Isuzu NPS 300 camper build

4x4coaster

Adventurer
Thought it was about time I started a thread for my project.

I purchased the 2008 Isuzu NPS300 from Pickles Auctions in Dubbo in May 2014.
We took the extra days between Easter & Anzac day which gave us about 10 days to meander up to Dubbo from Geelong, check out the truck, and meander home again via the eastcoast. The auction was a couple of weeks later and I requested to have someone bid on my behalf while I was on the other end of the phone which they agreed to.

They rang me about 2 minutes before the lot was scheduled and it was all over in about 45 seconds, I was the proud new owner of an Isuzu NPS.
It was used as a utility vehicle by a power company erecting or maintaining power lines, it had a crane on the back (which was removed before auction) lockers down each side, ladder racks and a 24v warn winch in the rear and factory alloy bullbar and only had 85k on the clock. The Interior was in pretty good shape so all in all it was in good condition.

I scoured the for sale sites for months and it was rare for any NPS's to come up in Victoria at all and the single cab ones are a lot harder to find than dual cabs, so Dubbo was about as close as I could find to pick one up at a reasonable price.
It took about 2 weeks to get the truck transported to Melbourne and it had current registration so I drove it home from the transport depot in Melbourne to Geelong.
Since then I have removed all the hydraulic related equipment and rear winch and sold them. I then sold the tool boxes and eventually the tray as well. The only thing left is the ladder racks. So now I have a bare cab chassis to start on.

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Here's the catch, I need to sell my previous project to help fund the rest of the conversion on the NPS. So the 4x4 Toyota Coaster, which is my avatar pic, is for sale in Gumtree, Trading Post online & caravancampingsales.com.au

The Coaster is a very capable vehicle and is getting 15.5 L/100k which is about 18MPG (imp) and can cruise on 110k easily on the freeway with its cummins 6b and 5 speed auto.

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Since selling off the tray I have started preparing for the conversion, I cleaned all the chassis down, sprayed it with ‘Fertan' which is a great rust treatment, and then hand painted the chassis while it was easy to get to. I sourced a second fuel tank, exactly the same as the one fitted, from a wrecker in Melbourne for a very good price (taken off a new truck for CFA conversion) and it included the chassis brackets. Only thing missing was the fuel sender so I just bought a new one for about $100. I decided to put the fuel tank beside the existing one so had to get some exhaust mods done to clear the tank brackets and move the exhaust brake forward a little.

I also removed all the cabin seats and floor covering and rear wall trims then cleaned everything and fitted resomat to all the floor and rear wall up to the glass. I also added some additional carpet underlay besides the original before re-fitting all the vinyl mats and seats. Even though it wasn't overly noisy on the road, it still made a worthwhile difference to the noise level. You can barely hear the engine running while just sitting idling and the windows up.

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My 2 projects!

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SkiFreak

Crazy Person
Given the time and effort you put into the build of your Coaster, I am a little surprised to hear that you are selling it.
If you don't mind me asking... why?
 

4x4coaster

Adventurer
Given the time and effort you put into the build of your Coaster, I am a little surprised to hear that you are selling it.
If you don't mind me asking... why?


The coaster is a brilliant tourer and turns heads where ever it goes. I suppose it boils down to wanting a fully equipped vehicle with shower & built in toilet and I didn't want to gut the interior and start again, and I just like having a new project! The coaster is at the end of its development for me so time to move on!
 

Curtis in Texas

Adventurer
Oh Cool! Another Isuzu build.

You guys are killing me.

I have the shop, tools and skills to build one for myself, but too many projects in the way to get one started.

And being a retired Power Company Employee this one has my attention.

:lurk:
 

4x4coaster

Adventurer
Curtis, I'm doing my bit to restore balance, this was becoming a Fuso Forum!:D

I don't have a large storage yard or access to a forklift or gantry, so getting the tray off was all about using what I had. The new owners were going to do their own mods to it so weren't concerned about me cutting some parts off like the mudgaurds and some other brackets hanging under the tray. I had to make it possible to slide the tray straight off the back of the isuzu chassis. So after all the bolts were removed and electrics disconnected I hooked the tray up to the winch cable from my Coaster in the garage and started dragging it backwards until it was close to the point of balance. Then I used a stack of old wheels to rest the rear of the tray on so it wouldn't topple and drove the isuzu out till the tray was just on the chassis. Next I positioned my box trailer under the tray and centred it the best I could. Then I just drove the truck out from under the tray and it was done.
The benefit of the box trailer was that it would help getting the tray on to the back of the truck that was coming to collect it; just tilt the trailer back until the front of my tray could rest on the back of the collecting vehicle, which was an Isuzu NPR with aluminium tray. To get the tray up on to the truck I used my winch again from behind via a snatch block chained to the front of the collecting trucks' tray. Once the cable ran out of travel through the snatch block I just used the Coaster's bull bar to push it the rest of the way.
Here are some pics of the removal;

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Curtis in Texas

Adventurer
That was damn cleaver. Use what you got!

You might say I'm a big Isuzu Fan. I have 5 Troopers (two of them diesel), 1 SAS'ed Rodeo, and an I Mark Turbo Diesel. Almost bought an NPR last year to build an Expedition Camper on, but the wife pointed out I had no where to park it.

So! I'll follow your build and plan for the day I make room for another project.

The Fuso builds are cool, but I'm an Isuzu guy.
 

Goldanfish

Observer
Keep at the build and someone will buy your Coaster, I remember seeing it at Elmore, it really looks something.
All the best.
John
 

bushmoz

New member
I am so glad you have started this thread. I am in the process of looking at different bases, the Isuzu NPS 300 4x4 being one. My wife and I intend heading off in a 4x4 motorhome from here near the southern tip of Africa on a journey without any final destination or end date in about 3 years time. The other vehicles being considered are the Iveco Daily and the Fuso.
Maybe you can advise me on a few questions,
1 is cabin access from the cab. Is it possible to have easy access with the Isuzu? (We are both keen photographers and there will be times that one of us will have to move to the cabin in order to photograph the action)
2 can the engine be worked on without the cab being tipped forward?
Thanks for you time and response
Butch
 

4x4coaster

Adventurer
Thanks John (Goldanfish)!

Bushmoz,
you can have a 'crawl-through' from cabin to camper which has a detachable boot between the two, as you will be able to see on many of the builds in this forum.

There is no engine access through the floor in a single cab, you have to tilt the cab to get at the motor.
 

SkiFreak

Crazy Person
Well... you learn something new every day. ;)
Mind you, if you fit bucket seats on the passenger's side of a Fuso you pretty much lose the ability to access the engine hatch, unless you do some sheet metal work to reduce the hatch size.
 

Curtis in Texas

Adventurer
I was under the impression that only the crew cabs had an engine hatch. But my knowledge is based on the 90's and early 2000 year model Zu's. I have Factory Service Manuals for those years.
 

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