The case for highly customized older domestics for world travel

[bajajoaquin]

Although you seem to have thought this out, you might want to consider two cautionary tales:

Gary and Monika Wescott had a number of ongoing difficulties when putting 20" wheels on their F550. That cost both time and money to resolve, because they were putting proven parts together... just not in the way that they were proven.

There was a company (Orinda?) that thought it should be easy to make an aircraft engine from a Chevy V8, and bridge the gap between large air-cooled piston engines and small turbines. After all, everything is out there in the aftermarket, and even a stock Cadillac Northstar pumps out the right amount of horsepower, right? They ended up building a new aircraft engine from scratch, with only the bore centers left over from the original Chevy 350.

All of these things can be done, if you are willing to do or pay for the development.

 

[backcountrycruiser]

What kind of fuel consumtion are you guys having..everyon, toyota, landrover,

unimog, fuso, gas and diesel. My newer v8's have gotten in the low 20's. 99

suburban with the 350, 2005 f150 with the 5.4, 94 f150 centurion crew cab. All

4x4's all lightly set up. I understand the eletronics debate, but I have faith in

them for our travels. The landcruisers I have had, had a hard time managing 15

mpg, a 89 and a 94. My brothers disco had a hard time getting 13mpg. Im

curious about what other rigs are getting mostly to help choose our next truck.
Thanks guys
Mike

 

[haven]

Fuso FG with camper gets around 13-15 miles to a US gallon, as long as you're not driving at 65+ for hours on the highway.

 

[DT75FLH]

another duece with a radio body and he singled out the rears.


http://www.militarytrucks.ca/rv_project.htm

have you seen this one?

 

[IdaSHO]

All this talk about overbuilding and building to suit is great, but it seems to be missing a huge reality in regards to overall vehicle reliability.

Even the most overbuilt rig will be crippled by the most common automotive problems.

At the top of the list for major items that if failed would cripple a rig....

*Alternator
*fuel pump
*water pump

Luckily these things are all fairly easy to repair, but most always you WILL need a replacement. Traditionally an alternator fails internally, or the bearings wear out. A fuel pump is a simple electric pump, and can fail 5 or 500 thousand miles out of the box. A water pump failure is the most predictable, as it weeps a bit before the internal seals wear beyond their actual limits.

But no matter how you slice it, when you have a problem with any of them, a replacement is in order.

But what about other common problems, say, related to keeping those fluids where they belong? So we talk about seals and hoses. Coolant hoses, extra fuel and vac. lines are easy to keep spares. And are easy to replace. But what happens when you have a critical seal fail?

How about a rear main seal or input shaft seal that fails, and allows crank case oil or trans oil to dump onto your nice clutch. Just think, your global expedition comes to a halt due to a $2.50 seal that ruptured. Having a spare seal is one thing. But repairing it is a completely different story.

The real fun is this....

Just like that fuel pump, a seal can let go at any time. Obviously the newer the better, but not all seals are 100% out of the box. And not all installs go without problems.

The same can be said for wheel seals and bearings, rear end rebuilds, etc, etc.


Just some thoughts....

 

[LowTech]

another duece with a radio body and he singled out the rears.


http://www.militarytrucks.ca/rv_project.htm

have you seen this one?

That's a 109, tool truck/ shop, same thing that JGato and my lady have. We've both singled ours as well. That Guy's over on "Steel Soldiers"

 

[Cat Jockey]

I defintiely don't mind all of the deuce talk.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc2Wu9ofLEY"]YouTube - M35A2 diesel truck on articulation ramp[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl23yBQTXiE&feature=related"]YouTube - M35A2 diesel truck climbing nasty ledges[/ame]

Yea, I want that running gear. Matching custom ladder frame that is pretty much the same thing except some nice fuel/water tank integration, cabin mount integration and has an 18" shorter wheelbase, Cummins 6B, GVWR of 20,0000# ...

For my ideal size rig and for what I expect it to do (which is not get the crap beat out of it banging it up some ledges like the guy in the vid - his is a toy and he drives it like one - which he should I think sweet - mine won't be expected to do such). Just be able to move some weight, well, within its capabilities, over some roads that require 4wd and high clearence and ease her on back until I think I have good chance of not seeing anyone for a couple weeks and call that home for a bit.

 

[LowTech]

After driving on as much dirt as we could find on the last 400+ miles I don't think that he did anything that hard.
I just would have done it much slower and air my tires way down. We do have on board air. :sombrero:

We did some rough terrain on our way and have been very impressed w/ what they will do. Our goal was the same as yours . . . to get out there!
There are a few photos of some of our challenges" on my photo blog, 6x6 adventures

 

[Cat Jockey]

I just would have done it much slower and air my tires way down. We do have on board air.

Me too. That guy obviously bought a deuce for other reasons - to beat the crap out of on the weekends with a big grin on his face. Looks like lockers could have helped him a bit at the end. I'm really sold on the performance of the deuce rear suspension.

I will say that the one thing that scares me from going straight deuce is the fact it is a military rig with military rig registration. People seem to be crossing the southern border right now without much difficulty, but I do worry about general international borders and changes that can unexpectedly come about and being unable to make a border crossing at some point. (ex. drug cartels are arming themselves with military weapons now - if the US legislature addresses it, I could forsee some type of Bill with general ban on military stuff).

