Merkabah: MB 2626 AK 6x6 tipper to expedition truck conversion
- Thread starter pairospam
- Start date
Hello:
Thanks for your words, Madoxen.
And no, there still is no courier service from Germany to Chile.
Well, now that I have more time available for doing nothing useful but to be at home contemplating my country go downhill straight to poverty, hunger and civil war due to this silly lockdown and some sick ideas, I can show more of some of the work that I have done on the Merkabah during the lasts months.
It is not in quite strict chronological order though it is kind of sequential. It really does not matter as it is just to give a perspective on how much little and big have been going on with the project.
I will begin showing some of the work that was necessary to restore the roof lining. It came from a wrecked concrete mixer truck and hung from the roof since 2011. The original lining of the Merkabah was not in good condition and there was no possible recovery for it.
I had to use a series of different techniques to patch it up, even taking some parts of the old lining, and to make metallic frames to regain and ensure the integrity of the openings for the lockers.
Then came the turn of the rear wall lining. It was in far better shape though it was necessary to make many repairs and heavy modifications to adapt it to the absence of the rear windows and the presence of the crawl-through. It was a slow and patient job, as everything in this project, combining materials and methods.
Once both were ready, I took them to the upholsterer who classicaly said: Don’t you worry, they will be ready on Wednesday! He did not precise of which month, but anyway.
When he finally delivered, I asked a little help not to ruin the lining while installing them as there was pretty little place to maneuver such big and delicate parts. All in all, the result was pretty rewarding.
Thanks for your words, Madoxen.
And no, there still is no courier service from Germany to Chile.
Well, now that I have more time available for doing nothing useful but to be at home contemplating my country go downhill straight to poverty, hunger and civil war due to this silly lockdown and some sick ideas, I can show more of some of the work that I have done on the Merkabah during the lasts months.
It is not in quite strict chronological order though it is kind of sequential. It really does not matter as it is just to give a perspective on how much little and big have been going on with the project.
I will begin showing some of the work that was necessary to restore the roof lining. It came from a wrecked concrete mixer truck and hung from the roof since 2011. The original lining of the Merkabah was not in good condition and there was no possible recovery for it.
I had to use a series of different techniques to patch it up, even taking some parts of the old lining, and to make metallic frames to regain and ensure the integrity of the openings for the lockers.
Then came the turn of the rear wall lining. It was in far better shape though it was necessary to make many repairs and heavy modifications to adapt it to the absence of the rear windows and the presence of the crawl-through. It was a slow and patient job, as everything in this project, combining materials and methods.
Once both were ready, I took them to the upholsterer who classicaly said: Don’t you worry, they will be ready on Wednesday! He did not precise of which month, but anyway.
When he finally delivered, I asked a little help not to ruin the lining while installing them as there was pretty little place to maneuver such big and delicate parts. All in all, the result was pretty rewarding.
Do you remember the torsionometer that I had made for finding the pivoting center of the frame? Well, it was actually not pretty trustable right as it was conceived and assembled so I decided to build another wooden one using more robust timber pieces.
The situation at that time in my country was a little hairy already so I had kind of panic for finishing the build as soon as possible.
I decided to do the torsional tests with the Merkabah safely parked at the shop, which meant to deal a lot with the jacks and all the effort and time it implied, though the conditions for the tests could be a lot more controllable.
Unfortunately, after assembling it and making half the measurements with the laser level, it was clear that wood was not the best option as the numbers changed largely depending on the temperature, the humidity, etc., and so it was not stable enough.
So, I got some iron profiles and built up a much more solid, stable and dependable construct with which I could produce and reproduce measurements more accurately.
I ended up pretty tired, though, jacking up and down the truck until I was absolutely sure that I had found the exact spot where the frame twisted longitudinally at the precise places where the front and rear pivots of the torsion free system for the Box would go.
As I presumed, both front and rear differed from each other, and they were located far below than expected.
The situation at that time in my country was a little hairy already so I had kind of panic for finishing the build as soon as possible.
I decided to do the torsional tests with the Merkabah safely parked at the shop, which meant to deal a lot with the jacks and all the effort and time it implied, though the conditions for the tests could be a lot more controllable.
