Cheap ZAV

So I was thinking about one day building a ZAV one day. What vehicle would be a good starting point? I figure it needs 4WD, enclosed space (SUV or van) and I would like diesel but really decent gas milage would be great. I would love a Defender TDi but those ain't cheap so I was thinking maybe 4Runner.

Full size Monteros can seat 7 and get better fuel economy than a smaller 4Runner.

They can also be had with a rear locking diff.

4wd Fullsize Ford van with the Powerstroke. (Quigley?) Run it on grease in case the zombies get ahold of the gas supplies.

I would do a full size bronco/blazer/cherokee/ramcharger. Relatively short wheel base for easy maneuverability, full size width for maximum space when it comes time to attach blades and impalement devices off the bumpers, and has enough room under the hood to fit anything from the average small block to big block to diesels. And most will have a rock solid 4wd system.

I'm going to look at a $750 XJ Cherokee later this week. Seems like a good starting point to me. It's a stripper model, except...

It's an auto, which means more service, and service means getting your feet eaten by zombies as you loosen the transmission drain plug to change the fluid. And it's not diesel...but we live in the US, nothing good is diesel, except giant dually trucks, so scratch the fuel mileage requirement.

Also, parts easier to find/cheaper than the 4Runner. More examples were sold, I'm pretty sure, so you can always pillage parts from abandoned ones on the side of the road that have had their drivers eaten.

Zombie Attack Vehicle???

80's 3+3 Chevy/GMC Cab on a similar year model Suburban/Regular Cab frame, with bobbed/shortened bed and camper cover. Cargo area/mobile quarantine area septate from passengers.

Rear shackle flip, and 56" leafs in the front. Disc break FF 14 bolt Spool/welded spiders rear, D60 with drive flanges and Detroit front. 37" Goodyear/BFG and Hummer runflat beadlock take offs.

12V Cummins or maybe a 4BT for efficiency, nothing really "turned up" for reliability. NV4500 Trans, though I could see the benefit of having a stout Turbo 400 that anyone could operate easily in a panic situation. I'd like an Atlas II transfer case, but a simple NP205 is probably the best solution for simple availability/parts.

That'd get a pretty stout base vehicle to haul 6 people and a decent amount of supplies. Minimum electrical parts. Most could be fixed with a hammer and a big pipe wrench.

Sprinkle with a dash of armor and fire arms, a big roof rack, a lot of lights, and call it done.

• Lee

bigdaddylee82 wrote: 80's 3+3 Chevy/GMC Cab on a similar year model Suburban/Regular Cab frame, with bobbed/shortened bed

I saw this combo on the road recently, up on 35s and sporting the suburban 2 tone paint (WIDE blue stripe down the side of a white truck) It was absolutely the coolest. Almost makes me want a 4x4 bowtie

How hard would it be to convert a Jeep XJ or a Landie to 4BT?

In reply to 93EXCivic:

http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/4bt-diesel-into-94-jeep-xj-4dr-24888/

But I was referring to the full size Cherokee: They only ran that platform from 1962 to 1991 in one form or another. Parts are littering the country side while the zombies are in the cities.

93EXCivic wrote: How hard would it be to convert a Jeep XJ or a Landie to 4BT?

There's a guy on 4btswaps.com/pirate4x4 with one in a MJ (Comanche) so basically a Cherokee.

I've seen them in Early Broncos, FJ40,60,80s, and Scouts, i can't imagine an old Disco or Defender would be too much trouble. I'd love a Series II with an oil burner!

• Lee

I like the full size van idea.. make sure it is a cargo van and put a locking divider in it.. that way you can sleep in peace

I was thinking 1 ton 'burb with a Duramax. But that's me.

Can you have A/C with a 4BT swap?

93EXCivic wrote: Can you have A/C with a 4BT swap?

It's basically a 6BT -2 cylinders. A lot of stuff from the 12 valves in the Dodge trucks swap right over. In other words, yes. Hell, you can have A/C on anything, you can mount a compressor, condenser, evaporator, etc. to.

A lot of the off road guys use York A/C compressors as on-board air compressors for air tools, so it should be pretty easy to find examples of compressor mounts.

• Lee

M1008

This or similar. Many are diesel.

$1,300 with 25 hrs left in auction
http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=4585536

There's a Blazer version of that that haunts the MN Craigslist. i've come close to pulling the trigger more than once.

jrw1621 wrote: This or similar. Many are diesel.

they're all diesel.

one of my friends just bought one with 50k miles on it, and a NV4500 conversion for well under three grand.

racinginc215 wrote:

Joe Gearin wrote: 4wd Fullsize Ford van with the Powerstroke. (Quigley?) Run it on grease in case the zombies get ahold of the gas supplies.

I'm not with you here. there are tons of gas stations in out of the way places. But greasy restaurants and the people that will flock to them looking for food will attract Zombies.Plus the smell of french fries while driving will be Zombie catnip, I'm with you on the van. I'd just put a hatch in the floor and a nice well pump with enough hose to drop down the storage tanks and suck the gas up into the van. I think if you did it right you could refuel and never leave the van.

I like the well pump idea.

mndsm wrote: There's a Blazer version of that that haunts the MN Craigslist. i've come close to pulling the trigger more than once.

I'd pick the CUCV (truck) over any of the blazers. The trucks got 1 ton axles 60/14b Turbo 400, and 6.2L. The blazers are still 1/2 tons even in Mil spec.

Ambulance, Cargo, Radio Truck would be my pick for ZAV if you had to chose from the GM Mil trucks. You'll be just fast enough to out-run the Zombies, but if I were trying to out run the "Fallout" a 6.2L diesel is probably one of the last engines I'd pick.

Really though a built Kaiser M715 or M725 would be my pick if we're talking old Mil trucks. I'd junk the Tornado 6, for a Cummins in it as well.

• Lee

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/fs-1982-ford-e250-quigley-4x4-cargo-van/34879/page2/#post627696

Real ZAV? M35 or similar with one of the multifuel engines. It'll burn human piss if need be. Mechanical and electrical fuel pumps, water-tight electrical system, etc.

Forum-bravado ZAV? Take your pick; XJ, FJ, AWD Astro with a transfer case swap, 4Runner, Suburban, 4x4 E-250/350...

I've got an FJ62 with the "2FE" swap. It's very, very cool, but 10mpg is painful.

Osterkraut wrote: Real ZAV? M35 or similar with one of the multifuel engines. It'll burn human piss if need be. Mechanical and electrical fuel pumps, water-tight electrical system, etc.

Are there any vehicles smaller then the M35 which use the multifuel engine?

Cheap+ZAV+diesel = deuce and a half. Every time.

ZAV+me=? Ok I get that a ZAV is an off road truck but what does ZAV stand for?

Signed, Corn Fused