Dominating Trails in a 1977 Pinzgauer 712K

Dominating Trails in a ‘77 PINZGAUER 712K

Brady Horrace is used to four-wheel-drive VW buses like the Vanago Syncro, however, they were never really designed to do the level of off-roading that he was pushing them to do. Besides, in today’s market, they were getting really expensive to buy and maintain.

Horrace decided it was time to find something more capable than a VW bus, but he still wanted something somewhat unique, which took out the usual off-road suspects, such as Jeeps and Toyotas, from his choices. He remembered that he had run across the Pinzguaer sometime ago, and it now looked like the vehicle he was itching for. He did some more research on them only to discover a company in California called Expedition Imports had the answer. The company specializes in importing surplus military vehicles and parts to the U.S., such as Unimogs, Mercedes G-wagons and the Pinz.

“IT WASN’T A ROCK CRAWLER OR OVER- LAND-TYPE VEHICLE MUD BUGGY, BUT WAS A SELF-CONTAINED, THAT WOULD EASILY TRAVERSE THE CLASS 4 ROADS OF NEW ENGLAND, MAKING IT EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED IN A VEHICLE.”
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Decommissioned military vehicles often make sense to base a build on for those looking to create their own adventure rig due to their inherent ruggedness and capability.

After looking up Expedition Imports on the Internet, Horrace discovered that according to the company’s website, they had several recently decommissioned Austrian Pinz’s readily available. What luck! Horace placed a call to them, as well as to his bank to see if a loan could be provided. Although he was given a funny look, the bank came through a week later to his surprise. He would eventually purchase the 712K version of the Pinzgauer after discussing its options with Expedition Imports.

At first, Horrace wanted the four-wheel version of the Pinz, but found out it was actually a foot shorter than a VW bus. The six-wheel version, on the other hand, measured about 16 feet long, making it a foot longer than the VW Syncro. Looks were certainly deceiving. The Pinz was bigger, more robust, and cheaper than the VW bus.

The interior had many written placards, labels, and the like, all written in German.

Before sealing the deal, Horrace reached out to a good VW buddy, John, who is also a pilot. John mentioned he would be in the area soon and could stop by to take a look at the Pinzs in person. It wasn’t long before Horrace was advised by John that the Pinz was a must buy. John also informed Horrace that they were all available for purchase except for the white one. Horrace inquired why the white one wasn’t for sale just to find out that John had bought it for himself on the spot!

Fired up with the good news, Horrace reached out to Expedition Imports to purchase the ‘77 712K (a more common hard-topped body type) with approximately 37 kilometers on it. It wasn’t a rock crawler or mud buggy, but was a self-contained, overland-type vehicle that would easily traverse the Class 4 roads of New England, making it exactly what he wanted in a vehicle.

The next step was to get a shipper to actually send the military vehicle his way. Most shippers freaked out about the Pinz’s perceived “size” when in actuality, it wasn’t any bigger or heavier than a Ford F150. He eventually convinced a transporter to give his Pinz the ride eastward.

Being a ‘77 model meant it is a first generation model and actually the very first year the highly mobile military utility 6WD Pinzguaer was manufactured. The Pinzgauer was named after an Austrian breed of horse and manufactured in Graz, Austria, by Steyr-Daimler-Puch. Produced until 2000, the Pinz would be used by militaries around the world, thanks to it being one of the most capable all-terrains available.

Decommissioned military vehicles often make sense to base a build on for those looking to create their own adventure rig. They tend to be off-road capable, able to handle heavy loads and are generally easy to maintain. The Pinz hits all the marks as it was designed to be a reliable and easy to fix in the field.

Most shippers freaked out about the Pinz’s perceived “size” when in actuality, it wasn’t any bigger or heavier than a Ford F150.

An air-cooled duel-Zenith carb engine was specifically designed for the Pinz, giving 105 hp. The 2.5L inline 4-cylinder engine has more than one pump leading to it ensuring that it will not be starved of oil, no matter what the vehicle’s orientation is. Because its air intake sits as high as its fuel filler, the Pinz can also drive through an impressive depth of 3.5 to 4 feet of water.

The engine sits within a tube chassis with fully independent suspension propelled forward by a 5-speed transmission with a low mounted 2-speed transfer case that assists in keeping the center of gravity fairly low. The 6WD-system utilizes integrated differentials and on-the-fly hydraulic locks by three levers located on the driver’s console.

Three passenger-side wheels are about two inches forward of the three driver-side wheels because they each have their own ring and pinion. The extra two wheels added to the standard 4WD layout provide optimal traction for extreme situations, but also increase towing ability as well as for off-road requirements, which was what Horrace was looking for.

