Introducing my new rig: The Phoenix

[DaktariEd]

As a few of you may know I purchased a new rig a few months ago: a 1971 Steyer-Puch Pinzgauer.
What is not well known is that it has been in Jake's shop almost ever since. Wow, was I "down" for a while. :(

After an electrical short in the fuel pump power was fixed, I took it out to Roseann & Jonathan's. When I drove up to their house, oil was dripping underneath. On the way back home it started smoking. OMG!!!! :yikes:

To make a long story short...the #3 piston was blown and the head was cracked.

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/Piston-009.jpg

It took several months to find, negotiate a purchase, and receive a whole set...all 4 pistons, cylinders, heads, the whole works. "We" (read, Jake) also replaced the fuel management system, and fuel pump, converted from a distributor to an electronic ignition, and rewired some of the gauges. See below. The cylinders were machined to accept slightly larger pistons (Ross I think).

So now let me show you the resurrected 1971 Pinzgauer 710K...newly renamed, The Phoenix.

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/IMG_0391.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/IMG_0394.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/IMG_0384.jpg

It is definitely "well-endowed." ;) It has 6 (yes, six) Optima Yellow-top batteries. Two to supply the 24 volt ignition/vehicle system, and 4 to power the stereo and "accessories." Twin solar panels on the roof recharge the 4 accessory Optimas. The accessories include an Alpine stereo/GPS unit in the front ceiling console; a computer, flat screen monitor, and DVD player in the back. The stereo cranks out 1600 watts. I think I use 30 or 40. A back-up camera displays on a 7" screen on the dash.

The previous owner did a complete restoration in 2001. All four seats are Monaco buckets. The entire vehicle has been sound-deadened, and is air-conditioned from the roof mounted unit. It has an antenna that is supposed to be satellite-ready, but I certainly haven't tried that out yet. :p

The wheels are customized to accept the wider tires it has now.

As a Pinz it has hydraulically activated 4WD, as well as front & rear lockers. Ground clearance is nearly 10".

Oh, and today I set a personal best record for 0 to 50 in 21 seconds! LOL!
There's a heck of a lot more to it, and a bit more to be done (still needs a side-view mirror) but I need to get some work done right now...

Anyway...I am a happy camper this weekend. :victory:

Cheers!

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/safari.gif

[pskhaat]

Ed, that is beautiful and jealosy factor is way high. Awesome and amazing rig, looking forward to see it in person.

[Bergger]

That is very nice. Looks like almost the perfect vehicle to explore the desert in. I also like the color over the more popular olive drab you usually see. You should paint a phoenix on the side!:p

[Haggis]

That ride is awesome! Looks like your ready to make house calls for the post apocalypse wastelands.

[adventureduo]

Very nice ED! Can we see some pics of the rear inside portion also?

[4Rescue]

So jealous... Great rig mate. Looks like that is one PO that didn't leave you with a basket case to clean up eh. quite the oposite in fact.


Cheers

Dave

[HMR]

That brings tears to my eyes.

[4Rescue]

How about some interior shots???

[Streakerfreak]

Very cool:26_7_2: I too would like to see some interior shots.

[Grim Reaper]

Man that is one killer Pinz!!!!!

[Desertdude]

Awesome! The cat is finally out of the bag...:wavey:

I have always lusted after that vehicle. :drool:

[flyingwil]

Glad you finally spilled the beans! I almost let it slip a few times and caught myself!

[DaktariEd]

Thanks all!
I just finished cleaning up the interior and a couple of minor items...like putting the license plate on!
But now there's too much shadow for pictures of the interior.
I'll try to take a few shots tomorrow if possible....or...soon....

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[preacherman]

looks really good. now your have 2 rigs for me to be jealous of. thanks alot....

[viatierra]

Nice Ed! That thing is a beast. Now you need a matching Adventure trailer just to keep up with yourself.
:smilies27

[datrupr]

Very nice Ed. Good job.

[articulate]

That's a fantastic looking machine, Ed.

The question begs itself: what'd you do with the 40 and the Horizon? Or what are you going to do with those?

Any particular reason for the Pinz purchase? Did you wake up one day and say, "I think I'll go find a Pinz . . . " or did a deal fall your way? I'm curious for more of the story.