Unfortunately, after assembling it and making half the measurements with the laser level, it was clear that wood was not the best option as the numbers changed largely depending on the temperature, the humidity, etc., and so it was not stable enough.
So, I got some iron profiles and built up a much more solid, stable and dependable construct with which I could produce and reproduce measurements more accurately.
I ended up pretty tired, though, jacking up and down the truck until I was absolutely sure that I had found the exact spot where the frame twisted longitudinally at the precise places where the front and rear pivots of the torsion free system for the Box would go.
As I presumed, both front and rear differed from each other, and they were located far below than expected.
I redesigned the subframe according to the obtained data and bought some steel profiles needed for building it, but I had not enough place to work on because at that moment the shop was full of cars, trucks, bikes and tractors.
Nothing comes at random, of course, and instead of going on with the building of the subframe I made a pause to rethink the situation and at the same moment a lot of details that needed attention began to show up. I gave it a little thought and finally decided to quit the hurry and dedicate my efforts to finishing the myriad of other aspects of the building.
The base for the original seats were not fitted for the seats I wanted to install, so I made some experiments until I found the simplest and tougher way to put the seats in place.
First I modified the base of the seats themselves, quite complex suspension mechanism plenty of rust. I had to disassemble and clean it and modify the track supports. That was quite a job.
Then I replaced the supports of the seats for a wider and tougher base made of iron profiles. As usual, at first sight the materials were not pretty appealing.
Nothing comes at random, of course, and instead of going on with the building of the subframe I made a pause to rethink the situation and at the same moment a lot of details that needed attention began to show up. I gave it a little thought and finally decided to quit the hurry and dedicate my efforts to finishing the myriad of other aspects of the building.
The base for the original seats were not fitted for the seats I wanted to install, so I made some experiments until I found the simplest and tougher way to put the seats in place.
First I modified the base of the seats themselves, quite complex suspension mechanism plenty of rust. I had to disassemble and clean it and modify the track supports. That was quite a job.
Then I replaced the supports of the seats for a wider and tougher base made of iron profiles. As usual, at first sight the materials were not pretty appealing.
I assembled all the pieces, made lots of checkings, corrections, re-checkings and then, finally, when I was satisfied, painted it all. As I did not like pretty much how it looked I made a simple cover to make it look a little nicer… and that was it.
The seats were the former with which the old and faithful Montero was equipped when I bought him, and they were resting on a corner of the shop, cumulating dust and dog hair for eons.
Once I could pick them up from the upholsterer I mounted the seats for good.
The cushioned seats were a lot wider than the original pretty spartan seats, so I ended up with a pretty tight fit in between the door and the motor tunnel, but it worked.
After many raids I had collected quite a few parts and pieces for the cabin. From five pillar panellings I made up the two that were missing or damaged, and it was quite a nice detail even if the results were not perfect.
One of the big air tanks had a leak, and I found out that it was rusted not only from the outside. I searched for another original tank but I could not find one in better condition, so I thought about fabricating one myself until I found a discarded tank from which I got some metal stripes that served to patch the rotten one.
Took some time and welding skills and obstinacy, but in the end it passed the pressure test and, after repainting, I put it back in place and connected the air circuits again.
There is no good system except a sound system, so the original idea was to install a big sound amplifier behind the seats, bolted to the rear wall and the lining, but soon I realized that there was no place for the one I had gotten as it was quite large, and I also realized that there was no place for the main speakers in the central console as it was too crowded.
The natural solution was then to reinstall the service tray, accommodate the speakers in it, and reinstall the central glove/maps plastic box with the amplifier inside it.
The service tray was then tributary for resurrection. I cleaned it for good and then cut the holes for the speakers.
To get a proper management of the sound I had to make a cover for the tray. I got some metal sheets and fabricated the covers ad hoc from scratch.
I played a little with the plastic box and decided that it was not suitable for the job so I made a tougher and slightly larger box from chipboard that worked pretty well.
There was enough place for installing the components of the amplifier and a little fan to manage the temperature inside the box, and it was solid enough to stand a couple of dogs on it.
