Finally got a Syncro

bullifamilie1111 · 19 April 2010 23:15

Hi,
I've been on and off this site for a few years now and it's a great resourse. Each time I've looked for a syncro I've either been put off by price or location.

Well finally I've bought a 1991 Ex-telstra van, you can see it here;

http://forums.kombiclub.com/showthread.php?t=28839

I was keen to run 215/75/15's but i'd like to keep the mini mudflaps, anyone know if I can keep them with the above tyres or has anyone got alternative size suggestions. The van will be used 50:50 on/off-road and only a few thousand km's per year.

Of course I want diif locks, in fact the wife asked me if I'd ordered them already, she'a also keen but I need to get it tidied up a bit first and add some seats for the kids.

I assume the telstra spec was the most common in Australia as they had 350-400 of the 1000'ish Australian syncros, is that right.

What was the telstra spec, what did they have inside, I've just got a few holes left close to the ECU and some metal brackets near the roof. Has anyone got photo's of the telstra setup?

You'll have noticed mine has lost the original front and rear bumpers although I kind of like the way it looks, small and cute.

My snycro adventure starts here!

syncro · 20 April 2010 01:11

> I was keen to run 215/75/15's but i'd like to keep the mini mudflaps,
> anyone know if I can keep them with the above tyres or has anyone got
> alternative size suggestions.

It should be OK if the ET is greater than about 30.

kiehn38 · 20 April 2010 01:19

HI Craig,

Welcome to the family!! Amazing how good these vehicles look when they are cleaned out!! On my 15” TRISTAR I’m running 215/70 R16 M&S Coops they are nowhere touching anything.

I fitted Merc 16s, and the truck has those plastic wheel arch things installed. I did one thing though (Les will fall over his computer, because you don’t do this !) I had my sus-springs extended by +-30mm

Previously I had this procedure done to our Golf TDI and Passat Variant and sofar I have’nt lost a spring. Anyway, best of luck with the resto.......Hartis

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Craig
Sent: Tuesday, 20 April 2010 9:15 AM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Finally got a Syncro

Hi,
I've been on and off this site for a few years now and it's a great resourse. Each time I've looked for a syncro I've either been put off by price or location.

Well finally I've bought a 1991 Ex-telstra van, you can see it here;

http://forums.kombiclub.com/showthread.php?t=28839

I was keen to run 215/75/15's but i'd like to keep the mini mudflaps, anyone know if I can keep them with the above tyres or has anyone got alternative size suggestions. The van will be used 50:50 on/off-road and only a few thousand km's per year.

Of course I want diif locks, in fact the wife asked me if I'd ordered them already, she'a also keen but I need to get it tidied up a bit first and add some seats for the kids.

I assume the telstra spec was the most common in Australia as they had 350-400 of the 1000'ish Australian syncros, is that right.

What was the telstra spec, what did they have inside, I've just got a few holes left close to the ECU and some metal brackets near the roof. Has anyone got photo's of the telstra setup?

You'll have noticed mine has lost the original front and rear bumpers although I kind of like the way it looks, small and cute.

My snycro adventure starts here!

syncroaustralia · 20 April 2010 01:21

Craig,

There will be a number of ex-Telecom Syncros in and around Perth and liking up with local members will answer most of your questions.

The 215/75/15 will fit into the wheel houses without any problem.

To fit a diff lock to a non-lock box takes a lot of machining and a lot of parts. It is usually more expedient to find a locker box from the outset. Rudi Purkhart on Bribie Island is a good place to start. See the workshop list in the Files section.

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Craig
Sent: 20 April 2010 09:15
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Finally got a Syncro

Hi,
I've been on and off this site for a few years now and it's a great resourse. Each time I've looked for a syncro I've either been put off by price or location.

Well finally I've bought a 1991 Ex-telstra van, you can see it here;

http://forums. kombiclub. com/showthread. php?t=28839

I was keen to run 215/75/15's but i'd like to keep the mini mudflaps, anyone know if I can keep them with the above tyres or has anyone got alternative size suggestions. The van will be used 50:50 on/off-road and only a few thousand km's per year.

Of course I want diif locks, in fact the wife asked me if I'd ordered them already, she'a also keen but I need to get it tidied up a bit first and add some seats for the kids.

I assume the telstra spec was the most common in Australia as they had 350-400 of the 1000'ish Australian syncros, is that right.

What was the telstra spec, what did they have inside, I've just got a few holes left close to the ECU and some metal brackets near the roof. Has anyone got photo's of the telstra setup?

You'll have noticed mine has lost the original front and rear bumpers although I kind of like the way it looks, small and cute.

My snycro adventure starts here!

syncroaustralia · 20 April 2010 01:25

Craig,

I meant to add that you can go just about anywhere with just the rear lock. The front lock is for ultra extreme situations that will rarely be encountered in real life.