Although, you know - c'mon now - paint it with the big white circle and the red cross in the middle and we have the ubiquitous Overland Journal medical editor's rig in all it's glory.

[DaktariEd]

That's a fantastic looking machine, Ed.

The question begs itself: what'd you do with the 40 and the Horizon? Or what are you going to do with those?

Any particular reason for the Pinz purchase? Did you wake up one day and say, "I think I'll go find a Pinz . . . " or did a deal fall your way? I'm curious for more of the story.

Although, you know - c'mon now - paint it with the big white circle and the red cross in the middle and we have the ubiquitous Overland Journal medical editor's rig in all it's glory.

Well, honestly, it fell in my lap. I was starting to do research for a Pinz 710K that I could transform into a poptop like the Sportsmobile, add cool stuff, solar collectors, etc. But here it was, about 3 years sooner than I had planned. What could I do? Let it slip through my fingers? I think not!

At the moment, the cash reserves are rather low now. So I will table the idea of adding my own interior for a while at least. But if I get a good contact who will do the poptop at a great price, who knows?"

The FJ40 and the AT are both still here, taking up garage space. Which is why my friend Ed is building on a drive-through garage addition to accommodate both the Pinz and the 40 together.


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[jeffryscott]

It is a thing of beauty Ed, so glad it is finally "ready." When can we go play? I really want to see this in person.

[grouch]

Super nice find! I have always loved the Pinz'. Maybe one day when you get tired of it....

[desertgirl66]

Ed, that is soooo you! Really fits the "Rambo" image~~

I love the looks of that Pinz and you will be unstoppable:smiley_drive:

Congratulations!

[mountainpete]

What an amazing machine Ed! The jealously level is extremely high!

You mentioned a 0-60 in 21 seconds.... what's it like on the highway?

[DaktariEd]

Ed, that is soooo you! Really fits the "Rambo" image~~


Oh, no! Not Rambo. I hate Rambo!
I'm more of a "live long and prosper" kind of guy! So, it would be more like, "now that was a most logical purchase, Ed." ;)




You mentioned a 0-60 in 21 seconds.... what's it like on the highway?

Well, Pete, actually it was only 0 to 50.
On the highway, it's pretty good. Handling is very different. I am going to have to get used to that. And the turning radius is very tight. I can do a U-ey with just a little touch of the shoulder on one side.

Cheers!

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[jingram]

Simply Awesome!! Looking forward to some interior shots!

[IronSmiles]

Why I have I never seen that beast before? I have no idea what it is but I love it, haha! It's like a desert machete on wheels! ;)

[pskhaat]

It even looks like it has gunwhales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunwhale)!

[upcruiser]

Wow, fantastic looking Pinz! Its nice seeing some engine shots too, I appreciated that. Looking forward to seeing some interior pics. I'm curious as well to hear more driving impressions of it. Is the drivetrain whine bad on the higway? Any mpg figures yet? The specs for those Pinzes is inredible. What is it, a 12,000lb tow rating and 1 ton payload? I love it.

[DaktariEd]

It even looks like it has gunwhales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunwhale)!

LOL...well, actually that's pretty close. The rub rails (I think that's the correct term) are larger than stock. The previous owner replaced the originals with some type of Hawaiian hardwood. They need a little TLC.


...I'm curious as well to hear more driving impressions of it. Is the drivetrain whine bad on the higway? Any mpg figures yet? The specs for those Pinzes is inredible. What is it, a 12,000lb tow rating and 1 ton payload? I love it.

Driving on roads is interesting. Application of the brakes causes a major nose-dive. Something that will require a lot of adaptation. The brakes are drums and just don't have the stopping power of disks that's for sure! I'll be trying to find some dirt roads in the coming weeks to try out the handing there. I haven't experienced it yet, but others in-the-know have counseled me on the tendency of the vehicle to lift a wheel and/or become "tippy" at times.

As for drivetrain noise, no, it isn't very whiney at all. The PO did some type of balancing along the entire driveline.

No mpg figures yet; I haven't drawn down the tank enough yet. Jake installed a very cool fuel management system. As I drive I have an LED strip (a mixture meter) that indicates how rich/lean the current mix is. If need be, I have a knob (potentiometer) that I can tweak the mixture on the fly to enrich or lean-out the injected fuel.