There is no good system except a sound system, so the original idea was to install a big sound amplifier behind the seats, bolted to the rear wall and the lining, but soon I realized that there was no place for the one I had gotten as it was quite large, and I also realized that there was no place for the main speakers in the central console as it was too crowded.
The natural solution was then to reinstall the service tray, accommodate the speakers in it, and reinstall the central glove/maps plastic box with the amplifier inside it.
The service tray was then tributary for resurrection. I cleaned it for good and then cut the holes for the speakers.
To get a proper management of the sound I had to make a cover for the tray. I got some metal sheets and fabricated the covers ad hoc from scratch.
I played a little with the plastic box and decided that it was not suitable for the job so I made a tougher and slightly larger box from chipboard that worked pretty well.
There was enough place for installing the components of the amplifier and a little fan to manage the temperature inside the box, and it was solid enough to stand a couple of dogs on it.
Another item that was left unfinished was the CTIS. I replicated the model of support for the rotary valves that I had already chosen and tested before and crafted them until they were ready for priming and painting.
I then installed all the components on the wheels and fabricated the supports for the air lines from the frame to the valves. I played with lots of ideas and finally chose a simple twin tube holder in the back and a quite more complex design of a preformed tube that follows the movement of the wheels on the front axle.
All the new pieces took their time to fabricate and fortunately they all came pretty good. The French valve design gives a very low and safe lateral profile, and that is a nice feature given my style of driving.
I then installed all the components on the wheels and fabricated the supports for the air lines from the frame to the valves. I played with lots of ideas and finally chose a simple twin tube holder in the back and a quite more complex design of a preformed tube that follows the movement of the wheels on the front axle.
All the new pieces took their time to fabricate and fortunately they all came pretty good. The French valve design gives a very low and safe lateral profile, and that is a nice feature given my style of driving.
Once the CTIS was ready and proven, I put my hands and efforts on finishing and installing the doors. I gathered, cleaned, painted and installed the windows and all the components, some of which were in a very painful state. I had many extra components and chose among all the best of them. Some needed to be restored and some were just cleaned up.
I applied the same sound and temperature proofing that I used in the cabin, though putting the aluminum foil and the elastomeric membrane inside the door was pretty much difficult in comparison.
When the doors were ready, I used some help from the people of the shop to bolt them back on the cabin. It was pretty nice to install the linings of the doors once all the adjusting work was done, or so I thought.
As you may assume, every job, even if looked minor or apparently easy, took three times more to finish, was ten times more difficult to do and gave me quite a bunch of headaches. Everything went right, though, one way or the other.
I applied the same sound and temperature proofing that I used in the cabin, though putting the aluminum foil and the elastomeric membrane inside the door was pretty much difficult in comparison.
When the doors were ready, I used some help from the people of the shop to bolt them back on the cabin. It was pretty nice to install the linings of the doors once all the adjusting work was done, or so I thought.
As you may assume, every job, even if looked minor or apparently easy, took three times more to finish, was ten times more difficult to do and gave me quite a bunch of headaches. Everything went right, though, one way or the other.
@ Wazak:
Excuse me but I did not get what calculations you were referring to as I, until then, had only guessed, which was not acceptable.
@ Sitec:
No sir, far from that. The front and rear pivot points are located, according to my measurements in the setting described, 31 and 27 centimeters respectively below the upper level of the frame rails, that is, some centimeters below the frame rails themselves.
Nothing was easy, and not only regarding the project. One day, we were visiting my brother in law in the country while he was spraying some odd smelling fertilizer on the peach trees and the old and faithful Montero got stuck on a simple ditch crossing. The transmission broke after a few hundred thousands of kilometers of abuse, according to him.
To make a story short, the transmission went out and it was, in the end, replaced by a second hand one but in perfect condition.
Meanwhile, I went on with the restoration of the rest of the pieces of the cabin. The mudguards were already painted but the supports for the position lights were stored apart and forgotten, and they looked pretty damaged. I restored them and a few other parts as well and then put them all back in place. They looked pretty good to me.
Found the ID plate of the truck, and bolting it back was like a ceremonial, something like an official rebirth of the truck.
I realized that the supports of the lateral mirrors were missing, and I needed those mirrors to drive the truck, of course. I went to the countryside to take out the original supports still bolted to the cabin of Spare the truck.
