Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Theres a 6x6 rover truck thats parked accross the road from me in st kilda. Its huge. It seems as though the owner uses it for a dailly driver, but it must guzzle the petrol. Massive tray, It would be useful for transporting gear to 4wd events etc.

Thanks Nick B, but this morning a friend reminded me that 6 years ago I swore that when I turned 50 I would hang up my transfercase and spanners. I am now 54 and beginning to feel a little burnt out, so I will just enjoy watching the wonderful creations that other people come up with.
Muppet Man, That 6x6 truck is probably a civilian version of the Australian Army 6 wheel drive Parentie LandRovers. More a load carrier than a High mobility crosscountry vehicle. The 3.9 turbo Isuzu engine is quite economical though , about 17 MPG average.
Bill.

daddylonglegs wrote:Muppet Man, That 6x6 truck is probably a civilian version of the Australian Army 6 wheel drive Parentie LandRovers. More a load carrier than a High mobility crosscountry vehicle. The 3.9 turbo Isuzu engine is quite economical though , about 17 MPG average.
Bill.

Yea that would be right about it not being a load carrier. It would easily climb any fire trail but a bit large to get through dense tracks. I doubt it would have very good travel either although I really dont know. The rear springs are upside down and look like they attach to the two rear diffs at each and and then to the chassis in the middle. I might go and have a chat next time I see him working on it. Im interested to know what he is using it for.

Just saw the videos Bill, it was an awesome truck.

bill, just short question you could bend that rule by teaching us mere mortals how to built our own. So How many series trucks and Overdrives do I need to build it? Hmm loving it!

MuppetMan, the rear suspension you described is quite different to the parentie vehicles I mentioned, so it is likely a private conversion using a scaled down version of what is known in trucking circles as a six rod with inverted centrally pivoted leaf springs. This should have quite good wheel travel providing the propshafts can articulate enough.
Nick B if you want to make a start my first piece of advice is to locate a straight clean series 1 107/109 lwb chassis, 2 Rangey rear axle assemblies and 1 front assembly, 3 or 4 old series t/cases, a couple of old PTO's, and a good centre lathe with all the accesories. After you have all that I will advise further.
Bill.

ok I can't view the video's and it is a bummer.

I also think it is a shame to see a picture of what remains of the 6x6. That was one awesome truck and I bet today would fetch a big chunk of change. But I am sure Bill had good reason to put the truck to rest....

Here is something a little dramtic but I have to say it....

I am curious Bill. You must be retired now? If so have you ever considered doing design work and so forth in your spare time? I mean you could easily sell your designs and concepts to others around the world! Maybe you don't need money and that is all good but you could offer something to the rest of the world not currently available. With a little cash backing and the right people to work with your ideas, designs and concepts could become something very much top of the food chain in the off-road world. A comapny that markets this stuff right could also make a ton of money. You have obviously already left your mark in this world by doing what you have done.....but it just seems a shame to me that your legacy can't continue to live on. There are many young bucks out there that will eat this stuff up and your talent could far outlive your body. This forum for example is a lot about people trying to improve their trucks. You have done that times ten! So why not take the world by the horns and put this kind of designs and ideas to work for you? If nothing else you could die a very rich man and leave much for your relatives to have. Not to mention there is a void in the 4wd world, still, that a man like you can fill. It seems to me it is only once in a life time a guy like you comes along with imeanse skill and it would just be such a shame to see such marvels come to pass and not be made again. You could literally have this stuff available to the public in kit form and I have no doubt it would be fairly easy to get the right backing to support such a venture. And I am not just talking about the 6x6....I am sure their is much much more in your head than just a 6x6 and some custom portal axles.

BTW, my 6x6 Pinzgauer has the rear suspension you guys are talking about and it works very well.

Thankyou very much Ian. If I wasn't painfully aware of my own limitations my head would have swollen the size of a soccer ball after your glowing praise. Actually I am not exactly a rocket scientist and many of the things I have done with off road vehicles have been a result of many years of reading about vehicles from all over the world.I am certain that with the knowledge that can be gained through the internet there are many guys out there that could run rings around me engineeringwise. There is very little that is new. Most of the concepts I have tried have been done before, even in the early 1900's. My old 6x6 took countless hours of trial and error, working on a shoestring budget to get working right. Some ideas worked straight off, but many others failed and had to be redesigned , sometimes several times over. What ultimately killed the vehicle was the Rover crownwheel and pinions. They simply weren't strong enough driving on the coast side of the teeth, the way I had them reverse mounted at rear. These days Rover Ring and pinions are a dime a dozen, but back in the eighties even used ones were $200 a set and I just could not afford to rebuild the rearmost diff every month. I built the whole powerdivider drive system around Rover diffs and to convert to say Toyotas would have involved remaking almost everything. then other priorities in my life at that time dictated that I concentrate on making a living and stop spending time and money that I could ill afford
Of course these days they have reverse cut Rover ring and pinions that are much stronger and if available back then would have made the 6x6 almost 100 % successful.
No Ian, I am not retired. Like many people I struggle to make ends meet and have a little money left over to pursue my hobby. I know a little bit about most things mechanical but my skills and abilities are far from unique and I learn just as much from the expertise of others on these forums as anyone.
Regards Bill.

well that is all good Bill and glad to hear you are not so old school you are sitting around in a rocking chair!

