The Turtle Mobile

[Turtle59]

G'day blokes,

Here we go for another curly one...

The bar that goes across the truck behind the front seats... other than holding 2 brackets and an ashtray... Ahhhh is it really needed??? Does it have structural significance??? Can I do away with it when I find some alternative front seating arrangements???

I now have the interior pretty well stripped and ready for some sound deadening and I am trying to buy some new floor mats and sort some better seats.

Has anyone got an idea of a reasonable price for one of these trucks?? I am yet to insure the truck coz I'm not driving it for a few weeks while I get it up to speed, but I'm sure they are going to ask about price and what I paid for it. Which is something I'm not sure I wish to share with them as I bought it at auction. I have seen a couple at some dealers for around the $60k mark but it doesn't seem that they are selling. So put your collective heads together and give me a ball park figure. I understand all the variables and sales speak so save me that.

Its a journey.

Warm Regards
Turtle

 

[whatcharterboat]

Here we go for another curly one...

The bar that goes across the truck behind the front seats... other than holding 2 brackets and an ashtray... Ahhhh is it really needed???

YES!!!

Does it have structural significance???

YES!!!

Can I do away with it when I find some alternative front seating arrangements???

NO!!!

 

[Turtle59]

G'day John

Thanks for your words on this... most helpful. At least I know to keep it and work around it or maybe incorporate it into some other design.

Do you know if it could be used as anchor points for 4 point harness seat belt arrangements?? It would be easy enough to weld some lugs on to it to support the belts.

Any suggestions for available single seats for the passenger side at the front?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Warm Regards
Turtle:Wow1:

 

[Turtle59]

G'day All

Well here we go... Here is my first attempt at inserting a photo. Lets see how I went.

Here is a photo of the Turtle Mobile.




Ok so the photo is no beauty but we will get better... I promise. I took this on my phone.
















Hope you enjoyed them.

Warm Regards
Turtle

 

[graynomad]

Always exciting to have a blank canvas like that.

 

[Turtle59]

Always exciting to have a blank canvas like that.

Thanks Rod... Coming from you that sounds like a vote in the right direction.

Warm Regards
Turtle

 

[SkiFreak]

Thanks Rod...

Or, more precisely... Rob.

 

[graynomad]

Close enough for government work

I think a Canter is possibly the ideal size for an off-road live-in vehicle. If I had found one in Bundy recently I may have bought one instead of my Cruiser.

 

[Turtle59]

I think a Canter is possibly the ideal size for an off-road live-in vehicle.

I just have to make it fit 4 females... now there will be a trick.

I'm hoping to fit a bed on happi jac type system over a dining/lounge seating arrangement, triple bunks, inside shower/toilet,
outside slide out kitchen and everything in between.

Still working on the plan but always open to options and advice.

I was thinking of getting a pan for the back and modifying it. A swap for the tipper body I have would be a perfect option/scenario.

The big issue is what is the largest pan I could go to on a crew cab chassis??

 

[graynomad]

outside slide out kitchen

Are you sure you want to cook outside? That means just about every time you camp you'll have to put an annex up. Mind you with all those people you may have to spread out a bit.

what is the largest pan I could go to on a crew cab chassis??

If you mean "longest", from the back of the cab to the 60% point. IE a point that's = to 60% of the wheel base behind the rear axle. (or 12 feet I think, but with a short vehicle that's not an issue).

 

[whatcharterboat]

G'day John

Thanks for your words on this... most helpful. At least I know to keep it and work around it or maybe incorporate it into some other design.:

Hey, no worries.

Do you know if it could be used as anchor points for 4 point harness seat belt arrangements?? It would be easy enough to weld some lugs on to it to support the belts.:

Sorry to burst your bubble again but I think this would be wrong on so many levels. I need to check with my mate Dave from work. He's into rallying and he would know for sure regarding 4-point harnesses but 4 point harnesses are not ADR compliant. Sure they meet CAMS standards for motorsport applications but they aren't legal for the road. Rally cars that are required to run 4 point harnesses on our roads must stupidly also run the OEM 3 point belts too.....well they're supposed to anyway.

Either way, that bar and the way its fixed in would not be strong enough to take a harness .....and even if it was , i wouldn't think you would simply butt weld tabs on. The harness straps normally wrap around the tube or are bolted through a metal strap which wraps around the tube and doubles over.

