1975 Volvo BOV

[Doccers]

Also, you might want to check this out, if you haven't already. It's a swedish forum, but has an english option as well.

http://www.terrangbil.net/V2_index_eng.asp

Yep! Got pointed there almost immediately - Grabbing a lot of great ideas from them, and eventually may even make a post. The one thing I'm having trouble with is finding a spare 24v starter. I like to have spares of everything so I'm not SOL if one breaks.

[RolandTHTG]

All good then!

I might run into the guy who runs and owns the site in a week or so. I'll try to remember bugging him about a 24v starter... At least some good info on where to get one.

[Doccers]

All good then!

I might run into the guy who runs and owns the site in a week or so. I'll try to remember bugging him about a 24v starter... At least some good info on where to get one.

I will love you forever and ever if you can find me one cheaper than 700 Euros, which is the only price I've found for One.

[RolandTHTG]

Finally talked to guy I mentioned, but no specifics...

A couple more sites to check out though:

http://www.bjm.se/

http://tatanka.nu/

Also, http://www.surplus.se/ still applies. All of these companies has a lot of experience in shipping parts worldwide, according to 'my guy'.

Another thing might be worth checking out is your local Volvo dealers, especially Volvo trucks. But, my guess is that you've already tried that...

[skelco]

Would it be worthwhile to convert it to a 12v system?

I once had a 6v starter rewound to be a 12v starter through a local shop that specialized in such things.

[NoahDL88]

Cutting voltage means doubling amperage, which depending on wire size is either a small job or a complete rewire. I've got the "other" FC rig, a Pinz 710K, also 24V and it is much easier to buy accessories at the truck stop then it is to rewire the entire vehicle.

I intend to engine swap mine, 8mpg is horrible, and I'd rather have diesel anyway, but I will be getting a 24V starter that fits, or re-winding the one that comes with the engine.

Also many people wire in 24-12V converters for things that just won't run on 24V, like phone chargers and gps units.

[Doccers]

Winter is here. Time to test it's snow handling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ViwdkJ5 ... ature=plcp


Getting it stuck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQGJITcC ... re=related

[HKTackDriver]

LOL, I can't believe you high centered that thing! Where did you buy it and what do they go for? Gas mileage? Seems like it'd be a fun project to turn into an expedition truck.

[Viper shtf]

Epic bov is epic.

[Doccers]

LOL, I can't believe you high centered that thing! Where did you buy it and what do they go for? Gas mileage? Seems like it'd be a fun project to turn into an expedition truck.

That's exactly what I'm doing with it. Expedition camper/support vehicle.

Gas milage is about 13mpg. not terribad. Gasoline I6 engine, 110 hp.

Originally the plan was to find one with a blown engine and then replace it with a diesel. I found this one in california, owned by an artist/sculptor Baron Margo (google him) who wanted to turn it into a giant rocketship on wheels. For whatever reason he abandoned the project fairly early on, and the truck sat on a steep hill for three years.

The previous owner who sold it put up the listing for him, and believed the engine to be blown - severe oil leaks, white smoke in exhaust, clutch slipping, etc.

Turns out the hill had just pulled the oil away from the rear main seal. after being level on the truck on the way out here, it pretty well re-sealed itself, I didn't have any problems with the clutch slipping. The white smoke wound up being a combination of the carbs being out of the hydraulic fluid it uses to stabilize itself, and oil in the intake box. So where I got a steal on it because it had a "blown engine", the engine wound up being perfectly OK, so I'm going to keep running it as stock for now.

[greenear123]

SCORE!!!!!!!

[MaconCJ7]

Cutting voltage means doubling amperage,

Very true, but only if the powered item requires it. Stuff only pulls the current it needs to operate. If you convert everything to 12v, you'll be just fine without a rewire. Starter, lights, horn... Then wire the batteries in parallel instead of series, and everything will be gravy. It might be a bit of work to change everything over, but replacement parts would also be easier to find.

A thought to ponder on the batteries, is a battery switch in the cab. We ran them on some up-armored 'burbans. Rotary switch that would let you choose batt 1, batt 2, both, or none. That way if one battery fails, just turn the switch and remove it from the equation.

[Still_Creepin]

Sweet! cant wait to see more pix on this and see what you have planned! (-:

[noodlesswe]

Hello
spending my first post on this

i live in Göteborg sweden about 1km from this place: http://www.kvibergsoverskott.se/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=71
they do handel a large amount of the swedish military surplus on regulary basis, and they are shiping stuf all ower the world.
both vehicles and other hardware allso ink sparparts kit for vehicles. the last weeks they have recived a large shipment of new vehicles and other materials, but i think hey havent been able to update the webpage yet.

i dont know what vehicles was in the last shipments except thats thers a lot of large TGB20/30/40 but thers usualy some tgb11/13 in ther allso.

BTW, if you still have the EMP protected ignition in it, its about totaly imposible to get parts for it. almost all that dont collect the vehicles for show room perpus, but do use them for offroading swaps out it for regular 24v stuff.
and if they do enging swap they go for the mercedes 300 TD engin, ther are companys that sell gearbox fittings for it.

//Noodlesswe

[Doccers]

Hello
spending my first post on this

i live in Göteborg sweden about 1km from this place: http://www.kvibergsoverskott.se/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=71
they do handel a large amount of the swedish military surplus on regulary basis, and they are shiping stuf all ower the world.
both vehicles and other hardware allso ink sparparts kit for vehicles. the last weeks they have recived a large shipment of new vehicles and other materials, but i think hey havent been able to update the webpage yet.

i dont know what vehicles was in the last shipments except thats thers a lot of large TGB20/30/40 but thers usualy some tgb11/13 in ther allso.

