Hi, fellow Volvospeeders,
I thought it's about time I shared a little insight into my current project. 
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First, let's start with the car itself:
1997 850R M59 Estate (build date 06.12.1996)
Dark Olive Pearl
Bought in February 2014 with 418000km on the clock, full service history, one owner.
Restoration started out with new clutch, all front and rear axle bushings and work has been ongoing since then.
This is how the car looks like:
I'd say the car has good exterior and good interior. Not like new but almost perfect. The best I have seen so far, to be honest. The previous owner took good care of it.
Mods so far:
- Motronic 4.4 (thanks to VS and many contributing members!) -> guestimated 290hp, 460Nm at the crank
- 320mm genuine Volvo performance front brakes
- exhaust modification
- Ferrita 3" DP 100cpi
- everything else was just repairs/maintenance
In November 2014 I wanted to replace the exhaust manifold due to a leak there. Turns out one of the studs was missing but a piece of it remained in the head. Removal with the engine in the car: difficult. So we decided to take the head off -> cracked one bolt. 30mm of bolt still left in the engine block. So, why not take the engine out of the car?
After some analysis it was decided to put a new engine in. I manged to source a B5244T3 with head gasked failure for cheap. This is where it started....
The plan is as follows:
Engine & drivetrain:
B5244T3 bored to 83.38mm and 0,7mm shims
93.2mm crank from B5254T4
Sten Parner 83.32mm forged pistons
cxracing 143mm forged H-beam rods with ARP 2000 bolts
Glyco main and rod bearings (sputter)
B5244T3 head with new exhaust valves, 20 new valve guides, 1 new inlet valve, optimized valve seats, ported exhaust channels
VVT delete with machined cam wheel V2A
Valve cover with 2 vents added. Will be closed in the beginning to see how it goes
N inlet manifold with 960 throttle body
RN oil pan with MPRE oil baffles (would prefer stock B5254T4 oil pan, to be honest)
FiveOmotorsport 750cc/min injectors
4 bar FPR (to be decided which one)
New style R exhaust manifold with EGT probe
Turbo: EFR 7064 T3 with internal WG (not purchased yet but seems to be the best package for my goals)
DO88 Intercooler with DO88 RIP
Sachs 707 clutch with lightened SMF
Stock M59 (for a start. Probably M56 with Quaife after all)
Ferrita 3" DP with added vband flange and 100cpi cat
TME 2,5" catback or KL racing 3" catback. TME is probably more compatible with local law enforcement
Bosch 044 or Walbro fuel pump
BMW 540i MAF housing with 3D printed adapter flange to fit stock P80 air filter cover
Suspension & brakes:
KW V3
IPD Track spec ARB
AP Racing BBK (Heico branded)
On paper that sounds quite nice, I guess. Currently working on the engine, measuring everything, ordering parts etc.
The ultimate goal is to generate about 400+ hp and 550+ Nm torque at the crank on 102 octane pump gas or E85. Car should be streetable and the Nürburgring is not far away. Another requirement is 100-200 km/h has to be in the 8-9s range. I will tune the car myself using Tunerpro and the relevant sensors. Might want to go standalone at some point, but first the car has to be up and running again. First engine start will hopefully be in March. Let's see how realistic that is.
I have one guy with a small shop in the back of a farm which everything I need which I can use. And I am very lucky to have a very capable engine builder as a friend who builds the engine with me. I really enjoy working with him and it makes the whole build process a satisfying experience so far. It is my first ever build so I might not have the perfect solution for everything. But so far, many people also here on VS have helped me a lot answering some of the questions I had. Thank you for that!
Anyway, enough text for today. This thread will be updated as things progress. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome.
Some pictures:
