Search and Rescue Pinzgauer vehicle walkthrough

UPDATE: I won! The Pinz was voted as the 2017 Overland Expo West Cool Ride Champion! Thanks for the votes ;-) - BACKGROUND: My Pinzgauer was chosen as a finalist for the 2017 Overland Expo West Cool Ride contest. I created a walk around of my highly customized, purpose built 1972 Pinzgauer 710M which was designed primarily for Search and Rescue as well as for camping and overlanding. Check out my build then go to overlandexpo.com/coolride and vote for me ;-) You can see more pictures and details on my build at / sarpinz and on Instagram @SARpinz.

[@NelsonReyesJr]

Magnificent! I am a Police Sergeant and when Hurricane Irma hit us here in Miami, I used my 710K Pinz to patrol after the storm. I drove over trees and took over 3.5 feet of water like nothing. I hooked up blue led strobes and had all of my recovery gear, tools, and rigging in it. Now after watching your video I am inspired to 'kick it up a notch'! Thank you for the morivation!!!

[@SARpinz]

Nelson Reyes thank you. It’s easily the most enjoyable vehicle I’ve ever owned and I’m constantly amazed at its capability and capacity, given it’s small footprint and engine. I’d love to see pics of your rig if you have them posted somewhere 😁

[@georgenavarrete1454]

where do you get it services in Miami? I'm thinking of getting one but don't know who can work on it.

[@stoabock8971]

Thank you for restoring and keeping alive this peace of austrian car history! Nice greetings form Austria!

[@SARpinz]

My pleasure, they are indeed a very special vehicle.

[@MOOSEDOWNUNDER]

Must have cost a fortune brother. You have done a great job and i can only imagine what kind of a bloke you are giving your free time to save people. Nice one mate. Cheers Moose.

[@SARpinz]

MOOSEDOWNUNDER thanks moose

[@ricksmith480]

Outstanding rig ! Great job on outfitting your Pinz !

[@matthyde3364]

One of the coolest vehicles I have ever seen. Great job!!! Thank you for your service.

[@SARpinz]

Thank you Matt

[@willrussell8014]

I've loved this Pinz since you started it, man. Congrats on the recognition.

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Will, I appreciate that. I plan to do a few shorter videos focused on key areas so people can drill in and look at specific systems for reference as they think through their own builds. I learned so much from what others did (on all kinds of different vehicles) that I thought I would pay it forward ;-)

[@danpandapotan]

what a master piece !

[@SARpinz]

Thank you!

[@Toad_Hugger]

Was going to vote for you but... You already won! Congrats, it looks like a great vehicle!

[@vanguardhawkeye330]

absolute stunner of a rig!! love the comms set up!

[@nate9945]

Nicely done! Can't wait to see it up close. I voted for it too.

[@sobhi05]

Such a great setup! Love to own 6x6 Pinzgauer.

[@sarge27271]

I love Pinz's. You my good man have the cleanest and best Pinz build I have seen. KUDOS!! Got my vote! Cheers

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Sarge!

[@kingharryannis]

Beautiful,well done.Work of art.

[@Tinker1837]

Good grief the Pinz trucks are awesome, & yours is no exception! Thanks for keeping another one alive & on the road :)

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Tinker. I get grief from some of the traditionalists that like to see them restored and maintained in a stock condition. Mine is far from stock now, but it's been purpose-built for Search & Rescue work and is regularly used.

[@geraldhorst1]

one of the very best ever build. Loving it.

[@SARpinz]

Gerald Bartz thank you

[@danwhiteman2529]

Awesome Rig! You got my vote!

[@chrisparlow4450]

Dan Whiteman --- yea I'm with Dan on this it's a knock out! You have my vote.

[@longzee7259]

What an amazing little truck. Love it.!

[@bobloomis246]

Phenomenal build! Great job!

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Bob :-)

[@flanno]

What a beautiful build! Full rig there mate. Great job well done 👍

[@SARpinz]

Thank you.

[@alejandroesquivel1695]

Awesome rig! After seeing your build I am going to start looking for one of my own.

