My 66 Unimog 404 Cartography Truck
- Thread starter Nick02
- Start date
Nick02
Member
I've been having trouble with my daily driver and school started again, hence why progress has been slow. Anyways, the back is almost finished, all the lighting is wired in and only a couple panels need painted. Flooring still needs to be started.
I have also been living in it for a couple months now, I dont sleep in every day as I can often find friends to crash with but it is nice when it is parked at a place with power for the AC and a restroom nearby.
Also I am 100% insured and legal now, it was a long process but I got it done and have a nice vanity plate to show for it.
Anyways I picked up some 11x20's Michelin XL's for super cheap and they are brand new. The tires are a bit bigger then what I want but, cant beat the look and condition of them. I got one mounted last weekend. Finding a place to mount 20" 42" tires was hard as hell, I tried all the tire shops around and no one would touch them due to the size, DOT code or some other lame excuse. But the Local llanta's are willing and I didn't have an issue with my first one. I have 5" of fender to tire clearance and 3.75" of uptravel, so I am pushing limits.
Driving this thing is horrible, I have everything set up nicely and the fastest I've gone has been 43mph and I can do it comfortably at 37mph; hopefully the 11x20's will help.
So for this to be practical as an expedition vehicle in modern times I need a new motor and I found a donor for the motor, a 1989 ford f150. It has the 4.9L MPFI inline six, and it is a monster! the truck lays rubber like no tomorrow, I love it. This motor is the best donor because the intake and exhaust are on the passenger side, like the Unimog M180 and the packaging is very similar. The 300 4.9L was regarded as one of the best motors Ford has ever manufactured, with 145HP and 265 lb-ft of torque, great fuel economy, simplicity and legendary reliability. Now to decide to mate it up to the unimog tranny or use modern components; this will be long term but only time will tell. I'am thinking of linking the mog, going to driveshafts, ZF5, and NP205 it will be a reliable 70mph combo no problem. I will think about it but I have the donor ready to go once I fix all the kinks in it.
I have also been living in it for a couple months now, I dont sleep in every day as I can often find friends to crash with but it is nice when it is parked at a place with power for the AC and a restroom nearby.
Also I am 100% insured and legal now, it was a long process but I got it done and have a nice vanity plate to show for it.
Anyways I picked up some 11x20's Michelin XL's for super cheap and they are brand new. The tires are a bit bigger then what I want but, cant beat the look and condition of them. I got one mounted last weekend. Finding a place to mount 20" 42" tires was hard as hell, I tried all the tire shops around and no one would touch them due to the size, DOT code or some other lame excuse. But the Local llanta's are willing and I didn't have an issue with my first one. I have 5" of fender to tire clearance and 3.75" of uptravel, so I am pushing limits.
Driving this thing is horrible, I have everything set up nicely and the fastest I've gone has been 43mph and I can do it comfortably at 37mph; hopefully the 11x20's will help.
So for this to be practical as an expedition vehicle in modern times I need a new motor and I found a donor for the motor, a 1989 ford f150. It has the 4.9L MPFI inline six, and it is a monster! the truck lays rubber like no tomorrow, I love it. This motor is the best donor because the intake and exhaust are on the passenger side, like the Unimog M180 and the packaging is very similar. The 300 4.9L was regarded as one of the best motors Ford has ever manufactured, with 145HP and 265 lb-ft of torque, great fuel economy, simplicity and legendary reliability. Now to decide to mate it up to the unimog tranny or use modern components; this will be long term but only time will tell. I'am thinking of linking the mog, going to driveshafts, ZF5, and NP205 it will be a reliable 70mph combo no problem. I will think about it but I have the donor ready to go once I fix all the kinks in it.
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piratexpress1369a
Explorer
nice score on the tires ..did you try danny's oasis or the flying j to change your tires?
762X39
Explorer
I like your truck but then I may be biased.
I think that the contemplated mods to the truck (new engine, transmission, transfercase and driveshafts) will destroy all the features that make a Mog well, a Mog. Many have tried it before with unsatisfactory results and I suspect this will be the case again. No disrespect to your hopes for the truck and your abilities (and if you can make it work where others have failed well good on you) but it would be easier and likely more satisfactory if you had started with a truck more suitable to your needs (like a Mann). Good luck.
I think that the contemplated mods to the truck (new engine, transmission, transfercase and driveshafts) will destroy all the features that make a Mog well, a Mog. Many have tried it before with unsatisfactory results and I suspect this will be the case again. No disrespect to your hopes for the truck and your abilities (and if you can make it work where others have failed well good on you) but it would be easier and likely more satisfactory if you had started with a truck more suitable to your needs (like a Mann). Good luck.
