(finally) Pulling the trigger - Magirus 170D11

[DiploStrat]

As I say, best wishes. I contacted Eastern about buying mine, but they are not interested - said they had plenty and $25 a wheel, delivered, was too much.

The wheels in question are speculated to have been made by Global Wheel in the Netherlands. They come with welded steel balancing weights in place.

If your truck is heavy enough, suspension stiff enough, etc., then you may be fine. On my MB 917 the suspension is remarkably supple and, even when "perfectly" balanced, the wheels would begin to vibrate from time to time, especially on a long curve on the motorway.

The nice thing about the German wheels is that they are very round, light, and take conventional, if large, truck tires. (Still not inexpensive!)

Again, best wishes!

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

Quick update. Wheels are still on the way. I have made progress on the cabover adaptor platform and walk through fabrication arrangements. I have simplified my project even more to reduce build time, reduce custom fabrication and increase wife happiness (super important).

My current layout gives me a floor area of about 4 1/2 feet x 5 2/3 feet for the kids to play in if we are cooped up inside the truck. It also reuses our old sofa cushions. Cushions are fine and easily replaced/refinished as they are ikea. It also acts as kids beds easily. We will opt for a mobile induction cooktop and microwave.

Here are the rough plans.

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

Ok I have a plan of attack! I will rough in my roof ribs to mount my cabover box, have them welded up and bond them to my roof. I am getting quotes for composite panels and aluminum frsming with aluminum skin and am still shopping for off the shelf solutions such as a truck bed cap or snowmobile trailer.

I had 1h30 without the wife or kids this evening (thanks honey!) so I finally managed to get a bit of work and measurement done.

 

[yoggie]

I dont remember if this was covered, but roughly how much did it cost to have this shipped back to the states?

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

About

I dont remember if this was covered, but roughly how much did it cost to have this shipped back to the states?

You should budget 3500-4500 usd to ship it back in through Halifax.

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

Additional planning and simplifying going on. Ordered my accordion boot material last night too.

I’m realizing I will need drain holes. Also to simplify thing the ribs will act as the front and back enclosures and then I will add bent plate or Angles aluminum pieces to the sides.

 

[yoggie]

About


You should budget 3500-4500 usd to ship it back in through Halifax.

Thank you!

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

So... AC is proving to be hard to resolve. My cabover will be too tall to run a rootop AC unit on it. I found this:

https://climateright.com/climateright-5000-btu-a-c-heater-2.html

What's interesting is that is is ducted, which would allow me to run ducts throughout my cab, cabover and camper compartments (and close the ducts when not in use). Anyone here used a similar unit? I would mount it on the roof of the camper right behind the cabover.

 

[yoggie]

I think most people go for fans (Fantastic Fan or Maxx air) or a window style AC unit from Walmart. You can always build a duct system for a cheap window unit out of aluminum and PVC/aluminum ducts. Another option would be for a split style unit like the ones Mitsubishi makes, but I dont know if they would hold up to vehicle use. The downside with AC is it takes a lot of power so you either have to be plugged into shore power or have a ton of solar and batteries. One funny story I heard is that a DIY builder had more than enough solar and batteries for an AC unit, but the power converter put out so much heat it overpowered the AC!

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

I think most people go for fans (Fantastic Fan or Maxx air) or a window style AC unit from Walmart. You can always build a duct system for a cheap window unit out of aluminum and PVC/aluminum ducts. Another option would be for a split style unit like the ones Mitsubishi makes, but I dont know if they would hold up to vehicle use. The downside with AC is it takes a lot of power so you either have to be plugged into shore power or have a ton of solar and batteries. One funny story I heard is that a DIY builder had more than enough solar and batteries for an AC unit, but the power converter put out so much heat it overpowered the AC!

I plan on running the generator and the AC will also be run off of my alternator/inverter while I drive. I have small kids so AC is a must.

Thanks for the information and insight.

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

Thank you!

Have an import project you’d care to share?

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

Another roadblock.

I purchased some wheels. Seller claims that they fit 395/85r20 tyres. My truck guy is saying they don't. They have a normal small flange, not the larger military flange. Anyone have a guide on wheel sizes and flange types? I can't find a definition of 10.00v-20 vs 10.00-20 vs 10.00w-20 wheels.

I currently have 8 bolt military wheels with a small flange which are 10.00?-20. I have 11.00?-20 split rims. both have smaller flanges than the MRAP wheel that came with one of the 395/85r20 tyres.

Any help here would be appreciated.

New wheel overlaid on top of the MRAP wheel. As you can see... the flange is WAY smaller. I'm pissed. They even show the wheel mounted on a 395/85r20 in the listing and I confirmed via phone AND email that these wheels fit 395/85r20 tyres. They still insist that they do when clearly they have the incorrect flange for this tyre. Help? This is delaying the rest of my project as I wanted to confirm final heighet before sending the truck for fabrication next week (guess that's delayed AGAIN!).

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

Ok...

It's still for sale. But, now it's a race. I realized my project was WAAAAAY too ambitious to be ready for this summer/autumn so I've simplified it to the MAX. I've got a contractor lined up and we're finalizing the details. Price seems good. He will do about 80% of the interior rebuild for me. I've swapped one rear door, still have another to swap. removed the decals, started buffing the old beast (it SHINES!), lube job, filter changes, fixing odds and ends, etc etc. If I sell it first, I'll buy something ready to go. But if I can reach an agreement with the contractor/rv renovator I'll take it off the market and see this project through.

Not much else to say for now except it ain't dead yet! And damned... a lot less depressing when the truck actually looks good too! I still need to buff the top and do some detailing/rust repair but hey, it gives me hope.

As soon as I have some concrete progress I'll be posting it.

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

It’s starting to look like the latest concept...

 

[DarkBladeRunner]

More photos. Outside changes. Underbody storage and test fitting for front bike rack (debating this right now. Majority of the time I won’t be off-roading through dense foliage so I think this makes sense).