Author Topic: Project: ArgoCeptor!  (Read 43683 times)

Offline SARgo1

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Re: 1986 Conquest 8x8 build up for SAR!
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2017, 09:34:12 PM »
So it slowly gets better and better.

Someone had messed with the governer, so I reset that to factory.

With the idle cranked down, i was able to get a more accurate setting on the slow jet which has improved idle.

Came out the next morning and started it up and the idle and throttle went all weird. After a bit of sniffing around, i discovered the throttle cable had somehow cocked sideways and kinked inside the throttle housing. A little bending and reshaping put it back to a sericeable state. A good lube inside the housing and with my pressure cable lube attachement made everthing work better than before and idle/throttle was back to normal.

Tomorrow I'll pull the driver clutch off and see if shimming the spring will help with the drag at idle. The clutch opens fully at a stop, but closes up just a bit too much at any stage speed above stop. I'm thinking the spring has just fatigued a bit after 30 years. I'll replace it once I can source a new one.

I ordered a brace of green switches for the dash for accesories. Then a tach/hourmeter was ordered up.

Last thing was a call to the local john deer place to see if they stocked roller chain. They only had single, but could order double. 65 bucks plus tax for a 10' length. Not too bad. I could order cheaper online, but shipping pushes it up nearly twice the cost. I'll order up two at a time to spread the cost over a couple months, eventually replacing them all. First two will do the rear wheels, wich have the worst sag (chains hit the cross supports).

Also did some thinking. Im going to use 1 1/4 aluminum angle and 3" flat aluminum and weld up a channel to go around the whole rubber strip, bending and fitting as nessesary. The angle will go on the side and undeneath, the flat will go on top. This will give me the reinforcement for the tube and rub strip while also giving me a "mud lip"  that will cover the tires. I'll make it  in front, rear and side pieces and will be bolted through the rivet holes for the nody halves. That will make it solid, help with sag, be removeable and give me a base to build the front brush guard, rear carrying tray and attach the wider rear mudflaps.

:)
« Last Edit: September 05, 2017, 09:39:14 PM by SARgo1 »

Offline wedge

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Re: 1986 Conquest 8x8 build up for SAR!
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2017, 09:55:57 AM »
Great Intro on who you are what your into !  ;)
I am sure you will get all the help and info you will be needing rite here that's for sure.
Please keep us posted on you work as it looks like you have a good platform to build off of !  popcorn
3= Amphicat. 1= StarCraft. 1= Max 2= Attex  And Counting

Offline SARgo1

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Project: ArgoCeptor!
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2017, 10:49:18 PM »
Edit: project renamed: ArgoCeptor due to working on swapping in a Honda V45 interceptor engine.

 Howdy. I'm new to Argo's and AATV's in general. Actually, I've only had one for a week or so now.

Some background;

I'm military, RCAF. I'm Search and rescue, flying the Cormorant Helo (flight engineer):



But after 28 years, I'm just too beaten up and broken to continue. It's a young man's game and I'm....errr.....not....anymore.

;)

Since I can't carry on, I'm being medically released from the military. No regrets. I've done and seen things most people will never even have a concept of. My pension and the medical release "parachute" is also pretty good.

But SAR isn't something you just " stop". It gets in the blood. That others may live isn't just an motto, it's a way of life. So even though I won't be Helo SAR, I'm planning to join the provincial Ground Search team once I'm out. It's all volunteer and poorly funded. As in, it's not.

My problem is my injuries mean I can't traverse uneven ground for very far. Not good for a ground search team member.

Enter: the Argo (SARgo? LOL!)

The Argo will be my legs.

I wanted an 8x8 for the size it offers over a 6x6 (carrying gear, searchers, casualties, etc), Argo because it's fairly mainstream for these rigs (get parts, accessories, etc without having to fire up the welder or lathe every time something breaks)  and tracks because Nova Scotia is somewhere around 50-75% rivers, lakes and bog/swamp/muck. That's also why a quad or side by side wouldn't be a great choice for me either, I need amphibious for SAR around here.

I looked at new and damned near had a stroke right then and there! 25-35 grand CAD! Nope,that's not going to happen. Sure was pretty though....

So it had to be used. But they're not common around these parts and just plain hard to come by used. Those do have 'em, aren't selling.

I got lucky and came across an 86 8x8. Came with windshield,  supertracks and a soft top. It's a Conquest, so hyd brakes and the old Kohler Magnum 18 hp. Gent wanted 4500 CAD:







It's used but not (particularly) abused.

