Thread: Plugger and The Camel

Yep - I've now got shed envy...

I am about to start building a shed, but it will be nowhere near the quality as yours, nor will it have anywhere near the amount of equipment in it.

Now where did I put that winning Tatts ticket?

Originally Posted by Archangel007

Wow, thanks guys for the kind words!!!


Travelrover - The booms are mounted at around 2.5m - at the knee joint in the C-section column as this is the strongest part. The back of the C-section column has been plated to stop spreading. The boom is 60mm pipe with 4mm wall thickness. The weight limitation is the pipe trolley (yellow bit) as its only rated to 300kg. The chain blocks are rated at 1T. The pivots are 25mm solid round through 12mm thick plate and gussets. Just resting on the pivots with a snap-ring for security - they can never jump off by themselves. I have lifted up the Toyota 1UZFE V8 and gearbox with no issues. Very handy and I use them almost every day!

Hope you all like the pics. Let me know if you guys ever want a custom car built - I only do one-offs and I love doing stuff that is different!

Cheers and thanks,
Tricky

thanks Tricky that's fantastic, you certainly do things very well!

Originally Posted by grey_ghost

Yep - I've now got shed envy...

I am about to start building a shed, but it will be nowhere near the quality as yours, nor will it have anywhere near the amount of equipment in it.

Now where did I put that winning Tatts ticket?

X2 i can tell u that for nothing. Jeez what a setup. Man am i jealous .

I think you've been asked before but, wanna adopt an old mechanic.....dad??

(I already know the answer)

Lmao...

Cheers Rod

GG I got the winning one here...i wish hehehe

Cheers Rod

Do you do all your own panel work too Tricky? I wish I could keep my shed that clean!!
What is in store for the side whackers on the tyres?

GG - just as long as its an efficient use of space and you don't try to cram too much junk in there you will be fine. My shed has to earn me a living, so it must be functional.

Travelrover - thanks for the kind words. Hope your overhead boom cranes work for you!

67 - I will pass on everything I know if you want to learn!

Stealth - yes I do. Its just something you start doing and then get better at the more you do it. Got to get myself a good motorised bead-roller then I will be set!! I clean as I go, so it never gets to look like a pack of poo-ticket!!. The side-valves have all been sold. I bring in cars n stuff from the USA as a side-line business to supplement the income when times are slow. Those side-valves sold within a week!!

If any of you are chasing some yank iron, let me know...

Cheers,
Tricky

Well Saturday has come and gone and I am so glad that the heat was drawn off by the brief showers we had - which left the humidity at 98%...... But its overcast today and the temp is back down into the 20's.

Anyway, back to the Camel. Last episode saw us put the Camel back on its wheels and become a rolling chassis again. This marked a major milestone in the project and the halfway point of the restoration. The parts we ordered from the UK to overhaul the steering relay have not arrived yet even though were ordered weeks ago. I suspect a very slow boat from Portsmouth!! While there is still a plethora of parts to be ordered for Camel, we need to assess exactly what is needed before we order them - case in point is the gearbox - it needs pulling apart and inspecting what needs to be replaced before ordering etc.

Anyway, this weekend we decided to have a bit of fun. Plugger has got grand designs on this car and intends to use it to virtually go anywhere and everywhere. So to facilitate this, we have modified the vehicle for this intent - extra fuel tank to extend the range, uprated and lifted suspension, bigger engine for easier load-hauling and integrated towbar to tow the camper when he gets one etc. One thing we were cognisant of is carrying an extra spare. While he will be carrying a spare on the bonnet as per the original design, I wanted him to carry a 2nd spare and not up high on the roof rack so it upsets the CoG. On the rack he has room for the tent and some MaxTraks and that's about it. Also, if he goes off-road without the rack he is back to having only one spare.

The solution - a swingout spare wheel carrier (SSWC) to hang off the back. You all may remember we thought about this very early on and made provisions for mounting a SSWC within the chassis when we rebuilt it. Here are the photos previously posted of the mounting hard-points we integrated into the chassis while it was being renovated...




So, we decided we would have a crack at building one. I had some precision tube left over from a previous job and this was the perfect size for the carrier. We spent the previous night designing and drawing it up, measuring and planning. We decided that the SSWC would have a wheel-holder on one side and a jerrycan holder on the other. The width of the Land Rover can easily facilitate both. The extra weight would be around 35kg's max and if we designed it right it should not have any adverse issues with the body - seeing as the chassis would be taking all the weight.

We laid out the design on the welding table and went to work. The pipe bender made short work of the bends and soon we had the frame welded up and completed. I welded a 5mm plate across the frame and made an upstand to space the spare wheel away from the frame so it doesn't rub, then welded on the round mounting face for the spare to mount to. This will need to be drilled for the press-in wheels studs which I will order Monday. By 10am this is what we had...


I allowed for an upsize in wheel diameter and width as well - up to and including 235/80R16's...

Next came the fabrication of the jerrycan holder. It was a basic box design and only needed to be beefy enough to hold a full jerrycan and its 20 litres of fuel. I decided to fab this up out of 2mm sheet as this would have ample strength once it was turned into a geometric shape. After some cutting and welding, and some perforations using the dimple dies, this is what we came up with...


It is slightly oversized from a standard jerrycan, but once we line it with some closed-cell foam to hold the container firmly it will be perfect...


The perforations add to the strength of the design without adding weight. We need to sort the mounting of the rego plate and the light for it. Also I wanted to add a bracket for mounting the UHF aerial to which might go on the outside of the jerrycan holder. The mounting pivot is fairly simple using nolathane bushes inside the pipe with crush tubes for the bolts to go through. I will order the nolathane Monday but we looked on their website and know we can get bushes to suit. Then I need to make up some simple pivot mounting brackets to bolt to the frame and body but this wont be done until the tray bed is back on the chassis and we do a test fit. Also I intend to mount a work light on a telescoping and pivoting stand so he can light up behind the vehicle and also inside the roof-top tent. Lastly I am still to decide on the locking mechanism - but I am thinking if using an over-centre latch with a machined delrin holder to support all the weight and reduce vibration. Something lockable anyway.

Well by the time the jerrycan holder was finished it was midday and time for a Millers Chill and a dip.

Thanks again for all your interest and support!!

Cheers and thanks,
Tricky and Plugger

Can I also suggest a locking facility for the jerry. I had one on the back of my D90 and some low life lifted it! So now I have a bike chain through the handle and through the top hoopy bit on the carrier...

Just a suggestion, although after seeing your 'other projects' you've probably already got it sorted.

Hi Debruiser,

Excellent suggestion!! Sorry to hear about the theft - dirtbags!!

Happy Australia day everyone!

Cheers,
Tricky