No matter what you intend to do regarding seat belts, if you change the seat belts and or the seat belt mounting points from the original 7 seating positions as Fuso built it, then an engineer (or someone in the industry with the correct codes) needs to sign off on it and issue a Qld Transport Modification plate.......and that includes simply removing belts too. So if you pull out the double front passenger seat and middle seatbelt and put in a single seat therefore making the truck a 6 seater, then that would need a mod plate. What's really tough is that if you decide to make it 7 seats again, then it needs another modplate ......you can't just take off the 6 seat plate as though it never happened....they like to make money, these guys heh?

So to cut a long story short....check with a Queensland engineer first on exactly (right down to size and tensile strength of bolts, thickness of plates, etc) how you intend to modify any seating before you touch a thing.

Any suggestions for available single seats for the passenger side at the front?:

No sorry. The Crewcabs are really hard to do anything with. We've looked long and hard at a solution but its just in the 'too hard' basket at the moment........well any idea we had involved pretty major engineering anyway. Unless you were willing to unbolt the seat everytime you wanted to access the engine and I can't see that's going to fly.

You can see the issues can't you?

Thanks for your suggestions.:

You're welcome but I haven't really helped I don't think other than hopefully prevent you from going down the wrong path.

Kind regards
John.

 

[Turtle59]

You're welcome but I haven't really helped I don't think other than hopefully prevent you from going down the wrong path.

G'day John

Actually you have helped a whole bunch in clearing up a heap of other thoughts within my somewhat addled brain. Your advice is invaluable and very much valued by many, so thanks.

I am now thinking along the lines of getting my original passengers seat restuffed and contoured into something that might resemble a comfortable seat for distance travel. It also appears that I have an ARB aftermarket drivers seat installed, very poorly, and it is in very poor condition so will look at a recover on that.

With regard to the seat belts I am not at all happy with the lap belts in the middle rear seats. As I have 3 little girls, they will be in there a lot, so would like to find some better arrangement. But all the belts in the vehicle really need renewing so I will need to look into other alternatives and possibilities. If you have any ideas on this issue I'm sure many people would like to know some of the options.

Thanks for taking the time.

 

[whatcharterboat]

I am now thinking along the lines of getting my original passengers seat restuffed and contoured into something that might resemble a comfortable seat for distance travel.

This is the best idea.....we are now looking at doing this too .... an exchange seat that retains the original seat frame but with properly shaped foam support. Should have something prototyped soon.

It also appears that I have an ARB aftermarket drivers seat installed, very poorly, and it is in very poor condition so will look at a recover on that.

A Stratos suspension seat for the driver is still the best option available.

With regard to the seat belts I am not at all happy with the lap belts in the middle rear seats. As I have 3 little girls, they will be in there a lot, so would like to find some better arrangement. But all the belts in the vehicle really need renewing so I will need to look into other alternatives and possibilities. If you have any ideas on this issue I'm sure many people would like to know some of the options.

Yeah, the rear is a little easier........fitting 3 bus seats with built-in 3 point harness would be feasable providing they are mounted properly.

How well does your AC work in the back? Also look at better insulating that engine cover where the kids will have their feet.

 

[Turtle59]

G'day Blokes and Blokettes (if there are any),

Dynamat... Is it a worthy reflector for heat, as in would it be good to put on the engine side of all the engine hatch plates?

I am thinking of finding some ducting insulation similar to Dynamat for on the interior of the vehicle. From what I have seen and read to date this seems like a worthy system.

On another note... I have taken the seats into an auto upholsterer near where I live. He was very positive about re-stuffing and contouring the passenger side seat, making the base a little wider and considerably more comfortable and the back a little wider and contoured for a more relaxed fit. He said he has done many vans seats and some larger trucks with this seating arrangement and was very confident of achieving something that I would be very satisfied with. I have seen his workmanship before and he has produced some beautiful products. So I am looking forward to seeing the results.

When it is complete I will take more photos and post them for all to see.

My alternator arrived today so I went to fit it with new belts. What an ugly task to try to find a matched pair of belts. It seems to me that a competent parts man is neigh on impossible to find these days. So tomorrow I'm resuming my search for 13A v-belts... you would think... how hard can it be???

I would have thought parts for these trucks would have been easy to find because there are literally thousands of them here in Australia. But alas, I've been lured into a false sense of security by a big blonde vixen with big bulbous... wheels! What a hussy!

Anyway, I am off for a few nights with the bride and the billy lids to scenes of turquoise waters and the sounds of crashing waves, with beer and wine aplenty and food for kings. See ya all if a few days.

 

[PKDreamers]

So where did you find your alternator?
Price ok?