tiagra

Another idea by Ralf/OffraodExtrem in Germany on my truck... not finished, but you get the idea. Stock leaf spring, completely new shock mount, Fox Airshock paralelled Fox Shock w/ external reservoir (missing in the picture). So you get adjustable spring support by the Airshock and adjustable dampening with the parallel shock. If you want, you can probably take out a leaf from the springs or put a lighter pack of parabolic srpings instead. This setup came up due to the heavy 4ltr Toyota engine, so I will probably keep the springs stock and compensate the engine's weight with the above mentioned combination. The good thing: Fix racng shocks are completely servicable Upper shock mount, with Fox Airshock in place Lower mount on the front axle Upper mount detail with valve for Nitrogen pressure adjustment of th Airshock Front view Have fun... .martin

Nice I think I'll also use the G-steering...

Just to give non-FB users an idea what was going on in the above mentioned group: And so on. So the clear intention was: PRESERVE information that's coming up on facebook, which is a great real-time communication medium with too much "flow" - information is quick, but lost just as fast. Good? .martin

Andreas: If I can help with the picture work, tell me. If you can do it by hand, i'm pretty sure it can also be done automatically with a nifty little PHP script directly on the database (or a copy )... contact me privately if you want! About English vs. "Scandinavian"... I think in "the early" years it was true, that most of the active users have been from scandinavian countries. Yes, it is still true, BUT: The vehicles have slowly spread all over the world, especially the offroaders salvaging axles and components are located in many different countries. The thing is: There is A LOT of technical innovation in other countries outside of Scandinavia, especially because they have active offroad communities AND less restrictive technical inspections than western europe. So there are replacement axles, brake kits and whatever else emerging in countries like the US or Germany or UK. So the Volvo specific knowledge might be supplied in scandinavian languages, whereas a lot if valueble "tech talk" might origin in other countries. So I would GREATLY appreaciate 100% tolerance of at least one (1) international language. I know how much trouble it creates, but I think more Scandinavian ppl know English than vice versa - so the bigger problem is not with the native, but with the foreigners. I'd love to document my built once it is started, but it will most certainly be 100% non-Scandinavian Svana: There is no need to direct traffic from TB to FB. BUT: Since there is A LOT of traffic on FB (with completely NEW users...), why not try to direct traffic from FB to TB again and revive it. As of now, it is pretty much dead, if you ask me. I'd love to see it alive (again)... Thanx and let's go .martin

You can get rims made brand new with documents. Will probably cost around 200 EUR/piece. The only problem so far: They didn't find a suitable manufacturer für 17" rim beds, yet. Been begging them for a while now As soon as there is some progress, I'll let you know.....

Nice... do you know detais or do I have to email them? Unfortunately they seem to have volvo stud pattern... I need Toyota pattern I'll mail them... EDIT: They are located in the USA... 99% not legalizable in Germany what they sell, sorry

Hey, where is the solution?

Manual boxes tend to have a longer final ratio, which makes them suitable for diesel conversions. But also 1st gear is usually much longer, as they put torque into the converter instead of misusing a clutch. The problem will b the fuel consumption, as the torque converters lock up only at pretty high revs on the highway. So a manual diesel might go with 10-13l/100kms on average, where I would supect the auto to take 2-3Liters more, depending on driving profile of course. I also though about the auto, but at least the Toyota auto (A440F) seems to be mechanically longer than its manual counterpart (H55F) and is therefore not usable for me. I have seena 6x6 with Landrover 300 and auto in Finland.

About the propshaft... it is short... As you can see, the limiting straps of the rear axle are almost straight, so the axle won't go much lower. Hope the angle of the propshaft and the slider element will be ok......