I still think you could make a good living off your designs. You are right others could out do your work if properly motivated but over all they are not out there executing and putting their stuff available to the public. And you could always imporve upon what you have already done. It is just that really talented people should be able to do well if they put that talent to good use. For example building 6x6 Rovers for people could be fairly profitable venture for you. Same with home-made portal axles.

Any ways that is just my opinion. I do think it is a shame you are not building another 6x6 right now that is improved upon your old design. It truely is a impressive truck that I myself would not have been able to think up. Perhaps that is because I limit myself to much, I dunno.

Hil Ian, Over the years there have been many promising attempts by proffessional outfits to build multi wheeled conversions of existing 4x4 vehicles, both here and in other parts of the world. Most of these ventures failed, not necessarily due to any technical shortcomings with the vehicles themselves, but probably because the market is really quite small and most potential operators shy away from products that are not offered by recognised mainstream vehicle manufacturers.
I know that some US automakers will employ certain individuals who have shown some natural flair or talent in a particular field to their design teams, but I think that the US is unique in this regard. the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon special is an example of enthusiast input.

I must admit that in the last few weeks I have had that nagging,burning sensation inside my brain that refuses to go away.
Hypothesising on these pages about what I would like to build is like taking Aspirin. It only gives temporary relief.
Most of the mentally challenging work has already been done, and all the specially made components of my old truck still exist, plus there are later developments ie, portal axles, more refined diff locks, reverse cut ring and pinions and a crawler box, plus the ready availability of decent tyres instead of running leftovers from World War Two. All these would greatly improve on the original concept. Yea maybe I do have one more big project left in me.
regards Bill.

Yea maybe I do have one more big project left in me.
regards Bill.

You do have it in you to do another project like your old 6x6! C'mon Bill do it! We want to see it...or at least I do. I am sure you will get some enjoyment out of it and I know we would too.

Anyone out there that can see what this is?

Another one.

Last one.

Volvo?

Yep, Volvo 8x8 portaled prototype. One built, turned into two trailers when they were done testing it.

They built five 6x6 amphibious prototypes with waterjet, too. Something for your driving style?

So what do I get

I like the Volvo 8x8. But can you imagine the cost in parts to reapir it!? My 6x6 Pinz for example always costs more to reapir than a 4x4 Pinz simply because it has more parts.

I have seen a few pictures of the water tight C-series Volvo. Got a picture of one somewhere on my pc. It is pretty impressive. I didn't know there was only 6 made but the one I saw was for sale on a European site, for a lot of money.

Familiar situation, Disco? Only this floats.

HAHAHA...I almost fell off my chair! Yeah...you're right - CHILLINGLY familiar!

I wonder why they only built one 8x8 ? Ian, the more or less conventional design of the volvo should mean that repairs/maintenance would be pretty straight forward. And hopefully the components are strong enough so that only maintenance is required.
Bill.

Looks like its getting pretty long - it would have to have been at least a metre longer than a 6X6 pinzi. There'd have to some ferocious loads on that chassis when gully crossing - the unsupported weight would be substantial.

The stated reason for scrapping the 8x8 was that the 6x6 was capable enough. The distance between centers of the boogies shouldn't be that much different from the distance between center of boogie and front axle on the 6x6, so I don't think the chassis was that much more stressed. Desgned for one driver and 19 fully equipped solidiers.

The amphibious one was too expensive. Note the high filler neck on the right side of the body, mufflers on the roof, soft roof for quick evacuation, and Volvo pioneering high brake lights in the seventies!
Doors were watertight, air and exhaust came through a sort of funnel, and it made 4.7 knots with water jet. Two bilge pumps, one electric, one manual.

Btw, I spoke to a guy today who is selling a 6x6 Volvo with removable workshop body. US$ 4k for a low mileage, just demobbed truck. I think he said 6000 km...

Obviously had Landrover door seals.

Gee, and only 2 bilge pumps.

Nigel

hybridLR wrote:Obviously had Landrover door seals.

Gee, and only 2 bilge pumps.

Nigel

That is absolute gold....

wilsby wrote:Familiar situation, Disco? Only this floats.

somehow the people look out of proportion to the truck. or are the other pics a bit decieving on size?

US$4K is very reasonable for a low mileage 6x6. That is less than the price for 3 axle assemblies ex Malaysia these days.

geez....wish I had a spare $4k plus the import costs.

6x6 Volvos are selling for near $20k usd on our soil! Anyone wants to make some money on that pm me!

Thor wrote:

wilsby wrote:Familiar situation, Disco? Only this floats.

somehow the people look out of proportion to the truck. or are the other pics a bit decieving on size?

The amphibious one is a 6x6, the other pics are of the 8x8 prototype, which was longer.

Bill,
how did this thing steer? Was it possible to turn it with locked diffs? Did you ever consider making the third axle a steering one?

I'm toying around with the idea of buying a 6x6 Volvo and shorten the chassis and bed to roughly your dimensions. It will be relatively cheap, easy to do, and probably simple to register. And it would probably be possible to convert the third axle to steering, but is it needed?