Simon dix
Active member
Hello to Unimog enthusiasts, owners and others who take interest. It has taken me a while to become a member but I was waiting until I owned a Unimog otherwise I would have loitered in a way. Instead I have gone through or followed various threads and one that stands out in my mind was by Iain in Australia who converted his U1250 into a precision camper in and out. Another stand out was a guy in the US (Hodakaguy) who did his Mog up with his dad and sold it......serious craftsmanship!!
I have recently bought an ex-army 1986 U1300L. I am now living and working in Singapore where I stumbled across the beautiful machine. Axle ratio fast, 5 ton hydraulic rear mounted Werner winch, 8 forward, 8 reverse (2 crawler gears), OM366A, Turbo charged engine, Body type no. 2, Ringfeder trailer hitch. Not sure really what else to say about her as I am no expert on these off-road machines. I just know from what others have said that the engine and fast axles will be a big advantage?
I left school in Zimbabwe in 1998 and went to UK for 10 years. The grey clouds forced me to get a 1-year holiday visa in Australia and that’s where I call home now. My goal is to make sure Mogone (My name for my Unimog), Bushbaby (this is what my wife calls her) is done up as a unique camper so that she is compliant with Queensland rego.
This Unimog has literally sat around doing nothing and getting serviced for 33 years. This may come with its own problems. Oils etc were pristine when I bought her however I have changed all the oils and filters and she drives very nicely. Infact I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable she drives. I have always wanted a Mog and now I have one..........the work and the learning curve begins in a serious way. I am fortunate that I have a bit of time where I can wait for cheaper parts and the like. This project does not need to be completed in 6 months’ time however I don’t intend to drag in on as I do want to make weekly progress even if some weeks are just on the computer and planning. The challenge is finding the right places to purchase spare parts ……not easy unless I go directly through Mercedes and thus re-mortgage my house ?.
I have already designed and fabricated a roof rack, side stairs, upgraded fuel tanks to 2x190l and also put an auxiliary battery box (Jack has been helping me throughout). The roof rack and side stairs are over engineered however I wanted the chunkiness to follow the curves of this shape Mog.
Although she does not exhibit any rust on the chassis I will be stripping the 33 year old rust proofing as it is rather brittle in places and with much use will quickly peel off. In the odd place it has already peeled off with the odd spanner handle knock etc. I have already stripped the cab internally and need to send her to the spray booth where we will remove the engine as well. She has a little rust under the cab towards the rear on the drivers and passenger side (the rust is pretty much symmetrical). I have put a deposit on another Mog 1987 which has identical rust and is also in impeccable form (its visual is definitely far from perfect in its current state, dirty, dusty with perished rubbers and a big dent in the passenger door) with 17,000km’s on the clock. I suppose I will keep saving, limit holidays and expenditure, pay the difference when I can)…….for the prices I could not knock this back. That’s all I am saying about Mogtwo. For Mogone the rust is nothing major but must be done properly and whilst I have her stripped the chassis will be treated and resprayed.
I have already started documenting the works on a PPP which I intend to put a link up so I can share with those who are interested. I will find a way to share or I will just post direct.
I plan to install aircon but using a 24volt compressor, auxiliary 24volt compressor and auxiliary alternator (same as current) running off the front pulley system. I am hoping to incorporate a 400ah system into what I hope will be a low COG pop up camper. I still have not decided if I want to make this a 3 berth or 6 berth machine? 6 berths would be ideal for when the folks and like visit but how often will this be? 6 berths just means a much smarter design to reflect COST SAVING, WEIGHT, COMPLIANCE, CAMPING VERSATILITY and ON-ROAD/OFF-ROAD VERSATILLITY. 1st world problems at this stage.
I would much appreciate any advice from the gurus out there for where I can obtain a part number manual or catalogue and the like. I have had to work out quite a bit on this vehicle but it’s a lot to take in when you don’t have a proper workshop manual for her. I am sure many mistakes to come my way. There are a number of things I have questions regarding Mogone but I will leave this for another time. Feel free to add comments or ask questions. I am new to the Mog scene so rather expect me to ask the enthusiasts and gurus than the other way round ?. I look forward to this journey very much.
I can’t wait until my first test drive when she is painted silver with gloss black bumpers, roof racks etc. For now I have to focus on completing Mogone and then travelling the Asian region north of Singapore and perhaps even as far as Mongolia? I will cherish the moment when I take her to one of my best places in the world, Fraser Island in Australia…………….need I say more for those that have experienced Fraser on their own journey. FREEDOM and TRANQULLITY!! If I have the funds one day maybe I’ll find myself travelling across the US and Canada. Ill keep working, dreaming about travel and educating myself about this particular Unimog.
Regards
Simon
P.s. When I recently bought Mogone I had no idea how to fix her or what she was really about. What I did know is that I have yearned over one of these for a while. I did not buy Mogone to turn heads but I bought this beaut because of its pure brutal awesomeness and the places she can take me where others might fall short. It may only be 2-5% of the time (geographically dependant) but who cares as this vehicle oozes an abundance of 4x4 off-road prowess and in my view, you are either going to find a reason to get a Mog or a reason not to? I am not in a rush when I am travelling (so 55-60mph down the motorway is fine with me) but if you are in a rush to get to the best camping spot………..please overtake me and wave, or if I am overtaking you I’ll offer to haul you out of the crap whichever comes first. If I am in the crap, I suppose I’ll dig for 2-5 days and then get out. You dig what you dig………and then all vehicles have their pro’s and con’s!!!
