THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Impressive!
Can you post more pictures of the PUCH G?
What are the screens in the rear windows?
Thx

I think they should sell that diesel. I know someone who wants it.

@Vince: they will not sell the Pinz ... although they got a brand new Bergwacht-customized VW Amarokhttp://www.volkswagen-nutzfahrzeuge.de/ ... ayern.html ... the Pinz is the only car that makes the old WWII-road up to the Blaueis .... in this video you can get an impression of that "airy" roadhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMm96VGAZrc The track can be seen till sec. 35!


Greetings ... Simon

A few recent pics:

MaxTrax recovery boards mounted on driver side. Front steps painted red to match front bumper.



Two RotoPax 4 gallon tanks mounted on passenger side. Gas cap painted red.



"Search" and "Rescue" logos backlit for night missions.



Also mounted my LED spotlight on a plate that can be kept in back to keep from being damaged then attached on driver or passenger side above cab when needed for a mission.



Went back to stock side mirrors as they just work better



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Realized after these pics were taken that the mirrors had been installed backwards by previous owner so I did the same when mounting the new ones... after seeing lots of pics with them mounted out in front of windshield I rotated them so the pivot is on the outside edge of each mirror and rotated them around in front of the windshield.

I was surprised how well they work in that orientation. I fully expected the passenger side to have very little visibility when rotated forward like that, but it works.

I'm running a very wide-angle rear back-up camera in always on mode (like a rearview mirror) which lets me see vehicles all the way up until they are right next to me, so the side mirrors only serve to expose the blind spots for me. Overall the combo works really well.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised at just how daily drivable this can be given the combo of fuel injection, electronic ignition, gear reduction starter and disc brakes. It starts every time on first push and runs great.

Next up is front suspension. I'm just waiting on backordered parts from EI then Chris (Haf-E) is coming over with his factory spring compressors and we'll do the upgrade. I'm going to a set of progressive springs from Linden Engineering that have been floating around, swapping out front shocks for new Deutsch versions to match the rear, and replacing all front spring hardware. Chris also has a set of slightly taller cups that we are going to put on. I have new stock versions if we get them on there and decide they aren't going to work well..

I will try to remember to take pics during the install and update the Shock thread I started with details as we do the install.

This mountain goat has been on several missions now and has done an amazing job of getting searchers and equipment into the field and, by folding down one side, bringing injured subjects back out. It has pushed through deep snow, mud, and overall really nasty terrain. It's great to be able to put it back "into service" the way it was intended. I love this thing...

Ben

put the pocket book down... Enjoy your ride!

audiocontr wrote:put the pocket book down... Enjoy your ride!

LOL... decent advice

Since it's primarily used for Search & Rescue my goal was to get it configured for regular use so it had the necessary gear onboard and critical systems were all tested and reliable.

I have two other vehicles that I rotate through for daily driving but the Pinz is easily my favorite to drive.

Last two big items to complete are the front suspension and getting the power steering installed (it's sitting in the garage taunting me..).

Couple more pics from recent training missions.





Ben

Ended up going with a slightly smaller tire (10" wide by a little over 33" tall). Aside from that I've just been driving it a bunch and getting ready to head down to Northwest Mogfest.

Here's a few pictures from recent trips.














Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your last PIX, Ha! The classic leg up pose of a Pinz'y. That is, a wheel off the ground due to the limit straps.

We don't think twice about that but for the unfamiliar it looks scary. I just went on a Trek with a bunch of Jeep
guys, they never had seen a Pinz in operation, the only off beat rig from a Jeep in this crowd was a Bronco
So here I am on the Correll Hollow Trail in the Sierra's and I go leg up and it spooked the Beejesus out of this
crowd, like holy Mackerel are you going to flip over? They like to see their wheels on the ground What
I told these guys was "Hey, a Pinz crawls like a Praying Mantis, and occasionally it has to stop and take a piss,
lift it's leg up and relive itself They kinda got used of this after a bit.

rmel wrote:Your last PIX, Ha! The classic leg up pose of a Pinz'y. That is, a wheel off the ground due to the limit straps.

We don't think twice about that but for the unfamiliar it looks scary. I just went on a Trek with a bunch of Jeep
guys, they never had seen a Pinz in operation, the only off beat rig from a Jeep in this crowd was a Bronco
So here I am on the Correll Hollow Trail in the Sierra's and I go leg up and it spooked the Beejesus out of this
crowd, like holy Mackerel are you going to flip over? They like to see their wheels on the ground What
I told these guys was "Hey, a Pinz crawls like a Praying Mantis, and occasionally it has to stop and take a piss,
lift it's leg up and relive itself They kinda got used of this after a bit.

All of my experience over the years has been in Jeeps and FJ-40s so learning how to ride the "teeter," pick my lines, and ride the front of the pivot (instead of the middle) have all been a learning curve. It's clear that the Pinz is way more capable than I am driving it at this point. I'm learning quick and LOVING every minute of it. The fuel injection and electronic ignition have proven to be extremely adept at getting it running and keeping it running smoothly and reliably in all conditions I've thrown at it. This is easily my favorite vehicle to drive...

Now I just need to get the power steering installed to help with the slow, technical stuff. Creeping over rocks is rough with manual steering. I like to say "every day is arm day in the Pinz!"

Looking forward to meeting more Pinz/Volvo owners at Northwest Mogfest soon!

Ben

GadgetPhreak wrote:"every day is arm day in the Pinz!"

Your line is so true, although I never found it worth to install power steering (at least so far...).
When there is a point where I need to turn the steering wheel a lot while stationary, I remember I am driving a 45-year old military truck and welcome the workout. Maybe this is just because I don't drive the truck enough.

The only time that could have changed my mind about it is when I hit a rock crossing a ford and the front wheels suddenly turned the steering wheel instead of the opposite (I was happy to be following the "keep thumbs outside of the steering wheel at all times" policy!).

In any case thanks for the pictures, you put a lot of thought and effort into improving what was already a very fine truck, and it shows!

Still needs some spacers under the front springs...it just isn't sitting right...but great pinz and Nice pics

Maybe, but more often than not it's toe-in, not the spacers or springs.
There's a thread on that how to measure and how to correct.

rmel wrote:Maybe, but more often than not it's toe-in, not the spacers or springs.
There's a thread on that how to measure and how to correct.

This thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=9515&hilit=toe+in has the best info I've found, just haven't had a chance to do that yet.. it's on the list

Ya, I tend to go overboard sometimes Gilding the Lilly so to speak.

The best thing to try is just drive forward 12' look at the tires for the Pinz'y
pose, and measure the height from ground. Go in reverse 12' repeat the
look and measurement. If in the reverse direction you distance from
ground has increased your Toe in is off. You can tweak it in just with
the tape measure method. My technique with a laser level is a level
of accuracy that is nice but probably not necessary