Volvo C304 (4x4) Restore and fitout

[geckoadventure]

Our Malaysia ex Police Riot squad Volvo started its restoration stage 2 process. Stage 3 will follow stage 2 (restoration of the rear).


THis is a 1979 Volvo C304 (4x4 not 6x6). Stock everything apart from the REAR cabin which the previous owner removed the open top police canvas canopy and lowered it and installed a HARDTOP.

I am still trying to find out the history of the vehicle while it spent 25 years in the police force.

It's now in a secret location in PERAK where aliens are working on it.

1. Rust removal in the front of the cabin
2. Headlight upgrade and
3. LED lights installation
4. Raise floor for short legged people
5. the rest you will have to wait and see - but restoration work pics will be shown - I will see it in 2-3 months time. NOt sure even of the STage 2 colour result as not sure how they are going to paint the cabin before we restore the rear.

Sunday Nite at the workshop and the rust is revealed







3 months I cannot wait.

I am now at the point of starting to finish the interior of the cabin. I am planning to use Soundproofing inside the cabin then a final cover of green canvas glued to 6mm marine with quality quick release clips to enable the panels to be removed. do you guys also use anything else for keeping the heat or the cold (haha cold in a tropical country) out or will a soundproofing layer suffice?

[RMP&O]

Awesome! I will be keeping an eye on this build....

[geckoadventure]

Ok so now the history.


As we pulled it out of the storage park with the mighty DEATHSTAR on 26/07/2010. It was not running but would tick over.




The DEATHSTAR struggled to pull it it appears the brakes were frozen on.

ONto the tow truck and down to a performance tuning shop hahaha. THe mechanic assigned to work on it threw a hissy fit and stated if I want to work on tractors I would work in a tractor shop not a performance shop. He was told to fix it or LEAVE.



Once they removed the spiders and cobwebs from the tank and added new fuel it started.

THen they changed all the fluids.

But they could not fix the brakes so I made decision to do the DISC conversion first before the rust treatment.

I drove it around at nite for 2-3 weeks testing it out - without brakes and only using the gears and handbrake. I learnt what was good and bad in the truck and what needed fixing. Then I had a 40+ item list to attend to.

Then I took it to the hospital (escorted by the BJ75) which was entertaining saw this on the way out. Oh yeah I burnt off a 22R powered LC II on the way up a hill it could not pass until the downhill part hahha.


This is it after being washed and driven for a few weeks. Mr Grumpy my neighbour hates it and all 4x4's the other neighbours in the street think its neat including the ("SIR") who I took his kids for a run in it now he wants to book a jungle trip with me.


The interesting one is my car illiterate neighbour she said I quote "that engine sounds so sweet" its nicer than my Honda. Then "where is that big beautiful 4x4" on sunday she asked.



Then the serious stuff removing all 4 wheels and portals - yeah yeah thats me working on the Jalopy.


Me working on the last wheel. The mekanik did 1 I did 3 as he was busy on another toy. Not bad for my first ever attempt at working on a Vovlo and no manual either.


7 hours later a A stack of portals


Once that was done it was over to the DEATHSTAR and pulled the WARN 8274 out of it it has water in it and the new axle to be fitted and a new knuckle this week and new leaf spring bushes and it also has a brake problem.

We are going to put on the VOlvo in this round of fixes:
1. LC II Front Discs front and rear as this is a part which is readily available.
2. Install the WARN 12,000lb winch for REAR recoveries
3. Fix the taillights with LED lights
4. Fix the indicators
5. Fit new headlight wiring and H4 halogen bulbs and new reflectors
6. New radiator hoses and brake hoses.


I gotta buy new spanners 16mm and 18mm.

The rest of the truck is STOCK as from the factory

[geckoadventure]

Once fixed I finally got to take it for a RUN.


Narrow windy roads - man this thing just hangs onto the road and it will slide - do not put it in the rough as then it becomes a HANDFUL to control

Brakes stops like a race car.

ENgine grunty but sucks fuel 5.2l/100k at 66kph constant around town more like 4k a litre and it has a nice sound

Travel at over 66k you have to yell at the passenger or write messages and it kills the stereo - more work coming on this later. Drive it along at under 60k and it is fine the low gearing making hill climbs and running around kampungs very easy.

Stop at a fuel station and its instant, people start taking pics of it - some (especially last nite ) slylee walking around the truck and not knowing who the owner is taking sly pics others openly talking and asking about it.

Now its back in KL to have some surgery and maintenance (oil leak rectified) and new front windows.

[geckoadventure]

pics of it at gopeng after it became good enough to be a daily driver.






ps the customers (riverboarding) love sitting in an EX POLICE vehicle .

