piratexpress1369a
Explorer
alot of hard work you have put into this build ..glad i found it ..can;t wait for the next update
Unimogadventures - Our build and travel thread
- Thread starter Iain_U1250
- Start date
Iain_U1250
Explorer
A little bit of progress this week, but fairly frustrating as I find that i get to a point in each build that I have to stop and order, then wait for various parts.
I started to do do some work in the dashboard and the interior of the truck. The first thing was to sort out the dash, so I fished out the gauge from storage and started to figure out the layout. Looking at the gauges, they looked terrible. No way I could put them back into a new dash, so I started to do some research and found a place in Brisbane that refurbishes instruments. I decided to take them over so they could have a look and let me know what they can do. They said they could fix up the needles and the bezels, and service the speedo and reset it back to zero. The also had a nice VDO boost gauge, and a voltmeter, so I decide to get them as well. They will take a few weeks to do it, so I'll have to wait for a while to get going on the dash again. This is the "before" photo.
The good news is that the interior progressed a bit - but as usual, nowhere near as much as promised.
The front overhead locker was installed - and it looks pretty good. It provides some useful storage and neither Trish of I have been able to hit our heads or shoulders on it yet despite our best efforts
.
The covers for the drawers under the bed were also fitted. In order to line them up properly, they were glued together with all the gaps properly spaced out, then it was stuck onto the drawers with Sikaflex.
The covers stiffen up the drawer fronts a lot, I made them out of pretty light material, to keep the weight down and because they are to hold clothes and shoes. The end result was that the drawer front was pretty flexible, I reinforced the top edge with a folder channel, but it remained quite flexible. I also reinforce the area around the lock with some 1.2mm steel, as that area will take most of the load when driving. Now that the composite panel is glued on, they are very stiff. This is the end result with all the mouldings etc in place. The drawer runners are stiff enough so that even fully open, the drawer don't hit the side panel when you push them sideways, so it should be OK.
The toilet door was returned with the correct wood strip in place, I think it looks a lot better than just a plain white door, and should stand up to day to day use without loads of shoe marks. I'm still waiting for the inner ledge, so that we can fit the door catch and he rubber seal around the door. The smaller cupboard next to the toilet make s a good place for our second inverter - this one if the free replacment for the one that caught fire in the Land Rover. The technical report talks about a faulty capacitor with an "Impurity" whcih whist produced a lot of smoke. The report also said that the design is such that whilst the inverter may fail and prodcuce loads of smoke, they do not produce enough external heat to cause a fire, and are self extinguishing. Apparently there is an international standard for this and the 8Zed inverters comply with this standard. I upgraded to higher spec 2000w inverter for only a few more dollars more. I hope this one lasts longer than the first one, but I will have a shut off switch close at hand for this one - just in case.
The next part of the build was really frustrating, time and time again I found I was not able to finish something because of a one or two little missing bits. I started to do the final plumbing of the air system. I am starting to find that there were a lot of things I started a while ago, but never got around to finishing them. There were also things I thought I had finished, but turns out that I was missing a part so moved onto to something else. The coupling on the engine block air compressor to the main air supply line was one of those things - I remember now that I needed a copper washer on the coupling, but did not have the right size, so just left it loose. I had made a temporary connection to my shop compressor and have been using that to test the rest of the system. I should have finished it when I had the cab tilted, as getting the pipes on which the cab down is not so easy, I even had to go and buy a 28mm spanner, as there was no space for my shift spanner. A simple job like doing up one connection ends up taking half a day in getting parts and tool. Next was to plumb in the check valves to connect the two compressors together, and then the pressure switches for the ARB compressor. As luck will have it, I am missing one piece and two sealing washers - and since it is all metric, I have to get them from interstate. Time to move onto the next task.
