,ounty Ford convert lia Rel ia nt J n im ot p re liant
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:ORD-APPROVED conversion of the Transit to all-wheel drive has an announced by County Commercial Cars Ltd, of Fleet in Hempire, writes STEVE GRAY.
Veil known for its 4x4 agriculal tractor conversions, County a long association with .cl's truck division and has ist recently been carrying out wheel conversions on Dies. This work has disapired with the introduction of 'go, however.
or the Transit, Ford supplies pecial specification to reduce number of components ich have to be discarded. The ered axle for the conversion Dana Spicer unit and the isfer box is another US imt, this time from Chrysler.
he standard Four four-speed irbox is used but most of the er running gear has been efed up. For example, Itilead springs release the gle leaf ones, along with ivy duty shock absorbers.
leavy-duty Burman Steering ir and larger front disc brakes re been fitted. Because larger in) wheels are used to give
better ground clearance, County takes the lower rear-axle ratio which is matched to that of the front.
To give the Transit more durability, County fits its own subframes to take the axles. Power for the Transit is either the 2-litre ohc petrol engine or 2.4-litre diesel, but County hopes to gain approval from Ford for 3-litre petrol powered models. These latter will find particular favour among such users as the police and fire brigades.
Rather than try to make conversions of all the Transit models, County has concentrated on the 100 and 160 models, but all varieties of these — van, kombi and chassis cab — can be modified.
In their converted state, the Transits offer an approach angle of 40 degrees. The departure angle depends on the model chosen but is never less than 19 deg re es. A very good belly
clearance of 205mm (14.5in) is another point in the vehicle's favour.
Because County believes buyers of the 4x4 Transit expect reasonable economy on metalled roads when two-wheel drive is engaged, free wheeling hubs, which can be locked out by twisting their centres, are fitted. This effectively eliminates the drive shafts, propshaft, diff and transfer box from turning over and, County claims, fuel figures should be much the same as regular Transits. In spite of its driven front-axle, the Transit has a turning circle of only 13in more than the ordinary van.
During a brief test drive over some rough ground at a military proving ground, I was able to get some idea of the Transit's capability.
I drove a 160 pickup, which had about a 0.5 ton payload. The controls of the vehicle are the same as normal Transits, but there is a second lever beside the main gear lever to select either four-wheel high, fourwheel low or two-wheel drive.
A warning light indicates when the former are engaged and it dims when the side lights are switched on to prevent dazzle at nights.