mog
Kodiak Buckaroo
The direct link to your thread - https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...firetruck-for-a-custom-overland-build.225697/
I just bought a firetruck for a custom overland build!
- Thread starter OvrlndN00b
- Start date
gregmchugh
Observer
World Roamers on Facebook have been traveling in a Krug they had built for a couple years.
Iain_U1250
Explorer
That's a great truck for basing a mega expedition truck on, going to be an interesting build.
Chuckles!
Observer
I can't help you with cabin manufacturers, but on the air suspension/rear steering aspect, there is a man in Chile that has been building an AK 2626 for ten (10!) years in the hopes of traveling around the world. He is very intimate with the chassis and has rebuilt many components himself. Have a look on this 40-page thread on the trials and tribulations of building such a beast in South America:
I just bought a firetruck for a custom overland build!
I recently purchased a 1997 Mercedes Benz SK 2653 that I plan on converting to an expedition vehicle for export to the United States, in 2022. The truck served as a fire engine at an airport in Denmark for 23+ years...has a little over 67,000km. I am in the process of researching potential...
expeditionportal.com
Geo.Lander
Well-known member
Wow! a total beast for sure! Welcome to the MB community, you seem to already know your stuff. We bought out truck end of 2020 and knew absolutely zero in regards to trucks. We got tons of project steering advice here and are very thankful for that.
One word of warning, we have a build slot with a UK based firm called Atkinson Voss (great to work with) but due to supply issues from the window manufacturer (Outbound) we are delayed by 6 months! So be prepared for that. Before we locked in our slot some EU based Box manufacturers were giving us 2 year lead times for a professionally built subframe and box...
One word of warning, we have a build slot with a UK based firm called Atkinson Voss (great to work with) but due to supply issues from the window manufacturer (Outbound) we are delayed by 6 months! So be prepared for that. Before we locked in our slot some EU based Box manufacturers were giving us 2 year lead times for a professionally built subframe and box...
Sitec
Adventurer
Loving that truck! I'd ship it into the US as it is, and then build the box to suit it when you have a bare chassis in front of you. That way you can plan the build around the truck you have and dont have the issues of importing 'new' or 'old'. With a bare chassis cab in front of you, it's much easier to work out exactly where you want stuff as you can visualise it all. Following with interest.
NOFOMO
Member
I would recommend talking to HaJo and Andreas at Boxmanufaktur.
They are located near Bremen (Denmark adjacent) in Germany and also have a location in Las Vegas in case you change your plan and have the habitat built after import.
They are not the cheapest, but from my own experience, their work is super on the price to value spectrum.
Here is my box from them receiving final touches prior to assembly in 2019.
They do everything from small pickup cabs to oligarch monsters.
They are located near Bremen (Denmark adjacent) in Germany and also have a location in Las Vegas in case you change your plan and have the habitat built after import.
They are not the cheapest, but from my own experience, their work is super on the price to value spectrum.
Here is my box from them receiving final touches prior to assembly in 2019.
They do everything from small pickup cabs to oligarch monsters.
Geo.Lander
Well-known member
I must disagree with this comment, your truck looks amazing but the lead time and pricing for Boxmanufaktur was crazy, even the high end guys like AluStar etc seemed cheaper. I also had a pretty hard time getting responses from them and they failed to answer and engage with me as a potential customer. I found this pattern quite common from most of the German based manufactures in late 2020, I suppose they have more than enough work and can pick and choose customers.
I must of gotten quotes from at least a dozen of the companies in Germany and a couple in Austria, and the pattern persisted. Maybe it is because I ask annoying questions or maybe they just do not like talking english with an annoying Greek who they look down on, who knows..
My recommendation is Atkinson Voss in the UK. Their prices are very fair and they build proper off-road subframes and talk you through the whole process, provide CAD drawings and engage in custom solutions that meet your requirements. It is a joy working with them. Ask for Simon or Paul.
NOFOMO
Member
Sorry to hear about your experience Geo.Lander.
As it was my first build, I had tons of questions (some probably stupid ones too).
