Budget Canter Build

[mog]

I'm familiar with the ATW and EC wheels; where does Alan sell his?

I believe that EarthCruiser sells them here in the US.
They are known as 'Bling' wheels since they are beautiful Aluminum wheels. A slightly lower weight rating so for 12,500 lb rated Fusos not 14,050 rated trucks (unless you want to down-rate).
They are thicker (centers) so you have to use Budd nuts on the front also (not a big deal, just an FYI)
-
Alan 'Bling' Wheels:

 

[59DEN]

Nothing obvious. Use 12 mm high tensile bolts to replace the rivets with washers both sides and nylocs. you need to drill the rivet holes out slightly. Has your 2wd chassis got cast suspension hangers? If so use them.

Thank you for that, would a 13mm clearance hole be OK and could a good quality sikaflex type adhesive be used in this overlap join?

 

[59DEN]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
Back to your question about the canter's sand dune-ability.. If I'm correct, your truck has the naturally aspirated 3.9L? If the vehicle is light enough (say under 4.5T), + with the XZLs let out to a good sand pressure (say 20-25) it should do ok on most desert dunes (beach dunes different story). As far as an upgrade (and depending on how you feel about the trucks power), I'd be saving for a turbo.. its a big outlay, but you will appreciate it every time you drive it.. it should also save you some fuel if tuned properly + driven sensibly.
Just my 2c, every man + his dog will have a different opinion..
Andrew.

Cheers for the info, I will see how it pans out when on the road, power wise, interesting to hear and also read of potential better fuel consumption figures with a turbo.

 

[59DEN]

Body Mounting

I definitely need advice in the area of mounting the tray and any other tips or pitfalls to watch out for, I have just read the thread on body mounting for the second time, all 30 odd pages. Still fairly confused on which way to go, solid mount or give it a little movement and use some spring / bolt connections, attached are a couple of drawings of what we are aiming for tray wise.

The avan camper will probably only be on for about 25% of the time, the rest of the time, it will used for general camping and support vehicle for a few motorbikes, thanks in advance.
Dennis

 

[selfy]

Thank you for that, would a 13mm clearance hole be OK and could a good quality sikaflex type adhesive be used in this overlap join?

drill the holes 12mm, the existing rivets are a neat fit
frame mounting is your choice, the main reason campers are sprung mounted is to stop the body from cracking due to frame flex
if yours is going to be a tray back most of the time it doesn't apply to your set up most of the time
there are plenty of aluminium pantechs around that are solid mounted and have stood the test of time

 

[SkiFreak]

there are plenty of aluminium pantechs around that are solid mounted and have stood the test of time

I agree with most of what you have said, but be mindful that the stresses on the chassis can be considerably different between a road going pantec and a 4x4 camper.

 

[selfy]

I agree with most of what you have said, but be mindful that the stresses on the chassis can be considerably different between a road going pantec and a 4x4 camper.

yep definitely right there Owen, but you could mount the avan on some rubber blocks to the tray to negate some of the stresses

 

[SkiFreak]

I agree. Just pointing out that setups for road going vehicles do not necessarily transfer to off-road vehicles.

 

[59DEN]

On the move

The 2wd truck we bought in Perth arrived last week, so we removed the trays, tank and wiring from the chassis of the donor vehicle.

The chassis rails where in very good condition, it was a case of measure 10 times and cut once.

The Canter had been used to carry a 1500L water tank around tree plantations and the rear section of the chassis was not repairable.

Just wondering what this is, it is on the donor vehicle exhaust?

 

[alan]

The 2wd truck we bought in Perth arrived last week, so we removed the trays, tank and wiring from the chassis of the donor vehicle.

The chassis rails where in very good condition, it was a case of measure 10 times and cut once.

The Canter had been used to carry a 1500L water tank around tree plantations and the rear section of the chassis was not repairable.

Just wondering what this is, it is on the donor vehicle exhaust?

Thats the exhaust brake unit..

 

[59DEN]

Trial Run

Attached are a few pictures of our budget build in action out at a local beach, I must admit to being surprised at how capable these small trucks are off road and in the sand, being reasonably narrow they can negotiate the 4wd coastal tracks really well.
My son's friend picked up an 89 dual cab, the body is rusty but chassis and mechanicals are good, the beach is Cheynes beach about 50km out of Albany.

 

[kerry]

I like budget builds because they're more similar to mine. I wouldn't call it budget but it was pretty simply, yet it works fine for us.