Nick02
Member
Finally got all the new tires mounted on the sucker, I can confirm the truck has a much higher top speed then what I could safely achieve earlier can still accelerate up moderate hills in 6th gear. I achieved a GPS top speed of 53mph on my run but it was scary, gets death wobbly up there. I enjoy driving it around 35mph, any faster and the brakes suck I could run lights or rear-end anyone that pulls ahead of me. Without the heavy, heavy box I bet I could drive 55MPH no problems. Steering effort has actually become easier and you cant beat the ride of radials; no more bouncing! I was timid at first but very happy with the 11.00R20 tire size.
Anyways I drove it 25 miles down to central phoenix for cruise on central and it did excellent. Had a great time! Here it is when I went to pickup my girlfriend, didn't leak a drop of oil, ran cool and shifted great! I recently insulated the bottom of cab and engine covers and was able to carry a conversation no problem! It's really, really fun to drive, power seems decent too!
She was one hell of a show stopper, cruised on my "cross country" gears, was cruising for over an hr, clutch was not happy but the rest of the truck did great! Everyone told me I should have ran over those ahead of me.
Then parked it in the show, grabbed some food and watched the fun from the top of the Mog.
On the journey back I noticed that it was lacking in the power/breaking department, the bottom of the truck was smoking and smelled like clutch. I was in a bad area, this had to happen when I was in the middle of Guadalupe, so I got out checked the tranny temp, clutch and engine all were warm and A-ok so I continued.
Got it back and the truck was pouring out smoke from the rear axle, touched the hub that had been causing me trouble in the past and burned my hand! Paint was glowing and grease was catching fire so I had no choice but to cool it down, 10 minutes and a fire-hose later I got it "warm"; alot of energy was stored in that sucker, no doubt it's welded together, embrittled and unsafe now.
The hub in question had a leaky hub seal, I unclogged the axle breather and topped the portal fluid off, seemed ok for a month but this trip did it in, I thought it was alright but I was wrong. Looks like I'll now have to replace the entire axleshaft/portal/brake assembly $660$+ freight ouch, gonna have to set a few paychecks aside and switch to ramen for a couple months for that!
made for an impressive video tho
Anyways I drove it 25 miles down to central phoenix for cruise on central and it did excellent. Had a great time! Here it is when I went to pickup my girlfriend, didn't leak a drop of oil, ran cool and shifted great! I recently insulated the bottom of cab and engine covers and was able to carry a conversation no problem! It's really, really fun to drive, power seems decent too!
She was one hell of a show stopper, cruised on my "cross country" gears, was cruising for over an hr, clutch was not happy but the rest of the truck did great! Everyone told me I should have ran over those ahead of me.
Then parked it in the show, grabbed some food and watched the fun from the top of the Mog.
On the journey back I noticed that it was lacking in the power/breaking department, the bottom of the truck was smoking and smelled like clutch. I was in a bad area, this had to happen when I was in the middle of Guadalupe, so I got out checked the tranny temp, clutch and engine all were warm and A-ok so I continued.
Got it back and the truck was pouring out smoke from the rear axle, touched the hub that had been causing me trouble in the past and burned my hand! Paint was glowing and grease was catching fire so I had no choice but to cool it down, 10 minutes and a fire-hose later I got it "warm"; alot of energy was stored in that sucker, no doubt it's welded together, embrittled and unsafe now.
The hub in question had a leaky hub seal, I unclogged the axle breather and topped the portal fluid off, seemed ok for a month but this trip did it in, I thought it was alright but I was wrong. Looks like I'll now have to replace the entire axleshaft/portal/brake assembly $660$+ freight ouch, gonna have to set a few paychecks aside and switch to ramen for a couple months for that!
made for an impressive video tho
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mogwildRW1
Adventurer
Great read, nice ride. Congrats.
piratexpress1369a
Explorer
to bad on the seal ..could have burn the bearings for sure with that much heat .
Nick02
Member
Gotta get this thing ready for the last semester of college! Winter break is here with only one semester left!
Got the flooring done, I used the laminate interlocking stuff and got it all for free from leftovers!
I first leveled any highspots in the floor surface with a flap wheel and used liquid nails to further secure and level it out. I used a waterjet to cut holes for the rifle mount, transmission hump and electrical panel. Overall I am very happy with the flooring and cant wait to start installing stuff in the box!
Back to drivetrain I found out that a dragging brake caused the overheating. The drum was stuck so I turned the star wheel all the way down and put some miles on it, no more overheating and somehow the portal hub seal stopped leaking?! One of the wheel cylinders galvanically corroded, locked up and got stuck, so I ordered new ones.