Who knows? I worry about it though. If I cannot relist my current chassis for more than its current 14,000 GVWR, the best solution I can think of is to get and older F600 + a deuce rolling chassis and throw the Ford cab on the deuce. Bingo, you are driving a Ford now, which isn't registered as a military vehicle and really doesn't look like one.

For the US, and north, how can one go wrong with a deuce? You guys have some sweet rigs that are truly designed for the rigors of overland travel.

 

[Cat Jockey]

Even the most overbuilt rig will be crippled by the most common automotive problems.

It is not about being able to eliminate problems, it is about being able to predict them. Case in point:

-A chap takes a detuned Baja racer across the world on the theory that detuned Baja suspension is the best set up for overlanding.

-A second chap takes the suspension and axles from a deuce on the theory that stock military chassis designed to move 20,000# in true, military grade off road conditions as well as pavement is the best setup for overlanding

Now, they both could fail, but what suspension are you going to bet your last dollar on not failing while overlanding, due to the rigors of overlanding?
More importantly, which suspension are you going to bet your last dollar on failing first?

At the top of the list for major items that if failed would cripple a rig....

*Alternator
*fuel pump
*water pump

Top of my list is a starter for being crippled by parts like that. Again, things like those can fail on any vehicle, but, again, we do have some baselines. We know things like many, many Cummins 6B engines have run hundreds of thousands of miles with no such issues.

What's more likely to fail under the rigors of overlanding, a domestic V8 engine that is a detuned racing engine, or a bone stock Cummins 6B?

It is not about eliminating risks, it is about actively managing and reducing the chance of their occurrence.

 

[LowTech]

Me too. That guy obviously bought a deuce for other reasons - to beat the crap out of on the weekends with a big grin on his face. Looks like lockers could have helped him a bit at the end. I'm really sold on the performance of the deuce rear suspension.

I will say that the one thing that scares me from going straight deuce is the fact it is a military rig with military rig registration.

Our M109 is reg'd as an Motor Home, and my cargo-bed is a Historic in the `Zona. When you first get them (if you get them from an auction, or someone that is just buying and selling) it will Not have any title, just a receipt of sorts that needs to be changed to a title when YOU reg it. Some states have no prob w/ this, others are confused.

. . . I could forsee some type of Bill with general ban on military stuff).

Who knows? I worry about it though. If I cannot relist my current chassis for more than its current 14,000 GVWR, the best solution I can think of is to get and older F600 + a deuce rolling chassis and throw the Ford cab on the deuce. Bingo, you are driving a Ford now, which isn't registered as a military vehicle and really doesn't look like one.

It seems like it would be easy to change how it looks even by doing some great paint job, something other than OD or camo. We kept the camo because it blends in well here, and it was already on it :ylsmoke: I would prob do some crazy mods before I would change the cab . . . really like those opening windshields. :sombrero:

For the US, and north, how can one go wrong with a deuce? You guys have some sweet rigs that are truly designed for the rigors of overland travel.

Thanks!
I agree that they are for the americas, not even sure that I would go to SA w/ one. Would have to research the supply lines.

 

[naterry]

This is a great discussion, and I'm in agreement that a fully customized and overbuilt rig is a great a way to go.

IMHO, if you spend the time and energy to build a rig yourself, you are more likely to find a workable solution when problems arise. I guess I believe that the type of person that does these builds is inherently better equipped to solve mechanical problems. -Like a self fulfilling prophecy in a way..

 

[Cat Jockey]

Checked out your blog LowTech. I really like the color you guys chose for the interior:


It's a personal thing, so I am not criticizing other's choices, but for me the traditional white interior is not appealing. White rooms feel cold and sterile to me, like a hospital. I have been wondering on interior color and really like your selection.

 

[Cat Jockey]

IMHO, if you spend the time and energy to build a rig yourself, you are more likely to find a workable solution when problems arise. I guess I believe that the type of person that does these builds is inherently better equipped to solve mechanical problems. -Like a self fulfilling prophecy in a way..

Self fulfilling prophecy. Yea, probably very true. I am relying upon an innate mechanical aptitude that is probably above average, for sure. I have to have something going for me as my sense of direction sucks. I can get turned around and confused very easily without paying attention and could very easily drive somewhere thinking, "I know I came in on this road". And then drive into a ditch and break something in the middle of nowhere because that was definitely not the road I came in on.

But, I do think more people are capable of doing something like this than think they are. People just have to get over their initial intimidation factor.

Btw, I dig what you did with your ambulance. I think I saw you sold it for a bigger chassis? Any updates?

 

[jesusgatos]

Unless you're planning on building some kind of tubular rollcage-type chassis (which would be really sweet), I can't think of many/any reasons why you wouldn't just use the stock deuce frame. Just two straight framefrails. Shortening the frame however much you want is only going to take you 15 minutes with a sawzall. And you're going to be registering the vehicle as a custom-built motorhome, right? So the military stuff isn't anything that you need to be concerned about.