Widened 2.5" to the outside I suppose? That'd be offset 42mm Was your car heavy? Only tar or a lot of gravel/offroad? 14.5" would be too much for my taste when I want to travel... I think 12.5 should be pretty much perfect in terms of fuel, noise, handling... You say ALMOST non existing aftermarket wheels... does that mean, there are some? One? )

Hi, when planning my expedition camper (TGB13 based) the topic "tires" always comes to mind. Since I will modify the brakes to fit Toyota calipers and discs with newly machined hubs from, I will end up with Toyota lug pattern. New 37x12.5R17 tires will also require a little less offset than original, if there are to be used with snow chains for sure. Finding wheels with large offset seems to be one hell of a problem, getting some manufactured to my specifications could be an option, but takes a lot of money. The question is: How much offset will those portals stand? Or: How low can I go? Are there any experiences with aftermarket wheels or rims of different offsets? I have seen widened Volvo original rims, 2-3 inches added on the outside, which would bring the offset down to values as low as 30 to 55mm. How strong are the wheel bearings and/or the general construction of the portal/bearings in general? Are they prone to break earlier when tinkering with offsets, is the whole design rather immune to such changes? I'd be looking for first hand experiences there, favourably with fairely heavy expedition trucks, not super-light ralley or trophy trucks. W/o modifying any rims, I might be able to legally aquire 8x17" rims with Offset 35mm. Half an inch to narrow according to most tire manufacturers specifications, but that might be overlooked upon technical inspection. Anyway, we're looking at 70mm of spacers compared to the original Volvo wheel here! Example of 70mm spacers with original rims (tires 36"): Option could be, to widen the rims afterwards to the inside... maybe add one or 2 inches. That could bring the offset into the 60mm range. Very expensive procedure of unknown effect. Small background info: I want the rear camper box to be 2m wide to enable the construction of the bed purpendicular to the driving direction, thus creating a lot of free space for comfort and living. Therefore I'd not be too unhappy aber wider track. My problem is simply: I need some kind of reliable vehicle, can't push importat bits and pieces to the extreme. Is the portal/bearing section prone to damages somehow? Thanx for your thoughts, .martin

It is rubber-moulded, but yes, pretty stiff. Will have to test. The H55 toyo gearbox also has 0,85 in 5th gear, with 37" tires and 5.99 final drive that would make a perfect combination for that 4.0TD beast

They are sold out, but after x-mas Jez will have a new batch ready to ship! Just talked to him yesterday! I haven't ordered, because I am totally 100% broke and still paying off the TGB itself. Sincerely hoping, that he'll either have 3 sets left around March or will produce another batch within next year. ( I'm also thrilled about the suspension... we'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Frederik: The hydraulik lines will be removed - the previous owner wanted to tow big trailers and needed the hydraulics for that. The shifting mechanism is working already.. just as they are connected to the shifting rod on the gearbox, they are connected to the stick. Might change in the future, but seems to work. The crossmember has been moved backwards by about 20cm... can't give you exact measurements on the propshafts, though, sorry. The project has been started by someone else, I will try to make it work and turn it into an expedition camper The original front shocks have been removed and will be replaced with a combination of FOX shock and airshock. This will hopefully give the option to compensate the heavy engine and tune the setup for non existing roads All welding seams by the previous owner look wonderful, he has given it some thought already and magically chose the engine and chassis I always wanted... so it's the perfect basis. Will convert to G-Wagen power-steering I guess, also want A/C in the truck. We'll see... long way to go. Disc brakes etc., 5.99 ratio swap from flyingspanners, etc. etc. Stay tuned... a few months

Hi, I posted the projects link above, the engine is alredy inside the TGB. I will continue the project starting from March/April. I took some pictures, though, here you see the whole thing...

Toyota 12H-T with Toyo 5sp gearbox+xfer, crossmember needs to be moved backwards, though. Really big and heavy beast (362kg!) but probably one of the nicest Toyota engines out there. Wikipedia: "The 12H-T is a 4.0 L (3,980 cc) inline 6, 12 valve OHV turbocharged diesel engine. Bore is 91 mm and stroke is 102 mm, with a compression ratio of 18.6:1. Output is 134 hp (100 kW) at 3500 rpm with 232 lb·ft (315 N·m) of torque at 1,800 rpm." See also: http://www.offroad-e...id=35&Itemid=57 Can be tuned to 170+hp and 400+Nm easily. Intercooler, G-Turbo and other mods are widely described in the Toyota community. Is regarded as on of the best/strongest engines in the LandCruiser community.... .martin