Topic: 6 Wheel disco (Read 3489 times)

muddyjames · « **on:** February 05, 2007, 17:25:02 »

Right then. a dream of mine (which will probably still end up being a dream) is to make a 6x4 / 6x6 disco.

Roughly how easy / hard would it be to do and cost. I know a 6x6 chasis is about 2k :shock: .

I would like to chop an old disco off at just where the roof steps up so in theory I would have 4 side ways facing seats.

Also idealy what I would like is it to run as 6x4 and then the rear axle run off the pto so when I get stuck move a lever and make it a 6x6 then. again is this viable?

As I said above it is a dream but I would like to see how easy it would be to become reality. I just tried photo shopping a 6x6 disco and cant get my head around it all. I think I would need a 3door disco /7 seat to chop up. A 9 seater 6x6 disco would be ace :D

Your ideas and thoughts please and if anyone fancies photo shopping I can provide a pic of my disco side on to have a play with!!!

solihull-mick · « **Reply #1 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:37:06 »

Can you weld? can you fabricate? making the chassis would be easy, making the rear most axle drive is the hard bit, you cannot use the pto take off as it runs at a different speed to the rear output of the diff, my advise would be leave it as a dream :shock:

thermidorthelobster · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:41:49 »

There are two general ways to get 6 wheel drive:

1) A pass-through diff in the middle. This is the method Foley generally use and is nice and simple. Not sure where you get the diffs though.

2) Second transfer box driven off the PTO, to drive the rear axle. You can then engage/disengage at will, but you'll get wind-up if you run in 6x6 all the time as there's no differential between the front 4 and rear 2 wheels. Of course, you have to find somewhere to stick another transfer box. This is the transmission my 101 had, based on an LT95.

You could of course stick with 6x4; the majority of 6 wheeled Land Rovers (the fire trucks etc) tend to be 6x4. Personally I find 6x4 pretty lousy, as if the driving axle of the rear pair comes off the ground, which it will tend to do quite frequently, then you don't have any drive at all, and even if you engage diff lock you only have drive at the front.

muddyjames · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:41:59 »

cant weld but this could be a time to learn, get training and over looking by a competant welder as my life would depend on it, and I know a man who can weld and who has made 6x4 101's.

Maybe run the disco as a ful time 6x6 then? I have a mate with a 6x6 rangie (has a special name and only 2 left in the world)

muddyjames · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:44:58 »

Quote from: "thermidorthelobster"

You could of course stick with 6x4; the majority of 6 wheeled Land Rovers (the fire trucks etc) tend to be 6x4. Personally I find 6x4 pretty lousy, as if the driving axle of the rear pair comes off the ground, which it will tend to do quite frequently, then you don't have any drive at all, and even if you engage diff lock you only have drive at the front.

This is why I would like 6x4 and then 6x6 sometimes but I would like to keep fuel effiency roughly the same as now.

muddyjames · « **Reply #5 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:47:10 »

Quote from: "thermidorthelobster"

There are two general ways to get 6 wheel drive:

2) Second transfer box driven off the PTO, to drive the rear axle. You can then engage/disengage at will, but you'll get wind-up if you run in 6x6 all the time as there's no differential between the front 4 and rear 2 wheels. Of course, you have to find somewhere to stick another transfer box. This is the transmission my 101 had, based on an LT95.

one gets transmission wind up with 4x4 so 6x6 off road would be like 4x4. just use diff lock as and when needed ie when middle axles come off the ground!

Another transfer box. hmm. not much room one thinks to fit it under a disco.

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #6 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:50:10 »

You'd be looking at an SVA test when finished.

One of the problems with 6x6 from a 4x4 is that one axle will have twice the torque of the others without something pretty fancy in the middle but Thermid's old 101 had one of the neatest solutions I'd seen. Another company makesd a conversion diff but again it will split the torque between the back 2 axles, so the car becomes front drive biased.

Oh yes, and a 9 seater might be a minibus :o

muddyjames · « **Reply #7 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:50:28 »

Quote from: "thermidorthelobster"

There are two general ways to get 6 wheel drive:

1) A pass-through diff in the middle. This is the method Foley generally use and is nice and simple. Not sure where you get the diffs though.

Mate of mine with the 6x6 has lots of info about these axles but where one buys one from I'm not sure. He needs a new cog for his middle diff asit is chain driven and getting rough quotes of Ã‚Â£800 for 1 cog so a whole axle will be costly too me thinks.

If a 6x6 rangie is possible then a 6x6 disco has to be as it is the same underneath isnt it? Just the shell ontop is different?

muddyjames · « **Reply #8 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:51:48 »

Quote from: "Range Rover Blues"

You'd be looking at an SVA test when finished.

Oh yes, and a 9 seater might be a minibus :o

9 seater is max one can drive on new style license but exempt from congestion charge, not that I drive in london!!

thermidorthelobster · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2007, 18:01:54 »

Quote from: "muddyjames"

one gets transmission wind up with 4x4 so 6x6 off road would be like 4x4. just use diff lock as and when needed ie when middle axles come off the ground!

Another transfer box. hmm. not much room one thinks to fit it under a disco.