The rest of the week I spent sorting out the radiator, the intercooler and the turbo pipework. Ben has modified the intercooler to a 2.5" outlet, and I could now line up the turbo and all the associated pipework. The turbo has to be installed at 20-25 degree to the horizontal, so that it the water cooling would work through thermo-syphon effect after shut down
I was hoping to do the water piping inside the engine bay, but the hoses on the heater circuit are a weird size. The pipe on both the heater and the thermostat housing measure up at 18mm, so standard 3/4" hose is too big, even with a clamp on, I can get it to move. The next size down I had was 16mm, which is a very tight fit, so I decide to move onto other things until I get some of the right size hose (if it exists)
At least with the turbo all aligned, I can start work on the support for the intercooler. Before I can fix the intercooler in place, I have to fit the radiator to ensure everything will fit properly.
The first thing to do on the radiator was to fit the air conditioning condenser and the fan for the condenser. I had a 16" pusher fan that I planned to use, unfortunately the fan was too thick, so I had to order in another fan which as 25mm thinner. There was not much space between the grill and the radiator. The condenser is off a JCB tractor, and it is pretty close to the same size as the Unimog radiator. I hope it has enough capacity for the air conditioning. If not I will have to get something to run in parallel with this one, as there is very little space. The other alternative is to change the grill, but that would also mean changing the bullbar, and that's a lot of work I don't want to have to do. Running the two electric fans together produces quite lot of air flow. The puller fan is rated at 3250cfm and the pusher at 2720cfm, hopefully this will be enough or I'll be back to the drawing board again
This is the "Mark 2" version of the fan and condenser support brackets. The cab can move relative to the chassis by around 50mm or so. The radiator is fixed to the chassis, so I have to allow for the relative movement. The first bracket would have hit the grill, and not have lasted very long. I have not finished the support, as I have to add some steel between the upper and lower brackets so that it is rigid and all the load is on the steel frame of the radiator, but I have run out of 10mm bar - so off to the steel shop.
Here is the top view, The blue pipes behind is the intercooler piping., more on the fitting of that once I get the radiator all sorted out.
Apart from that, not much real progress, but hopefully things will accelerate from now.
I started to do do some work in the dashboard and the interior of the truck. The first thing was to sort out the dash, so I fished out the gauge from storage and started to figure out the layout. Looking at the gauges, they looked terrible. No way I could put them back into a new dash, so I started to do some research and found a place in Brisbane that refurbishes instruments. I decided to take them over so they could have a look and let me know what they can do. They said they could fix up the needles and the bezels, and service the speedo and reset it back to zero. The also had a nice VDO boost gauge, and a voltmeter, so I decide to get them as well. They will take a few weeks to do it, so I'll have to wait for a while to get going on the dash again. This is the "before" photo.
The good news is that the interior progressed a bit - but as usual, nowhere near as much as promised.
The front overhead locker was installed - and it looks pretty good. It provides some useful storage and neither Trish of I have been able to hit our heads or shoulders on it yet despite our best efforts
.The covers for the drawers under the bed were also fitted. In order to line them up properly, they were glued together with all the gaps properly spaced out, then it was stuck onto the drawers with Sikaflex.
The covers stiffen up the drawer fronts a lot, I made them out of pretty light material, to keep the weight down and because they are to hold clothes and shoes. The end result was that the drawer front was pretty flexible, I reinforced the top edge with a folder channel, but it remained quite flexible. I also reinforce the area around the lock with some 1.2mm steel, as that area will take most of the load when driving. Now that the composite panel is glued on, they are very stiff. This is the end result with all the mouldings etc in place. The drawer runners are stiff enough so that even fully open, the drawer don't hit the side panel when you push them sideways, so it should be OK.
