Progress on My Unimog

Thanks, I started off with a lot of ideas, and not much skill. I'm gaining confidence all the time. I decided that I'd give it a go, no matter what and that if I was not happy with the result I would just try again.

I also decided that if I'm going to do it myself, then I would have to get the proper tools. The bender is professional grade, and gives really professional results. I don't buy the top of the range gear, but getting the proper tools, even the cheaper versions makes a huge difference. The only thing I bought that was really top notch was the Mig welder. My Kempi Minarcmig 180 welder is a perfect piece of kit - all I really have to do to get a good weld is point it in the right direction, the electronic wizardry does the rest. I also practised a lot - welding up all the off cuts in various positions until I got the hang of when to "push" and when to "pull", how to fill gaps and getting proper penetration.

There are a few things I have not decided to do, one of then is the carpentry and cabinet making. I just don't have the patience of the skill to get a high level of finish.

Iain, great build & report mate.

I have been following your build on a few different forums & it seems to be coming together nicely. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

I am looking at doing something similar in the next couple of years. Probably a low back version with a raising roof or box similar to Nicks orange mog. Any idea where Nick has some more photos of his mog build up.

There are 4 1300L's for sale in Dubai at the moment but their price is still a little high, they are ex UAE Military Ambo's, 1988 with turbo's not sure if they are fast axles or not. Look to be in good condition mechanically with between 35 000-80 000kms. I am trying to find out if the military plans to put any more on the market by tender if so I will probably grab one. They also come with dual aircon in the cab & rear ambo box.

We plan to be in Dubai for quite some time & this will be for travelling whilst we're here, so it will need to be shipped a few times which is why I want a low back. All being well with the wheels removed I would hope to be able to fit it into a 20ft container without having to ship it ro-ro. A bit of stuffing around but cheaper & more secure.

I've only seen the few on the Benzworld forum, I don't think he has finished it yet.

The ambulance should be fast axles - if they have a OM366A then it is more likely, as the rev limit on the engine is much less. Ambulances normally only have a top speed of 90kph, some are 110kph with the "super fast axles", but you can change the tyres on a standard U1300 from 12.5R20 to 14.5R20, and fit a Claas overdrive to get to about 110kph.

I looked very seriously at building a pop up camper, but they are hard to get right, and if you get it wrong, they leak a lot. If you have a pop top, then you have to be careful about how you load the roof, mine will have 5 solar panels and a roof rack for taking a canoe or surfboards.

I'm not to worried about shipping as RoRo is available to all the destinations I want to go to, and there is less chance of damage - you have to make sure the truck is securely tied down in the container, or the will be some serious panel damage with the way the move the around at the docks

Have you seen this Unicat - it has quite a party trick.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1307.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1308.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1309.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1310.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1311.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1312.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1313.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1314.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1315.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1316.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1317.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...11/10/1318.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Hi,
now that is a party trick.
Hope he got my address correct on the container, can't wait for it to be delivered.
cheers

As soon as you cheque for €800,000 clears it will be on the ship :)

Yep fantastic concept mate but slightly out of my budget. :o

I am going to head over to the show in Germany at Bad Kissingen to have a good look around next year, I went a few years back with my LR head on but next time it will be looking at different ideas for trucks. I am not 100% certain it will be a Mog, but so far it by far the heighest candidate on the list.

A quick update. First off the snorkel protector, I only used 26mm tubing as I don't plan on driving full speed into branches. It unbolts to allow me to remove the snorkel
Attachment 39383

Next was the ladder so give me access to the roof. It was quite a tricky thing to fabricate, each step is made from bent tube so that the front of the ladder matches the profile of the cab, whilst the rear upright is vertical. The last rung was required to enable me to swap feet before climbing up on top. I will add a handle to the top of the rear crossbar to give me something to grab on when I'm climbing the last little bit.

Attachment 39384

Next was to make the brackets to hold the spotlights. The first ones I made out of angle did not look right, so I cut the off and made them out of tube. The work well, and will hold the spotlights without deflecting.

I also decided to test out the crane again, this time using the MPT81, I'd already tried it with the massive XM47 tyres. The crane just makes it down to the ground, all in all I'm quite impressed with the Spitzlift crane, it works great, and is very light. I can easily carry it up the ladder. In reality, the crane will be stored in a tool box on the roof, along with a few other things - but nothing too heavy. The roof is rated for 500kg, and I'm not using the
actual roof to support the weight, but have transferred it lower down.

Attachment 39385

I've basically finished the roof rack. The next stage is to fit the bracket to hold the tyre down to the roof rack. I will do that when the roof rack of off the truck.
Attachment 39386

I will take it off tomorrow, and weld it all up, wire brush and grind welds where necessary, then paint it with an etch primer, then the grey hammer finish epoxy enamel. This is how I left it this evening - ready to lift off once I find 4 willing labourers

Once the roof rack is off, I will also fit all the various reinforcing plates. These are small triangular plates at all the various intersections, they spread the load out over a larger area, reducing stress concentrations that help prevent the welds from cracking. The guys that make the roll cages on use them, so I'll do the same. It may be overkill, but what's a little bit of extra time and less than 1kg of steel.

I've used 26m of 40mm NB Gr350 pipe, 6.5m of 20mm NB and 4m of 40x40. In total, it weights in at around 100kg.


Attachment 39387

http://www.me4x4.org/modules/PNphpBB...nimog1_749.jpg

Here is a picture of one of the Mogs I mentioned, they have the OM352A engine in them. Mechanically they look pretty good, the only real problem is they seem to have spent quite some time sitting in the sun & all of the window rubbers, tyres etc are all quite badly deteriated.

Looks like a good buy, I would replace all the window and door seals, air lines, flexible brake lines etc - not a quick job but worth the effort. Tyres are expensive - best to get them from Europe.

That would be the plan mate, at the price this guy wants for these they will stay where they are but if he gets more realistic or I can get one direct from the UAE Military I'll probably grab one.