And this is how you use conventional drum brake pliers to put the main spring back on a unimog, took me two hours to figure this trick out, sent the spring flying 50 times or so haha!
Here is the new replacement installed, I am also going to rebuild the master and replace all rubber lines as well.
Cant wait to drive it again!
Got the flooring done, I used the laminate interlocking stuff and got it all for free from leftovers!
I first leveled any highspots in the floor surface with a flap wheel and used liquid nails to further secure and level it out. I used a waterjet to cut holes for the rifle mount, transmission hump and electrical panel. Overall I am very happy with the flooring and cant wait to start installing stuff in the box!
Back to drivetrain I found out that a dragging brake caused the overheating. The drum was stuck so I turned the star wheel all the way down and put some miles on it, no more overheating and somehow the portal hub seal stopped leaking?! One of the wheel cylinders galvanically corroded, locked up and got stuck, so I ordered new ones.
And this is how you use conventional drum brake pliers to put the main spring back on a unimog, took me two hours to figure this trick out, sent the spring flying 50 times or so haha!
Here is the new replacement installed, I am also going to rebuild the master and replace all rubber lines as well.
Cant wait to drive it again!
cruiser812
Observer
Nick, Any updates on the Mog?
Nick02
Member
Yes I have more, I have been lazy about posting stuff but 1leglance convinced me I should update lolz!
I had bad leaking hub seals so it was time to do them, it is an intense process. Here are the tools of the trade for hub removal and all of them I have made myself.
The wrench sticks into trailer hitch stock so you can generate the 1000+ ft lbs of force necessary to take the hub nut off and re-torque it to 750 when you put it back on. I made the wrench from 3/8" plate and it has a 55mm hex hole.
Here is the hub removal cage, it bolts onto the hub and uses a harbor freight press to take the hub off. The hub removal is easy with this homemade cage, otherwise it is $1000 for the tool or an expensive rental with expensive shipping. It is made from 3/8" and 1/4" plate with some 1.75" .125" wall DOM legs.
And boy does the Unimog stop way better when there is no longer any axle fluid coating the inside of the brake drums!
I had bad leaking hub seals so it was time to do them, it is an intense process. Here are the tools of the trade for hub removal and all of them I have made myself.
The wrench sticks into trailer hitch stock so you can generate the 1000+ ft lbs of force necessary to take the hub nut off and re-torque it to 750 when you put it back on. I made the wrench from 3/8" plate and it has a 55mm hex hole.
Here is the hub removal cage, it bolts onto the hub and uses a harbor freight press to take the hub off. The hub removal is easy with this homemade cage, otherwise it is $1000 for the tool or an expensive rental with expensive shipping. It is made from 3/8" and 1/4" plate with some 1.75" .125" wall DOM legs.
And boy does the Unimog stop way better when there is no longer any axle fluid coating the inside of the brake drums!
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Nick02
Member
So after I got the hubs all done, I put in some new tranny fluid (redline MTL), a trans temp gauge (extremely important) and felt confident enough to take the Unimog on it's first real journey of around ~300 miles.
This is also my first solo trip, just the mog and I.
It is funny driving really slow, it has come a long way and now since it runs good I can get it to go 60-65mph and scream for short periods of time but I enjoy cruising around 50-55.
Most people don't seem to care but every once an a while I will get the one fingered salute!
After every 50minutes of driving the trans temp climbs to ~210 deg F, that means shut down time.
I find random things on the side of the road to pull over at, like this sub station; it takes around one hr to get the trans temps back down to 140 or so.
Finally I made it to Florence AZ, stopped by NAPA to get some oil, and the gas station to top off.
Then I hit the dirt!
This trail is called Box Canyon, it was a good squeeze for the Unimog but it had no trouble going through in 2wd.
This is also my first solo trip, just the mog and I.
It is funny driving really slow, it has come a long way and now since it runs good I can get it to go 60-65mph and scream for short periods of time but I enjoy cruising around 50-55.
Most people don't seem to care but every once an a while I will get the one fingered salute!
After every 50minutes of driving the trans temp climbs to ~210 deg F, that means shut down time.
I find random things on the side of the road to pull over at, like this sub station; it takes around one hr to get the trans temps back down to 140 or so.
Finally I made it to Florence AZ, stopped by NAPA to get some oil, and the gas station to top off.
Then I hit the dirt!
This trail is called Box Canyon, it was a good squeeze for the Unimog but it had no trouble going through in 2wd.
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