The toilet door was returned with the correct wood strip in place, I think it looks a lot better than just a plain white door, and should stand up to day to day use without loads of shoe marks. I'm still waiting for the inner ledge, so that we can fit the door catch and he rubber seal around the door. The smaller cupboard next to the toilet make s a good place for our second inverter - this one if the free replacment for the one that caught fire in the Land Rover. The technical report talks about a faulty capacitor with an "Impurity" whcih whist produced a lot of smoke. The report also said that the design is such that whilst the inverter may fail and prodcuce loads of smoke, they do not produce enough external heat to cause a fire, and are self extinguishing. Apparently there is an international standard for this and the 8Zed inverters comply with this standard. I upgraded to higher spec 2000w inverter for only a few more dollars more. I hope this one lasts longer than the first one, but I will have a shut off switch close at hand for this one - just in case.
The next part of the build was really frustrating, time and time again I found I was not able to finish something because of a one or two little missing bits. I started to do the final plumbing of the air system. I am starting to find that there were a lot of things I started a while ago, but never got around to finishing them. There were also things I thought I had finished, but turns out that I was missing a part so moved onto to something else. The coupling on the engine block air compressor to the main air supply line was one of those things - I remember now that I needed a copper washer on the coupling, but did not have the right size, so just left it loose. I had made a temporary connection to my shop compressor and have been using that to test the rest of the system. I should have finished it when I had the cab tilted, as getting the pipes on which the cab down is not so easy, I even had to go and buy a 28mm spanner, as there was no space for my shift spanner. A simple job like doing up one connection ends up taking half a day in getting parts and tool. Next was to plumb in the check valves to connect the two compressors together, and then the pressure switches for the ARB compressor. As luck will have it, I am missing one piece and two sealing washers - and since it is all metric, I have to get them from interstate. Time to move onto the next task.
The rest of the week I spent sorting out the radiator, the intercooler and the turbo pipework. Ben has modified the intercooler to a 2.5" outlet, and I could now line up the turbo and all the associated pipework. The turbo has to be installed at 20-25 degree to the horizontal, so that it the water cooling would work through thermo-syphon effect after shut down
I was hoping to do the water piping inside the engine bay, but the hoses on the heater circuit are a weird size. The pipe on both the heater and the thermostat housing measure up at 18mm, so standard 3/4" hose is too big, even with a clamp on, I can get it to move. The next size down I had was 16mm, which is a very tight fit, so I decide to move onto other things until I get some of the right size hose (if it exists)
At least with the turbo all aligned, I can start work on the support for the intercooler. Before I can fix the intercooler in place, I have to fit the radiator to ensure everything will fit properly.
The first thing to do on the radiator was to fit the air conditioning condenser and the fan for the condenser. I had a 16" pusher fan that I planned to use, unfortunately the fan was too thick, so I had to order in another fan which as 25mm thinner. There was not much space between the grill and the radiator. The condenser is off a JCB tractor, and it is pretty close to the same size as the Unimog radiator. I hope it has enough capacity for the air conditioning. If not I will have to get something to run in parallel with this one, as there is very little space. The other alternative is to change the grill, but that would also mean changing the bullbar, and that's a lot of work I don't want to have to do. Running the two electric fans together produces quite lot of air flow. The puller fan is rated at 3250cfm and the pusher at 2720cfm, hopefully this will be enough or I'll be back to the drawing board again
This is the "Mark 2" version of the fan and condenser support brackets. The cab can move relative to the chassis by around 50mm or so. The radiator is fixed to the chassis, so I have to allow for the relative movement. The first bracket would have hit the grill, and not have lasted very long. I have not finished the support, as I have to add some steel between the upper and lower brackets so that it is rigid and all the load is on the steel frame of the radiator, but I have run out of 10mm bar - so off to the steel shop.
Here is the top view, The blue pipes behind is the intercooler piping., more on the fitting of that once I get the radiator all sorted out.
Apart from that, not much real progress, but hopefully things will accelerate from now.
Iain_U1250
Explorer
Automatic Steps
Just finished my automatic steps for the camper - one of the many requirements if you want your truck registered as an RV here in Queensland.