The Pinzguaer would be used by militaries around the world, thanks to it being one of the most capable all-terrains available.

The Pinz is not the fastest on the highway, topping out at 60 mph on paved roads, however during the Vermont Overland Rally, it was much faster traversing unmaintained roads than other overland-type vehicles. For Horrace, the fun isn’t about the speed at which you get to your destination, it’s about the journey and enjoying where you are at along the way.

The Pinz Horrace received used to be equipped as a radio truck, however, it did not come with the cool communications gear. The radio gear used to be situated on a wall behind the driver seat and came complete with a table. All that was stripped out when it was decommissioned. As bare bones as it is, it was designed to carry four operators, unlike other more common Pinz models that carried up to 15 occupants. The four previous tenants for Horrace’s Pinz included a driver, a gunner, and two radio personnel.

Because its air intake sits as high as its fuel filler, the Pinz can drive through an im- pressive depth of 3.5 to 4 feet of water.

The Pinz was also originally outfitted to carry seven standard Jerry gas cans and a separate electrical generator to power auxiliary equipment. Unfortunately for Horrace, this equipment was also stripped before it made it to the States. The back passenger corner is where the generator would have been and is now a usable sliding table for other needs. One feature that did stay with the Pinz and just so happens to be Horrace’s favorite perk, is the gasoline-fueled furnace that could keep the truck warm when the vehicle was off!

Horrace’s biggest gripes about the Pinz is its lack of power steering, which is brutal when driving off-road. His second complaint is that its six drum brakes are not self-adjusting. He plans to update these two problems over this winter. Having such a unique ride has other cons as well. As you can imagine, you can’t just walk into any parts store and get anything you may need for general maintenance.

“KEEPING IT SIMPLE, HORRACE DIDN’T FEEL THE NEED TO OVERLY DECK OUT HIS VEHICLE WITH TONS OF GEAR. HE ONLY DID TO IT WHAT WAS NEEDED.”

For its maintenance needs, Horrace looks to Expedition Imports, a community of Pinz owners and Cold War Remarketing for parts support. Planning ahead, he stocked up on consumable items such as 24v light bulbs, brake shoes, points and rotor for its ignition system,.

In order to get it camping-ready, Horrace scavenged a rear VW bench seat he had laying around and modified it to mount in the Pinz’s existing seat-mounting holes. Since the bench could lay flat, he customized it to become a bed by using various VW components, wood, and sewn fabric. It’s large enough to provide a generous 6 feet 5 inches of lay-down length. That means no more sleeping with your feet hanging off the end of the bed.

Keeping it simple, Horrace didn’t feel the need to overly deck out his vehicle with tons of gear. He only did to it what was needed. The interior’s electrical system was converted to 12v by using golf cart power converters and light blocking curtains were installed to complete the comfy mobile “tent” feel. Aside from these basics, there was another detail that needed some attention.

Horrace’s biggest gripes about the Pinz is its lack of power steering, which is brutal when driving off-road.

The interior had many written placards, labels, and the like, all written in German. It just so happens that Horrace’s wife is German. She assisted in translating most of the language where visual images couldn’t provide adequate input on what the function or description was. For some more technical labels, she called her father who was a Mercedes mechanic in Germany for help on technical terms not well known. Translations were required for the gear-ratio terms and speeds for driving at. Luckily, the manual in the glove box was written in English and so was the factory repair manual that he obtained.

“THE EXTRA TWO WHEELS ADDED TO THE STANDARD 4WD LAYOUT PROVIDE OPTIMAL TRACTION FOR EXTREME SITUATIONS, BUT ALSO INCREASE TOWING ABILITY AS WELL AS FOR OFF-ROAD REQUIREMENTS.”

Continuing on with “must-do” maintenance, Horrace swapped out the old tires which lacked a safety bead to ‘15 Ford Transit wheels mounted with BF Goodrich Mud-Ter-rain tires. These Ford rims worked perfectly with only a half-inch more offset than the originals. Thinking ahead to his intended disc brake upgrade, he had the rear wheel 3D scanned so that the company preparing the disc conversion could ensure the correct fitment utilizing computer renderings. The last item he added for the time being was a winch.

Having joined the local Vermont Overland Club, Horrace participates in their learning courses, exploring the remote parts of New England, and trail trash pickup. With plans to drive the Pinz into the ground, he has had to six-wheel in a way that’s responsible, which provides a unique challenge to which he enjoys. His say on the matter of building an off-road vehicle? It goes without saying, “K.I.S.S.’! Keep it simple, stupid…”