After we had determined that our new Syncro must have a pop-up roof, we found one from 1988 in Thurgau. Actually, we weren't ready to buy a new Syncro, but the selection is now very limited and so we took it. The price was good and the bus offered more or less everything we needed except for a few "minor" modifications and repairs.

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So at the beginning we still had both Syncros and tried to sell our beloved Günther to a buyer who was as suitable as possible and to give it to a new family. This did not work for a long time, but after a year we found a new family for Günther. During that time I was busy taking care of Zacharias. First the rickety Reimo Jolly interior came out, because you could not really expect anyone to use it. Then the true splendor of the green monster was revealed. Insulated with glass wool, stone wool, construction foam and styrofoam, the previous owner of course immortalised Zacharias with a lot of moisture and rust. It had to be welded here and there, but so far all primarily cosmetic work. At the same time I looked for a "new" transmission pair that has both lockers and a shorter gear ratio. We found this near Berlin, it was almost on our way to Berlin and so we came to 5.43 transmissions with two lockers, which first went to be overhauled. An additional decoupler and an extended 4th gear were also installed there. We find this an ideal gear ratio for our travel Syncro.

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When the gearbox was exchanged, the tank came out to see what rust was hidden behind it - and that was quite a bit. It always gets worse, but there were rust perforations on the side member - and the question arose as to whether this Syncro is worth further restoration or not. But after I had put so much time into it, we answered the question with YES!

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For the first vacation in Sardinia with Zacharias it was still possible, only the spring mounts had to be welded at the back, because these were rather non-existent and we were probably lucky that the springs did not fly around our ears on the way from Thurgau back home . The pop-up roof was also provided with new fabric and Armaflex on the inside as insulation. Of course, everything up to 10 minutes before departure.

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After the vacation we rented an indoor space in Rupperswil for 2 months at the end of 2019. A friend took over the more difficult welding work and I worked on other parts all around - which is what you do when you already have a lift and are not always lying in the underground car park below the van. So a lot of things were worked up that might not be 100% necessary but certainly didn't do any harm. After this cure with several working days that ended late at night, the bus was actually in pretty good shape again and the substance was straightened out. It was followed by minor alterations here and there and in the winter of 19/20 I assembled most of the interior for Zacharias.

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We thought for a long time what kind of color we should give Zacharias. During a camping weekend we noticed that you can see Zacharias even on a green meadow for miles. We wanted to avoid that you could see the bus from afar and at the same time not give the appearance of a military vehicle. The choice fell on an anthracite, of course any color, no matter how lightly camouflaged, is also used by the military, but that seemed the best option, especially to me as a pacifist. Since Günther was a tiger and to add something playful, we decided to make Zacharias a black panther. We were able to paint the bus in Jonas' hall (thank you very much!). For 3 weeks I was grinding, welding and, at the end, painting for 3 hours. Never again! But at least it turned out well.

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In between there were always smaller and larger construction sites and in the end we decided to have the 2.1l SR engine overhauled this time before the trip and not during the trip. It got a few small upgrades and hopefully brings the necessary power to bring us 4 wherever we want. During the time we were waiting for the new engine, I dealt with the electrics - yes, I know, you do it before the expansion - the next time it is done beforehand. I had a physics advanced course at school, but electricity was never my favourite. So I had 1-2 weeks for the work that some people might do in 1-2 days. A cable was too short here and I had crimped the wrong sleeve there and and and. Now everything is built in and works very well so far. We have 2x110 W solar on the shelf but unfortunately, that didn't go so well in the underground car park, as the bus only has about 10 cm of air to the ceiling, so we had to find one of the few good weather periods this summer.

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For the chassis, I decided on a combination of OME shock absorbers and Schwenk springs. Hopefully this will provide the necessary ground clearance so as not to tear the underbody somewhere in Kazakhstan and still have enough (not too hard) spring travel to not have to go to the orthopedic after 100km. Add to that 215/75 R15 AT tires and nothing more can happen. Unfortunately, things turned out differently again because the Schwenk springs are not compatible with a shock extension. So they have to go and we have to find a new solution.

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If you are interested in the more precise technical details, perhaps because you are thinking for yourself what to build in or not, don't hesitate to contact us. If possible, we are happy to provide information and try to pass on our passion to as many as possible.