I used a Warner 12 volt Linear actuator Model number DE12-17W41-05FP015 with a 5 inch stroke. It is IP56 rated and has a maximum force of 120lb/55kg.
The actuator has build in limit switches, and a static lock of 220lb/100kg. The stair is over-centre locked, so even if the actuator fails or falls off, it is unlikely to fall open, as it needs about 15kg of push force to overcome the first bit. There is a simple switch, a DPDT switch wired up so one way it extend, one is retract. Extended has a warning light which I use to trigger a warning buzzer is I try to drive off with the step down. I'll use the clutch switch to energise all the warning circuits, as there will be others like the rear locker or the boot being open.
Pretty happy with the result, now I just have to take it all apart again, fit the aluminium stair treads and make it look pretty I'll use teflon washers on all the joints to make them as smooth as possible, and fit lock nuts to all the bolts. Everything is a pretty loose fit except for the joints around which the steps rotate, they were the most difficult to align, especially when welding tends to pull things when the metal shrink. My philosophy has been to build things like an AK47 rather than an M16, lots of clearance and a little precision as possible and still functional. Two reasons, first as a Civil Engineer, is we get things within a centimetre we are doing well and my fabrication talents don't extend much in the way of precision fit. The second reason is that things wear, and if they need tight tolerances, then they tend not to last that longer in the dirt and mud.
[video=youtube;t74VJEgm1a4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t74VJEgm1a4[/video]
Now I can make up the template for the grey water tank that goes under the shower.
Just finished my automatic steps for the camper - one of the many requirements if you want your truck registered as an RV here in Queensland.
I used a Warner 12 volt Linear actuator Model number DE12-17W41-05FP015 with a 5 inch stroke. It is IP56 rated and has a maximum force of 120lb/55kg.
The actuator has build in limit switches, and a static lock of 220lb/100kg. The stair is over-centre locked, so even if the actuator fails or falls off, it is unlikely to fall open, as it needs about 15kg of push force to overcome the first bit. There is a simple switch, a DPDT switch wired up so one way it extend, one is retract. Extended has a warning light which I use to trigger a warning buzzer is I try to drive off with the step down. I'll use the clutch switch to energise all the warning circuits, as there will be others like the rear locker or the boot being open.
Pretty happy with the result, now I just have to take it all apart again, fit the aluminium stair treads and make it look pretty
I'll use teflon washers on all the joints to make them as smooth as possible, and fit lock nuts to all the bolts. Everything is a pretty loose fit except for the joints around which the steps rotate, they were the most difficult to align, especially when welding tends to pull things when the metal shrink. My philosophy has been to build things like an AK47 rather than an M16, lots of clearance and a little precision as possible and still functional. Two reasons, first as a Civil Engineer, is we get things within a centimetre we are doing well and my fabrication talents don't extend much in the way of precision fit. The second reason is that things wear, and if they need tight tolerances, then they tend not to last that longer in the dirt and mud. [video=youtube;t74VJEgm1a4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t74VJEgm1a4[/video]
Now I can make up the template for the grey water tank that goes under the shower.
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Iain_U1250
Explorer
Part of the regulations that allow you to register your trucks as an RV says that you have to be able to "exit the door with the use of external fittings or fixtures" which means you can't have steps that you fit on the outside when stopped. The other silly rules are that you have to be able to walk through from the cab to the rear, have a table, fixed cooking facilities, a bed and cupboards. You also cannot transport "Vehicles" inside the truck.
The engineer I spoke to said I have to have steps or a ladder that is fixed. They you go to other regulations that define what the requirements are for ladder of steps - gets pretty complicated but mine comply I think
http://www.support.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/formsdat.nsf/forms/QF4550/$file/F4550_ES.pdf
The engineer I spoke to said I have to have steps or a ladder that is fixed. They you go to other regulations that define what the requirements are for ladder of steps - gets pretty complicated but mine comply I think
http://www.support.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/formsdat.nsf/forms/QF4550/$file/F4550_ES.pdf
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graynomad
Photographer, traveller
What a crock, our motorhome fails on 2-3 points, remind me to never let the rego lapse For example
Does the vehicle have a fixed table?
