Mercedes 1222A.. The beginning!

[Sitec]

Is the rack going to be as high as the box. In the cab 18 pick it looks like it is due to that top bar.

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Yeah, the back of the rack matches the top of the body, The sides taper down bring the front of the rack to only 10" tall.

 

[Sitec]

With the rack supported by the cab and clamped loosely in place, it was time to un-clamp it from the body and tip the cab.

 

[Sitec]

Happy that the cab tipping gear works fine with the added weight it was time to somehow get the basket off the roof as it'll be easier to finish the front pipework with it all at bench height not 3.2m up above a glass screen! Time to deploy the tractor and home made jib!



After the antics of getting the basket down, I could shift it into the workshop ready to finish it.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Ahhh... cab tipping gear. Our truck came standard with the "ArmStrong" option. Really is nice now that we have added sound deadening, air ride seats and the rooftop AC. Looking forward to adding the roof rack as it is about time to up the weight in our training .

 

[ITTOG]

Happy that the cab tipping gear works fine with the added weight it was time to somehow get the basket off the roof as it'll be easier to finish the front pipework with it all at bench height not 3.2m up above a glass screen! Time to deploy the tractor and home made jib!

View attachment 587726

After the antics of getting the basket down, I could shift it into the workshop ready to finish it.

View attachment 587728

Funny how a pic can be deceiving. When I asked about being as high as the box it was because it looked like it was two or three feet above the cab and I didn't think it would look good. Seeing it now I think it looks great.

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[Sitec]

Slight change of design to the front of the roof rack/basket/... I wanted a place for a couple more marker lights, and to change the front look from just a rectangular roof basket. Here is the rough sketch...



And the start of the fabrication process.

 

[Joe917]

Are you going to use sheet metal to get any aero benefit out of the rack and sides?

 

[Sitec]

Hi Joe.

In a word yes. The sides of the rack and ladder area will have 2mm alli sheet in them (removable on the ladder side but bolted on the top sides and drivers side). The front center panel will have a fine mesh over the front to 'hide' the fact that there's a train horn up there and a rolled roof sheet forcing the air into the cab sunroof area (so I can open this and force air into the body with the link doors open when on dirt roads). I think the light recesses will have a rolled sheet under them rolled up towards the back of the truck to allow that air to come out up over the roof rack. It's all at the pondering stage at the moment...

 

[Sitec]

With the antics of getting the rack off the tuck out of the way, I've been able to get on and shape the front section on the bench. There's still the fine bits to do, but this gives you the rough idea.



Next up is to make a light support for these...

 

[nathane]

As always I'm super impressed with your fabrication work and not a little jealous of your shed!

I'm afraid I outsourced my rack build to Atkinson Vos, as I neither the skill or gear to make this. They have done a great job as usual

 

[Sitec]

As always I'm super impressed with your fabrication work and not a little jealous of your shed!

I'm afraid I outsourced my rack build to Atkinson Vos, as I neither the skill or gear to make this. They have done a great job as usual

That's a nicely made rack. I like the sheet they've used for the floor too!

 

[Madoxen]

Its really looking good Sitec, you have to be pleased with how its all coming together

 

[Sitec]

Its really looking good Sitec, you have to be pleased with how its all coming together

Yeah, I am thanks. It's like having a child or a puppy though... I see it every day so don't see the progress... A friend walks into the shed who's not seen it for months and they go woooaaahhh!

 

[Sitec]

Time for an update. Work has been very busy, as there's a government incentive to buy machinery etc so we've been very busy. However, this was a long weekend here, so I did manage a few hours on the truck. First up was the light supports. Originally I was going to use 50 x 25 RHS with 2.5mm wall thickness, but with weight in mind I've used some much lighter 50mm x 25mm RHS. It looks like 1mm, and was some stuff I cut out of the body originally. As it is thin, I've taken the time to sleeve the light bolt holes with thin wall pipe left over from the roof rack ladder, so that the RHS doesn't crush. Much lighter! Here's the RHS in situ, with a couple of lights sat in place.

 

[Sitec]

Next up was to cut, shape and fit the side sheets that will help tie the roof rack into the body. These took a good few hours to get right. The fold (in theory) matches the fold in the body roof... Time will tell if I've got it right!