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Les Harris
Sent: 20 April 2010 11:21
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Finally got a Syncro

Craig,

There will be a number of ex-Telecom Syncros in and around Perth and liking up with local members will answer most of your questions.

The 215/75/15 will fit into the wheel houses without any problem.

To fit a diff lock to a non-lock box takes a lot of machining and a lot of parts. It is usually more expedient to find a locker box from the outset. Rudi Purkhart on Bribie Island is a good place to start. See the workshop list in the Files section.

Les

bullifamilie1111 · 20 April 2010 01:39

Thanks for the replys,

My first choice of rim is 15 x 6j ET31 (I already have one) the second choice would be 15 x 6.5 J ET37 (I think ET37) so it sounds like I might be OK.

I have thought, although not looked, about rolling or cutting the arch and reattaching the mud flap.

I would like to raise it slightly 20mm'ish but I'm not sure it's necessary, I assume it's not good for the drive train and I haven't got the spare money right now. In other words my new tyres need to fit now.

I had a price from Syncrospares a couple years ago for front and rear locked boxes, that's what put me off buying a previous van. I won't be doing it for a few months if at all, but was thinking if I'm shipping one box on a pallet/in a crate I might as well ship front and rear.

I have treid Ruddi but couldn't get through.

syncroaustralia · 20 April 2010 01:43

Craig,

Before you get into locking boxes, try it as it stands. It can go to some remarkable places as it is.

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Craig
Sent: 20 April 2010 11:39
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Finally got a Syncro

Thanks for the replys,

My first choice of rim is 15 x 6j ET31 (I already have one) the second choice would be 15 x 6.5 J ET37 (I think ET37) so it sounds like I might be OK.

I have thought, although not looked, about rolling or cutting the arch and reattaching the mud flap.

I would like to raise it slightly 20mm'ish but I'm not sure it's necessary, I assume it's not good for the drive train and I haven't got the spare money right now. In other words my new tyres need to fit now.

I had a price from Syncrospares a couple years ago for front and rear locked boxes, that's what put me off buying a previous van. I won't be doing it for a few months if at all, but was thinking if I'm shipping one box on a pallet/in a crate I might as well ship front and rear.

I have treid Ruddi but couldn't get through.

syncro · 20 April 2010 01:44

> My first choice of rim is 15 x 6j ET31 (I already have one) the second
> choice would be 15 x 6.5 J ET37 (I think ET37) so it sounds like I might
> be OK.
>

That'll be fine.

bullifamilie1111 · 20 April 2010 01:58

Yeah, I'll be out trying it once I've sorted the suspension and wheels/tyres.

I'm an indepentant type of person and don't like the idea of being pulled out loads by the big 4wd's. I can just imagine their comments. I'm keen to run in fairly deep sand and i'm intrested to see if I cope.

Part of the reason for finally buying a syncro (i've had T3's for 10 years now) is to finally see for myself what it will do. If I'm not happy I'll upgrade it as necessary and as cash flow allows.

The most important part for me is to be out there exploring and enjoying it.

system · 20 April 2010 04:01

Hi Craig

We are new to the club and T3 ownership.

Have a T3 without diff locks also and in time will explore the possibility/necessity of fitting such.. Found the attached article that may be of value.

B well

col

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Craig
Sent: Tuesday, 20 April 2010 11:39 AM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Finally got a Syncro

Thanks for the replys,

My first choice of rim is 15 x 6j ET31 (I already have one) the second choice would be 15 x 6.5 J ET37 (I think ET37) so it sounds like I might be OK.

I have thought, although not looked, about rolling or cutting the arch and reattaching the mud flap.

I would like to raise it slightly 20mm'ish but I'm not sure it's necessary, I assume it's not good for the drive train and I haven't got the spare money right now. In other words my new tyres need to fit now.

I had a price from Syncrospares a couple years ago for front and rear locked boxes, that's what put me off buying a previous van. I won't be doing it for a few months if at all, but was thinking if I'm shipping one box on a pallet/in a crate I might as well ship front and rear.

I have treid Ruddi but couldn't get through.

bullifamilie1111 · 20 April 2010 04:11

thanks Col,

I have looked at decouplers, I'm intrested in one as well as the difflocks. I've heard of problems when hitting soft sand and the viscous taking time to respond.

I want to try the van out and go bit by bit, I think so much is down to driving style, route planning, tyre pressures, etc. (the easy stuff). Once I've got used to the van I'll make decissions based on my particular driving style and where I want the van to go. So much is down to personal preference of what you want your van to do.

kombi4x427lc · 20 April 2010 04:51

Great work Craig.

Excellent to see another very keen T3 (Syncro) Owner.

I've had mine for 14 years now and I still haven't finished with modifying it. Welcome to the Syncro renovation club - Enjoy!

Cheers,

Scott

----- Original Message -----

From: Craig

To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 11:58 AM

Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Finally got a Syncro

Yeah, I'll be out trying it once I've sorted the suspension and wheels/tyres.