[@SARpinz]

I definitely recommend them, the core mechanical and off road functions have been flawless and have required little effort or cost to maintain. Plus, they are a blast to drive :-)

[@simbadgo]

awesome. this should be a serial production truck. ya and huge respect for that much precise work and details and everything its just incredible.

[@SARpinz]

Thank you :-)

[@harryvlavianos4562]

Superb build!

[@kenxie4753]

A greatest off-road camper vehicle ever I saw

[@richardmarchant3768]

Very, very cool! Well done that man.

[@user-mp8mu5fe4f]

nice work man . love it

[@ltdan406]

Love the mix of the old military rig with modern technology.

[@SARpinz]

ltdan406 thank you.

[@kennethmay9002]

The roof rack is very impressive, couldn't stop looking at it.

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Kenneth, I drew up the initial design and took it to a fabricator (Mule Expedition Outfitters in Issaquah, WA) who then turned it into reality for me. I wanted something lightweight (it's all aluminum, weighs less than 200lbs) that matched the original lines of the vehicle as much as possible.

[@bobdixon4998]

Very thoughtful design. Masterful.

[@AlloffroadAu]

very cool, just bought a 718K here in Australia and you provided some great ideas...

[@SARpinz]

Thanks. It's a learning process.. I'm currently working on getting a little extra height in the front for better clearance. It's a bit of trial and error since there aren't a lot of these around. I'm trying to share what I learn, as I go, to help others with their builds.

[@anthonylandrum63]

Thanks for sharing, Tony, Texas

[@brandon9034]

Absouluty fantastic truck! You did an awesome job! Need more videos of it off roading!

[@SARpinz]

Thank you. There's a few short videos on my Instagram feed (@sarpinz) but I'm usually so busy driving I forget to get video.. I have a buddy who does video that's going to get out with me this winter and help capture some footage.

[@SARpinz]

I just added a video of a snowmobile recovery I did last Sunday.. ;-)

AAAAMAZING!! :-D Incredible amaount of planning, enginering and fabrication, and what a awesome result. Getting juuuust a little bit jelaous here... :-)

[@SARpinz]

Thank you :-)

[@NewYorkCity1718]

REALLY CLEAN LOOKING!!!

[@tobiasmuller8276]

Yeaaahhhh !!! Made in Austria !!! Take care of him.....he has a soul !!!

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Tobias, I do ;-) - it's easily my favorite vehicle ever!

[@timecenter]

Great job !!!

[@TylerCNatureTy]

That thing is bad ass. As an ESAR trainee, I hope I get to ride in this one day.

[@davidmalmberg580]

walked around it several times at Expo West this year. Definitely one I won't soon forget. I grew up in Newcastle, Wa. so it was good to see some Washington plates in attendance.

[@SARpinz]

David Malmberg Haha, thanks. Born and raised in Wa, live in Redmond currently...

[@davidmalmberg580]

I think we can both agree, it's a great place to grow up. Thanks for your time and effort building this vehicle and being part of search and rescue. I may have to get lost up in the Cascades so I can get picked up in it, haha!

[@SARpinz]

Dude, if you want a ride just shoot me a PM via Facebook (facebook.com/sarpinz) or Instagram (@sarpinz) and let's go :-)

[@davidmalmberg580]

That is very kind of you. If I was still living up there I would jump on the chance. I currently live in Salt Lake City but visit Seattle on occasion to visit family. Next time I'm up that way maybe I will take you up on the ride and send you a pm on Facebook. Just started following on Fb. Looking forward to your posts.

[@SARpinz]

Definitely reach out if you're up this way. Always happy to get together and share a beer and some stories ;-)

[@drawingboy4343]

Beautiful and fantastic

[@davestowers5389]

Congratulations on the win!!! I saw your rig at the expo this year and I have to say, of all the other crazy rigs, you got a very deserving win. Nice work. Got a couple pics of it too. If you werent already answering questions, i would of said hi...and then you would of been talking about your rig even more! Lol. Btw- Walking around the camp area Saturday night, looking at all the overland set ups, when who do I see? I see you ripp'in around with a load of people in the back with the siren on and lights flashing. Everyone was all smiles holding on tight! That was awesome. Brought a smile to all our faces too. Anyway, nice job. P.S- Im a PNW local from Bellingham, but now live in Phoenix. I didnt notice the WA plate...but you get extra points from me fro bringing it all the way down! :)

[@SARpinz]

Haha, thanks Dave. We had a great time. What an awesome group of people. We really enjoyed getting around to check out all of the different rigs, there are some AMAZING setups there. I'll definitely be back. Hopefully I have my overlanding trailer set up by then and can pull it down with the Pinz next year..