[geckoadventure]

as it looks now 2 weeks into the restore





A close up of the damage to the front




My drivers floor - ooops Flinstone brakes hahaaha



The PLan is.
1. Fix the RUST
2. Toss away the REAR and rebuild from scratch
3. Install a DIESEL engine and it ended up being the mighty Toyota 14B-T (12,000rm or $4000USD) due to COSTS reasons. 15B was ideal but it would have cost another $2000USD to add the turbo etc, a 1HZ started at 20,000rm then I would need to rebuild it and add a turbo looking at 40,000rm all up).
4. Install the 18,500lb Electric winch to face forwards as a backup to the FACTORY PTO
5. Install a WARN M12,000 facing rearwards
6. New seats and lower than the previous ones as im 6'2"
7. Install air conditioning
8. Install Intercooler
9. Move RAdiator etc away from underneath to somewhere where MUD is not an issue
10. Install rigid industries LED lights
11. Add Stereo etc to the cabin
12. SOundproof the CABIN
13. MAke the rear suitable for CAMPING and carrying cargo
14. Add external "roofRACK" as external or internal ROLLCAGES are ILLEGAL in Malaysia. The DAKAR truck look is the final wanted look.
15. Add 2 spare tires to the REAR
16. Add as close to 200 liter fuel tank as possible and move it out of the reare CABIN where it is currently located.
17. Move batteries to underneath and out of the cabin
18. Move the BRAKE booster etc out of the CABIN
19. Install power steering


This is a JUNGLE truck and not just a highway cruiser.

[geckoadventure]

The trip report of the Volvo's first real jungle trip. Some may enjoy this other will have read the story on a another forum.


Volvo is loaded up - wait a minute a Volvo for a offroad trip - YUP my 31 year old Vovo C304 Military truck on its first jungle trip. Great 3 days away from the rat race of Kuala Lumpur. Wait for Tappa my winchwench for the weekend and he arrives 5pm late due to the traffic then we Head to Karak 70k away to pickup 500 rubber saplings for my CSR project for the blind village 52k deep into the jungle of Kelantan, Malaysia. God its going to take us hours.

Paul in DAFFY with Annuar is some 2-3 hours behind us playing catchup as the Volvo only cruises happily at 71k. Karak 70k away and 90 minutes later at the nursery and 475 rubber saplings are loaded in and we wheel around and head back to the Bentong exit and head North with the sun fading fast. We stop at Bentong for last minute supplies MILO and water and tea bags and dinner (for me its breakfast and lunch also) then back on the road this time Tappa is driving and we test out the newly adjusted 100watt headlights and new spotlights - PERFECT we can see. After 11 months of fixing the Volvo up to a reliable state I hope it will be ok.

loaded up and ready to rock where is TAPPA?


Tappa with cancer stick and loading the rubber plants.





We cruise on alone then the world lights up behind us - damn DAFFY has caught us man he musta been flying. Shortly after the noisy under the engine suddenly goes BANG and then the engine is quieter the noisy BELT has come off DAFFY informs us. I drift in and out of sleep as much as one can in a vehicle which makes 747 Jumbo Jet sound quiet then 40k from Gua Musang the there is a downshift a jerk then the Volvo slows - NO DRIVE ses Tappa - #@#@ I say. A check reveals yup no gears at all - clutch no the truck is stuck in neutral and we decide DAFFY once again has to tow a GeckoAdventure truck - this time DAFFY cannot pull the Volvo without being in LOW range - so its a 35k an hour tow into Gua Musang where they drop me at the workshop it's now 1.30am and I inform them they must continue on and take the rubber saplings and Tappa with them and I will catch them up later in the day. If I not there tomorrow nite then not coming.

Satellite phone is our communication tool as we both have one. I sleep in the back of the Volvo awesome just rollout the US military matress out with a sleeping bag and SLEEP in seconds no putting a TARP up - love it. The workshop comes alive 9.00am and they muck around for hours finally they disconnect the HI/LO lever and the Volvo springs to life shifting manually at the gearbox. I cruise off for food and they fit two new Belts and its 1.00pm. A quick test drive with the mekanik grinning like a chesire cat its good to go refuel wow only 49 liters for 281k good stuff. I get a sat call from Paul they finished the charity work and heading down so they will wait for me at the big "Y" intersection. I finish fueling and tell them 90 minutes I will be there. Later interrogation revealed the Kg Rekom Orang Asli crew made the track so good there was not one obstacle on the trip in and no one got out of their trucks no one got stuck - simply awesome job to clear 10k of track with only hand tools my hats of to them. I was also dissappointed not to get there so I will be taking more goodies up on my next trip.