******, what if you don't want a table, we haven't got one.
And you can't have a vehicle-carrying area, failed again (as would a lot of RVs)
Outward-facing door on the left, failed again, well at least Mk1 would have as the door was at the back.
And you have to be able to walk through from the cab? Well we pass there but many don't, especially those with tilt cabs, a lot of people don't bother with access.
You have to wonder who comes up with this crap.
For exampleDoes the vehicle have a fixed table?
******, what if you don't want a table, we haven't got one.
And you can't have a vehicle-carrying area, failed again (as would a lot of RVs)
Outward-facing door on the left, failed again, well at least Mk1 would have as the door was at the back.
And you have to be able to walk through from the cab? Well we pass there but many don't, especially those with tilt cabs, a lot of people don't bother with access.
You have to wonder who comes up with this crap.
Bernard_Roofus
"Jackaroo of all trades"
I love those stairs! If you are feeling bored and want to make another set, my truck could use a set! Looks great, can not wait to see the finished product.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
piratexpress1369a
Explorer
that is cool ..is it on a remote?
Iain_U1250
Explorer
Not quite bored at the moment
No remote, just toggle switch on the internal control panel near the door.
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Iain_U1250
Explorer
Time for a pre-Christmas update. The interior fit out progressed a bit more, the front of the fridge and stove cabinets have been fitted. It was quite a job getting them all to line up - my accuracy is not that good, and there was around a 6mm discrepancy between the bottom corner of the fridge slide, and the top corner drawer. The drawers are made from 3mm aluminium, and accurate to within about 2-3mm. The fridge slides are not that good, I made them when I was still learning to weld, and there was quite a bit of distortion. I may one day re-make them, but for now they work pretty well, and despit the 6mm gap between the one side of the facing panel and the fridge, no one will be able to see it, as it is all covered by and extra layer of insulation around the fridge.
In order to get the best fit, we decided to make the whole front of the cabinet on piece so that with the drawers and the fridge slides in their positions, it would be easier to line everything up. We use a hot glue gun and some ply strips to temporarily make all the fronts into one panel. The correct spacers were fitted into the gaps so that it would hold everything in place. The gap width was determined by the amount of free play each of the various slides had, so we ended up with a 5mm gap on the sides, and 3mm for the top/bottom gaps. Then we glued in on the front of the slides and drawers in one go - using the Sikaflex to take up the discrepancies. Ones the initial blobs of Sikaflex had cured, I filled in the rest of the gap to further strengthen the bond and make the facing panel more rigid.
The drawer under the seat was similarly attached. The drawer and the fridge cabinet all line up to with 1mm now, with is pretty good considering the rest of the tolerances in various steel frames.
The drawer front will get two catches, and since they will be screwed into 3mm aluminium, they should not rattle loose. The catch part will be a solid piece of aluminum, fixed with bolts and nut for the left hand drawer, and screwed into the thick bench top on the right hand side.
I am considering putting some of the catches as handles for the fridge slides. At the moment, when you push the release button, the fridge jumps out about an inch due to the spring behind the slide. When the fridge is full, and the truck on an angle, then the extra weight will put more load on the catch, which might make it difficult to unlock.
I spent almost a whole day adjusting the fridge slide mechanism so that it would be smooth and the minimum amount of release pressure required. It was worth it, as my wife can now unlock the fridges despite still having a lot of problems with her hands and wrists. I'm considering using one of the spare central locking actuators, as that might be easier on her hands. I'll have to experiment with a full fridge with the truck on an angle to see what happens.
The toilet locker door is back, and fits great. The Jarrah kick panel makes the floor look bigger than it actually is, creating the illusion of more space. It is strange how little things like that seem to make a difference, and it was something my wife noticed as soon as they were installed.
