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Upgrading my 740 700 1987

Ok, I have the sway bars and the chassis braces. Now, I want to get LSD, ABS brakes and Electronic Traction Control. How easy would these things be to install on my car?

George
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1987 745 GLE Turbodiesel Intercooler (D24TIC)/1988 745 Turbo Intercooler (B230FT/M46)








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Upgrading my 740 700 1987

You did the easy and simple stuff. What you propose now is orders of magnitude more difficult and expensive.

LSD is easy. You can use an aftermarket unit like the Spicer (now Dana?) in your axle, or convert to a locker style. Just make sure your speedo sensor will not be deranged. Or you could swap axles with a car that had a Volvo LSD. Again, get the right speedo sensor. They changed around 88-89. Or you could convert your speedo to accept the new sender, but I am not sure how hard this is. So your costs could range from the price of a used axle to $400 or more plus installation.

ABS would be a real pain to do. I would want the entire donor car to strip. You can have great brakes without it. You can upgrade your little brakes to the bigger later ones or the bigger and thicker much later ones, but you need the associated parts. The cost would depend on the deal you got on the donor car. Paying a mechanic to do the labor would be pretty expensive; I would estimate a day or more or labor. Updating the brakes with a combination of new and used parts could cost a couple of hundred dollars to several times that or more, depending on who does the labor.

Traction control would be easiest if it was left at the limited slip or locker. It is an expensive upgrade to have automatic. With some effort you might be able to fit a kit that works off the ABS, but that means getting the ABS first and then trying to adapt a kit. There is a kit for BMW with ABS, but it is around $1000 to $1500. Plus installation.

Is your old car worth this kind of investment? I would sell it and buy a 95 945T if I wanted the latest and best RWD 4 cylinder Turbo Volvo sold in the US.

Philip Bradley








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Upgrading my 740 700 1987

I would do all the labour myself, and have access to a good supply of s/h parts. I want the LSD and the ETC that came fitted as options on Volvo 700 so there should be no question of not fitting. For the ABS brakes, what does that actually entile? What parts do I need?

George
--
1987 745 GLE Turbodiesel Intercooler (D24TIC)/1988 745 Turbo Intercooler (B230FT/M46)








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Upgrading my 740 700 1987

I have not done it, but I do have an 89 745T with ABS and have seen all the sensors and brake lines and controls and think it would be a pain to fit. If I was going to do it, I would want to make a deal with a junkyard for one price for everything I need to retrofit and then study the donor car carefully. Good luck. I have not heard of the ETC option before. I assume it works of the ABS, so that retrofit would be a prerequisite. Good luck and let us know what it ends up costing and how long it takes to do.

Philip Bradley








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Upgrading my 740 700 1987

Hmm sensors on the hubs, ABS modulator...all the pipework...wiring loom...
personnaly i would just get a cr with it and the LSD on and transfer the deisle engine...i would think that would be easier....







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