Team-BHP - Modifying my Endeavour 3.0 4x4 AT for Off Roading!

Hi all, I have been doing loads of Offroading but have not updated here. I will just highlight the most recent event that I have been to with the Endeavour: The Bangalore OTR 2013! This was by far the most hardcore offroad event I have done and was really meant only for jeeps and gypsys. Throughout the first day of check in I was getting doubtful questions of whether I was going to take the Endeavour on the trail or not and honestly I was doubting whether I would too. Was it worth it? The organizers initially told me that I should participate only on trail 1 (slush trail). The organizers also said that the trail was going to be more open this time so not many chances for scratches, which made me more comfortable.

So the first day of the Bangalore OTR had arrived. I deflated to 25 psi and joined the convoy heading out to trail 2. Did not deflate too low because i still needed the clearance to avoid damage on the Rocks. Just 2 km from the camp the trail started with a tough climb with a diff smashing jewel of a rock right at the top. People were giving me doubtful looks asking if I was going to do it, some were suggesting that I park my vehicle at the start, and only a select few were encouraging me to give it a shot (my Chennai group who knew my capabilities and the capabilities of my vehicle). Besides, all my offroad experience so far and all my vehicle preparation has lead me up to this point. To turn back now and hop into a Jeep would just defeat the purpose of building up a vehicle in the first place! I was in two minds for a long time but at the end, after surveying the climb closely, I decided to do give it a shot! From that point onwards, I did not look back and did every trail but took bypasses if available for the extremely hard obstacles. Loved the trail and was very very impressed with the performance of the Big Ford!

Props to the Organizers, it was an AWESOME event in every way!

Here are some pictures and videos from the event:

Link to Playlist that will play all the video of the Endeavour in Order: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7BFA073862A88AA

Individual Videos:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SineU...2A88AA&index=1
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrOJc...2A88AA&index=2
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNb4E...2A88AA&index=3
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKzyl...2A88AA&index=4
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gm8W...2A88AA&index=5
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLMpg...2A88AA&index=6
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6bjW...2A88AA&index=7
8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6S1h...2A88AA&index=8
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzDz-...2A88AA&index=9
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lmm8...A88AA&index=10
11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFKSd...A88AA&index=11

Photos:

Update after completion of the Wayand Monsoon OTR:

Since the SUVs were lined up at the end of the pack on the first day, there was a lot of waiting around due to the trail being super slippery and a few vehicles breaking down ahead, but we eventually got to do some really challenging climbs and descents, some of which we had no choice but to get winched out. Still had a great time. Was accompanied throughout by my group of SUVs which comprised of a Scorpio getaway, Pajero, and another Endeavour. All of which had been lifted 2 inches and had MT tyres. Apart from these SUVs there were also 2 land cruisers, and one Scorpio. All of which performed admirably.

The second day was the timed drive through the man made challenging slush filled course that had sharp turns, water pits, articulation pits and sharp climbs and descents. I had to reverse a few times to make some turns and barely made one climb with a lot of wheel spin and left foot braking to activate TORSEN LSD but apart from that had a good smooth run. After my run I found out that I had made a pretty good time but got beaten in the end by a shorter wheel base Scorpio that didn't have to reverse as much in the turns. Placed 2nd in the SUV category and got some ironman lights as a prize.

Overall it was a fantastic and well organised event in which I hope to see many more SUVs next year. An added bonus is also the spectacular scenery on the drive to Wayanad. We got to drive through national forests and extremely scenic country sides. Highly recommended trip.

Few pics from the Wayanad monsoon OTR, front bumper, and underbody protection below.

So after getting stuck in an OTR with bumper dug into the ground as seen in the last photo and hitting my nose on a climb during the Wayanad Monsoon OTR (video in previous post above), I decided to make some modifications to my front bumper to significantly improve its off-road performance. Decided to do this through 2 ways: First by improving the approach angle by removing the bottom square bar and second by fitting an angled skid plate so that even if the bumper makes contact with the ground, it will not dig itself in like a ground anchor but slide over the ground instead. The skid plate connects where you can see the three bolts at the bottom with the Ironman Underbody Protection that was already fitted.