I am assuming Mogone will do 100km/hr (I am happy with 90km/hr) on a highway and I am also assuming she will use between 18-22litres/100km’s. I am not too keen to interfere with the drive train etc as I am a believer that this machine has been tried and tested and if left alone will work just fine. It’s the ultimate workhorse and I appreciate it already for what it was designed for and for what it is and what it can do.
I have recently bought an ex-army 1986 U1300L. I am now living and working in Singapore where I stumbled across the beautiful machine. Axle ratio fast, 5 ton hydraulic rear mounted Werner winch, 8 forward, 8 reverse (2 crawler gears), OM366A, Turbo charged engine, Body type no. 2, Ringfeder trailer hitch. Not sure really what else to say about her as I am no expert on these off-road machines. I just know from what others have said that the engine and fast axles will be a big advantage?
I left school in Zimbabwe in 1998 and went to UK for 10 years. The grey clouds forced me to get a 1-year holiday visa in Australia and that’s where I call home now. My goal is to make sure Mogone (My name for my Unimog), Bushbaby (this is what my wife calls her) is done up as a unique camper so that she is compliant with Queensland rego.
This Unimog has literally sat around doing nothing and getting serviced for 33 years. This may come with its own problems. Oils etc were pristine when I bought her however I have changed all the oils and filters and she drives very nicely. Infact I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable she drives. I have always wanted a Mog and now I have one..........the work and the learning curve begins in a serious way. I am fortunate that I have a bit of time where I can wait for cheaper parts and the like. This project does not need to be completed in 6 months’ time however I don’t intend to drag in on as I do want to make weekly progress even if some weeks are just on the computer and planning. The challenge is finding the right places to purchase spare parts ……not easy unless I go directly through Mercedes and thus re-mortgage my house ?.
I have already designed and fabricated a roof rack, side stairs, upgraded fuel tanks to 2x190l and also put an auxiliary battery box (Jack has been helping me throughout). The roof rack and side stairs are over engineered however I wanted the chunkiness to follow the curves of this shape Mog.
Although she does not exhibit any rust on the chassis I will be stripping the 33 year old rust proofing as it is rather brittle in places and with much use will quickly peel off. In the odd place it has already peeled off with the odd spanner handle knock etc. I have already stripped the cab internally and need to send her to the spray booth where we will remove the engine as well. She has a little rust under the cab towards the rear on the drivers and passenger side (the rust is pretty much symmetrical). I have put a deposit on another Mog 1987 which has identical rust and is also in impeccable form (its visual is definitely far from perfect in its current state, dirty, dusty with perished rubbers and a big dent in the passenger door) with 17,000km’s on the clock. I suppose I will keep saving, limit holidays and expenditure, pay the difference when I can)…….for the prices I could not knock this back. That’s all I am saying about Mogtwo. For Mogone the rust is nothing major but must be done properly and whilst I have her stripped the chassis will be treated and resprayed.
I have already started documenting the works on a PPP which I intend to put a link up so I can share with those who are interested. I will find a way to share or I will just post direct.
I plan to install aircon but using a 24volt compressor, auxiliary 24volt compressor and auxiliary alternator (same as current) running off the front pulley system. I am hoping to incorporate a 400ah system into what I hope will be a low COG pop up camper. I still have not decided if I want to make this a 3 berth or 6 berth machine? 6 berths would be ideal for when the folks and like visit but how often will this be? 6 berths just means a much smarter design to reflect COST SAVING, WEIGHT, COMPLIANCE, CAMPING VERSATILITY and ON-ROAD/OFF-ROAD VERSATILLITY. 1st world problems at this stage.
I would much appreciate any advice from the gurus out there for where I can obtain a part number manual or catalogue and the like. I have had to work out quite a bit on this vehicle but it’s a lot to take in when you don’t have a proper workshop manual for her. I am sure many mistakes to come my way. There are a number of things I have questions regarding Mogone but I will leave this for another time. Feel free to add comments or ask questions. I am new to the Mog scene so rather expect me to ask the enthusiasts and gurus than the other way round ?. I look forward to this journey very much.
I can’t wait until my first test drive when she is painted silver with gloss black bumpers, roof racks etc. For now I have to focus on completing Mogone and then travelling the Asian region north of Singapore and perhaps even as far as Mongolia? I will cherish the moment when I take her to one of my best places in the world, Fraser Island in Australia…………….need I say more for those that have experienced Fraser on their own journey. FREEDOM and TRANQULLITY!! If I have the funds one day maybe I’ll find myself travelling across the US and Canada. Ill keep working, dreaming about travel and educating myself about this particular Unimog.
Regards
Simon
P.s. When I recently bought Mogone I had no idea how to fix her or what she was really about. What I did know is that I have yearned over one of these for a while. I did not buy Mogone to turn heads but I bought this beaut because of its pure brutal awesomeness and the places she can take me where others might fall short. It may only be 2-5% of the time (geographically dependant) but who cares as this vehicle oozes an abundance of 4x4 off-road prowess and in my view, you are either going to find a reason to get a Mog or a reason not to? I am not in a rush when I am travelling (so 55-60mph down the motorway is fine with me) but if you are in a rush to get to the best camping spot………..please overtake me and wave, or if I am overtaking you I’ll offer to haul you out of the crap whichever comes first. If I am in the crap, I suppose I’ll dig for 2-5 days and then get out. You dig what you dig………and then all vehicles have their pro’s and con’s!!!
I am assuming Mogone will do 100km/hr (I am happy with 90km/hr) on a highway and I am also assuming she will use between 18-22litres/100km’s. I am not too keen to interfere with the drive train etc as I am a believer that this machine has been tried and tested and if left alone will work just fine. It’s the ultimate workhorse and I appreciate it already for what it was designed for and for what it is and what it can do.
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