The Volvo enters the jungle and I cruise in high range stopping at a logging point

The Volvo resting at log collection point.





and Gua Cha which I find now disgustingly dirty since the logging trucks started using it as a resting point. Malaysian's take your rubbish HOME.

Gua Cha










and then when everything in the back moves after a huge hole bounces the Volvo all over the road. Then it's the Sungai Perias log bridge and i'm encountering lorri hantu's the progress is slow in the Volvo most hills taken in 1st and slow but the Volvo is very easy to drive. 4.50pm I arrive at the "Y" and collect Paul and Tappa and Annuar. We cruise off with the other 8 vehicles in the convoy just in front somewhere.

The Broken Miss Bitchy convoy








We find them well 3 of them Miss Bitchy's one a STORM has tossed it's FAN then the radiator mounts break off. A repair is being effected with wire and we wait to escort them. They are stunned a Volvo wow and then it starts raining damn that's not in the plan that's going to ruin a few peoples day's. Then the Vovlo is leading a small convoy of 5 and we reach the watefall turnoff and chat to the village people first and greetings exchanged and some gifts.

At the village and turnoff and yes thats rain clouds in the background.



Into Low range and up the hill 400-500 meters to climb in 3k with 2-3 seriously steep ascents awaiting. The Volvo does it albiet slowly no issue with grip its ponderous 2,700kg ensuring all sneakers stay on terra firma.

It's steep and the track easy then we hear on the radio the convoy is stuck at a climb - I know which one too hahaha then gridlock on the track. Chaos 4 vehicles stuck on the slope. One winching up and almost at the top, the other winching of it and a Ferozza stuck against the bank. The last another Pajero unable to move as it slides backwards each time they move it. We guide this one out the way. I bully past the sticken Ferozza and park behind the Landcruiser II being winched up. 60 minutes later its out of the way and they have two at the top of the first climb. Then I push the Volvo up the slope from dead stop several times up and up 4,000revs or less first gear and lockers engaged front and rear slowly I make it. Daffy is next and it demolishes the hill the Simex XT's providing awesome grip and the 1KZ the power.

The traffic jam



The second landcruiser ahead of me I pull up beside it and park unable to pass the winch cable.

Volvo victorius at the top of the slope 3 more to go.


Yup its a long way down that slippery slope.


Then the problem 1/2 of them want to stay and 1/2 want to leave they have our tarp so Paul goes back down to collect it and back up. Then the Volvo winches down the Landcriuiser 80 Series and then the second Landcruiser II and my PTO jams winding the cable back in #@#@#@##@ Damn. By this time its dark and its raining again upwards we climb in the dark 800 meters to CAMP and the track is a SLIPPERY mess the Volvo sits on 3,800-4,000 revs first gear low lockers engaged engine screaming and slowly crawling up catching DAFFY the track is destroyed someone has bulldozed it what a mess. Then we see lights (wah lights who from) and a camp and we are at the waterfall. The camp is a MUDDY mess and we see the reason an excavator. We pitch camp right in the sea of mud opposite the wonderful Lata (waterfall) Pendat.

Dinner is cooked for me as I relax with a cold beer. 3-4am I am woken by a huge rainstorm pounding our camp and water flows freely under our beds. Morning reveals all the damage to this little paradise is immense a complete bank destroyed and the track which leads to the crashed C47 Dakota all gone and the HUGE bambo plants all ripped out in the name of a temporary shelter. We are camped in 3-4 inches of mud. They are putting a building up for 150 school kids for a research camp for 5 days - unbelieveable damage for a 5 day camp.

The magnicicient first 30 meters of Lata Pendat the rest climbs another 70+ meters up the hill.



Anyway we relax even if the Volvo is leaking oil from the front axles and the whole day is spent sitting at the waterfall or in the shade of camp talking crap and putting up ideas for the customisation of the rear of the Volvo and relaxing and eating.

[geckoadventure]

Our mud camp at 665 Meters.










Soon it's Monday no one wants to go home but it's time to head back to the rat race we have breakfast and slowly pack up camp and try and fix the PTO - ooops we make it worse and now the PTO cable is jammed. We depart knowing this place will NEVER NEVER be the same again and is ruined for 10+ years we will have to find another secret location to camp at.

That impressive Volvo



Down the big hills and it's all drying out so the track is easy. We reach the exit to the track and yup it starts raining so we stop and talk to to the villagers who are upset with what happened to their waterfall and their tribal land - I sense a legal battle looming as they have landrights over it.