The bumper is still slightly lower than I would have liked but because of the low chassis and front mounted intercooler, it was not possible to mount the winch plate any higher. Approach angle is still not as good as can be achieved from a Fortuner / Pajero etc that have top mounted intercoolers, but I don't think it will be a big hindrance / limitation anyway.

The modification was done here locally at Ignite Garage and I am very happy with the way it came out. The skid plate has not yet been painted and there are some small gaps that will be closed off later but the basic design I feel is good and is exactly like what I wanted. Now the only thing that remains is to test it out off-road and see if the skid plate functions as expected.

This bumper is winch compatible because it has the winch plate of the Ironman 4x4 bumper so When I install a winch in the near future, I will make a cut in the skid plate to allow the winch cable to pass through.

Important: Even though I am happy with the bullbar, I'm not so sure that I would recommend a custom bullbar for all SUV owners. Companies like Ironman and ARB have bullbars for most 4x4 SUVs that are rigorously tested for strength and safety. They are even airbag compliant! Which means that even you have the bullbar fitted and have a collision, the airbags will still trigger - a huge safety benefit. The bullbars from these companies are also stronger than this tubular design so damage to the vehicle and its occupants will be mitigated much better than a custom bullbar.

Some quick Points that will help you decide whether you want a Custom bullbar or Ironman/ARB Bullbar
1) Customer bullbar is far cheaper: Ironman bullbar is the cheapest you can get in india and that itself is around 65,000 to 70,000 for the Endeavour whereas the custom bullbar will cost only around 20,000 max
2) Ironman BB is airbag compliant, custom may not be
3) Ironman BB is stronger
4) Custom BB is much lighter - slight increase of offroad performance
5) Approach angle and skid plate design is better on my custom bumper that Ironman BB - custom is less likely to get stuck
6) I think that the custom BB looks better and gives it a more of a RAW Baja truck look with exposed front tyres which is what I was going for with that giant front skid plate and open fenders design. Personally, I love the look.

I wonder sometimes whether i should have coughed up the money for an Ironman BB but I think for me since I drive slow and safe on road anyway, I am able to live with the decreased safety of the custom BB.

Unexpected but awesome benefit of fitting a Bullbar: I feel so much more fearless of the autos and other rash drivers on the road. These drivers have the bad habit of cutting into my lane even though I am already there and expect me to brake to avoid damage to my car. I hate these motorists with a passion and now I don't have to brake anymore to avoid them. I just stay my course and if they continue moving into my lane they they will hit me. Pretty soon they see what I have at the front of my car and realize that im not moving anywhere. If they still hit me then big deal. No damage to my car, only damage to theirs. This might not be the best attitude to have but its seriously time people realize how to drive properly here. The difference in on road presence I feel with this beast of an Endeavour is clearly noticeable when it goes into the garage for some work and I have to drive my mom's yellow VW Beetle! That bug seriously gets no respect on the roads!

PS: If anyone knows how to insert attachments in line please let me know, I am not able to find out how. Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Endeavour333 (Post 3247596)

Quote:

Originally Posted by vroom666 (Post 3247912)

You are truly making use of the Endy as it should be. Most of the others on road treat it like a pseudo SUV and buy it only for the size. Any recent OTR threads I go to, I see pics & videos of your vehicle clap: So good job there!!

Someday I plan to pick the Xenon and use ot the same way as you have done to your Endy inspite of the negatives due to size, overhang etc.

