Volvo C303 Ex Malaysian Police Riot Squad 4x4 truck

[geckoadventure]

I am moving over from another forum upon advice from some followers of the Volvo Build 8 years and almost finished.

From this in 2011

to this over 8 years


on the other forum under Exepedition Vehicles you can find the story.

Now up to date


01 January 2021

Hi all after months of COVID and finally a couple of adventurous holidays (boat trip and a round Langkawi isand in 14 footers lol ) in the COVID breaks we were allowed to travel, a family tragedy (lost whole off December) and not doing much the brakes were started sometime in October.

New brackets were decided for the Volvo and some other mods to make them fit better. So new 12mm steel brackets were designed by an engineering shop along with twin callipers for the front discs.

New Callipers were purchased to match the existing ones. Then we waited.

The big ginger cat who has been my constant annoyance sitting on my keyboard and stealing my food etc went through chemno treatment for cancer and after losing 50% of his body weight lost the battle breaking my heart.

The new rear side windows were installed (compliance to make it not a commercial verhicle).

Hotpants the apprentice has been dropping in to visit us and learning new tricks on how to turn the customers and friends into bumbling idiots turning down all their requests for phone numbers dates etc.

The Africa 80 Series Landcruiser build progresses slowly in the back ground

July

Marked out the windows location after receiving the windows back from the factory. THen we discovered that they had not made the flange big enough so could not bolt them in had to glue them.

August
Then slowly each window hole was made carefully one at a time took about 60 minutes for each window to be cut in with a tight fit.

Before and

After

Then its the drivers side to be done

Making sure the windows are level.

Wah finished someone offers assistance to help bolt them all down. Yes im getting fat I've put on 20kg since I stopped exercising
with my heart problem lol.

At last only the new extra bolt holes to go.

Next is the fitting of the new bolt holes. Hotpants decides she wants to help.

Some outakes of Hotpants trying to put in RIVNUTS.
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Then it is time to drill more mounting points for the removable panels making sure all are lined up. I get some assistance.

Then they are all bolted in with stainless steel button head bolts.

 

[scooter2374]

Welcome aboard and thanks for bringing your sweet ride with you.

 

[WaterH]

Glad to see you over here. Several builds I miss since moving over. This is definitely one of them. Actually, wasn't there three of them? Truck looks great. I'll be watching.

bty, I couldn't click on the videos. Might be my puter illiteracy.

 

[geckoadventure]

Glad to see you over here. Several builds I miss since moving over. This is definitely one of them. Actually, wasn't there three of them? Truck looks great. I'll be watching.

bty, I couldn't click on the videos. Might be my puter illiteracy.

i will investigate the youtube failure.

yes there is multiple Volvos. I have 3. No 2 is sitting there with the cabin ready to drop onto the chassis once they create the new engine brackets. That will be done once Volvo 1 has running brakes again, which is going to be quite a long time away as we are on lockdown for 2 weeks but already they are talking 1 month. I cannot get to the workshop as I have to go through a roadblock which I will get turned around or fined at.

 

[geckoadventure]

 

[geckoadventure]

 

[geckoadventure]

 

[Clemson13]

Really glad to see this has made it over here.

 

[Deleted Member]

Austin DANG! If we only had an EXPO/ Over Lander forum...

Love this thing! Glad it found it's way here!

 

[Provience]

awesome and thank you for bringing it over!

this was/is a cool project

 

[backchat]

Glad to see you over here. I really missed your builds!

 

[geckoadventure]

05 January 2021

Well I had a few days leave and did not want to travel far due to the growing COVID issue here and people running all over the place for a holiday. My boat is still in the shop getting new headgasket after the last Elephant hunting trip disaster.

So I decided time to paint the truck again the oil stains in the paint have become unbearable to look at.

I managed on Saturday to collect the new brake parts from the shop and we will begin assembly Monday morning.

Started with the doors easy to fix and sand and undercoat. Yes i'm it doing outside in the workshop. The paint is real paint mixed and canned for me. The new colour is Desert Kakhi.

Then we ran over to the engineering shop to collect the Portals and brake components.

The top coat looks good a nice light green. Clear coat is a mat clear 2 pack and will dry nice and hard.

The monday I managed to get the painting done and we got the new rear brake brackets installed.
Tuesday I ran around getting parts for the brake assembly and unfortunately took all day and still could not find a "T" for the front brake hoses to connect too. 4 hydraulic shops in Kuala Lumpur and I could find nothing. In IPOH they would have made them up for me. The Monday evening we watched a COVID raid on the building site across the road all the Bangladeshi workers lined up getting tested and put in the buses to be carted away. Hundreds of them.

The next weekend no work on Volvo wife grounded me with a COVID scare in the family so I was grounded. TThen the workshop mekanic announced he had COVID lucky I did not see him on 1st and we were all told stay awaty for 2 weeks. SIgh.

It's now 19 January 2021 and I am unable to work on the VOlvo our Malaysian govt has put a lockdown on us since 11th Jan to 26th it will be longer) radius 10k fromhome and not allowed to cross city boundaries so othing open and there is a roadblock near the workshop I cannot get past.

My workpermit also expired on 11 January and HR took too long applying for new one so I am also stuck at home anyway while the new one is processed.