Ok so it's pouring when we depart the village and driving the Volvo becomes hairy only twice do we really run out of control downhill one caught on video the other only the start of the sliding chaos still I managed to keep the Volvo straight even with no power steering. Soon the Volvo is completely covered in mud and the rain abates and we have a very narrow miss with a wildy out of control Lorri Hantu flashes past our front on a corner all 10 wheels locked up as it slides downhill and stopped with both front wheels on the edge of the bank. Stunned we carry on even more careful. Then an awesome sound the straining of a DIESEL engine and we see it a lorri hantu with two massive logs on it and one little balancing log. It takes us 5 minutes to pass it as it is just so wide. Once back down at Sungai Perias log bridge we relax only 20k of easy road to go. haha never say that we encounter a tree down but its actually 4 and it takes us 45+ minutes to clear it with two chainsaws going flat out and the winch to pull the logs off the road then we encounter a flooded road and we are out 3 hours later. Time for a comulsory car wash before entering Gua Musang and then a well earned meal its 7.30pm when we sit down for dinner. 281K to go home at 60-70k its 4-5 hours driving. Ps The Volvo consumed some 80 liters for fuel for the 180 round offroad trip basically 45liters per 100k hahaha totally worth it. 2.30am we roll into my driveway and unpack the Volvo completely then its sleep time. The next trip to the Village will be in October 2011.


The Volvo went to the shop next morning the jammed PTO cable was cut out and the PTO got a cage to stop the 11mm steel cable flicking out ever again. The axles seals both sides replaced and its ready for the next trip and I'm taking a set of axle seals for the next trip just in case. The grand total 791Kilometers travelled by the Volvo almost incident free maybe next time - maybe.


Roll on the next trip.


Video clips

can be seen under youtube "geckoadventure volvo"

YouTube - ‪ToiletPaper.wmv‬‏

YouTube - ‪Volvo1.wmv‬‏

Danger Toyota advertisement
YouTube - ‪MonsterLorriHantu.wmv‬‏

Volvo at nite.
YouTube - ‪2011_07_01_Rekom_LataPendat_small.wmv&#x20 2c;‏

Volvo first drive.
YouTube - ‪2010 07 26 Volvo IMG 0285‬‏

YouTube - ‪2010 07 26 Volvo IMG 0284‬‏

[geckoadventure]

Now back to the Build

I got an SMS from the engineer - "The volvo ICU situation is critical but can be cured with TLC and money".

Next

I loaded up the new seats and the now repaired 12,000lb winch and wait for it the 18,500lb winch I acquired (9,000 kg) to military specs - my my my what a fool but I could not resist it its going to be mounted to be the spare front pulling winch if the Volvo ever gets really stuck and the PTO dies . I also found the headlight grills and its all being delivered to the engineering shop I hope tonite so I get my first look at it stripped as they wanna talk to me about where the relocated fuse boxes etc are to be located and the radios and the stereo and how the sounds proofing is to be done.

The location of the 18,500kg winch is yet to be decided but I want it under the rear but my friends want it in the front and VISIBLE - damn thing is so heavy I cannot even pic it up without help . At 18,500lg I can pull wait for it 4 LWB LC II's with a SWB on the end just for fun hahaha - haha 12,000lb DING DONG winch who needs one hahahahahahahaha. The WARN winch M12,000 which was busted and 4WD system shop would not look at till september has been repaired by 4x4 SHoppe and is now running . It is also being converted to 24V soon still costing a motor.


I bought the engine friday - while the 3.0 Petrol engine and gearbox was out I thought DAMIT toss it and replace with a diesel as the cabin needs mods to fit - Toyota 14B-T and not a 15B I decided $17,000rm+++ for a 15B (total modified cost) and then turbo'd and manifold etc was too much so went down the already turboed path of the trusty and proven 14B-T (3660cc) in line 4CYL diesel with this engine I should pull 8k+ Litre rather than the 4k I get around town and 5.2k on the highway and the diesel torque is what I am really after Before anyone asks the Toyota 1HZ and 1HD not even in the picture they start at $20,000rm ++ for a well used unit

The new diffs arrive from the UK this week I hope with the 5.99 ratio and the diesel will have no problem pulling it along.

I will find the 14B-T specs later as they are rather elusive on the web only the 14B specs avail and the turbo has was more grunt than that.

More pics later tonite or tomorrow depending when I visit the baby in ICU.

[geckoadventure]

Pic

Drivers side repair almost completed


Front view almost all completed


Passenger side almost all completed


The PTO levers used to be here not sure where they going next but not here the 14B-T will melt the hoses.


The roof surprised me full of little holes


Police grills are going they are rust magnets


The sexy naked chassis



Next set of pics the cabin will be painted and back on the chassis with the 14B-T underneath I hope.