And w.r.t your last para benefits of a bullbar, I can completely relate to it as the same happens to me with my Gypsy now. While previously in my hatchback rickshaws & 2 wheelers used to cut in my lane, with the heavy winch bumper on my Gypsy they do not dare to :D

Thank you Vroom666! I also just realized that the pictures did not get attached. Here they are:

Some Pictures from Day 2 of the Wayanad Annual Monsoon Offroad Event are below. This was such a great event and the first time that I have actually taken part in a competition with my SUV.

The crowd at the event was amazing. It was almost like the In car footage of old Rally races where you see people ON the track in front of the car to take photos or get a good view and stepping out of the way when the car is just 10 feet away from them. The tape barriers and wooden poles were not sufficient to keep such a crazy crowd away from the tracks so the Organizers asked me if having the spectators so close to the track impeded driving confidence due to a risk of injury to spectators and I said yes. Because even if the car veers off course slightly I will be driving over spectators. It was still amazing to hear the spectators cheering you on all through the Adrenaline filled 5 minutes of driving :thumbs up

Attended the most recent Bangalore OTR last weekend which was very smoothly conducted as usual. Had a great time doing whatever trails I could, not bothering about scratches and things that most other SUV owners would sweat bullets about. The 4 vehicles and 8 participants from Chennai, including me, arrived fashionably late for the event and after a light breakfast and coffee, were directed to the "Fun trail drive" first.

I almost got stuck nose first in the first obstacle because of the less than desirable approach angle but managed to make the front slide enough across the ground after a few forward and reverse motions. The modification to add that angled skid plate definitely paid off immediately as it prevented me from being stuck in a very embarrassing situation! This wasn't even the hard part. Next after the steep drop was a sharp 90 degree climb immediately to the right. Was trying several times to climb that slope with 10 people giving all kinds of instructions but trying to climb the slope at an angle was just not working out because of the cross axle situation I was getting in. IFS was not articulating enough at all either and popping the front left in the air. Damn a locker was sorely needed here. By this time about 30 people had gathered to watch an XXL SUV try this challenging obstacle. So instead of trying to climb at an angle, went past the climb, reversed squeezing through some trees and made it up on my first try in 2 Low to the loud applause of all the onlookers.

The other obstacles on this trail were nothing difficult except for one place where I smashed my rear on some rocks trying to get momentum for the climb ahead. Good thing I had my steel rear bumper.

While the trail drive wasn't a competitive stage, this next one was. My spotter Bala and I had been talking strategy and lines for this stage for at least half an hour and by the time I did it, it turned out to not be difficult at all. Or I might have just gotten lucky with the line and momentum I used. Made it to the end without any issues.

Skipped the next competitive stage due to very demanding break-over angles that were required. Even some gypsys ended up beached on the sharp climbs so I decided that it wasn't worth it and gave it a skip.

The last competitive stage was next (all the pictures below are from this stage). Have to congratulate the BODA guys for coming up with the innovative idea of putting a filled to the brim water bucket on top of the bonnet and seeing who can spill the least water by the end of the stage. Given a 10 min time limit of course. This challenge was meant to reward the smoothest driver and the least bouncy suspension. I made it to the big rock in the middle of the trail and had figured out that the best line was to take the left most edge but what we didn't foresee was the cross axle situation that it would put the car in. Without lockers the front left and right rear were spinning trying to get the front right over a sharp rock. Even the Torsen LSD in the rear wasn't of much use. My tyres too were nearing the end of their useful life so combined I just didn't have enough traction to get it over. Every time I tried to use some momentum the front IFS arm would make contact with a rock so after 5 or 6 attempts I decided to give up and exit the trail.

Still had a fantastic time at the event, and have now come to the realization that I need bigger tyres! So 33" Maxxis Bighorn 764s (New Pattern) are going on the car mid January in preparation for the Annual Bangalore OTR end of Jan. These tyres are not supposed to fit on the car with just a 2" Lift but to make it fit I have to remove the fender flares and make something custom. Cant wait to see what it looks like :)

Apart from that Check out this BEAUTIFUL photo taken by Amol Pol: