Customer Car Spotlight Adam Nonis XC90 Overland Project

Now it is time to get to know a little more about Adam Nonis and his XC90 V8 Overland Project. Adam works and lives about 180 miles north of IPD near Seattle Washington. We first met Adam when he attended our Garage Sale back in 2010. He brought his modified 1996 850 wagon. After inspecting the car closely, we knew Adam had serious fabrication capabilities to make custom parts. After getting to know more about Adam and his involvement in the automotive industry, he became someone we consulted with when developing and adding parts to our own project vehicles. Adam’s ability to develop molds and fabricate a particular product is astounding.

When IPD partnered with Volvo North America to build an XC60 for the Las Vegas SEMA show we had the concept to integrate an Apple iPad into the factory audio/video entertainment system. We needed the iPad to slide into the interior dash of the car and be removed if needed. We turned to Adam to create a custom dash system that allowed us to achieve our goals. The iPad feature was a huge hit with Volvo Cars NA and all the enthusiasts who attended the SEMA show.

We are extremely lucky Adam is a Volvo enthusiast. Over the years he has built relationships with other Volvo enthusiasts, providing advice or time helping them bring their custom modifications to life. Adam created many Volvo projects. You may have already seen his 245 wagon with custom graffiti graphics. He also has a very popular122 wagon he converted to two doors. The 122 has had multiple looks throughout the years. He has changed suspension, wheels, and body color incorporating a full custom interior. It is best known for having a complete BMW E30 engine and chassis under the 122 two door body! That’s right folks, he completely mated a BMW under a Volvo 122 body. Adam also did all this in the driveway of his home. Adam also built a P2 XC70 body wrapped and lowered with custom wheels and exhaust. You do not see a lowered XC70 that often. After a while Adam decided to raise the car and turn it into a more versatile XC70 with larger, more aggressive tires. It is also common to see Adam’s family members driving Volvos with tasteful modifications as well. Anything Adam has in his stable of cars is going to be customized in some way.

Being a car fanatic, Adam recognized the overlanding trend. He previously built a few overland projects out of wagons on the P80 and P2 platform. We thought those cars were over the top incorporating lift kits, custom tube style bumpers, wheel carriers, roof racks, accessory holders, and off-road wheels and tire packages. All parts were designed and made by Adam. If you are local to Seattle, you may have been lucky enough to see them in person during a Cars & Coffee or Avants car show event. After dipping his feet into the overlanding sector and seeing the demand for cars that can go on an adventure, Adam saw an opportunity to take on a new project with the XC90 V8. A friend of his was selling his XC90, Adam liked having the ability to customize the larger V8 body while utilizing the power of a V8. The Volvo V8 engine goes hand in hand for this type of build.

Adam purchased the 2006 XC90 V8 bone stock. Adam being a Volvo guy, knew there were maintenance parts subject to becoming a pain for V8 owners. He immediately tackled them by replacing the valve cover gaskets, alternator, serpentine belt, injectors, heater hoses, radiator hoses, front CV axles, driveshaft, transmission valve body upgrade, rear main engine seal, exhaust manifold gaskets, and custom torque converter upgrade. It is not so bad to tackle these things when you yank the engine out of the vehicle. This made it easy for Adam to knock out all the fussy maintenance items while working on the suspension and body.

After knocking out all the maintenance issues, Adam’s creative side got to work fabricating and customizing the exterior. The XC90 has custom tube style front and rear bumpers. The rear bumper incorporates a swing-away tire carrier and accessory rack. Adam wrapped the vehicle in KPMF Satin Stealth Tundra (Khaki) which is very fitting for an overland vehicle. The custom Rough Country Pocket Fender Flares give it a super wide off-road look.

Having a winch can be essential if you are going to explore or dive through deep ruts. Adam outfitted the XC90 with a 13.5K winch on a removable cradle. The XC90 also has a custom fabricated roof rack with a pressurized ABS water tank. To help minimize crowding the roof with too many accessories, Adam fabricated a custom holder that fits (3) 2-gallon fluid or Pelican case mounts for the rear tire carrier.

