It's Baaack! And Gone Again! Highly-Capable 416-Based Unimog Expedition Motorhome

[mhiscox]

Do you have pictures of it in its current state? I am in currently deployed in the STAN. But I have a friend in portland that can look at it for me. Is the whole motor baked, or just the bottom end? I am 1 year out from retirement and this is what I want 2 spend my time in:coffeedrink:

As to current condition, the new paint is white (slightly creamier, less white white) like the original, so everything is the same except that the side 4x4 graphics are gone. So the pictures in the link above are generally relevant.

It is unknown (and unknowable in practical terms) how much of the engine is totally useless. But with about 4K hours on the motor, everyone I've consulted is convinced that a newly-rebuilt engine (or new "crate" engine) is the way to go, with the current engine being scrapped.

 

[mhiscox]

Sold 8/19/10 and going to a splendid new life. Thanks to everyone for their interest.

 

[naterry]

Sold 8/19/10 and going to a splendid new life. Thanks to everyone for their interest.

Hey! Congrats Mike. I'm glad it's staying together. Have fun at MogFest!:victory:

 

[OTR]

Mike,
Thanks for the quick reply this morning. My day was a "little" busy and didn't have time to call you back. Congrats on the sale.

 

[squeezer]

:victory:

 

[864x4rv]

congratulations on the sale mike. your friend is getting a great unit. I was able to locate an OM352 down in the Los Angeles area for $950. I have not seen the engine, but it has 1600 hours on it. I will pass on the information if he wants to contact the seller.

 

[mhiscox]

congratulations on the sale mike. your friend is getting a great unit. I was able to locate an OM352 down in the Los Angeles area for $950. I have not seen the engine, but it has 1600 hours on it. I will pass on the information if he wants to contact the seller.

Thanks for that, but one of the huge advantages Squeezer has is that he has access to a good OM352 already. But that's a nice find. Good price, to my mind.

 

[squeezer]

The Engine has landed...

After a bit of effort on my father-in-laws part the low hour OM352A was removed from a retired combine and delivered from Northern Saskatchewan to Portland Oregon.

The motor is in better shape than I expected which is always a good thing.

My garage is being emptied of all things not complimentary to reviving the CamperMog.

If all goes according to plan she will be moving under her own (and turbo enhanced) power by the end of the summer.

Let the fun begin

Chris

 

[mhiscox]

Happy, happy, joy, joy . . .

If you've got a Mog-luvin' bone in your body, Chris's re-powering of Camper Mog is great news. Camper Mog was a great vehicle with many nice features, and the thought of her running around with a fresh turbo'd OM352 makes me all warm and fuzzy.

Wish Chris the best. He's extremely talented, but given the custom cab design and the issues of lifting something that big, he's boldly going where no man (I'm pretty sure) has gone before.

Go get 'em, Squeezer. :wings:

 

[OTR]

Couldn't you make a cage out of steel (think around the perimeter of the truck along the side and back) and attach it along where the body mounts to the frame on along each side of the cab and camper. I would then weld some pieces along the front and back to tie it together. If you could weld a few pieces in between the front and back that would good. Then rent a crane for a day or weekend and lift the body and roll the chassis out from underneath and the lower the body onto some wooden blocks?

While I had the crane I would try and unbolt the motor and try and lift it out as well and if you had the spare motor ready to be dropped in then use the crane to do that and then remount the cab.

I think it could be done with a lot of planning and some expense of the steel and a crane for a day/weekend. But I think it could be done.

 

[squeezer]

Some good ideas here...

My initial plan is to lift the cab with a two post car hoist. Roll the chassis out from under it and then set the cab down on a purpose built dolly so it can be moved out of the way. The cab can't sit on the hoist as it is the only bay I have that is big enough to store the Mog inside.

