The Warn Pinzgauer

[Nomad]

Hey guys, my name is Ian. I was on the forum a long time ago and I think I went by "WarnPinz" back then. Here is my picture album of the truck on my facebook account, the pictures are public so if you got no FB account no worries! A lot of these as well as a lot of pictures of the truck floating around the internet are pictures from when I owned the Pinz. And there are some recent ones too, I took the recent ones yesterday.

https://www.facebook.com/westmoreland.i ... 273&type=3

I bought the infamous Warn Pinz from Phil in Indiana way back in 02/03. I probably paid to much for it back then since it was in need of a lot of repairs and had seen many years of neglect but at the time I just had to have it. I owned the Pinz a few years and fixed it up a lot. To the tune of $18k I put all new tires on it, fixed many electrical problems, rebuilt all the brakes, installed a new clutch, added diesel tail lights, replaced split boots with one-piece boots, installed a petronix, all new Rancho 9000 shocks and a Rancho steering damper, at least 4 new limiting straps, rebuilt carbs, fix exhaust leaks and put a new muffler and exhaust on it, replaced a bent tie rod, installed a VDO tach and oil temp gauge, repaired windows in the canvas and much more!! I even purchased a "half-cut" front body to fix the rust in the Warn Pinz. Due to the added weight of the exo-cage and a winch I put in TD Pinz front coil springs which worked well.

I did write up/info/picture thingy for Warn in 2011 on the Warn Pinz which they feature on their webpage and FB page. Note Peter's comment at the bottom giving more insight and info on the truck. I had actually talked to Mike Warn several times when I owned the truck plus had the video of it in the 94 Trans Trophy so knew my info was solid but it was good to hear I had my facts right from Peter as well as a bit more info.

http://www.warn.com/blog/2011/12/14/the ... auer.shtml

I also stumbled across this a week or two ago....

http://blogs.trucktrend.com/6755075/mod ... gauer-now/

I got a small chuckle out of that one since I have known where the truck is all along and I also know the history on it and know I basically had my facts right.

I really enjoyed the truck and in the two summers I had it I used it almost every single weekend, that is when I wasn't working on it. In the long term I knew the truck wasn't for me and can't do all the stuff I like to do. Mostly due to low top end speed and the lack of axle articulation.

In 2003 I got hurt pretty badly and by early 04 or 05 I had to sell the truck. I slung it on Ebay although I do think I tried to sell it here too. I had roughly $36k into the truck. I sold it, surprisingly, locally here in Jackson, Wyoming via the Ebay ad although not through Ebay. I don't really feel like saying what I sold it for but it was more than I paid Phil for the Pinz and far short of what I had in it. The dude who bought it from me bought it on a whim and it has pretty much stayed at his ranch not far out of town since. I only saw the truck once since I sold it on the streets here in town. A friend mentioned once over the years that it was still around as he had seen it on the ranch. Then last year another friend started talking about it to me. He and I were not friends back when I owned the Pinz. Any ways, he works for the folks that own the truck and since last year things have developed a lot more. My buddy who works for the current owners of the Warn Pinz (the dude I sold it to) put me in contact with them nearly a month ago. Yesterday I went and viewed the Pinz and also drove it. In fact I drove it pretty hard off-road!

I spent so much getting the Pinz in mechanical order I wondered if it was still running strong. And to my joy it was! The truck fired up first try very fast without even choking it. Mechanically, it is how I sold it, in tip top order. Body wise, the rust hasn't really gotten any worse. A few things don't work like the wipers (ya I checked the fuse) and other things like the Espar diesel heater still need a rebuild. But overall it is just how I sold it, even the x7 Boggers look new. I think the truck hasn't seen much use but has been taken care of, some tires still have nipples on them! The current owners just put 2 new batteries in the Pinz and had the carbs rebuilt. I assume the carbs needed rebuild because the truck may have sat for a long time?

Any ways, on to the point of my thread. I am in a bit of a delima. I can buy the Pinz, although I have another project going that is my long term off-road vehicle and am not going to change my mind on that. So I don't have much room or want of another truck. I can get the Pinz at a good price and yes I am thinking of buying it to resell and make a few bucks! Why not, I lost a lot of money on the truck last time! I have a buddy who restores cars for a living and he viewed the Pinz with me yesterday, I even let him drive it! We talked about installing the new body piece on the truck and fixing the rust issues. His price to do that I thought was very reasonable. The truck would get a new cab and more plus all new paint back the the Warn scheme. At that point I know I could sell the Pinz fast and for a solid price. I know a may get some flack here on the forum for saying that or doing that but hey, what is the big deal!?

I have always felt the truck is special due to it's history that is well documented. It is also ex-Austrian which makes it a touch more special. It is not modified much, rather upgraded. It doesn't have a bunch of silly stuff some guy came up with at a fabrication shop and thought was a good idea or would look cool on a 6x6 Pinz. At the same time it is not your average plain jane fresh out of Swiss military service Pinz either, no offense meant to those that love them this way it just was never my thing. The way the truck is done up is about function and form not bling. It is indicative to what it was used for, ie trophy racing. It really is basically the same truck as it was nearly 20yrs ago when it was prepared for Mike Warn. I don't know of any Pinz collectors, Phil being the only person I could say is like that (a collector) that I have met. So does any of this trucks history matter to anyone in the Pinz community!? Or is it just another Pinz?

