More progress
This week I started to work full time on the Unimog - with luck, I may just have the next three months off work, I'll have a bit of a break, but I hope to spend a lot of time working on the Mog.
The major progress this week has been fitting the seats. These are full electric luxury Range Rover Vogue leather seats, and they need special bases to fit in a Unimog. Now there are a number of important rules regarding seat bases over here in Australia if you want to get your truck registered, and the most important one is Technical Bulletin VSB5B which more or less tells you how you have to build your seat bases. If you don't follow the rules, chances are you won't get the necessary certification and you can't register the truck. This is the result of much planning and consulting VSB5B.
This is how you have to bolt them down according to the specs - and have a 50x50mm washer on the other side. - although the specs call for 25x25mm RHS, but I used 40x40mm for the legs and 65x35mm for the cross members because it looked a bit weak in 25x25mm. I'll clean up the welds and the edges when I get them ready for painting.
An this the result - a Range Rover leather seat in a Unimog. This is in the fully down and back position - plenty of space for even the "larger" driver or those with short little legs.
And this is in the full up position and forward - even the headrests are electric. There is about 2" of movement up and down, and you can angle the seat base flat or tilted back as well. Once adjusted, the are really comfortable.
Building the second one took half the time, and now I have two seats in the truck at last - first time in over two years - and yes, I have sat in them just to see what it's like - and they are comfortable. The seat come with full memory computers, butI don't think I will spend the time making it work - it's easier just to make it manual like the passenger seat.
I also started on the air conditioning this week. I've given up on the Land Rover unit in the centre console, and have decided to fit am fitting 2 x 18,000btu units into the roof. Still a lot of work to sort it all out, but this is how the evaporator unit fits. The condensation drain pipes will run down inside the "A" pillar there is just enough room for them, then behind the dash into the engine bay, I thought about using it to top up the windscreen wiper bottle, then overflow to the ground - we will see if that works out or not.
The main reason for the "sun visor" type extension to the roof was for the ducting, for the original version, but this has worked out well - I can fit the a/c evaporator as far forward as possible. Once I get the brackets fitted, it will sit level.
There is quite a bit of ducting to do. Out the front will be some bends, the once closest to the console get a 45degree bend and some ducting to go up the centre console and be directed out the back to provide a bit of cool air comfort to the back seat people. The two centre ones get 90 degree bends and will be fitted with nozzles the can direct the cold air straight down, or to the front and to the back - to cool body and legs etc. The outside one gets a 45 degree and ducting goes into the above the door, with a vent that can blow forward or back to my face if required. The passenger side one will be the same. All the vents can be independently shut off. The A/C units also have variable cooling - so it can be set to "deep freeze" or just cool. The are completely independent of each other so my wife can switch hers off, and I can put mine into deep freeze mode. The two together should have enough cooling for most situations
Back on the camper box, I have also finished all the bracing for the "tropical roof/roof rack. The main cross members are over the seams in the roof sheeting, so that should help ensure it remains water tight. These will get a series of nutserts in them, so I can mount the plywood roof. I've just finished priming all the brackets, then I'll paint them and Sikflex them into position. I ended up using 1.6mm steel, as the various fibreglass/plastic bracket were just to big to fit with my roof profile. Once I have all the brackets in place, then it time to get on with the roof rack/ branch protection on the roof. Then I can get it ready for the paint on RV insulation.
I also finished the rain gutters as well - they cover the seams between the roof sheet and the side sheets, and help keep the water off the windows. I made then for so 3mm aluminium box section, cut down the middle and then finished off with the router - makes quite a mess, but gives a good finish. I glued it on oversize, then trimmed it back to the right angles. I plan on having some high level indicator and brake lights up there as well. I've found so nice surface mount led units, that will be white when not lit up, and orange/red when lit. I was going to recess them into the roof, but that's a lot of work and it might lead to a leak - better to minimise things that cause leaks.
Next was to make the bulkheads for the two storage compartments. After a fair bit of folding by our friendly sheet metal shop in Springwood and some Sikaflexing, they were in. This creates two independent boxes, so that the interior is completely sealed from the compartments. I will have to route some air ducting and a few water pipes through the bulkheads, but the can be properly sealed as well. Later this week the bed base panel arrives, and that will be glued onto the bed.
There are a few other things I've done on the interior but that is the main progress.
I'll be thinking of your seats if I get uncomfortable!