The poor Spare, or what was left of him, still had something to give. It was a two hour struggle, though, to take the rusted bolts out.
The supports were restored, and soon after the mirrors were in place.
Excuse me but I did not get what calculations you were referring to as I, until then, had only guessed, which was not acceptable.
@ Sitec:
No sir, far from that. The front and rear pivot points are located, according to my measurements in the setting described, 31 and 27 centimeters respectively below the upper level of the frame rails, that is, some centimeters below the frame rails themselves.
Nothing was easy, and not only regarding the project. One day, we were visiting my brother in law in the country while he was spraying some odd smelling fertilizer on the peach trees and the old and faithful Montero got stuck on a simple ditch crossing. The transmission broke after a few hundred thousands of kilometers of abuse, according to him.
To make a story short, the transmission went out and it was, in the end, replaced by a second hand one but in perfect condition.
Meanwhile, I went on with the restoration of the rest of the pieces of the cabin. The mudguards were already painted but the supports for the position lights were stored apart and forgotten, and they looked pretty damaged. I restored them and a few other parts as well and then put them all back in place. They looked pretty good to me.
Found the ID plate of the truck, and bolting it back was like a ceremonial, something like an official rebirth of the truck.
I realized that the supports of the lateral mirrors were missing, and I needed those mirrors to drive the truck, of course. I went to the countryside to take out the original supports still bolted to the cabin of Spare the truck.
The poor Spare, or what was left of him, still had something to give. It was a two hour struggle, though, to take the rusted bolts out.
The supports were restored, and soon after the mirrors were in place.
The column switch was working properly, but I wanted to be absolutely sure of its reliability. These things are very difficult to repair on the go so I ordered a new switch and replaced the old one that would be stored permanently in the truck, just in case.
I was a little tired of dealing with the mess of wires in the central console so I took the upholstered side covers and finally closed the console. It immediately changed the look of the dashboard and the whole cabin. That led me to look for the rest of the covers of the dashboard, and I had to choose the best ones from the covers collected along the way. After some repairing and cleaning they went in place, and the picture was complete.
At that moment I invited Carmen to have a picnic in the countryside. She had to use the stairs as the steps were still not ready, but she came pretty happy with Yogi bears’ food basket.
First, and just for the fun, we visited some relatives and parked the truck in front of the house. They were not prone to let us go and finally we stayed and shared an opiparus lunch with them.
Returning from the trip, the noise from the gearbox became more evident. I made another test trip alone and then another with my brother-in-law and the conclusion became evident for us: the gearbox had to go out and checked.
I had to cut and prepare the trolley to deal with the massive monster and got the portable crane next to the truck. It all seemed okay, but the gearbox was heavier than the crane was expected to be able to handle and broke. I had to fabricate a new support and changed the hydraulic piston to complete the maneuver, but it also broke. The box was already on the floor, fortunately.
I disassembled the box as completely as I was able, as you already know, and got all the spares I could buy locally. The rest is still to come.
I was a little tired of dealing with the mess of wires in the central console so I took the upholstered side covers and finally closed the console. It immediately changed the look of the dashboard and the whole cabin. That led me to look for the rest of the covers of the dashboard, and I had to choose the best ones from the covers collected along the way. After some repairing and cleaning they went in place, and the picture was complete.
At that moment I invited Carmen to have a picnic in the countryside. She had to use the stairs as the steps were still not ready, but she came pretty happy with Yogi bears’ food basket.
First, and just for the fun, we visited some relatives and parked the truck in front of the house. They were not prone to let us go and finally we stayed and shared an opiparus lunch with them.
Returning from the trip, the noise from the gearbox became more evident. I made another test trip alone and then another with my brother-in-law and the conclusion became evident for us: the gearbox had to go out and checked.
I had to cut and prepare the trolley to deal with the massive monster and got the portable crane next to the truck. It all seemed okay, but the gearbox was heavier than the crane was expected to be able to handle and broke. I had to fabricate a new support and changed the hydraulic piston to complete the maneuver, but it also broke. The box was already on the floor, fortunately.
I disassembled the box as completely as I was able, as you already know, and got all the spares I could buy locally. The rest is still to come.
