Isuzu npr 4wd

gator70

Active member
Update on the project. I pivoted. Because of warranty I went with Ridgerock. Today the truck arrived at the factory.
 

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gator70

Active member
The habitat production started and will be done mid September. It is turn key. I designed the subframe, have CAD drawings and will outsource the welding. The subframe and habitat have identical frame structures. Allowing a perfect fit as the habitat is lifted onto the truck.
 

gator70

Active member
The habitat is a composite product like total composite engineering, and the bottom has an exposed frame. To attach this underside frame, a interior subfloor is built from a smaller steel tube structure with welded plates for a sandwich attachment to the underside frame. As attachment to composite panels is problematic.
 

gator70

Active member
The truck interior seats will be replaced with captain chairs. Using theses seats
 

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gator70

Active member
The habitat comes with a passthrough door. Time to plan the rear of the cab engineering. Unlike some builders I don't see a need to connect the two. If the cab passthrough door is a tambour style , and the habitat is a normal composite door, a human can climb through. The habitat and cab will be 100mm apart. So yes there is a space the human must crawl through. Now is the time to plan this. To prepare the cab, I will cut a thicker sheet of aluminum, the exact size as the rear window, then have a auto glass company remove the rear window and with a new gasket replace it with the aluminum sheet shape.
 

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Ultimark

Active member
The habitat comes with a passthrough door. Time to plan the rear of the cab engineering. Unlike some builders I don't see a need to connect the two. If the cab passthrough door is a tambour style , and the habitat is a normal composite door, a human can climb through. The habitat and cab will be 100mm apart. So yes there is a space the human must crawl through. Now is the time to plan this. To prepare the cab, I will cut a thicker sheet of aluminum, the exact size as the rear window, then have a auto glass company remove the rear window and with a new gasket replace it with the aluminum sheet shape.

I didn't really appreciate this the first time I looked, and now that I've had a think about it, where do you propose to feed the aluminium slats, inside on the ceiling, or outside in a drum?

That is a pretty neat idea, seems to be a bit on the small side though. I've just measured my rear window (single cab) and it is approximately 290mm deep, which is a guestimation as the visible glass is 280mm deep.

Mick.
 

Ultimark

Active member
The OEM front axle on the NPS is rated to carry 3100kg, is your front axle equal to that, or is it higher rated?

Higher rated, even a little bit may be helpful as your wheelbase seems to be a lot longer than the NPS, possibly putting more weight onto the front axle.

I love my drum brakes, combined with the exhaust brake, they hardly get used. Plus, wet sand/mud doesn't grind the pads away, not to mention scoring of the discs.
 

DzlToy

Explorer
Dana 60 axles are commonly used here for three-quarter ton trucks (Ram 2500, Ford 250, etc), and for making a USDM NPR into an NPS. That axle is rated by Dana from 4500 - 7500 pounds depending on hubs, brakes, wheels, tires, gear ratio, width, etc.

3100 kg = <6900 pounds. So, you would need a Super 60, a.k.a. Fat Boy, from a Ford F450, to exceed this factory weight rating (GAWR), or to purchase an axle from a third party, such as Fusion, Currie or Dynatrac, which I suggest avoiding at all costs. As many of these axles are built for custom applications, such as off road buggies and Jeeps being converted from half-ton parts to one-ton running gear, the OEM rating isn't often shared, as it would be if that axle came on a new F-350 pickup truck. I don't imagine the axle would fail with a bit of extra load on it, but having a stronger axle is never a bad thing, especially if you are doing tough tracks or travelling in remote areas.

Other options are to get a Dana 70, Dana 80 or even a steering 14 bolt from a company such a Crane Axle in Tennessee or Torq14 in Utah (I think).

Do you have the specs on the axle that is being install under the front of your truck?
 

gator70

Active member
On the tambour door. A aluminum frame must be constructed that intersects with a cutout in the back of the truck cab. Design TBA
 

gator70

Active member
The dana axle comes from a 2015 F450 - Gear ratio is matched to the rear Isuzu - Lockers on both diffs.
 
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gator70

Active member
Wheelbase question: We tried to decide on wheelbase based on overhang in the rear. We decided to have less overhang in the rear, and sacrifice a longer wheelbase. Any opinion??

Our on bed length is 3700mm + 440mm rear storage box
 

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