I have a question...I am the proud owner of a 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon and I plan on essentially restoring it. I went to my local dealer with the purpose of them identifying what needed to be replaced with a parts list and then will figure out the most economical way to do the work - dealer or myself with the help of a mechanic or body shop.

One of the items that needed attention was that the instrument panel/dash was in some way disconnected from the fire wall or had slipped. I asked what the fix was for this and the dealer tech said that the entire dash had to be replaced at a cost of $2700! He went on to say that there are plastic screws that penetrate the fire wall and some how they has sheared and lost connection. This is a bit depressing as I was hoping I would be able to reattach this minor disconnection with ease. Can someone let me know what my options are here and what the back ground is on the interface with the dash and the fire wall in this case. Thanks!

 

The dash is heald in with platic pins that will break over the years. Over on MVS there's a good write-up on making some replacement tabs.

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...ic.php?t=15115

It depends on the condition of the damage, it may work for you or it may be too far gone.

If you're going to be restoring the car, you'll want to spend penty of time on it yourself and avoid a repair shop. There's plenty of work that can take many hours but are fairly easy to do yourself. Last year I figure I spent 2 grand in parts & tools but saved myself 2,500 in labor & jacked-up part prices.

 

Thank you for your response...I will work with my pal who's a pro at restoring cars and see if this does it...while I am working on the dash, pulling it out etc. what other items should I address while I have access to it. I say this because I know this is a major job and I likely will want to address anything else while I have access. Thoughts?

 

if you have the dash out, make sure your odometer is working. Heck, as a preventative measure I would probably go ahead and spend the 25 bucks on a new gear for it and put it in while things are apart. I'd also go ahead and replace all the bulbs in the instrument cluster and dash while you have everything apart. That way 1) you dont have to worry about taking things apart again to replace a burned out bulb and 2) you KNOW that if something doesnt light up, it's not a bulb issue - it's something else.

 

Also if you have the entire dash out I would replace the evaporator and check your vent/floor selector flaps and motors... I learned that the hard way, now im scared to pull the dash back out cause things keep breaking form the florida heat