[@darticulate8751]

Looks Great!

[@nathankoroush7918]

I saw a shot of this on, I Am Jake channel , fell in love with it

[@SARpinz]

I've had a few different people forward me videos that had some coverage of the Pinz, mostly from Overland Expedition but also from some other events/missions that I had it out on. The other day I was flipping through Pinterest looking for inspiration on a future update I'm planning and came across a Pin of my own rig, that was a bit surreal...

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

very cool . love it

[@jimflanagan6029]

Awesome rig, great job super jealous

[@SARpinz]

Thank you Jim, it's been a journey for sure :-)

[@derJackistweg]

This is a very cool rig!!! BUT NOT because of the BIG 3. These are always the same: LED lights, bumper and roof rack. What makes this thing special ist the torsion bar frame, the ground clearance with SMALL tires (due to portal axles) and the overall very small footprint.

[@johnmcclain4479]

Awesome setup! I would love to use some of your ideas for a bugout/over land camper.

[@SARpinz]

Help yourself. If you need close ups of anything let me know, happy to share. You can find more pics at facebook.com/sarpinz - also I am processing a series of short videos focused on specific areas and will be posting those shortly.

[@vectorkart]

One word, awesome!!!!!!!!

[@kingavegarage8722]

Awesome Wish I could give more than just thumbs up!

[@SARpinz]

I think you just did ;-)

[@edwhite4992]

Awesome rig!

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Ed 😊

[@TonyCharity206]

Great job! Congrats! I remember seeing it on a mission, Tiger Mtn I think.

[@SARpinz]

We are frequent flyers on Tiger 😉

[@kalamatacity]

well done !!!

[@IceDaemon]

Looks very nice.

[@calvin7740]

Sweet JOB !!!!!

[@SARpinz]

Thanks..

[@PhilTaylorPhotog]

Very nice!

[@briandechant972]

It’s a bit nicer than my 710M but not by much. Coolest rig I’ve ever had. I would consider selling it. Time for a change.

[@pinzgauernorcal]

Wow my stock pinz needs some cool tech. I like the air compressor and intercoms

[@gonewiththewind8072]

That's beautiful. Just saw this on instagram haha

[@SARpinz]

Thank you!

[@akltom]

great truck

[@koesbaskara1082]

I need the best SARPinz ASAP

[@jasonallenbaughn]

Sitting next to this right now at the lowes in Brevard NC

[@gmcevoy]

Congrats on your winning title! Well deserved! Fantastic piece of kit. As a potential Pinzy owner, I am highly interested in the fuel injection setup that you have, and the disc brake conversion. Anything to update or make it technically better... If you have any info about that, I would be glad to know more. Kindest regards.

[@dryyouth7104]

Super cool

[@dadautube]

anyone remember the Chariot from the Lost In Space (Robinson's family) series of the 1960s? i just love this style of vehicles! Leyland has similar ones too ...

[@vincefairleigh6899]

I love it! Although I’m partial to a hard top to keep the bears out, although the soft top would be lighter for off road.

[@SARpinz]

I really like the look of the Hard Top as well, originally I intended to get a Hard Top 6x6 but the soft top hauls more Searchers and the 4x4 is more maneuverable on our tight trails in the Pacific Northwest, which makes it work much better for Search & Rescue. I would still like to get a 712K at some point and turn it into a dedicated overlanding rig.

[@mijanulislam6229]

wow! what a nice small vehicle

[@SARpinz]

Thank you.,

[@tyler2780]

Thanks. I figured as much, judging by the copious amounts of custom parts on your rig. ;) There was a company that actually made them and they were essentially blank enclosures, but they are no longer in business unfortunately. I'll figure something out eventually. My next task is a full paint job.

