Neat rig! Please tell me more about the engine. I'm assuming its carbureted? Is the engine used in any passenger car apps? Can engine parts be purchased at the local Volvo dealer? Could you snap some pics of the engine?
It has a 6 cylinder 164 B30 volvo engine, out of one of the 164 sedans, which is carburated. Has about 15Km on it, though that is not the original engine, it is nearly identical to the original B30 that was in it. Some people have done a variety of different power plants in them, including diesel and/or adding EFI, power steering.
I am considering a possible electric conversion eventually; the The price and weight of batteries has gone down a good bit lately, and the technology behind some of them, like the new lithium polymer, has gotten a lot better. Electric conversion has changed more in the last year than it has in the last decade. The charges last longer, self discharge/cycle life is better and weight is down. The Netgain Warp11 motor and Alpha Polymer batteries from would be my dream setup, though that would run about 10-12K$. The latest lithium polymer battery technology, called AlphaPolymer, claims:
• 400 miles on a charge;
• Recharges in 6 minutes;
• 5000 life cycles;
• 1/10th of the price of other lithium chemistries;
• NO fire risk (unlike the leaf, volt, tesla, etc.)
• You replace the batteries only every 20 years.
• 30% lighter than the Tesla battery pack.
(info from a great article here:
http://www.electric-cars-are-for-girls.com/lithium-polymer-batteries.html
Im thinking about the limited viability of combustion engines, particularly in light of a possible societal collapse, and doing something with alternate energy - while also learning about electric conversion, which I have a huge interest in. From the research I have done thus far, it seems like the c303 and the way it was designed to operate make it ideal for a conversion and that doing so would allow it to still retain its awesome capability as an offroad vehicle. Add in solar recharging capability and you have an almost unlimited expedition vehicle. Could fill my jerry cans with water instead of gas.