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One thing to watch is your IAT, EGT, and engine temp. More power = more heat.
DAF T244
- Thread starter 6Speeder
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One thing to watch is your IAT, EGT, and engine temp. More power = more heat.
shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
Curious how well a 6'6" 250+lb guy would fit in the cab?
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
For sure. I figure I could probably get the EGT pretty high climbing hills with all that weight, so I'll have those plus a fuel pressure gauge to avoid wrecking an injection pump.
Headroom is going to be the biggest issue. I'm 6'1" and with the seat at the lowest position my head is a few inches from the ceiling and my line of sight is a little higher than I'd like. The seat is 3'2" from the ceiling in it's lowest position. That being said, it would be relatively easy to modify the seat base and drop the seat up to 4" lower. I think the average British soldier 30 years ago wasn't as tall as they are today. Other than that, it's pretty spacious. Shoulder room is great as the cab is 6' wide. The foot wells are spacious and the distance from the seat to the pedals could also be adjusted further by remounting the seat farther back.
Just FYI on Dibond panels. There are several manufacturers in the US and at least one from the UK available stateside. Dibond is sort of the Kleenex tissues of aluminum composite panels, just look around for prices. In Northern CA I can get the UK version a fair bit cheaper. Also, there are several thicknesses of aluminum skins with acp, you can mix and match depending on the application.
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
Good information. If you don't mind me asking, what are the prices like where you're at? I'm looking at $100 ($74USD) per 4x8' sheet of 3mm Dibond. I haven't shopped around much yet because I figured that was a reasonable price, but if it's out of line I'll shop around a bit.
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
That's good to know. I figured it wasn't too bad a price.
Not much progress to report. I've finished most of the welding on the base of the frame. I still need to add hangers for wooden floor joists, then I'll paint the underside and attach the puck board and begin framing the walls. Working full time, so it can be hard to find time to work on the truck.
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
Figured it's time for an update. Frame is mostly complete.
I've got 14 sheets of Dibond and 216' of 3M tape ready to go for attaching the sides along with plywood for the roof and sub floor. Hopefully in four weeks Sun View Industries in Summerland BC will have my windows completed. 3x 19"x36" and 1x 14"x14", all double pane glass.
I'm mostly happy with how things have been moving along. If I was to do things again, I don't know if I'd use the puck board. HDPE plastic expands and contracts too much to be a good material for this application.
As far as weight goes, I believe I've added about 900lbs to the truck, so I'm not overly concerned about the weight so far.
I've got 14 sheets of Dibond and 216' of 3M tape ready to go for attaching the sides along with plywood for the roof and sub floor. Hopefully in four weeks Sun View Industries in Summerland BC will have my windows completed. 3x 19"x36" and 1x 14"x14", all double pane glass.
I'm mostly happy with how things have been moving along. If I was to do things again, I don't know if I'd use the puck board. HDPE plastic expands and contracts too much to be a good material for this application.
As far as weight goes, I believe I've added about 900lbs to the truck, so I'm not overly concerned about the weight so far.
Attachments
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
A little bit more progress. It now has a roof. I cut a radius into some 2x6s and installed them on 16" centers. Substrate is 3/8 plywood that will get covered in some sort of metal.
Sub floor is also going in. I changed my mind on making the camper de-mountable and ended up welding the frame directly to the factory load deck on the truck.
I built the floor with 2x4s that I ripped down to 3" and installed on 16" centers. I insulated the spaces with the 3" polyiso insulation. The sub floor is 5/8" TnG plywood. I was concerned it would be spongy, but it's firmer than some houses I've been into.
I've been framing out the rest of the walls with wood on 24" centers.
I also received my windows from Sun View Industries. I'm very impressed with the quality, they're seriously stout and the price was unbeatable. I'm going to have their sister company make me an entry door and some luggage doors.
Sub floor is also going in. I changed my mind on making the camper de-mountable and ended up welding the frame directly to the factory load deck on the truck.
I built the floor with 2x4s that I ripped down to 3" and installed on 16" centers. I insulated the spaces with the 3" polyiso insulation. The sub floor is 5/8" TnG plywood. I was concerned it would be spongy, but it's firmer than some houses I've been into.
I've been framing out the rest of the walls with wood on 24" centers.
I also received my windows from Sun View Industries. I'm very impressed with the quality, they're seriously stout and the price was unbeatable. I'm going to have their sister company make me an entry door and some luggage doors.
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
Update time.
Exterior is nearing completion. Once the rest of the Dibond is installed I'll trim the box with 2" aluminum angle.
I installed an under body box to house the trucks starting batteries. I have two smaller matching ones to install behind the rear wheels.
The interior is mostly insulated. I purchased two 250L potable water tanks from UFA that I will install under the bed at the back of the truck. They were a lot cheaper than RV water tanks and the dimensions should work out well.
I've started to order some of the bigger items for the interior. On Monday my Unique Off-Grid Appliances 120L chest fridge/freezer arrives. About half the price of a Dometic and avalible from Costco, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Exterior is nearing completion. Once the rest of the Dibond is installed I'll trim the box with 2" aluminum angle.
I installed an under body box to house the trucks starting batteries. I have two smaller matching ones to install behind the rear wheels.
The interior is mostly insulated. I purchased two 250L potable water tanks from UFA that I will install under the bed at the back of the truck. They were a lot cheaper than RV water tanks and the dimensions should work out well.
I've started to order some of the bigger items for the interior. On Monday my Unique Off-Grid Appliances 120L chest fridge/freezer arrives. About half the price of a Dometic and avalible from Costco, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
6Speeder
British Columbia, Canada
The exterior is mostly finished. Please excuse the ************ driveway picture and the extension cord hanging out the window. There's one more 14"x14" window to be installed on the drivers side.
Starting the wiring once the materials arrive in the mail. I have 1400w of poly panels and 3.6KWH of LiFePO 4 batteries. I'm going to be running a 24v system with a 40a converter for the 12v loads. Once that's complete I'll be on to millwork and cabinetry.
The temperature is starting to drop, so I got around to installing the 5kw Chinese diesel heater over the weekend. At it's lowest setting it has no problem maintaining a comfortable room temperature even with the insulation in the box not being entirely finished.
When I find the time I'm going to update the original post with a list of components I've used on the build, where I purchased them and any thoughts/issues I've had.
Starting the wiring once the materials arrive in the mail. I have 1400w of poly panels and 3.6KWH of LiFePO 4 batteries. I'm going to be running a 24v system with a 40a converter for the 12v loads. Once that's complete I'll be on to millwork and cabinetry.
The temperature is starting to drop, so I got around to installing the 5kw Chinese diesel heater over the weekend. At it's lowest setting it has no problem maintaining a comfortable room temperature even with the insulation in the box not being entirely finished.
When I find the time I'm going to update the original post with a list of components I've used on the build, where I purchased them and any thoughts/issues I've had.
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Are the windows completely custom or simply a stock design made to your dimensions?
Post a few pictures of them if it's not too much trouble.
You have probably done your research by now, but a 6BT is a powerhouse and power is only limited by your checkbook. They are great motors; simple, reliable and robust.
Post a few pictures of them if it's not too much trouble.
You have probably done your research by now, but a 6BT is a powerhouse and power is only limited by your checkbook. They are great motors; simple, reliable and robust.