Any ways, what do you think, should I buy the truck? Should I buy it and fix it up and then sell it? I know how rust turns 90%+ of buyers away and I can fix that and fix it the right way. I sure wouldn't mind playing with the Pinz again, even for a short time. It is such a cool truck and so much fun to drive. I know it would be easier to sell and find a good home for if I fixed up the body on the truck. That is really all it needs to be a very nice 712m. And honestly, I think it is pretty nice the way it is just rough around the edges.

Any ways, input or suggestions are welcome! I see pretty beat up and run down 712's in the $10-12k range these days. Nice original ones in the $15-20k range and nice fixed up ones in the $20k+ range. That sound about right? I been out of the trucks for a lot of years so am not exactly in touch with the market on them, ect ect. When I bought the Warn Pinz they were just becoming popular and I imagine have since peaked and maybe have declined a bit in value plus interest of the average joe?

Here is a video I made of the truck yesterday after driving it. Please excuse any errors in my vocabulary and also any errors I make talking about the truck. Nearly 10yrs since I have been around or driven a Pinz!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJaEFAxpQg

If you have an interest in acquiring the Warn Pinz msg me. When I began to pursue this earlier this year my thoughts were only to find the truck a good home. I definitely would like to see it in the right hands. Now though, the gears in my head are working and it is hard to put them to rest!

Cheers

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

The Warn Pinz was part of the early/mid 90's 4x4 magazine articles and news that got me obsessed with racing in the Croatia Trophy, oddly enough, in a (more appropriately race modified) Austrian 712M, although it took till 2002 to make that a reality.

Just imagine a time where news of such things came from magazines only.

[Nomad]

The Warn Pinz was part of the early/mid 90's 4x4 magazine articles and news that got me obsessed with racing in the Croatia Trophy, oddly enough, in a (more appropriately race modified) Austrian 712M, although it took till 2002 to make that a reality.

Just imagine a time where news of such things came from magazines only.

I am old enough to also be from that era. I used to buy the Petersons 4wd, Fourwheeler and other magazines when I was younger. But only if they had Rovers, Unimogs, Land Cruisers or articles about these exotic races in them. I would check the magazine racks every month to see if there was some new article on the trucks I dreamed of. I might even still have a few of them around!

This one is from a 94 issue of Four Wheeler and shows the Warn Pinz in the event! Pretty cool stuff! I acquired the image from somebody years ago who remembered the truck from the magazine article. Unfortunately all I have is the digital image and not the actual issue of the magazine.



As you can see they call the Transylvania Trophy the Warn Trophy. So perhaps the early event was known as both?

That is pretty cool you remember the Warn Pinz from before the internet!

Cheers

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

Oh yeah I may have that magazine edition still, somewhere. I have a few of the tapes from the 90's and up to the one I was in. My own footage and photos of the '02 race were stolen right after we finished at a hotel on the Mediterranean. I also have a few very rare euro-only Camel Trophy tapes that I had converted to NTSC but those events are no where near as insane as real, build-it-yourself euro trophy racing, plus they were Land Rover only based. I need to get that stuff together and convert it to DVD and vid files.

[waterdog]

Wow i like those bogger tires!! What size are those?? Are they mounted on original size wheels???

[Nomad]

Wow i like those bogger tires!! What size are those?? Are they mounted on original size wheels???

33x10.5 and on the original wheels

Cheers

[Nomad]

Well, I am buying it. So back to Pinzgauer ownership for me, at least for awhile.

Cheers

[TechMOGogy]

Congrats!

[Nomad]

Congrats!

Thanks, since I am bringing it home I am thinking about a few things it needs. I am a well versed hobby mechanic and have worked on the Pinz a lot in the past but am all ears to advice from you guys who are veterans! Here is a few things it needs off the top of my head;

Trans shifter is sloppy. I found my old file on the truck showing all the work done to it. Most of the shifter linkage was rebuilt but I am not clear if all of it was. The clutch is all new along with the master and slave. I am hoping a bit of adjustment cures this issue but is it possible the problem is actually in the trans it's self and the shift gate?

Clutch engages very low to the floor. Again, everything is new and I am hoping it is just an adjustment but maybe it needs a longer slave rod? It got a new 154mm 1-groove rod when the rest of the clutch was rebuilt. Is this the right rod for this truck? And why so many different ones available? Or is the clutch supposed to engage very low to the floor. I don't recall it being that way and prefer a stiffer higher engaging clutch.

Wipers don't work. Sure hope it is just the switch or a bad wire or the motor needs a cleaning. Don't like the price of new wiper motors!

