Owner of two 1970`s/1980`s Argos in Northern B.C. Canada. I been checking out this site for a good couple years now ever since I got my first 8x8 Argo in late summer of 2017 for any info I could find. I quickly learn mechanical transmission parts are gone with the dinosaurs. Anyway the 8x8 was in real rough shape. It had single cylinder Tecumseh which surprisingly ran. But had no go forward or reverse. Yup stripped transmission. So I find a place in the US sells NOS parts. I needed input shaft and double gear and reverse idler. No input shaft available but I snag the idler and double gear they have. I found a local to me machine shop who built me an input shaft. So the project begins and many changes made. Engine freshened up, trans rebuilt, new chains. Now what? Lets build a ROPS with canvas roof and windshield. Ok thats done now what? Front skid plate and full under belly protection with 1/4 inch UHMW. Ok done. Hmmm I need to plow snow for winter so I build a snow plow. Cool it works NOW what? I dont like the Tecumseh so out it goes and a brand new Honda GX630 twin cylinder goes in. So all R and D and fabrication is done by myself all over the last year and a half and its still not done. My last mod was replacing the single forward speed "JH" trans I rebuilt with a 610-17 HU trans from a 2000`s Bigfoot. Whats next? Well I picked up a 70`s Argo 6x6 in November 2018 in worse shape than the 8x8. So lets talk about the 6x6. I`ve just started this project as of this weekend. So far i`ve plastic weld patched a couple tub cracks, bed lined the whole inner/outer lower tub, all new idler bearings/chains and drive chains. Its no longer a Tecumseh but now a Honda GX620 twin cylinder. The "G" code transmission same story as the 8x8`s, stripped. I bought a trans a few weeks ago which thankfully had no stripped gears but with a 6.25:1 ratio in high gear its not exactly geared for speed. So after studying the Argo parts manual I came to the conclusion I can make this a high speed trans using two gears from the very first trans I rebuild for the 8x8. So here we are now its a high speed unit. So plans for the 6x6 is to strip off the green house paint from the upper body that someone in history used to change color from orange to a dark green. There is a special process to prep HDPE plastic to accept paint but in this case i`m bedlining the upper half beige and then painting it. It has the original windshield and at one point had a bimini top ( I know this because all the tube brackets are still riveted to the body) and a tonneau cover (because theres rows of snaps along the sides of the body) which I assume both accessories were taken off and lost years ago. So I shall build my own and give this little 6x6 its former glory. I have about 300 pictures of the 8x8 rebuild alone and I`m picture documenting the 6x6 as well. As soon as I make a photobucket account I will post a link because pictures say 1000 words.
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. So I found an old Argo and I'm rebuilding it. It's an early 80's HTB. Although the Tecumseh engine is in good shape (although missing the carb), I also found a good running Kohler twin complete with newer trans and hyd brakes from a similar year KB model, so I'm going to put that in instead.