With the cab off the engine will come out fairly easily. There will some work to get the new motor compatible with the Mog chassis. The oil pan will have to be swapped (along with the pickup and possibly the oil pump). The donor motor has a very large oil filter bolted on where the air compressor is on the Mog. I have not dug into the details of how they are driven and truly hope the gear/eccentric/whatever exist in the new motor... All accessories are different of course but I expect (or at least hope) that mounting points are common. The hardest part is going to be figuring out where to fit the turbo. I believe it will have to be remote mounted and just hope I can find a spot that still allows for a gravity drain on the turbo oil line... The turbo will take some clever packaging to fit in the chassis of course but I am in no way worried about turbo lag so a few extra feet of tube is not going to be an issue.

This is going to be a ton of fun. I will start a new thread in the Mog section with pics and details when the time is right.

Cheers

Chris

Couldn't you make a cage out of steel (think around the perimeter of the truck along the side and back) and attach it along where the body mounts to the frame on along each side of the cab and camper. I would then weld some pieces along the front and back to tie it together. If you could weld a few pieces in between the front and back that would good. Then rent a crane for a day or weekend and lift the body and roll the chassis out from underneath and the lower the body onto some wooden blocks?

While I had the crane I would try and unbolt the motor and try and lift it out as well and if you had the spare motor ready to be dropped in then use the crane to do that and then remount the cab.

I think it could be done with a lot of planning and some expense of the steel and a crane for a day/weekend. But I think it could be done.

 

[dzzz]

Any progress? Is there a build thread?

 

[squeezer]

Two years into it...

Wow. Its been two years and no progress on Camper Mog other than sourcing a turbo motor for it.

I would like to say there is a great excuse for the lack of progress... Wait a minute, I think ones engine swap partner (My Father-In-Law) tearing a rotator cuff while heli-boarding in Kashmir might be considered a great excuse by this crowd!!!!

(Anyway)

In a strange twist of fate (and my THIRD camper purchase from Mike) I find myself in possession of not one but two diesel camping cars. CamperMog and a very very very (did I say very) nice 36' diesel pusher.

The immediate useability of the new rig makes the idea of pulling a cab for the motor swap a bit optimistic.

So with great fan fare and little else I would like to offer Camper Mog up for sale again. It is pretty much exactly like Mike described in this thread except for the addition of a low hour turbo motor. (The motor is on a skid and can be heard running). Camper Mog has been stored in a heated warehouse since I bought it and deserves more attention than I have been able to spare.

We will let the package go as-is where is for $24K USD (FOB Portland Oregon, I will assist in shipping arrangements anywhere in the world)

Serious potential new owners please PM me and I will get back to you ASAP

Chris

 

[mhiscox]

Well, that's a pretty interesting development. :Wow1:

I just checked and the link to the original Portal sale thread link and the link to the Picasa photo album still work. Go to the first post of this thread to link to these places to learn more about the truck and cabin.

Things look pretty much the same as in the pictures, though it's worth mentioning that the truck and cabin got a complete professional paint job (a nice creamy white) since the photos got taken, and it also has four new matching black truck seats not shown in the cockpit shots.

I don't think there's any downside to mentioning that Chris's asking price is about $20K less than I sold it for before these upgrades, so if you have or can source the talent to get the engine swap done, you could end up with a pretty good vehicle for the money.

Camper Mog is not the height of go-wheelin' Unimogs, but it is arguably the best family overlanding Mog ever imported into North America. The custom cab is incredibly better than the stock 416 DoKa setup if you need to accommodate a co-pilot and a couple additional passengers, and even if there's just one or two of you, the ability to get back to the cabin without crawling on all fours is a wonderful feature.

Chris is more than capable of selling his own truck, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for Camper Mog and hope she'll go to a good home. I'll be watching this thread to see if there any need for information that pre-dates Chris's involvement, which I'll happily provide.

Good luck with the sale, Squeezer.

 

[StumpXJ]

Im no expert, but $24k sounds like one hell of a deal. That thing brings the awesome. Good luck, and im jealous in advance of whoever gets it. (any interest in trading for a SWEET 16 year old Cherokee?)