Club 80-90 Forums

Winchweight wrote:Well, as I've been told, better to pay out for a sorted van than buy cheap and pay out anyway.

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Either way you are going to spend, spend, spend!!

Don't get too hung up on twin lockers. Rear locker is essential for off road, a front locker isn't. Also the lighter and lower geared the better for when not on Tarmac.

I had a 5.86 geared caravelle with only a rear locker and remoulded AT tyres. It was a lot better of road than my TDi 4.86 twin locker westy with Toyo Open Country tyres.

Most syncro owners spend less than 5% of their time off road.

That is of course all true. Sage advice.

Tyres make the biggest difference.. a twin locker o road tyres wont get as far as a non locker on mt's in the mud.. At a couple of past events.. where it was pretty slick out..(shipston) I drove around pretty much everywhere without difflocks..while al around were struggling quite a bit..
I nearly changed my name to toomanytows after that one as played recovery truck a lot of the time.
Its in really tough conditions where the locker can be most usefull.. if its a good van.. wait till you know where you need to spend the money before worrying about the front locker etc.. decouplers etc are a matter of taste...

Thanks for that. I think you're right. If we buy the van we will live with it for a while and then give thought to priorities.

Bucket babe is the paying for the van and has already said she's not sure about the Westfalia interior and wants something more macho instead. Maybe that's where we would start.

Well if you thinking of selling the grey Westy interior, I would be very interested.
Rob.

lhd wrote:Well if you thinking of selling the grey Westy interior, I would be very interested.
Rob.

b*st*rd ! i'm always too late on that kinda stuff Are you taking supers to the overland ?

I WANT A FRAME LIKE THAT!!

not worried about the sides being hard...

Em
xx

toomanytoys wrote:Tyres make the biggest difference.. a twin locker o road tyres wont get as far as a non locker on mt's in the mud.. At a couple of past events.. where it was pretty slick out..(shipston) I drove around pretty much everywhere without difflocks..while al around were struggling quite a bit..
I nearly changed my name to toomanytows after that one as played recovery truck a lot of the time.
Its in really tough conditions where the locker can be most usefull.. if its a good van.. wait till you know where you need to spend the money before worrying about the front locker etc.. decouplers etc are a matter of taste...

Anyone who's owned/used other 4x4's for any amount of time knows that they drive quite differently to live-axle cars like Landys/Rangies etc or AWD cars like Subarus / older quattros (same thing really) so for the OP's purposes, living with the wagon for a bit and seeing just what it's capable of before adding to the spec will always be good advice.