Pinzgauer Specs: (http://www.sdp-pinzgauer.org/html/technical_data.html)

Yup...towing capacity is about 11,000 lbs, it weighs ~4600 lbs, and can carry 2200 lbs (minus the 200 lbs in batteries it already totes!).

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[DaktariEd]

I filled up the gas tank for the first time today.
I'm hoping it was a fluke: 11 mpg :yikes:


I also posted some interior photos for those who asked....
The Phoenix, Interior (http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=182315)

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/safari.gif

[gjackson]

Wow!!

(Wanna trade it for a 110?! ;) )

cheers

[Grim Reaper]

Driving on roads is interesting. Application of the brakes causes a major nose-dive. Something that will require a lot of adaptation. The brakes are drums and just don't have the stopping power of disks that's for sure! I'll be trying to find some dirt roads in the coming weeks to try out the handing there.


I haven't experienced it yet, but others in-the-know have counseled me on the tendency of the vehicle to lift a wheel and/or become "tippy" at times.

As for drivetrain noise, no, it isn't very whiney at all. The PO did some type of balancing along the entire driveline.



Pinzgauer Specs: (http://www.sdp-pinzgauer.org/html/technical_data.html)

Yup...towing capacity is about 11,000 lbs, it weighs ~4600 lbs, and can carry 2200 lbs (minus the 200 lbs in batteries it already totes!).

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/safari.gif


Actually Drum brakes can stop just as good as disc...THE FIRST TIME. They don't get rid of heat as well and fade as a result. The key is keeping them adjusted up. I suspect with the brake dive the fronts may be a little tighter then the rear.

Sitting on the front wheels also makes the brake dive feel worse then sitting between the axles.


Lifting wheels in an understatement. One of my old club mates had one and it almost always had a wheel off the ground. With the lockers it just keeps going. I have seen it laying on its side in rut trails and stand itself back up and flop back over on the other side and do it again.

Now a straight up hill climb they are simply amazing. I rode in the back one time (his was a soft top) hand was holding onto the cage wall for dear life with my foot braced against the diff hump to keep from falling on the rear door.

Here is a picture of my buddy Jeff and this was not a one time only photo op. LOL
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5210&d=1168484004

[The Swiss]

I filled up the gas tank for the first time today.
I'm hoping it was a fluke: 11 mpg :yikes:
[/IMG]Well, remembering my time in the service, we would see milages from about 12 to 16mpg, obviously depending on the terrain. One trip, 8 well fed soldiers with full pack and a trailer filled with amo, first pedal to the metal at 50 mph on the Swiss autobahn, then pedal to the metal with 25-35 mph up some winding mountain roads, milage was somewhere around 6-7 mpg ... Not sure what the combined weight was, but waaaaaaay too much for those four little drum brakes. Talking about scary :yikes:

BTW, drum brakes have an advantage in the mud, it takes them longer to clogg up, but once the drums are filled with mud ...

[travel dodge]

WOW, that's nice. How much of it is your build.. how did you find it. did I say nice...

[kellymoe]

Who did the build on this? I inspected one just like in back around 2000, maybe earlier. The guy who built it had also built the Red Bull Pinz. He also had a NAS 110. I think he moved to Oregon or Washington to start a online shoe buisness. His name escapes me right now but he did an outstanding job on all his projects.

Congratulations!!





I filled up the gas tank for the first time today.
I'm hoping it was a fluke: 11 mpg :yikes:


I also posted some interior photos for those who asked....
The Phoenix, Interior (http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=182315)

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/safari.gif

[Shadow-Warrior]

Great find and great BUILD!...very nice..:)

[DaktariEd]

Who did the build on this? I inspected one just like in back around 2000, maybe earlier. The guy who built it had also built the Red Bull Pinz. He also had a NAS 110. I think he moved to Oregon or Washington to start a online shoe buisness. His name escapes me right now but he did an outstanding job on all his projects.

Congratulations!!

Yup, you got it. The previous owner/builder is Erik Purdom. He does product development all over the world. Pretty successful I believe. He's been very helpful on this project, making e-mail and even phone contact with us from overseas (China)!

