Rolling Studio - FG Camper Conversion
- Thread starter john lovett
- Start date
john lovett
Observer
Hi John,
Thanks for your response. This truck is the 649 turbo. For NSW rego the SWB 4WD Canter had to have the exhaust exit 500mm above the passenger side of the cab. Not sure why, it wasn't required on the longer wheelbase models or the 2WD versions? I don't know where the Mitsubishi exhaust system stopped and the after market started. When I changed to QLD rego I cut off about 6 meters of plumbing (which made a big difference to the trucks performance) then had an exhaust fitter run the pipe out between the rear wheel and fuel tank. The hangers either side of the muffler look to be standard, however the rear one appears to be under a fair bit of strain. Maybe this is the problem? the final hanger installed by the exhaust fitter under the chassis rail, 500mm from the end of the pipe, doesn't look to be carrying any weight at all.
When I get a chance I will crawl under and see if I can relocate the hanger behind the muffler to take some of the strain off it. I'll let you know if this fixes the problem.
john lovett
Observer
Hi southpier,
The table in the original caravan was hinged and pivoted out of the way, but we always left it in the same position, so I decided to make this one fixed. I also made it slightly wider than the gap between the seats to get more table space.
john lovett
Observer
Hi Anthony,
Interesting that your truck had a whine at that speed. In this one it's a low resonating hum that fades in at 80kms then, as the speed increases, fades out.
The shower is very low tech. We have a kettle that holds about 3 litres and a bucket with a spout marked at around 5 litres. The bucket is filled to the mark with cold water, the kettle filled and boiled, then added to the bucket. This is then tipped into the bathroom tank via the pipe. A 12volt pump runs the shower.
The tank is made from a length of 250mm pvc pipe and stands vertically under the sink (around 15 litre capacity). The small black line you can see in the photo near the tap is a length of fibreglass rod that floats up as the tank is filled. It lets us know how much water is left in the tank. We can get two quick showers out of 8 litres of water. It takes less than 5 minutes to boil the kettle, so it's a quick, simple process.
Overland Hadley
on a journey
I like it.
bptp7270
Adventurer
Hi John,
I like low tech, no need to complicate things just for the sake of it. I currently use a canvas bag with shower head attatched hung over a convenient tree. The noise in my truck came and went at the exact same speeds but it was definately a higher pitch. Being a lower pitch sound, could yours possibly be a universal joint?
Anthony
I like low tech, no need to complicate things just for the sake of it. I currently use a canvas bag with shower head attatched hung over a convenient tree. The noise in my truck came and went at the exact same speeds but it was definately a higher pitch. Being a lower pitch sound, could yours possibly be a universal joint?
Anthony
john lovett
Observer
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for the suggestion re uni joint. I went for a run in the truck this morning and noticed that if the truck is stationary and the revs are brought up to 2500 the resonating sound comes in and fades out at 2600, so it's not drive train related. I relocated the exhaust hanger that was under strain and the problem still exists, so I'll keep searching?
john lovett
Observer
More interior shots with roof down
Great Build!
What is that hatch above the dinette seat?
Also, if you are thinking of replacing the bathroom sink, have you considered doing one of those drop down sinks over the toilet, like some of the Euro caravans have? Seems like a great space-saver to me...
EDIT: The below is a homemade version that kind of gives the idea, but it isn't the image I intended to load. Can't seem to figure out how to delete an attachment...
What is that hatch above the dinette seat?
Also, if you are thinking of replacing the bathroom sink, have you considered doing one of those drop down sinks over the toilet, like some of the Euro caravans have? Seems like a great space-saver to me...
EDIT: The below is a homemade version that kind of gives the idea, but it isn't the image I intended to load. Can't seem to figure out how to delete an attachment...
Attachments
john lovett
Observer
Hi Lynn,
The hatch gives access to the shower water tank and provides storage under the bathroom sink area.
We looked at the thetford folding sink and toilet unit when we bought the toilet but it was a fair bit more expensive and pushed the toilet further into the bathroom. The sink intrusion in the bathroom is not really a problem - most space is required from waist height up. I have made a cardboard template of the small corner sink and it will replace the existing filler tube without making things too cramped. I will move the filler tube into the left hand side of the bathroom bench top.
Ford Prefect
Expedition Leader
Did I mention I LOVE this truck!
Super build!
Super build!
john lovett
Observer
Hi Anthony,
There is about a meter above the top mattress with the roof up, about 750mm above bottom mattress. Mattresses are 5 inch foam and the bed supports are 30mm urethane foam and ply sandwich panels.
The plan was to be able to sleep on the top bunk with the roof down if necessary, however I didn't take into account the intrusion of the lifting mechanism - could have given the bottom bunk another 100mm clearance, because the couple of times we have slept in the camper with the roof down, I simply drag the mattress and bedding off the top bunk and onto the floor.
thecriscokid
Explorer
Stellar build. The layout and finish is superb! Looks like you will be enjoying this for a while
john lovett
Observer
Update
More images and details on blog
After several trips and around 20,000kms we are slowly working out the good and the bad of this mode of traveling accommodation.