Suspension upgrades include front and rear extended Sachs front struts with an integrated coilover set up allowing you to adjust the height. Adam used Eibach 12” 350lb springs to help with any additional weight. Adam used 1.0” spring spacers along with 1.0” front and ¾” rear subframe spacers.

A proper overland rig needs a good set of rubber to tackle the elements. Adam chose to go with Method MR502 17x8 wheels strapped with Falken Wildpeak AT3W 285/70/17 tires. The wheel and tire package are not only functional, but it also compliments the overall look of this fully customized overland rig.

Inside the XC90 you will find a freakishly cool molle panel custom made to fit the XC90 sunroof. If you are not familiar with molle panels, molle (Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment) is extremely popular with backpackers and hikers. This allows you to mount small accessories like flashlights, knives, tools, or any other gear that you want quick access to located on a customized grid system. Adam created a custom tilt ipad mount displaying audio and video features. Adam continued to go over the top with storage accessories by maximizing the cargo area of the XC90. Adam designed and built a custom drawer system that incorporates auxiliary power and USB ports. You can never have enough storage bins when exploring the great outdoors. That is why Adam added four more Pelican 1200 series cases to the rear hatch securely held in by a custom locking system.

When you are out trekking around in the wilderness, you cannot always rely on only driving during daylight hours. Adam outfitted the XC90 with serious lighting power! The front of the XC90 boasts (4) 7” Lightronic LED off-road lights. The rear of the XC90 is equipped with 6” LED back up lights. You can probably see better driving at night with all that light power.

This article does not do justice to this overland project. There are dozens of little custom additions that we left out. We know Adam has all the knowledge, skill, and capability to create anything he imagines. We have had the opportunity to see many of his projects go through the fabrication process. We were thrilled when he began to turn a Volvo XC90 V8 into an overland machine. When Adam is building a vehicle, he manages to maintain the ability to use his cars as daily drivers. These cars are truly put to the test and driven every day.

We would like to thank Adam for all the help and guidance he has provided when developing and designing IPD exclusive parts. We would also like to thank Adam for all the time he contributes to the Volvo community helping other enthusiasts tackle their own projects. We hope you all enjoy this XC90 V8 Overland Project as much as we do.

CONTACT OR FOLLOW ADAM!

We encourage you to see more information about this XC90 V8 Overland Project: https://www.facebook.com/AtomDandD

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If you would like to see previous projects and builds, go follow Adam on Instagram at @atomdd

Why did you get into Volvo cars?

I have always been a fan of the underdog in life and in cars. Ever since the 850R first came out I was in love. Since then, I have come to realize that Volvo builds a quality car loaded with options and safe to boot. I enjoy the fact that modifying Volvos is an exercise in problem solving. It really makes me flex my fabrication skills.

What do you do for a profession?

I am a Senior Fabrication Engineer for Kymeta. I develop mounts to put metamaterial satellite antennas on mobile platforms. I also manage integration on various platforms. Everything from armored military vehicles to extremely large private yachts.

What is Atom Design?

At Atom Design we problem solve. We specialize in vehicles and 12v work, but also do design work on homes and general electronics, think safe rooms and UI mechanical design. Nothing too big, or too small. I enjoy engineering solutions when other people are stumped. Having years of in-the-field/hands on experience I add a skill set that most classically trained engineers don't have.  

Why did you decide to build an overland project?

My family camped a lot when I was younger. I stayed away from that as I got busy in life. The lock downs that Covid gave us all made me realize how much I enjoyed getting out in nature and getting away from it all. I wanted to give that to my kids as well. I started with the vehicle I owned (a 2000 V70R) and prepared it to get off the paved roads and get out onto public lands for some dispersed camping. After doing that with my V70R for a while I realized the real limiting factor was overall chassis size and tire diameter capability. The beauty of the XC90 is having a V8 allows for better torque output and the body gave me the room (with some modifications) for nice big tires. Nothing like waking up in the woods with birds chirping and making coffee over a campfire.