Dumb thought of the day - Astro Tiger body on an Express?

[b. rock]

Saw a Tiger on the road this morning and it got my gears turning - I see the Toyota guys graft the older Chinook campers onto more modern trucks somewhat regularly. It doesn't look easy, but they get through it. You'd have to accommodate for the longer wheelbase and door placement, but could you do this with a Provan Tiger onto an RB Express? The end result being a modern drivetrain and platform but with the Tiger camper setup on the back. Dumb idea? Most certainly, and there's probably something glaringly obvious as to why it won't work, but I'm wondering if it's crossed anyone else's mind.

 

[BritKLR]

Generally speaking, the aluminum framework of the Tiger body is mounted on a marine plywood floor/base. This base is then bolted to the frame of the truck/van. Additional cross supports are added across the frame for additional support. With all that being said, if an Express van has a body on frame design, then it's feasible to remove the body behind the front doors, add cross frame structural supports, figure out where to add some leveling blocks and them add the camper body onto the frame, fab up all the fiberglass peices between the cab and camper body and boom...new Tiger. Oh, I'd probably go with a full size truck based Tiger camper body, it may fit better on a full size van frame. Good luck!

BTW here's a link to my Tiger resto with some photos of what's behind the walls and under the floor of a Tiger.

Adventure Tool Company's (ATC) 4wd Provan Tiger adventures

So, after several seasons of traveling around the Rockies and the West attending different events in our trusty FJ60 (Rhino Ride) it was time to find another vehicle to add to stable to support the growing ATC business. We started looking at camperizing the 60, buying and upfitting an 80 or 100...

www.expeditionportal.com

 

[AbleGuy]

Try asking your questions on the Tiger Owners Free Forum...you’re going to get some experienced owners there who might be able to help.