BTW, if you still have the EMP protected ignition in it, its about totaly imposible to get parts for it. almost all that dont collect the vehicles for show room perpus, but do use them for offroading swaps out it for regular 24v stuff.
and if they do enging swap they go for the mercedes 300 TD engin, ther are companys that sell gearbox fittings for it.

//Noodlesswe

Woo! That's awesome. If I ever have any need for anything, I'm going to PM you to check that site for me (my swedish is pretty rusty and Google Translate is only so-so, haha).

At the moment, Yes, I still have the EMP protected ignition in it. I'm looking to swap over to a 123Ignition module for ease of use/more engine power, but I'm going to keep the EMP protected ignition module in a box with everything I need to shove it back in just in case.

I've looked into engine/transmission swaps, but for the time being I'm sticking with the original B30A engine.

At the moment, I'm waiting on a new thermostat to ship, the original 1975 one is sticking a bit in the cold. With that I'm looking at swapping over to an electric fan instead of the mechanical one, just to quiet the cab down a bit. (As a fun project I'm also going to shield the fan for EMP - a good work-up project to installing a shielded radio setup!)

After that, I need to weld up some custom winch-mount bumpers and an external roll cage. Then the FUN work begins!

[noodlesswe]

thers a chassy mounted winch for the TGB13 mount in the middle and can be used front or rear as it has rolers and guides front and rear and is driven via the transfer case i think.

nr 13 is the vinch her on a 2 axle version

thers also a power out take nr 9 to have a transmission-powerd trailer



still looking for a generator ?
http://www.blocket.se/kalmar/Terrangbil ... w=3&last=1
ita a generator, starter, waterpump indicater realy, and he whants an offer....

[Doccers]

Got tired of the spare tire sitting inside the cab.












Thats better.

[Vanniek71]

soooo much win in this thread!

[Doccers]

Tire's on there quite solidly now.

New 24v electric fan on order from Flex-a-lite, will be here this weekend. This should quiet down the cab considerably.


After that, the fun begins - Trying to stuff an extra 12v 200A alternator into the engine compartment to power radios, winch, and possibly a 12 or 120v roofmount AC unit.

Does anyone know of a good RV style roof-mount unit that's 12v but does NOT cost $3,000 like the DC Airco ones?

[Vanniek71]

Tire's on there quite solidly now.

New 24v electric fan on order from Flex-a-lite, will be here this weekend. This should quiet down the cab considerably.


After that, the fun begins - Trying to stuff an extra 12v 200A alternator into the engine compartment to power radios, winch, and possibly a 12 or 120v roofmount AC unit.

Does anyone know of a good RV style roof-mount unit that's 12v but does NOT cost $3,000 like the DC Airco ones?

My buddy is the parts manager for an RV place, let me check with him, I probably can get you a discount on it as well.

Ill shoot him a message and let you know

[donaldderby]

that is a beautiful machine man

[Doccers]

So one problem with the Volvo is the radiator fan.

It's a direct mechanical link (non-clutch!) off of the water pump, on a 2 foot prop-shaft from the mid-mounted engine out to the radiator up front, on two rubber flexible "universal" joints.

This causes a few problems.

#1: it has problems cooling the engine at idle. Particularly a problem with Denver having a week of 105 degree days lately.

#2: the "universal" joints rob a lot of power from the engine.

#3: it makes an immense amount of noise in the cab. At speed, you have to shout in order to converse in the cab.

Time for a change.



Off with the grill



And the wire mesh behind it



there's the radiator.



Opening up the panels to access the radiator from the top,



Radiator and it's fabric shroud removed, after dismantling several frame crossmembers and bumper reinforcements.



The fan. It's an asymmetrical design.



Very asymmetrical.



Fan-on-a-stick out.

New fan is a Flex-a-lite 15" 24v variable speed fan. it comes with a large shroud to direct airflow, however the shroud is about 2 inches too wide for the radiator tunnel. We removed the gasket material along the outside, cut it down on the mill and trimmed part of a corner with a dremmel to fit a series of power cable packs on the upper left corner, and then replaced the gasket material around the cuts we made save for the left side. (No photos of installation, at this point it was late in the day, very hot, and we just forgot), installation required squeezing the fan past two locator ribs (left and right) behind where the radiator sits. We did this by not re-adding the fan gasket to the left side of the fan shroud where we made the cut. this allowed us to squeeze it past the ribs by inserting the right side first, then pushing the left side in following it, and then pulling both sides back to straighten it out. we then fully sealed it by attaching the gasket material to the left side rib - wound up working flawlessly.

Wiring took some splicing that we'll go back and fix at a later date (major electrical system install coming up next anyways) as the wires flex-a-lite provided didn't anticipate a mid-engined vehicle and were about 2 feet short.

Probe for the fan was inserted into the radiator and epoxied in place with a high temperature sensor-safe epoxy (couldn't go all the way through as flex-a-lite reccomends, Volvo used an offset rib design, so the set behind the first was offset to allow maximum surface area, couldn't push the probe through all the way).

Stationary tests show a dramatic increase in airflow and cooling capability, as well as a dramatic lowering of noise in the cab. was too late to make a test drive yesterday but we expect to see a noticable increase in available engine power as well.

The Volvo keeps coming along!

[majorhavoc]

I am simply loving this thread.

Acquiring more engine power and less cab noise by switching to an electric radiator fan sounds like two major bonuses!

[Blacksmith]

Very nice! When is the turret install?