Yeah, but with a 6x6 off a separate xfer box, you'll get windup even without difflock, because there's no diff between the rear axle and the front pair. I used to run the 101 with the front 4 wheels driving most of the time; if the middle axle came off the ground, I'd engage diff lock; if I got stuck I'd drop into 6wd. You could also put the front xfer box into neutral and run it as a 6x2 but there wasn't much point.

muddyjames · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2007, 18:05:50 »

what would be the chances of 6x4 but the middle axle running with no power to it? would it be possible to run the drive shaft over the middle axle?

barnhill4x4 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2007, 18:18:19 »

Quote from: "muddyjames"

what would be the chances of 6x4 but the middle axle running with no power to it? would it be possible to run the drive shaft over the middle axle?

Even if it was possible look at your avatar pic, imagine that your front wheels are in the bottom of a slippery ditch and your rearmost axle is off the floor.

muddyjames · « **Reply #12 on:** February 05, 2007, 18:20:04 »

are but in that instance gravity helps!!!!

I think it would only work with 6x6 then!?!?!?

freeagent · « **Reply #13 on:** February 05, 2007, 18:54:54 »

the easier way would be to track down a 6 wheels TACR rangie chassis (there must have been some broken up) your disco bodywork will bolt up at the front... then you just need to figure out the rest...

the TACR's were 4 wheel drive, some of the later TACR II's were 6x6...

If you are going to do it from scratch, its do-able, but loads of time, money and effort to do a good job..

there are a few other 6x6 rangerovers around, the Arabs seamed to like them in the 1980's....

chris.hunt22 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 05, 2007, 19:11:04 »

If its your dream then just do it, it will be the coolest Disco around, there will be massive hurdles along the way and as mentioned the biggest will be having all your hard work criticised by the boys at VOSA but thats what they are there for, as mentioned I am sure that 9 seats or more now and it is classed as a mini bus!!

muddyjames · « **Reply #15 on:** February 05, 2007, 19:31:44 »

Quote from: "chris.hunt22"

If its your dream then just do it, it will be the coolest Disco around,

At the moment funds done allow the dream and my skils of mechanics are next to nothing but I think start now on research so I have all the info to hand when the time comes to do it. It would look cool :D

Quote from: "chris.hunt22"

there will be massive hurdles along the way and as mentioned the biggest will be having all your hard work criticised by the boys at VOSA but thats what they are there for,

Hopefully there wont be much to do regards body work as I would like to see if the high part of the roof would slip nicely onto the back of my current one. need to look into it. Would it end up as a Q plate?

Quote from: "chris.hunt22"

as mentioned I am sure that 9 seats or more now and it is classed as a mini bus!!

9 seaters are def not minibus as we have just changed all our voluntary work vans to 9 seaters as us lot with 1997 onwards licenses means we can drive them. If regs change by time I have it built I have done my minibus license anyway!!

muddyjames · « **Reply #16 on:** February 05, 2007, 19:39:53 »

Quote from: "freeagent"

the easier way would be to track down a 6 wheels TACR rangie chassis (there must have been some broken up) your disco bodywork will bolt up at the front... then you just need to figure out the rest...

the TACR's were 4 wheel drive, some of the later TACR II's were 6x6...

what are TACR's? My mate has the only scottorn in the country and its his fault I like 6x6's now!!! link to his at bottom of page here his is number 4.

Loads of 6x6's have been done. love the look of the 6x6 defender below. But think disco would be totaly different.

thermidorthelobster · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2007, 19:50:29 »

Quote from: "muddyjames"

what would be the chances of 6x4 but the middle axle running with no power to it? would it be possible to run the drive shaft over the middle axle?

Possibly, yes, but quite often you'll end up with either the middle or the back axle without good contact with the ground, so I'd avoid it if you actually plan to use the vehicle off-road at all.

AFAIK 6x4 vehicles are generally built to spread out the weight loading, rather than for off-road use.

muddyjames · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2007, 19:58:46 »

If I do build it it would HAVE to go off road. no point in an off road car not getting muddy.

im guessing I wouldnt need to change the engine (300tdi auto) as it isnt as heavy as a twin axle trailer and that has even more wheels and axles etc.

muddyjames · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2007, 20:15:36 »

just done a quick pic in paint so it doesnt look great but it is a rough idea anyway.

freeagent · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2007, 22:10:43 »

TACR rangerovers are Tactical Air Crash Rescue trucks, 6 wheeled, they were built for the RAF in the early 1980's...

they do pop up in the landy rags from time to time........

barnhill4x4 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 06, 2007, 07:53:53 »

And the other Scottorn on the page was rebuilt by me and shipped to a freind in Florida!

Matt_H · « **Reply #22 on:** February 11, 2007, 16:34:09 »

if you want a 6x6 buy a pinz like Ians. skeletal drive system with portal axles, locking diffs on every axle too. On standard size land rover tyres it has about about 8 inches more ground clearance!

Russ Brown Lee used to have a 6x4 range rover fire engine, the rear axle is just a tag axle, i.e. not powered, the wheel arrangement looked like this http://www.fire-engine-photos.com/picture/number1845.asp but in British colours and a full coach work back. He was going to turn it into a camper for fun, but he was made an offer he coudln't refuse for it :-)

It looked a bit like this

I think fire engines are tax and mot exempt too which is rather handy (if they stay registered as a fire engine or somink).

Matthew

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AuthorTopic: 6 Wheel disco (Read 3489 times)