The heater doesn't work, never did when I had the truck. Not that I need it now but sure would like to fix it. It may be an Eberspacher heater and not an Espar or are they the same thing? Has anyone ever rebuilt one here on the board? Or is there a good place to send it off to for a rebuild?

The E-brake doesn't work at all. I had it replaced years ago with a good used unit so no idea why it doesn't work. Seems fairly simple to tear into it and rebuild. Anything I should look out for?

That is about all the truck needs (besides rust fixed and new canvas!) from what I saw after spending 2hrs with the truck last weekend. The rest of it is in pretty good order with no issues. It does idle at 1,000rpms which seems to high to me, I don't have the manuals yet so what should it idle at?

Cheers

[Nomad]

I thought I would report back on the Pinz. I don't see "build" threads here on the forum, do you guys not do them here?

I got the Pinz yesterday morning. I slapped my plates on it and headed out for a 35 mile drive. I bombed down some gravel roads at 50mph and the truck just loved it. I was grinning the whole time! I then spent 5hrs cleaning the truck. It didn't seem to have been detailed since I had it last, pretty dirty. A buddy and myself went and ran a trail last night. Again, lot's of fairly high speed stuff, 40-50mph on stuff I can't go over 25mph in a normal truck. The Pinz just ate it all up and laughed the whole way. We also played in some water a bit. All in all about 150 miles put on the truck yesterday. Probably 75 miles of that was 50-55mph on the pavement and the rest was in the dirt. No carnage other than I seem to need new bulbs now in the TD tail lights. I really had forgotten how much fun these trucks are. I also forgot how the engine has the power to accelerate up anything besides hills on the HWY.

The front Boggers are actually kind of beat. So I may buy one new tire, use the spare which has never been on the ground and have two new front tires and use one of the old fronts as the spare. There is a little splitting down the center of the Boggers, not sure if they have been ran with to much pressure or what but I don't want to deal with a blowout. Keep in mind if you buy Boggers for your Pinz, they are very loud on pavement!!

The TD (yellow) coils I put in the front of this truck many years ago rock hard. They are stiff enough that even hitting large bumps at speed off road the front end doesn't bottom out. I think the TD coils was a very good upgrade I did on this truck. It also doesn't sit low in the front like I see a lot of 712s. When they first went it I recall it sat higher in the front. We may have changed the pins to make it sit lower, I don't recall or maybe they just settled but it has a real nice stance.

All my head lights work (H4 bulbs) and the 4-overhead old school driving lights still work. Great stuff for night off-roading! Back up lights work, tail lights and turn signals all work. I do need some bulbs though.

I had thought the trans shifter linkage needed some work and it may still need a bit of adjustment but other than that seems fine. I was just not used to driving it, now I am driving it excellent and not missing gears at all.

Planning to take the truck to Saint Anthony sand dudes before long. I never got a chance to run this truck in the dudes before and am excited to do that. Also thinking about doing the Morrison Jeep Trail before the summer is over, we'll see. Definitely going to be using the truck though and doing some small things to it here and there. First up is change all the fluids and engine oil and then just replace some things needing it.

Here are some pictures....

Right after I got it home yesterday





The original video of the 94 Trophy



In my driveway this evening





The new ex-Swiss cab/tub. I think this came from a 710K body that was chopped up to make a 712DK.







Cheers

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

That thing seriously needs a winch back on the front! I assume a Warn is what you will want. A 24v XD9000 would work nice but Scott has some nice SW Talon's for sale; you could just put a Warn sticker on it.

With those tires and lack of big power, the dunes may not be that much fun. They will dig like crazy. Sand needs AT's at the most.

[Nomad]

I hear ya on the winch! It used to have a 9k Warn on it but I burned that up on it's second use. I got a refund and never replaced it. If I was to buy a new winch, yes it would be Warn. Doubt I will buy one though, kind of an expensive purchase and not something I will use much plus my buddy I always go out with has a winch to pull me out!

We will see on the dunes, just want to give it a try as I have never had this truck in sand. I never have air'ed down my tires on this truck. I was reading recently that you can't air down much on a Pinz wheel since it doesn't have the right lip or something like that and will blow off the bead easy. If that is more or less right, it bums me out, I like to air down these days! And new wheels is an expensive purchase. If I was to replace all the tires I would definitely go with something much less aggressive than the Boggers. In a 33 or 34's and with a slighty wider rim I would be super happy, beadlock would be dreamy. To much cash though so doubt I do anything like that.

Cheers

[Stekay]

I regularly air down to 15-18 psi with Yoko Geolanders 265/75-16's on stock rims. (no tubes) I pretty much only run on sand here and although the Pinz isn't great in deep silt, it manages. You'll learn where you need momentum & where you need to patiently just maintain a slow steady pace.

[audiocontr]

You can put TD coils up front??? Interesting!

[Nomad]

You can put TD coils up front??? Interesting!

yes, sir you can. I have the yellow stripe TD coils in the front of the Warn Pinz and they work awesome.

Taking the truck camping this afternoon, may air down and see how she goes.

Cheers