Mercedes 1222A.. The beginning!

[Sitec]

On with the build! Last night I couldn't be bothered to do anything noisy or productive, so I cracked open a beer and pottered about! Out came the cardboard. Time to work out the depth of the side skirts and shape/size of the rear Jerry Can and recovery gear lockers... With a 100mm gap (black bit) between the body and the side skirts, a 400mm skirt and a 70mm taper at the base, there's still 700mm of ground clearance. Recon that will be fine!

 

[Sitec]

Hi all, and best wishes for the next few weeks for those that celebrate Xmas etc!! Having moved from the UK to Australia, a cold white Christmas is something we miss, and no matter how much we drink, and eat, it'll never feel like a true Christmas because its always hot!!! Wouldn't change it though!

So, build news.... With the body on for it's first test fit and the mounts sited, tacked in place and tested, the original plan was to lift the body back off and continue with sealing the floor and cladding it. However, I soon realised that now is the logical time to site and mount anything that is going to be under it.... Fuel tanks, muffler, batteries, grey water tanks, Genset, clean water tanks etc etc. All of this will be mounted direct to the chassis so it's not carried by the body and it's mounts. I added some mock up skirts in cardboard, and now every time I walk into the workshop, the truck 'looks like' an overlander. This has given me a much needed boost. As the old muffler system (that was knackered) is now in a pile outside the shed, it seemed logical to start with the new muffler. I bought a later square muffler a few years ago off a wrecker thinking it'd be an easy fit... It wasn't, as I soon worked out it had come off the left side of a truck and I was fitting it to the right!! With a weekend spent making it fit (by flipping it and reversing the cover etc) I had something I could work with... Here it is loosly bolted in it's new home for the first time.

 

[Sitec]

With the muffler box in place I could start fabricating the 1mm steel around it to make it look like it should be there, and form part of the finish skirts.. This also involved making a new mount for the cab tip pump, so it's closer to the outside of the truck. The slot and hole in the skirt allow the cab pump to be used.

 

[Sitec]

Next was to weld up all the tacked mountings for the muffler box, and complete the surrounding 'tinwork'... Some of you will have spotted the large piece of RHS... Yes, this is the inlet to the exhaust muffler. I had to work a way to get the gasses from the gearbox area into the muffler inlet through the 100mm gap between the body and chassis... a 4" pipe is big and hard to work with. 5" x 3" RHS is easier!!

 

[Sitec]

Lastly to finish the surround and outlet. How to keep the outlet pipe flush and tidy.... Make it rectangular!! I think it's worked out well.

 

[Sitec]

Here it is bolted in place. The beginning of making the whole thing look like it was meant to be!

 

[grizzlyj]

That looks really nice
Since you mention external water tanks maybe this is a moot point, but do your cardboard wheel arches allow for chains?
And will your skirts cover tank filling points or change-over valves just to make fiddling by others a bit less easy?
Jason

 

[Sitec]

That looks really nice
Since you mention external water tanks maybe this is a moot point, but do your cardboard wheel arches allow for chains?
And will your skirts cover tank filling points or change-over valves just to make fiddling by others a bit less easy?
Jason

Hi Jason.

Yeah, it's coming along. Re chains, in all the places I've been, I've never had to use chains... but it is a good point. The rear arch shape is a copy of the front, so in theory if chains would fit the front on standard tyres/arches they should fit the rear.

As for the water tanks, the original plan was to have one large (500lt) tank in the rear between the chassis rails. However, there is one chassis cross member that can't be removed, so that tank won't now fit. Someone made mention of separate tanks (in case of contaminated water), so now I will have a smaller 250lt tank under the rear, and a 200lt tank behind one of the side skirts. I plan to have two fill points that are accessable through the side lockers so the fill points are hidden. The pump lines will also be in there and I can switch between tanks and or direct mains hook up.

 

[loonwheeler]

Two water tanks is a good idea (along with two fuel tanks). Sounds like a good direction.

 

[Sitec]

Two water tanks is a good idea (along with two fuel tanks). Sounds like a good direction.

If I had the space for two fuel tanks, I'd run the original tank as well as the large semi tank I now have. Working on where I can hide water tanks so I can do that. I have provision for 100lt of diesel in jerry cans.

 

[grizzlyj]

No fresh water stored inside?
I was thinking about diesel fillers being shielded rather than water but that's a good idea too.
So you don't think you'll ever take the truck where putting chains on, or at least carrying them, is a requirement?

 

[Sitec]

No fresh water stored inside?
I was thinking about diesel fillers being shielded rather than water but that's a good idea too.
So you don't think you'll ever take the truck where putting chains on, or at least carrying them, is a requirement?

So, the proposed rear tank is going in between the rear chassis rails, but is quite tall, so the top half of it will be within the body, under the bed, along with the filtration and pump, keeping it out of the frost prone areas... Re chains, the only place we may end up in snow is the Vic High Country here in Oz. I think there'll be enough room for chains as there's approx. 150mm clearance in front and behind the wheel face. There's a lot more above.

 

[grizzlyj]

Nice idea half in half out

 

[Neil]

Hi Jason.

Are you looking to carry snow chains. We seriously looked at this but the extra weight and packed size was a deciding factor. I think a decent set for my truck was near 160kg in weight. Luckily so far we haven't found ourselves needing them. I think fitting them in deep mud or snow conditions would be a big challenge. Invariably you get stuck in mud, then they would be near impossible to fit at this point.

As for very deep snow, we have avoided this it's a recipe for disaster. If its deeper than a foot i avoid it if i can

How's your project coming on. It must be getting close to finished now

Simon.

We have two identical water tanks that are 250l each. They have proved useful. As I type this one tank is full of water that has been drawn from a well and is very salty. It's of for washing etc but no filter will make it drinkable. The second tank is good sweet water.

From my experience here , two tanks have been the right choice on many occasions.

Loving the build

Neil

 

[Sitec]

Good info Neil, and also good to see that your capacity matches what I'd settled on as being 'enough' water!

Another weekend of progress on the truck this weekend before the predicted week above 40 deg here in SA... The fuel tank now has its two carriers modified with the hole positions lower to lift the tank by approx. 150mm. I managed to use existing chassis holes as I don't want to drill any more than I have to! Lifting the tank has tucked it nicely under the body, with the fill point now accessible thru what will be a lockable hatch on the body side.