Gent was a DNR guy so he took care of it as best he could for the 10 years he owned it. But he sure wasn't a mechanic. He had replaced one caliper and the lever was adjusted close up to the firewall. The other lever was a good 4-6" pull further to get it to grab. The carb was gummed up and it had to run with choke. The tires are some kind of knobby tire by Kenda, Dominator IIRC:



The tracks were loose as....well, insert favorite curse word here. I also had to pull the wheels off each side to get the tracks off as the trailer was only 62" wide. It all made driving it on the trailer a fair bit of "fun".

No rear floor. Gent had a couple pieces of plywood in there. I wasn't worried about that as a couple welded spacers to the rear frame and a sheet of 1/8" 5052 aluminum (attached with Dzeus fasteners) would make a nice strong floor. Flat floor is preferred anyways as my wife trains tracking dogs and this will give them a good surface after I bond some rubber covering to it.

I pointed out a few things, hemmed and hawed a bit and then my missus played the "I don't want to buy this piece of junk" game. We ended up at 3 grand.

That's pretty good around these parts for a running, intact 8x8.

I took it directly to the cottage. First thing was a quick burn down the road. Ran like crap. Steered like crap. I goosed it wide open and it caught after a few seconds. No suspension and aired up tires (to squeeze it on the trailer) quickly became a bad combination on a few woops in the road. it took a bad bounce, things started to go really wrong really fast and I went for a handful of brakes. Well, one side grabbed first (still out of adjustment) and it jerked sideways, I then backed off the brakes trying to regain control and it all just made things even worse. We shot off into the trees and I ended up nose in against a big pine. I was laughing my head off, half happy I was still alive and half terrified of what just happened. Trip back to the cottage was decidedly slower and more cautious.

So, first off it was adjusting the brake/steering levers. I evened them out and steering became much easier and the whole rig became much more controllable as I didn't have to remember to pull one lever first when I wanted to stop. Then the carb came apart and got a good going through. Reinstalled and adjusted, the old Kohler now worked great. No more surging, responds to throttle. It's not perfect, but it's getting there.

Then I drove it down to the harbor. Yep, those tires don't swim worth a damn. Not a big surprise. They also make it a bear to turn on land, as the knobs just dig in and don't skid well at all. Gravel is ok, sod just gets ripped out and chunks go flying. I get it in deep enough to check wheel seals. Yup, most are leaking. Not a surprise and I expected it on a rig this old. But it's coming in damned fast up front somewhere. The skidplate (Argo's "second tub" arrangement) looks intact, but now I'm hoping the hull behind it is good and there's just a hub gasket gone really bad up front. Can't see exactly where it's coming in with the drivetrain installed. I'll have to check that out a little closer later. The "auto" bilge pump is dead, but the manual one he installed pumps it out and has no problems pumping the hull dry in a few seconds.

Back up to the yard and I degrease/clean the thing several times:







and can now get a good look at double chains and sprockets (and the engine/transmission). Chains are stretched, but again, I expected that. Sprockets may be OK, have to get the chains off to know for sure. Looks like the idler sprockets are toast. Points on every tooth.

So, I've got some basic work to do. I expected most of it with a well used unit and nothing I can't handle. I ordered up some half links for the supertracks and that should (hopefully) take up the looseness. I took out one full link and it's too tight to get together, but it looks like a half link will be just about right to get my 3 odd inches of sag on the tracks from the 6-8" of sag there is now.

Once the maintenance is all addressed I'll be on to a SAR build up.

I'm looking at building racks, seats, pushbars and the like. I've got a 3500lb winch to install, which will be on a receiver type arrangement (connected to the frame winch bracket0 so I can use it front and rear. My Lincoln 180 will get a decent workout on all that stuff. Some will be aluminum, some will be steel. Smart use of each will keep the weight down. That's important for a SAR rig where lots of rescue/first aid gear goes in.

Of course, survival gear will be on board too. Military is good at making sure you know what to bring in the woods and how to use it.

;)

I'm also wanting to build it into a springer. I've got several reasons for that:

1. Looks like a fun project
2. It will be gentler to my beat up old bod
3. Looks to be fun to use when I just want to off road, and
4. when you've got someone with broken bones and such on board, you want the ride as smooth as possible.

Springer is a long range project though.

I'm not sure how well tracks will work with a springer though. Tracks is a must have and 4-6 feet of snow is common here in winter and it hangs around in the woods well into spring, sometimes summer.

Well, that's where it currently sits. More as I get into it.

:)
« Last Edit: December 01, 2018, 07:20:54 PM by SARgo1 »