Club 80-90 Forums

I'm looking at an 87 Syncro multivan with a view to buying it. It has no diff locks fitted (from new).
Just wondering if there are any major pros or cons to not having them?

I wouldn't be doing any major off roading regularly, but the extra grip could come in handy from time to time.

boatbuilder wrote:I'm looking at an 87 Syncro multivan with a view to buying it. It has no diff locks fitted (from new).
Just wondering if there are any major pros or cons to not having them?

I wouldn't be doing any major off roading regularly, but the extra grip could come in handy from time to time.

No good for any off roading really, slippy grass is all its good for really. Actually thinking about it a 2wd van with a rear diff lock fitted would be probably more useful. Cant see the point in having a syncro without at least a rear locker unless your going for "the look".

jed

Not sure thats quite fair Jed, 2WD with a difflock might get you out of a few situations but I bet it'd be showing signs of struggleing and the front wheels would be doing a bit of ploughing with little hope of leaving some minor rutts that a powered wheel would climb.

I've been using my syncro for work all winter (I work on a river navigation so I sometimes need to access locks and recently flooded riverbank with no metaled access), delt with wet muddy fields (once grass), rutted muddy tracks and snow (both on roads and mixed with the preveous serfaces). BFG AT tyres and I've never had to use the difflocks once (though I played with them a couple of times just to give them some excersise).

Really rough stuff that'll make it do the trademark syncro wheel in the air stuff your gonna struggle without at least a rear locker but there is actully a hell of a lot they'll do without them that 4x2 would make a real mess with. I dare say if you never had lockers and wern't used to them to get you out of trouble you could further adapt your driving style (mainly picking a better line) to make it go somewhere unlocked when other syncro drivers more used and thus reliant on lockers would instinctively be playing with their knobs.

Then theres the fact if it needs gearbox work in the future you could always put a locker in while your there - depending on what the rest of the vans like that could be cheeper than welding or upgradeing a locker equipt van to the same condition, if the open diffed van is otherwise what your after. If you want to go further than a 2WD van it'll do it, if you want to follow a Land-Rover round a quarry, you'll need some lockers (though last week I was following the works LR90 along a track and its back end was wondering all over the place, though no one seems to know how to work the 4WD on it so I suspect driver error comes into it (I got sideways too but that was because it made my day more interesting )).

A few good points their Glen. I cant help but think of going up some steepish undulating gravel tracks that arnt challenging by any means but can easily get a back wheel spinning on a turn and being to dangerous to do a failed ascent on. The track going up to the top of the hill at syncropendence for example, Andy Simpson had a rear locker on a 2wd van and had no problems and you could get up without a rear locker but i wouldnt want to reverse down it if you lost traction. (2.49 on this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxg70Q23HiU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

There was also a time on a snow covered steep hill in Wales where we wild camped this xmas, we stopped on it and just couldnt set off until i put the rear locker on. It would have been impossible to reverse down safely as it was miles and very slippery, seen here




Your right about choosing a better line or driving better but who can honestly say they drive perfect 100% of the time to avoid using a locker.

I would always want a locker on a syncro for sure.

jed

Thanks for that. I won't rule the van out because I could always fit a locker to it at a later stage if I really wanted. If its at the right money that is.
If I'm totally honest, the syncro "look" does appeal to me as well, so that is a factor!

jed the spread wrote: No good for any off roading really, slippy grass is all its good for really. Actually thinking about it a 2wd van with a rear diff lock fitted would be probably more useful.
jed

That's why I'm now going to put that lovely LSD in the 2.6 It's got too much torque (is that possible?) and in a damp field will be just embarassing.

Where is the van without diff locks you are looking at? Fitting locks afterwards would be an expensive thing to do but Aidan could confirm that for you. Syncro Multivans are relatively rare cuz they didn't make that many and none in RHD so if you have found one buy it if it isn't too rusty.

syncropaddy wrote:Where is the van without diff locks you are looking at? Fitting locks afterwards would be an expensive thing to do but Aidan could confirm that for you. Syncro Multivans are relatively rare cuz they didn't make that many and none in RHD so if you have found one buy it if it isn't too rusty.

But.. its poss gonna need a box refurb at some point so not so costly to add on then...

Still the guts of €1000 .........

syncropaddy wrote:Still the guts of €1000 .........

Yes I know.. but to diff lock it whilst having a rebiuld will cost less than difflocking the box.. pro rata ..

Oh well, this one slipped through my fingers.

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