[@SARpinz]

I can give you some measurements if you'd like. Take a look at the video I did and posted at facebook.com/sar which walks through the electrical system.

[@erikguth4830]

Well oh my! I’m not jealous but this is so perfect I think it should be cloned. If lust is ok for a 4X4 then game on.

[@SARpinz]

😂 - thanks mate!

[@jimmyratzlaff5630]

beautiful

[@meadmaker4525]

Dear God that Pinz is sweet!! The people at Mule worked some real magic for you! Did they do those red front entry steps for you, too? Looks like they're retractable (?). At 6'2, I always wondered if I'd be too tall for one of these, but can't help drooling anyway. Looks like those suspension seats are pretty much flush mounted, so not a lot of interior height lost there - nice!! Just a quick side note - About $300 to $400 in Dynamat will bring the decibel level down 20+. Throw some marine carpeting over it using a contact adhesive and you're set. Just a thought, if you'd like to quiet the ride a bit. Congrats on your win! You certainly deserved it for such an outstanding Pinz!! Can't imagine what all of those mods cost, but It was certainly worth it. There are a couple of radio-body 710Ks near me for about $25K. Sooooo tempting!!

[@SARpinz]

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it :-) the steps are removable by pulling a pin.. they came from Expedition Imports in Valejo, CA. I've had some 6'+ guys sit in the pinz and they were surprised at how well they fit, however the did comment that the sightline was a little challenging due to the height of the windshield.. for reference I'm 5'10" and fit great with loads of head room. Thanks for the tip on sound deadening. The place I'm going to start is in the rear.. the gearbox is the noisiest part of the drivetrain (when you push in the clutch it quiets down significantly) so I think my biggest gains will be targeting that sound. It's been on my list for a while, but there's always more to do than time to do it :-)

[@adept00]

Awesome setup. Recommend an ir package for what you are doing. Rovir 640 for the roof and a speedir night owl with ai detection for front. And also maybe a bear gun just in case lol Good luck!

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Ryan. I'll check it out. I've thought about IR, there's actually a space for an IR light stock and a space on the stock light switch to control it.. however I used that space to mount my siren speaker (perfect fit) so would need to find an alternate mounting location..

[@rc4x417]

Glad to hear you won! Congrats! That's a really fun looking rig! Where are the cup holders?!?!

[@SARpinz]

I picked up a set of cupholders from Tuffy Security Products and velcro'd them to top of the doghouse between the front seats. Let's see if this link will work, if not they are on my Facebook Page - facebook.com/SARpinz/photos/a.419882158363356.1073741828.417325181952387/478017389216499/?type=3&theater

[@rc4x417]

Ya, link worked, that looks like a comfy setup! Are those Mastercraft seats I see? I ran Corbeau seats in my offroad rig years ago, the suspensions seats are nice!

[@SARpinz]

Yep. They are MasterCraft Baja RS with custom 24v seat heaters I installed - being an air cooled engine with heat exchanger it doesn't warm up very well in the cold weather so the seat heaters help quite a bit on snow runs. At some point I'll pull the heating system apart and rebuild and trouble shoot it to see how much heat I can squeeze out..

[@xalspaero]

I saw basically this identical vehicle at microsoft campus in redmond a couple years ago, must have been you!

[@SARpinz]

Yep. I drive it to work (or used to) about once a week or so.. worked at Studio B for a long time, now over in 86. I have been there almost 21yrs 😊

[@callahanr5816]

dang it... I started this video thinking "wow this video is 30 minutes... Im not watching this entire thing.", and watched it all... Nice rig!

[@SARpinz]

That sounds like how I made it. I started filming to do a quick walkaround and ended up going much longer than expected..

[@franzhinterregger6351]

Steyr Austria was/is not only able to build some fine weapons :-) Keep it...prices for that vehicles are going through the roof over here.....