They had to coordinate between Hellgeth, who made the custom subframe and my builder Joko, while I was far away in the Staates. Still amazed that it all came fitting together as it did.
When everything was complete, they picked me up at the Hamburg airport and also lent me their temporary plates for the drive to the builder (most companies don’t do that).
All the best with your project and decision. Definitely a cool truck.
P.S.: I had a similarly negative experience with Krug at Abenteuer Allrad. Their exhibition site was fairly deserted, yet they made every attempt not to engage with me. They didn’t even make it to the quotation phase….
Hi, OvrlndN00b:
First of all, congratulations for your purchase. That is really nice monster and a great base to plan a big tour around the globe.
Now, probably you know it, though, you must be able to cope with all the work that needs to be done, both with brain and with hands, and have enough patience and funds to get to the finish line as properly upgrading and fitting this kind of old pieces of machinery is a quite demanding task.
Just because you asked: forget about rear steering. Period.
The engine is a V8 with double turbo, so you have revs and most of the torque management relies on the gearbox. I personally do not like automatic gearboxes because I cannot fix them, I do not understand them very well, but they can prove to be very pleasant to drive around, even in rough terrain. They are - sorry- they were designed back in those days to last longer than the engine itself so, if this truck has been properly treated and maintained, there should be no problem as long as the truck itself do not fall apart.
About consumption: I assume that you do not worry about that, otherwise you would not have even looked at this truck.
Upgrading the suspension with air things is not an issue if properly done, of course. Maybe you do not even need it.
In my own project, still ongoing, I took a different approach and planned and designed myself the Box or Habitat and contacted a german firm that built the composite panels and made them ship the panels home. It was a decent deal and they delivered timely and the quality of their work was pretty good. I - still- plan to build myself the base-subframe of the Box on a four point torsion free concept.
The possibilities are not that finite, if you think, it all depends on your will, your skills, your hurry and your budget.
Hope you have a great time building this thing and driving it around.
Keep posting progresses.
Pairoa
First of all, congratulations for your purchase. That is really nice monster and a great base to plan a big tour around the globe.
Now, probably you know it, though, you must be able to cope with all the work that needs to be done, both with brain and with hands, and have enough patience and funds to get to the finish line as properly upgrading and fitting this kind of old pieces of machinery is a quite demanding task.
Just because you asked: forget about rear steering. Period.
The engine is a V8 with double turbo, so you have revs and most of the torque management relies on the gearbox. I personally do not like automatic gearboxes because I cannot fix them, I do not understand them very well, but they can prove to be very pleasant to drive around, even in rough terrain. They are - sorry- they were designed back in those days to last longer than the engine itself so, if this truck has been properly treated and maintained, there should be no problem as long as the truck itself do not fall apart.
About consumption: I assume that you do not worry about that, otherwise you would not have even looked at this truck.
Upgrading the suspension with air things is not an issue if properly done, of course. Maybe you do not even need it.
In my own project, still ongoing, I took a different approach and planned and designed myself the Box or Habitat and contacted a german firm that built the composite panels and made them ship the panels home. It was a decent deal and they delivered timely and the quality of their work was pretty good. I - still- plan to build myself the base-subframe of the Box on a four point torsion free concept.
The possibilities are not that finite, if you think, it all depends on your will, your skills, your hurry and your budget.
Hope you have a great time building this thing and driving it around.
Keep posting progresses.
Pairoa
DeAusten
Member
I’ve seen a few larger vehicles that employ rear steering. Curious why you seem so adamantly against it?
Austen
Sitec
Adventurer
To change that vehicle to rear steer would be massive work. Both rear axles are mounted on two upturned leaf springs, allowing massive axle travel. By removing all of this and adding a steerable axle would mean a completely different rear system... which kinda defeats the object of buying a 6x6... It will still turn fairly well in it's standard form.
DeAusten
Member
Completely agree -- massive work indeed. I took the original message to mean there was some sort of regulatory concern rather than engineering concern. I've not found anyone in the US willing to tackle a rear steering system for an on-highway vehicle. There also aren't many people looking for rear-steering for their 6x6 and so I was curious what the OP's experience was so far.
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