I saw this Pinz (the "Uber-K") online a couple of years ago but didn't think much about a Pinz at the time. About a year ago I was toying with the idea of getting a 710K and having a pop-top installed by Sportsmobile. I would do the interior cabinetry myself. Then I came across the Pinz up for sale again, and it grew on me. Flew up to Portland to inspect it in late August, then bought it.

When the piston/cylinder blew, I thought it was DOA. I turned it over to Jake and he resuscitated it! Hence the new name, The Phoenix.

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[ntsqd]

Turned a friend onto some of the pics & he went out & dug up this link:
Car & Driver's Pinz (http://www.maybebymonday.com/Car%20%26%20Driver%20-%20July%201978.pdf)

[DaktariEd]

Hey, that's a great find....thanks!

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[Andrew Walcker]

WOW Ed, just catching up on this! I remember when that rig was for sale a few years back. Well, you had to go big in order to one up the FJ40/Horizon combo and I think you succeeded nicely;)

[datrupr]

Hey, the Rabbit on the cover of that mag looks just like the one I had in High School. I had a feces brown 1978 Rabbit. One of the greatest cars I ever owned. I tried to kill it and it just would not die. I bought it with 78K on it. I nver once changed the oil, and finally got rid of it at 220K because the clutch finally went out. Talk about memory lane.



Turned a friend onto some of the pics & he went out & dug up this link:
Car & Driver's Pinz (http://www.maybebymonday.com/Car%20%26%20Driver%20-%20July%201978.pdf)

[sgt rock]

many years ago i was criss crossing the desert in my pinz and stopped off in norco at a place that is out of business (so cal pingauers) for some parts. the red bull was trucks were there as well as your truck. i had met ed during my stop and drooled all over your pinz!! very nice pinz!!! i remember there was a logo of his sandal business on the truck. i had taken a lot of pics of that truck but can not find them......
but here is the red bull truck...
i sold mine last year i do miss her dearly but with 2 jeeps and a at trailer i had no more room.....


http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o98/azbootcamp/redbull1_edited-1.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o98/azbootcamp/redbull.jpg

[sgt rock]

here is a pic that that i found on a old web site-http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o98/azbootcamp/11409ce0.jpg

there are a few interior shots of the mozo as well
http://www.t2k.com/pinz/id4.htm

[dan chain]

if youve never driven a pinz off road, prepare your self for a new experience, it is WAY different than anything I have ever had before. If you want to do a trail run with another pinz sometime let me know.

[DaktariEd]

Well I'll be darned!
That's cool.
There's actually some "pedigree" in those photos.
Thanks for posting them.... :D

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[pismo62]

Great truck Ed, looking forward to the mods you do. :truck:

[p1michaud]

Ed,
Just catching up on other threads on ExPo since normally I don't stray too far away from the Toyota sections under Expedition Vehicles. I must change that!
Anyhow, very cool and unique rig. For some reason, older vehicles always seem to give a run for your money when you first acquire them. I'm sure you have many years of fun ahead with this one.

Cheers,
P

[Overdrive]

You should paint a phoenix on the side!:p
:iagree:

Easily done...they are reproducing the "screaming chicken" hood decals from the 70's Trans Ams. You could just put one of those on each side!!! ;)

Nice rig! I'll be sure and wave if I see you putting around!!!
Scott

[ZR2nit]

This is the first PINZ thread I have ever read. And I must say sir bravo. Your PINZ is awesome. I definately want one now. It looks like a great world traveler. Congrats and Enjoy

[FshTaco99]

Good god I pick up so much ney ney driving that thing to the beach to surf fish. Can I rent it for the weekend?:jump:

[TACODOC]

Nice Pinz Ed!!!:Wow1:

[kcowyo]

Nice Pinz Ed!!!:Wow1:
You should buy it....... :peepwall:
.

[haven]

I saw this Pinz at last year's SEMA show

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/716.jpg

Just the ticket to transport 7 friends for the weekend.

[zimm]

I saw this Pinz at last year's SEMA show

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/716.jpg

Just the ticket to transport 7 friends for the weekend.

thats a crazy one too. but if that bumper is mounted how i think its mounted, good luck keeping it from ripping off on a tough pull. he should at least brace it to the exo-cage.