[@wcresponder]

Damn that's sweet! Aside from noise from transmission it almost seems perfect. What do you think of lighting in the recess of the side ladders for scene/ladder lighting? Something small. For the mud tracks what about a hinge on the drivers side ladder( right side rail) with a aluminum flap to cover the leading edge to the bolts(reduced in length)and a pin retainer? Flush, reduces snagging at leading edge(?), easy, may even improve fuel economy 0.00001%. Just an idea. Any interest in commercializing this layout?

[@SARpinz]

Great feedback and suggestions, thank you. I'm not interested in commercializing at this point. Too busy with other priorities (family, work, SAR, etc.). I still have more work to do on this one ;-)

[@timkirkpatrick9155]

As a firefighter EMR in NM I am impressed. What was the cost? if that is not too cheeky! Didn't see any water capacity? Also consider a stokes config for evac., Put extrac. and rigging in exterior access. ( under box on sides.) Totally cool you got my vote! Consider marine electrical passage systems and wiring. Not to be critical, but clean up the coms.Unnecessary complexity. Much better systems out there. Still love it. Beware the ram mounts they do polish and slip.

[@SARpinz]

Hi Tim, into it for $20K initial purchase price and around $30-40K in upgrades to get it to this point. I don't have water mounted at this point. I have a few different solutions I carry for myself and subjects. For litter carry I have tie downs up top that I use for carrying in and then either side of the bench seating can be folded flat and a litter slides in for transporting out. Regarding comms, the current system works well for me. Since I'm paying for everything out of pocket I have to spend smart. The system I'm running is a mix of systems I've run over the past 7-8yrs in SAR and works extremely well for the money. The more integrated systems that exist are considerably more expensive and my system is both stable and expandable, both of which are critical. Thanks for all of the feedback, I appreciate it.

[@timkirkpatrick9155]

I fully understand your exigencies and have the same myself. Re: coms, I was actually looking at the wiring and suspect it could be simplified. But I am just a fly on the wall. Stay safe and don't let the turkeys get you down.

[@user-ks3bg3pe8j]

素晴らしい素敵な車ですね。

[@johndoe-wh6td]

Wow!

[@julianascher1796]

Hi, what a beautifu pinz! You upgraded the Brakes, into Discs, right? Wich Discs did you use? And did you also cange front and rear or only the the front? Kind regards

[@tyler2780]

I’m looking to do nearly the same roto pax idea on my pinz...did you mount your brackets directly to the body or did you have to space them out to make room for the Tuff river top? I have the same top as well and I assume to access the bungee you have to remove the roto pax temporarily due to the pax being so close.

[@SARpinz]

We built brackets.. if you hit me on Facebook or Instagram (both are @SARPINZ) and send me a DM I'll send you some close-ups of the brackets and how they are attached. They work really well...

[@chrisluehmann3094]

this thing is fucking awesome

[@SARpinz]

Thanks.

[@funkerlug]

Where did you get your overhead center console? That's what I've been looking for, seemingly for years. Or, is it custom? I've got about as many electronics as you do as well, so housing them is tough, as you know.

[@SARpinz]

Tyler p it's custom. I started with a cardboard template and we worked from there until we got the shape right and then built it out of aluminum and covered it in bedliner.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

pretty rad rig

[@SARpinz]

Thank you!

[@pauljohansson7697]

I just subscribed to your channel.

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Paul. Sadly other commitments keep me from being very active, but I try to work with local media companies to tell the story of our volunteers when I can so people recognize the work they do for the community. I feel privileged to get to work with such great people.

[@adlaistevenson2777]

Looks great. Have you used the winch in the last few years?

[@SARpinz]

Yes, it's used regularly. I teach off road driving and recovery techniques for the Sheriff's Office, Search & Rescue teams, and for private clubs.. so it's used constantly in training scenarios as well as for missions and recoveries.

[@s4n714g000]

Could you make a video driving it? are these rare in the US or even Switzerland? it's such an interesting machine, thanks for uploading.

[@SARpinz]

Here's a video driving in the Snow, I'll get some more and post it.. facebook.com/SARpinz/videos/430996023918636/

[@intercept7965]

16:19 You may go for a variant of a Cotter pin style fitting.

[@user-ps6lo7iy9m]

omg im totally attracted by your pinz

[@SARpinz]

Thank you ;-)

[@jonijoni4171]

Очень не плохо 👍👏🙌

[@kendon81]

is this an official rescue vehicle? or just a home made fan truck.