I do not know if the workshop is open and they are working on the Volvo or not.

Stay healthy everyone.

 

[backchat]

any updates?

 

[geckoadventure]

any updates?

YUp coming today

 

[geckoadventure]

7 February 2021

Painting prep continues much work has been done in the 3 days.

11 February 2021

There is a lot of work done and tonnes to go.

However 2 coats of undercoat and 3 coats of top coat the colour looks good.

The front needs quite a few patchups.

 

[geckoadventure]

13 14 February 2021

Progress continues and the front cabin is all undercoated. THe roof still looks WW3 was fought on it but I'm not beating the panels out the character can stay. Doors are all undercoated. Some new surface rust killed and prepped.

 

[geckoadventure]

20 21 February 2021

Progress ii's the rear doors prep and painting - the taping takes the longest.

THen close inspection of the service hatch panels show the crease marks from the folding press I have to sand and put body filler in and redo the paint job sigh. However, the end result is it looks much better. Almost professional.

 

[geckoadventure]

27 28 February 2021


The rear gets undercoated and painted in about an hour. It looks really cool.

The frame gets undercoated.

My new Volvo T-shirts arrive Hotpants drew it up from a pic they look cool.

 

[geckoadventure]

5 6 7 March 2021

After working long hours in the office due to stupid issues - Banking SOftware sigh I elect to take the next 5 Fridays oss work as Im forced to use the days I carried over from 2020. We still cannot travel out of the state and I celebrate 1 year of working at home and the 5th is my birthday. Only better birthday would be to drive it.

By Sunday night all the big panels on the rear are painted good progress.

 

[geckoadventure]

12 13 14 March 2021

Front painted. Then i see the run and and the fix ruins the valance under the window sigh this will be fixed later.

I cannot paint the front bumper as it's holding the the truck up with a giant stand.

Right frame undercoated.

The alloy door panels are now ready to attach. However the door tops still need attention.

Up with the floor now to paint the frame black with epensive single all in one paint. Then we find the shrew squirrels have been using the fuel tank as a dining room sigh. So I start building a shrew fence from the firewall frame from a LandRover 109 lying in the workshop.

 

[geckoadventure]

19 20 21 March 2021


The frame looks good.

So do the door bottoms.

I finally finish the front half of the frame.

and start to prepare the rear. Sound proofing also commences to stop the rattles emerging from the floor.

and give it the magic one coat paint.

Then its time to start testing the truck facilities the hammock test and fan test are conducted

The rear panel is prepped and undercoated

 

[geckoadventure]

28 29 30 March 2021

I needed a new workbench so the frame being made for the indoor restaurant for 350k away which got cancelled is recycled into a new all purpose work table by hotpants.

Meantime I paint the inside of the doors.

Work claims the weekend sigh.

 

[geckoadventure]

4 April 2021

I lift the floor over the fuel tank and oh no the damn shrew has had covid parties on the fuel tank again along with his friends. Now I'm pissed, I'm waiting for the rest of the fence to be tigged up. I now feel like Bill Murray in Caddyshack. Further lockdown can only travel inside our district - lucky the Volvo workshop is inside the district.

The soundproofed floor is ready to install.

Office work takes the rest of the weekend

 

[geckoadventure]

11 April 2021

Part 1 of 3 of the shrew fence is installed.

25 April 2021

cannot wait the floor is reinstalled so I can strip the service hatch down ready to be one coat black.

12 May 2021
Lights and fan testing continues to see current draw on the 150amp deep cycle battery.

 

[geckoadventure]

16 May 2021

I share lunch each sunday with Zinc he's getting good at it. He's not as cute as he looks he took a piece of 4 people in one day drawing blood on 2 including the owner. I have scars on my arm from an incident. If he is not wagging his tail and watching your hand do not touch him.

Full fan and lights test continues and the service hatch is now black and drying for 24 hours.

 

[geckoadventure]

22 23 May 2021

Work now commences on preparing the flexible solar panel it will magnetic stick to the service hatch panel. I have 2 more for the new boat project which has the cut list prepared and waiting to be routed out in Singapore in coming 2 weeks.

I paint the 2 indoor panels which I missed.

 

[geckoadventure]

26 May 2021

Then it's time for the panels all to be bolted back to the truck the change in the trucks appearance is now amazing. So it will now pass the inspection rules of ONE colour.

I manage to do my first wet camp site test with the chair inside the truck and lights and fan running. Perfect all passed.

Left side panels attached

It may be extra time etc for me to paint the interior but its been worth it. Just the ceiling to paint in the coming weeks.

Service hatch panel re-assembly.

Thats it for 3-4 or more weeks we are in total lockdown until 14 June and workshops are closed as are parts shops and 2-3 weeks after to reopen - if the covid numbers drop which they are not. I suspect it will be 2 months or more.

 

[ridenby]

Looking good.

 

[WaterH]

Fantastic! You moving right along. I'm still painting mine, but it's slow going.

 

[geckoadventure]

Fantastic! You moving right along. I'm still painting mine, but it's slow going.

I'm moving as fast as covid restrictions and work issues let me and not pushing the heart more that I can. Its frustrating but I'm doing all the work alone still lol.