Things that surprised us were
The last point means the finish is now horizontal pinstripes. The width has not stopped us yet – we just cop more damage than a narrower vehicle and have to watch out for large trees leaning across the track
This howling storm hit us up in the Snowy Mountains. Its a nice feeling all dry and secure in the back of a truck while thunder, lightening and driving rain is swirling all about you.
The ladder is still carried behind the cab, but we rarely use it now – a single fold down step does the job with a little more stretching.
Watching the sun go down from the Winton jump ups.
Hot nights are fine if there is a breeze thanks to the four big openings in the pop top. No breeze and we have to put up with the heat.
Waterholes can be few and far between. We found this one somewhere in Western Queensland and enjoyed the solitude for a couple of days.
Crossing a Salt pan heading down into the Diamantina.
The shelf above the spare wheels will have two storage boxes and a rack for two more drums of diesel either side of the reversing camera. The filler caps for the two water tanks are between the wheels and a long handle shovel sits under them. A high lift jack clamps to the end of the two horizontal bars.
We travel through a lot of this sort of country, so audio books fill in the miles. Check out www.librivox.org for freely downloadable books in the public domain.
A high lift jack is pretty useless when it comes to lifting four and a half tons off the ground, but, jammed under the front bumper, it sure makes breaking the beads on split rims a simple chore
This torque multiplier is another handy device. With a 60:1 advantage, it means changing wheels is pretty near effortless.
Ruby Gap is a spectacular spot to camp. It is a slow four hour crawl in then a 10k treck along a dried up river bed. We found out the hard way that not dropping the pressure on the inside dual wheels just wont get you through soft sand. With all six tyres down to 20psi it handled the soft sand very well
Re inflating all six tyres to 55/60psi took around twenty minutes. We have two small 12v compressors feeding into a 10 litre air tank.
This road was closed, so we had to camp behind two stranded road trains until the road transport people made a decision in the morning. They let us through then towed the road trains through with a grader. It took three days before the smell of cattle started to dissipate from the camper.
What would we change?
Slightly higher gearing would be good – maybe 8.25×16 tyres next
The pop top is great in hot weather, but announces the fact you are camped which is sometimes a disadvantage. Having encountered no height problems so far, if I was to build from scratch again I would step the floor and build full height with chamfered top and recessed awning.
Better suspension
More images and details on blog
More images and details on blog
After several trips and around 20,000kms we are slowly working out the good and the bad of this mode of traveling accommodation.
Things that surprised us were
- Good ride over corrugated dirt – maybe due to the heavier sprung weight
- Lousy, wallowing ride over undulating bitumen
- Fuel consumption – fully loaded at around 90-95kph less than 17litre/100kms
- Comfortable driving position – less tiring than a landcruiser when driving all day.
- Height proving to be less of a problem than width in the bush
The last point means the finish is now horizontal pinstripes. The width has not stopped us yet – we just cop more damage than a narrower vehicle and have to watch out for large trees leaning across the track
This howling storm hit us up in the Snowy Mountains. Its a nice feeling all dry and secure in the back of a truck while thunder, lightening and driving rain is swirling all about you.
The ladder is still carried behind the cab, but we rarely use it now – a single fold down step does the job with a little more stretching.
Watching the sun go down from the Winton jump ups.
Hot nights are fine if there is a breeze thanks to the four big openings in the pop top. No breeze and we have to put up with the heat.
Waterholes can be few and far between. We found this one somewhere in Western Queensland and enjoyed the solitude for a couple of days.
Crossing a Salt pan heading down into the Diamantina.
The shelf above the spare wheels will have two storage boxes and a rack for two more drums of diesel either side of the reversing camera. The filler caps for the two water tanks are between the wheels and a long handle shovel sits under them. A high lift jack clamps to the end of the two horizontal bars.
We travel through a lot of this sort of country, so audio books fill in the miles. Check out www.librivox.org for freely downloadable books in the public domain.
A high lift jack is pretty useless when it comes to lifting four and a half tons off the ground, but, jammed under the front bumper, it sure makes breaking the beads on split rims a simple chore
This torque multiplier is another handy device. With a 60:1 advantage, it means changing wheels is pretty near effortless.
Ruby Gap is a spectacular spot to camp. It is a slow four hour crawl in then a 10k treck along a dried up river bed. We found out the hard way that not dropping the pressure on the inside dual wheels just wont get you through soft sand. With all six tyres down to 20psi it handled the soft sand very well
Re inflating all six tyres to 55/60psi took around twenty minutes. We have two small 12v compressors feeding into a 10 litre air tank.
This road was closed, so we had to camp behind two stranded road trains until the road transport people made a decision in the morning. They let us through then towed the road trains through with a grader. It took three days before the smell of cattle started to dissipate from the camper.
What would we change?
Slightly higher gearing would be good – maybe 8.25×16 tyres next
The pop top is great in hot weather, but announces the fact you are camped which is sometimes a disadvantage. Having encountered no height problems so far, if I was to build from scratch again I would step the floor and build full height with chamfered top and recessed awning.
Better suspension
More images and details on blog