run through the cabin through the usual route, passing through the grommet behind the glove box. A fuse was added 12" from the battery so if anything happens, there isn't a live wire running the length of the car.
I ground down the area around one of the bolts in the trunk to use as my battery ground.

Up front, it was just a matter of reconnecting various wires to the new power source and cleaning everything up.

Admittedly, the box is a bit bulky. If the shelf extended level with the trunk, the battery could be completely hidden, but this suffices for my needs and still provides easy access to the battery.

Update:
I built a full storage bin in place of my back seat, so the battery is completely covered and hidden. Also a great storage place for my spare tools, parts, and jumper cables.

 

[DEATH]

Well... I am in the process of building a front splitter. Here is the first prototype, just with corrugated plastic.

Surprisingly, the front does feel a little more planted in high speed turns. Going over bumps on the highway, you can hear the difference of air rushing under the car.

Been testing it for a few days at various speeds, so far so good. Next step is to build a splitter with a firmer material and see how well it can take a beating.

It also protects my front lip from road debris and is a scrape notification system. The lip sits higher than the side skirts, so I've found a few speed bumps I thought I could clear, until the front wheels made it over... So at least now I can sacrifice the cheap splitter as the "you won't clear this" notification system.

Want more pics about splitter

 

[abjb]

Why? Here's a good article about how moving a battery can put you closer to perfect balance: http://www.superstreetonline.com/ho...806-turp-hows-and-whys-of-battery-relocation/

• To move 30+lbs from the front driver's side to the back passenger side.
• To extend the life of the battery by moving it away from the hot turbo engine.
• Because I'll need the extra engine bay space for my next project.

Is it safe?

• P2Rs have trunk batteries, it's not something new to Volvo.
• Battery technology has improved a lot, so they're less likely to release harmful gasses. There's still a risk, but there's a risk with everything.

I cut a rectangular hole in my shelf to fit the box, then bolted it down.
The power wire was run through the cabin through the usual route, passing through the grommet behind the glove box. A fuse was added 12" from the battery so if anything happens, there isn't a live wire running the length of the car.
I ground down the area around one of the bolts in the trunk (pun intended) to use as my battery ground.

Up front, it was just a matter of reconnecting various wires to the new power source and cleaning everything up.

Admittedly, the box is a bit bulky. If the shelf extended level with the trunk, the battery could be completely hidden, but this suffices for my needs and still provides easy access to the battery.

Take at look at this "Moroso 74051 Sealed Battery Box"
http://www.amazon.com/Moroso-74051-...1423588436&sr=8-3&keywords=vented+battery+box

Breathing even a little of those "harmful gasses" is not good.

Our other hatchback has a rear located battery, it's sealed with a vent hose (like a motorcycle) going thru the floor.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

I have an optima battery, so it's technically in a sealed box already. It has a little vent port on the top for extreme circumstances. A lot of people just toss the optima in the car and not think twice about it, no box, just a bracket. I might run a hose from the vent port to the outside of the car, but I'm more concerned about the catless fumes from idling.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Finally got around to fixing the speaker grilles.
Not the cleanest thing in the world, but for only $25... At least the speaker is protected and it's no longer rattlings with music.

Taped up pliers to avoid scratching the mesh as I bent it.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Finally got around to my horn relocation and installed the light bar. Exact same process / setup as the S40, so I won't go into detail.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Also reapplied my letters. I wanted to do something different, as I really like how clean the glass hatch looks without anything on it.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Aluminum shift knobs get cold!

 

[FosgateLife]

i LOVE THIS THREAD

Those speaker grilles are awesome! I might have to do something like that one day

I'd really like some more info on those if you're willing to share more ?

 

[jondevieonS40]

How did you run the wire to the engine bay? Do you have a pic of the cables attached in the engine bay? Looks sick


"Embody god... Then go crazy"

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

I'd really like some more info on those if you're willing to share more ?

NO! All my projects are a secret.
What do you want to know? There's not much to it other than a new mesh grill speaker cover.

How did you run the wire to the engine bay? Do you have a pic of the cables attached in the engine bay? Looks sick

Wires are run through the grommet behind the glove box. But in a GT you can just use the pass through on the driver's side where the clutch would be.

I'll get detailed pictures of the engine bay later, I want to clean up a few things first.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Made a new shift boot, but the only other black leather in the car is the ebrake... So I'll probably ditch this, it kind of clashes.

Also made a new arm rest with added padding, feels great, but again... No other black leather in the car. So it's coming back out!

 

[jschinito]

oooh nice! always wishing the arm rests could have just a tad more padding

 

[rentalcar]

Saw this today, reminded me of yours but the other way around.
http://access.bytbil.com/stockholmsnorrabil/Access/Home/Objekt/gvyrnhsg/

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Saw this today, reminded me of yours but the other way around.
http://access.bytbil.com/stockholmsnorrabil/Access/Home/Objekt/gvyrnhsg/

That's awesome! I'd really like to see pictures of it on the road though... The contrast against the snow is really harsh, so it's hard to accurately visualize how the blue and silver go together.

 

[MyNameIdeasWereTaken]

Testing out the new mic before next month's P1 sound test. I need to lower the gain a little, picking up a bit too much ambient noise, and the high notes in 1st sound kind of glitchy.

Leaving my mark for those at CTD6 to find.