The automatic step is in pieces, getting painted. After a fair bit of sanding and grinding, it got two coats of POR15, then after a light sanding, it will get an etch primer, then two coats of the charcoal hammer finish epoxy. The stair treads will be aluminium checker plate, with a stick on sand paper like anti-slip coating.
My baby forklift makes a good paint hanger - the two brackets for the condenser and a/c fan also received the POR15 treatment.
Finally, Trish came to visit today, and it was pretty hot in the shed. She lay down on the bed for a bit, turned on the fans and was soon fast asleep. The fans kept her nice and cool, and were very quiet. I had to tip toe around the place, painting the various parts etc whilst she had a nice afternoon nap.
The bed and the fans got a definite thumbs up from her when she woke up
In order to get the best fit, we decided to make the whole front of the cabinet on piece so that with the drawers and the fridge slides in their positions, it would be easier to line everything up. We use a hot glue gun and some ply strips to temporarily make all the fronts into one panel. The correct spacers were fitted into the gaps so that it would hold everything in place. The gap width was determined by the amount of free play each of the various slides had, so we ended up with a 5mm gap on the sides, and 3mm for the top/bottom gaps. Then we glued in on the front of the slides and drawers in one go - using the Sikaflex to take up the discrepancies. Ones the initial blobs of Sikaflex had cured, I filled in the rest of the gap to further strengthen the bond and make the facing panel more rigid.
The drawer under the seat was similarly attached. The drawer and the fridge cabinet all line up to with 1mm now, with is pretty good considering the rest of the tolerances in various steel frames.
The drawer front will get two catches, and since they will be screwed into 3mm aluminium, they should not rattle loose. The catch part will be a solid piece of aluminum, fixed with bolts and nut for the left hand drawer, and screwed into the thick bench top on the right hand side.
I am considering putting some of the catches as handles for the fridge slides. At the moment, when you push the release button, the fridge jumps out about an inch due to the spring behind the slide. When the fridge is full, and the truck on an angle, then the extra weight will put more load on the catch, which might make it difficult to unlock.
I spent almost a whole day adjusting the fridge slide mechanism so that it would be smooth and the minimum amount of release pressure required. It was worth it, as my wife can now unlock the fridges despite still having a lot of problems with her hands and wrists. I'm considering using one of the spare central locking actuators, as that might be easier on her hands. I'll have to experiment with a full fridge with the truck on an angle to see what happens.
The toilet locker door is back, and fits great. The Jarrah kick panel makes the floor look bigger than it actually is, creating the illusion of more space. It is strange how little things like that seem to make a difference, and it was something my wife noticed as soon as they were installed.
The automatic step is in pieces, getting painted. After a fair bit of sanding and grinding, it got two coats of POR15, then after a light sanding, it will get an etch primer, then two coats of the charcoal hammer finish epoxy. The stair treads will be aluminium checker plate, with a stick on sand paper like anti-slip coating.
My baby forklift makes a good paint hanger - the two brackets for the condenser and a/c fan also received the POR15 treatment.
Finally, Trish came to visit today, and it was pretty hot in the shed. She lay down on the bed for a bit, turned on the fans and was soon fast asleep. The fans kept her nice and cool, and were very quiet. I had to tip toe around the place, painting the various parts etc whilst she had a nice afternoon nap.
The bed and the fans got a definite thumbs up from her when she woke up
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Iain_U1250
Explorer
Thanks Dr Deol, she is up for more surgery which involves removing a piece of bone in her wrist, and then cutting and shortening one of the bones in her arm. Hopefully that fixes it. It sounds drastic but it should make it a lot easier for her to climb in and out of the Mog. Doctor says she will be back to normal in about a month.
LOL, I have to let her rest sometimes
Bernard_Roofus
"Jackaroo of all trades"
Looking good!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
