My 'new' Tristar Syncro Doka - The journey starts here...

[v-lux]

Looks like a Manx plate on it, or maybe jersey/guernsey?

[mrmule]

Coming in useful over and over

[mrmule]

Did a gearbox oil change this week. Wasnt too difficult, but did have to drop the crash rails to get to the drain sump plug. Used a piece of hose to fill. A few photos for those thinking of trying for the first time:

[ELVIS]

Wheels will either be stamped/badged/cast as AMG, Melber,Penta or Ronal.

Commonly referred to as Pentas.

If you ever get offered a set of four that have been powder coated/painted black , make sure you check for flat spots/buckling VERY carefully. There was a set that disspeared 5 or so years ago off the radar and have resurfaced on several forums as 'Syncro' wheels, they are fuc........................

[mrmule]

The plan has been to put the Ej25 in the Tristar until now, but an now thinking again about Diesel. Putting the SVX in the 2wd recently has made me a little more fuel sensitive!

Does it make sense to buy a donor Doka with a 1Y diesel for £1300, and swap everything over to the Tristar? And then at a later date upgrade to a more modern TDi? The 1Y only has 67bhp from factory - I just wonder if that'll cope with the Syncro drivetrain before I upgrade to a more powerful diesel. I'm guessing I could get a few hundred back for some bits and pieces left over from the donor.

Its an easy route to just swap everything over, but I'm not sure about how much I'll have to change to go TDi from the NA 1Y in the future, and whether this intermediate step makes sense.

[lloydy]

Is the Doka a syncro? Because you would need it to be, to get fuel tank and engine bars. i'd be wanting to put the engine in upright if i had a Doka, you wouldnt need any JX bits then.
Have you found a doka syncro then?...

[ninja.turtle007]

I was only joking yesterday when I said you should change to a diesel!

You know it makes sense though.

This is most but not all of the stuff I needed to go from petrol to diesel. Some parts are Syncro specific



Of course you can sell your petrol stuff afterwards.

[axeman]

if you do decide to go with a jx style install i have quite a few syncro specific parts that will be for sale soon if needed.

let me know if you need any thing neil

[mrmule]

Is the Doka a syncro? Because you would need it to be, to get fuel tank and engine bars. i'd be wanting to put the engine in upright if i had a Doka, you wouldnt need any JX bits then.
Have you found a doka syncro then?...

Last time I had a chat with Jed about this, he said the same as you Lloyd - I can mount it at the angle it's in normally due to the extra height in the Doka. I checked out the Kennedy adaptor plate and it allowed for both options I.e. 15 and 55 degree angle iirc.

Presumably, most of the bits in your photo are needed due to a jx style 55degree mount below a van deck lid, but if I took this upright 15degree route, what other donor parts would I need?

[lloydy]

you'd need nothing from the donor vehicle, but you would need to sort engine mounts. You might be able to buy from someone like tristareric on thesamba, but he uses the mex bellhousing instead of the adapter plate.

[..lee..]

I'm going very in my doka. Syncroandy is the man to see about an adaptor.

Which reminds me I must give him a ring !

Lee

[mrmule]

Thanks for the insight so far chaps.

I'm thinking, really, the diesel would need to go in our daily driver after all, in which case stick to the original plan of the EJ25 (or perhaps the EG33!) is better in the Syncro, as I do far fewer miles in it.

So would this donor diesel truck be an ok donor for my 2wd van? Nothing diesel specific about the tank or shifter is there?

[Aidan]

diesel fuel tank is different to petrol fi tank
but I'm after a good petrol fi 2wd tank for the pickup can swap you for a carb petrol/diesel tank if reqd. probably, I haven't pulled the tank yet so don't know how good it is

[mrmule]

Just changing tack slightly from Diesel, I need to replace both front outer CVs on the Doka. Baxter has GKN outers at £150, but VanCafe in California has complete front driveshafts (outers, shaft and inners) made by Lobro for $265 which is about £170.

http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_1 ... lobro.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thoughts?

I intend on lifting the front soon with GoWesty progressive springs (US made ones not the H&R ones). There aren't any other front outers I should be looking at better suited for a lift are there?

[mrmule]

After a bit of research I think GKN and Lobro are the same company??