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Bigger diameter rims are a downgrade, not an upgrade. 65 is the lowest profile that should ever be considered for off bitumen use, in my view. Modern vehicles are getting bigger diameter brakes because they can be smaller components, lighter and cheaper. Smaller rims don't fit over them. The...

Make your own. The difference between top quality fixed panels and folding panels is a couple of hinges. In either case, the regulator needs to be close to the batteries. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

3.05M = 10ft, 6.5T. The OKA has long leaf springs all round, Dana 60 front, Dana 70 rear, very stiff chassis and no torsion bars. "About" 30 degrees, dynamic, not static. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

In my limited experience, provided a charger has no "equalising" mode, or if it does it can be switched off, it is probably OK for LiFePO4. I can also charge my 325Ah CALB directly from the 85A alternator. Cheers, Peter

Virtually every 4WD in Australia carries a UHF radio, as do most aircraft which they also use to communicate with local police. In the case of the news article rescue above, they also dropped a sat phone to provide long range coms to family. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

In Oz we carry a PLB (smaller, cheaper version of a marine EPIRB. Under or about US$200, 7 year battery life, zero subscriptions, one way emergency only communication signal. https://www.gme.net.au/au/emergency-safety/mt610g/ It needs to be registered with the Australian Maritime Safety...

A sheet of fibreglass/PUR/fibreglass sandwich panel. No support required except around the edge. Chuck out all that other stuff inside. This pop-top roof panel is just 20mm thick. 50mm would provide better insulation. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

I did not remove the sway bars because the OKA was built in the factory from the ground up as a "proper" 4WD and it never had sway bars front, or rear. Dana 60 front and Dana 70 rear and longer than typical leaf springs..... 6 to 6.5T on the road. It can exhibit significant body roll as a...

In Oz, I use MDPE rotomoulded DIY tanks for diesel, legally. For Petrol they need to be cross linked HDPE which is much more difficult and expensive. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

Thanks for the memories Andy. A few years back we toured India in company with a friend who grew up in Shimla. She explained that it was on the side of a hill, but it was not until we got there that we really understood. I also worked there for a short time. Mostly in Deli and Mumbai. India is...

ps... In Oz we do not get the cold conditions encountered elsewhere. The new truck that I am currently building will have over 2kW of solar, but the central heating and hot water will still be hydronic diesel (with solar/electric option for hot water). Neither the current vehicle nor the new...

I have had a Webasto hydronic heater in our current vehicle for 8 years. It has been totally maintenance free for that time. It was DIY installed and cost about 1/3rd of what you quote for the heater. It is plumbed to provide engine pre-heating and when driving, the engine provides the heat...

This is well below the yellow line to get over a particularly soft dune. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

Can not open your link. Yes, it may be polypropylene which is another common polyolefin along with polyethylene with many similar properties. Polypropylene is stiffer structurally and has better heat resistance but shares the poor gluability traits without special surface treatment. Home Depot...

The "sign shop" material is polyethylene. It gets a special surface treatment as part of the manufacturing process to make it paintable. Without this it is very difficult (almost impossible) to glue well. The same material is available for packaging applications that does not have this...

Being able to wear the tyres out on the truck (instead of throwing them away because they are past their use-by-date) will save some cash. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

I have always matched the trailer wheels to the truck. Exactly. There is a long list of why this is a good idea. Same trailer, earlier truck. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

If you glue long bits of aluminium (or any other material) to the fibreglass skin of sandwich panel, you also need to allow for the different thermal expansion rates (they will expand and contract at different rates with temperature changes). That information needs to be combined with the...

Riv nuts in a pieces of aluminium sikaflexed to the sandwich skin. The objective is to spread the load and reduce any stress concentrations. The bigger the load, the larger the surface area required. These will secure the 10L calorifier. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome

The modern, current EVs, were developed about a week ago (in relative terms). The modern ICE vehicle has been developing for over 100 years. In another 10 or 20 years, things will be very different. What we have, so far, is spectacular. Bring it on. Cheers, Peter OKA196 motorhome