I'm an indepentant type of person and don't like the idea of being pulled out loads by the big 4wd's. I can just imagine their comments. I'm keen to run in fairly deep sand and i'm intrested to see if I cope.

Part of the reason for finally buying a syncro (i've had T3's for 10 years now) is to finally see for myself what it will do. If I'm not happy I'll upgrade it as necessary and as cash flow allows.

The most important part for me is to be out there exploring and enjoying it.

syncroaustralia · 20 April 2010 04:52

We have a fair bit of misinformation in this posting on another (non-Syncro) site:

Hey everyone,
I’m not too sure what they are exactly called but today I fitted a T3 4WD locking kit that gets rid of the Viscous coupling (known for failing), It replaces the viscous coupling with a long metal splined tube, then on the gearbox there’s a mechanical switch (hard to explain how it works) to switch it to 4wd or rear wheel drive. It switches with the same system used for the diff locks. Apparently Volkswagen were going to use this system originally but bailed out and chucked a viscous coupling in, you can see evidence in the mouldings of the back piece of the gearbox (You replace it with a hole new rear piece with the locking mechanism in it). If you have a T3 Syncro and your viscous coupling seizes up I recommend to get it instead of paying $1500 for a viscous coupling off Volkswagen that will probably screw up in 5 years time again. The customer went over to Germany and bought it back with him but I’m sure you can get it sent here somehow. Anyone else ever heard of this system?

The VC probably has a service life of around 100,000km or so but there are a lot of Syncros with well over 200,000 on the clock and still running the original VC. Indeed, VAG originally had a direct drive to the front wheels that could be mechanically decoupled from the dash. Since this limited the use of four wheel drive to off-road only, they replaced the solid shaft with the VC, this giving more than adequate four wheel drive performance over an extremely wide variety of conditions. They kept the solid shaft as an option but never even advertised the fact for the production life of the vehicle.

It is a characteristic of the VC that it comes into operation progressively earlier as it wears, producing what is generally described as an “aggressive” operation. Whilst this earlier operation of the VC has significant benefits in terms of handling and braking, it causes some binding when making full lock turns on a high grip surface, usually experienced in parking, thus adding a significant load to the driveline and particularly the gearbox. Using a decoupler avoids this excessive loading. I prefer the characteristics of the aggressive VC in terms of enhances handling and braking.

The solid shaft CANNOT be used on normal bitumen roads (it destroys the gearbox) and the enhanced characteristics of four wheel drive are available only on gravel roads and bush tracks. (It also works very well on sand.)

The VC system, as designed by VAG and Steyr Puch, was a world first and works extraordinarily well. It drew unprecedented attention in the world of professional motor vehicles engineers. (Anecdote: I was seconded from Holden to HSV to engineer the HSV Coupe4 at the same time that I bought my Syncro. I turned up in the Syncro and people came out of the woodwork (including the racing team) to look at it. I was able to demonstrate its capabilities on some of the landscaped mounds in the grounds. The HSV fleet manager later told me that a lot of rather exotic vehicles turn up at HSV but the humble Syncro had pulled more than the rest put together!)

Some people acquire a Syncro with the preconceived idea that it “needs” improvement or, in other words, it can’t possibly be as good as people say it is. Well, it is!! Which is why I say to people ‘take it out into the roughery and find out what it can do bog standard before deciding that it “needs” tractor wheels, two feet of ground clearance and a six litre V8.

Most of the retail Syncros in Australia came with a rear diff lock and they are capable of going anywhere a sane person would want to go. Anyone who feels that their Syncro is seriously lacking and who has unlimited funds should save themselves a lot of time, buy a Pinzgauer and be done with it.

Les

__

syncroaustralia · 20 April 2010 05:09

Oh dear, let’s try that again….

It is a characteristic of the VC that it comes into operation progressively earlier as it wears, producing what is generally described as an “aggressive” operation. Whilst this earlier operation of the VC has significant benefits in terms of handling and braking, it causes some binding when making full lock turns on a high grip surface, usually experienced in parking, thus adding a significant load to the driveline and particularly the gearbox. Using a decoupler avoids this excessive loading. I prefer the characteristics of the aggressive VC in terms of enhances handling and braking.

I have fitted a decoupler because I prefer the characteristics of the aggressive VC in terms of the enhancement to handling and braking.

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Les Harris
Sent: 20 April 2010 14:53
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] "Improving" the Syncro.

system · 20 April 2010 05:37

That is one of the main reasons we joined the group. Thanks for sharing the knowledge Les. That’s not to say the tractor would not have stayed where it was (Bogged) without its diff lock.

B well

col

ps what’s a Pinzgauer ?

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Les Harris
Sent: Tuesday, 20 April 2010 2:53 PM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] "Improving" the Syncro.