[@SARpinz]

Kenneth Donnelly I actively use it for Search and Rescue in King County, Wa. You can see more photos, including some from missions, at Facebook.com/sarpinz

[@kendon81]

sorry i posted while i watching the video and then it answered my question for me, i didn't remove the comment because i don't remove comments i make on KZbin or social media unless im very wrong or asked to remove it, if you can't stand by your comments then why make them. Cool Truck.

[@SARpinz]

Kenneth Donnelly no prob. Its a good question that may be useful for someone else 😉

[@gibbethoskins8621]

Holy shit that's awesome

[@littlejln213]

RAD!!! I live in Leavenworth are you going to be at the Plain overlanding expo? I ruptured my Achilles and wont be able to make it this year. But I will be there next year. I think it was this weekend actually.

[@SARpinz]

My daughter's Grad party conflicted with Northwest Overland Rally or I would have been there. Next year :-)

[@littlejln213]

I understand, priorities. Thanks for answering, I will be looking forward to meeting you next year. I am very interested in getting one of these vehicles and you have one of the finest examples I've seen.

[@Devin_Stromgren]

Does having that winch in front of the grill affect engine cooling?

[@SARpinz]

I originally was worried that it might but when I was in Arizona I met with a few members of the Southwest Pinzgauer Association they said it doesn't impact temp at all. They've been running Winches in that spot for years with no impact. I've had it running for 6hrs straight while doing a Snowmobile rescue, and temp never rose above 200.. so it doesn't appear to ;-)

[@tomahawk5118]

This truck is the tits! Only thing I’d add are weapons including a belt fed ‘cause ‘merica! Fj40’s rock too. I run an FJ. Awesome stuff man.

[@Mocking69]

素晴らしい車だ!!

[@SARpinz]

Mocking69 thank you 😁

[@NelsonReyesJr]

Very nice job. May Ibhavr the info on the person who fabricated the roof and side rack? I would like to get one for my 710m, maybe for my 710k as well. Thanks for sharing.

[@SARpinz]

Check out Mule Expedition Outfitters in Issaquah, WA. They fabricated the rack for me based on my design.

[@garvincentcia5873]

Mount a video camera on your molcontrol flood light.

[@SARpinz]

garvin centcia clever boy...

[@theinterfaithshepherd9075]

I live in Issaquah. I love your truck. I would like to see it at night with all the lights on! Although not as a rescuee :)

[@SARpinz]

Thanks Pat, I'm just up the hill from you in Sammamish :-) There's some photos on my Facebook Page lit at night (facebook.com/sarpinz) but their buried down the page somewhere, good idea for a video! I'll do that..

[@theinterfaithshepherd9075]

IMHO a video of it approaching on a dark forest trail like an alien spacecraft :) Then perhaps a video of it with all lights on and rescue workers gathered around :) Well have fun with your truck and videos and I will say hi if I ever see it/you!

[@SARpinz]

Great suggestion :-) Definitely say hi, I drive it from time to time to keep it running well and work out the kinks.

[@brostugen]

What was the drivetrain called again, porto-axle?

[@SARpinz]

Sorry for slow reply, other commitments keep me from being able to engage here much.. the drivetrain is closest to a tractor in it's layout. The entire system is in a series of sealed tubes and connected to the wheels with Portal Axles that allow much greater ground clearance. This article about the Unimog, the Pinzgauer's older brother, does a great job explaining them - www.autotrader.com/car-news/mercedes-benz-unimog-and-its-complex-portal-axles-268999

[@pinzgauerbelgium]

Its called a " backbone " chassis.....same design as Tatra.

[@user-ps6lo7iy9m]

wow awesome！where did you build this beautiful baby ? or it is built by yourself ?

[@SARpinz]

It is my design, some of the build I did, some of it I worked with local fabricators and craftsmen to build.

[@user-ps6lo7iy9m]

SARpinz cool

[@fiendeng]

Who are you SAR trained through?

[@SARpinz]

King County Search and Rescue, under King County Sheriff's Office.