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Yea, this bumper sure is heavy! I need a 'lift' just to get back to stock height! I'm going to try to "tune" this thing for enough horsepower to maintain 75mph on level ground in Overdrive with a full expedition load and roof tent. I think it will be possible with an intercooler, slightly more...

Tons of upgrades and repairs! I still have a lot to do before I can do a real trip, but it's a work in progress. Custom fabricated winch bumper built by Darlington Off-Road Products, and Smittybilt XRC8 winch: The winch didn't work at all when it was first installed... turns out it came...

Post about your 145 diesel! What kind of engine is it? That sounds awesome!

It should have an Eaton G80 locker stock... The Volvo 7/9 is actually a surprisingly capable light offroad vehicle in my opinion- low gears, very tough suspension, and way more flex than you'd expect.

Which trooper years and body styles are you wondering about?

Sasquatch, I just read your threads in detail. Great stuff! I would like to eventually do a frame-off rustproofing of my trooper as well... and I'll probably copy you with the custom molded vinyl floor- that looks awesome! How much does your boat weigh? I have a 3,000lb Catalina 22 sailboat I...

I am on planetIsuzu, I'll check out your guys build threads! I finished dropping in a new diesel tank last night. The old one was rusted beyond repair and leaking at the seams, and I had to cut off every bolt with a dremel tool to get it out! I couldn't find a replacement anywhere, so I ended...

This is really cool, I love your camper build!

Updated 10/9/2013: I will keep the mods list in this first post updated as the project progresses. This thread documents my build of an expedition vehicle from a 1986 Isuzu Trooper Turbo Diesel with an 85 horsepower c223t engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. GOALS I plan to build this...

I'm mostly afraid of the Nivomats not being reliable and failing in a remote place. Because of your avatar I'm guessing you're also into Sailing? One of my major considerations in rear suspension on this vehicle is that I also tow a 22' sailboat with it: The pic is with stock suspension, but...

I'd love to have one, but it's outside my current budget for this project. Perhaps someday though. The campingLabs folding tent is really big and comfy, but it's also heavy and bulky. I noticed my wagon is taller than most stock SUVs with the RTT. I think stiffer springs would defeat some of...

That's with the sway bars connected... :coffeedrink:

Yea, it's really a pain to find diesels in the USA- they're so rare. They did sell the diesel 740/760 in the USA for 3 years (1983-1986) but very few of them sold because they were priced so high. Of those that sold, most weren't maintained properly and have long since died. I searched...

They're only 1 year old and work well. Even the design literature for the Nivomats from Sachs mentions that they sag when parked a long time (like overnight) when new. They sell an alternate version with a small electric pump that pumps them up when you first start the car, but I don't know if...

Great photo! I have the nivomats on my 760 diesel also. They're really nice when driving, and actually increase ground clearance automatically on rougher roads. What I don't like is they sag when parked and take a while to "pump up" so if you're camping or offroad you'll be too low and scrape...

I didn't realize they made those with IFS! I'd stick with the IFS myself, personally I think that's a huge benefit for handling and comfort on paved roads (which even the most hardcore expedition rigs end up spending most of their time on).

Sweet eagle wagon! I've always loved those things. Must be a great expedition rig...

Patman- is that your 145? How long have you had it? Is it a '74? I think I might know that car.

The 850 was a "clean sheet" design and shares almost nothing in common parts or design wise with the older Volvos whereas up to that point they had been gradually evolving old designs. I think the FWD Volvos pretty good cars but totally unappealing to me- they lost most of the design...

It was in the early 90s (1993) when they first came out with transverse FWD in the 850. The 700/900 series is an old design released in 1982, but they continued to sell the same basic chassis with RWD until 1998 alongside the FWD cars- although the RWD cars based on the old 700/900s were called...