Progress on My Unimog

Time for a quick update - first off the a/c compressor and second alternator is now on. I will be running dual belts as the 140A alternator and a/c compressor is very close to the limit of a single 13A V-belt, and I have quite a few spare pulleys on the crank.

Attachment 50027

The next project was the roof rack board/tropical roof/sun deck. This 3.3x1.2m piece of plywood got a decent coat of paint - 2 coats of International Everdure, four coats of International Interprotect, two coats of PCP two pack polyurethane, and the then the top part got a coat of UPOL Raptor bedliner to create nice non-slip surface. With about a 10 hour wait between coats, this took quite a while

Attachment 50028

While all the paint was drying, I painted the roof with Barrier Shield 2000 - a heat reflective paint that according to the tests, is the equivalent to a 50mm fibreglass bat. http://www.australianpaints.com.au/?page_id=82

Attachment 50030


With all the paint work drying, I fitted the reading lights to the wooden plinths - there are a set each end of the bed, and another one over the chairs.

Attachment 50029


Finally, since the Mog is not going to be ready for this year's trip Outback, I decided to fit a Safety Devices Roll Cage to the Land Rover, and Ashcroft Limited slip lockers front and rear. Here is the "before" shot.

Attachment 50031

Some more photos.


First is the control panel / switch board. There are two circuit breaker panels, two Sunsaver duo solar regulators and a NASA Instruments Clipper BEP2 Battery monitor which should enable me to estimate the amount of charge left in the batteries.

Attachment 50032

The roof rack edge /tree protectors for the solar panels is also on - quite a fabrication exercise - there as more than 60 components to weld up on this - took a couple of weekends to finish.

Attachment 50033

I got my friendly sheet metal shop to make up a couple of boxes for the clothes drawers under the bed. They are 1mm steel, and pretty strong. The top one is for Trish's clothes, the bottom one for mine. Which seems out of proportion to me considering I'm almost twice her size and she normally wears about half as much clothing as I do - but she insists that what is needed. Still figuring out that one.

This is the Load Test - about 25kg of weight and the two don't touch each other or the floor.

Attachment 50034


I finally change the roof hatches / skylight and fitted them - this is Mk III - an off-shore boat deck hatch. The skylight light is 11mm thick acrylic and solid aluminium frame. Much better than the plastic RV style skylights I was going to use.

Attachment 50035


I found a low profile water "u" trap replacement for the shower and the sink connection to the grey water tank. Quite an ingenious device that prevents the water sloshing back up, whist still providing an easy flow. It is available here: http://www.northcoach.com.au/product...less-Trap.html

Attachment 50036

Hi mate, whats the story with the hatches as I am formatting my roof similar to yours?
Also are the fuel tanks standard or did you get those fabricated?
The mog looks awesome overall you must be chuffed.

The first hatches were the Dometic Mini Heiki 400x 400 - they were a fair quality but a hard plastic and did not have a seal - apparently this is the Australian requirements for caravans as they have to have a minimum ventilation requirement. However, that would not be good for dusty roads as they let the dust in. They are also plastic - and would not take a hit from a tree very well. I took them back and got the second ones were the Fiamma 400x400 - they would seal up, and had a lower profile, but after I dropped one, and it cracked, I decided that they would not last.

After looking at all the RV hatches, I decided that the RV style hatches were not so good for an off-road truck, so I decided to look at the Marine hatches - problem was they are a different size - 421x421. The ones I settled on were the Vetus Magnus - suitable for ocean going yachts, fully water tight to about 3m, so definitely water tight enough for the truck. I have to make a internal frame and insect screen, as the Vetus people have advertised a frame and screen, but they are not available yet.

The fuel tanks are OEM, just not Mercedes - one from a Bedford truck, the other from an Iveco truck :)

Thanks for that excellent response, appreciate the detail certainly should save me some issues, I take it they have a website i'll have a look.
I bet they do windows also.
I have an issue where the main 101 tank will have a high pressure fuel pump the second tank will be a slave and have a standard in tank pump any idea how to achieve that in regards to the unions ???

This is the Vetus Website - Welcome to Vetus.com!

They make bigger ones, 627x627 being the biggest - not big enough for me. I went with the Seitz windows - double glazed acrylic, with blinds and insect screens. My wall thickness is 75mm - the Seitz windows fit up to 41mm, so I have to make a frame for them. They have a good reputation on the various forums in regards strength, and water tightness. I have lots of windows in my truck - like to keep it light and airy :)

Not sure what you mean about the fuel tanks, but I would have a transfer pump if you only want to run one main fuel pump, and route the breather line back into the secondary fuel tank just in case you forget to switch it off.

Thanks I appreciate your help, you having been through all the drama's sure encourages me to get busy re-skinning the 101 many thanks I'll send you some shots of the end result.
Regards andy

It's been a while since my last progress update - but here are a few more photos of the work done over the last few months.

First off is the bedside lockers have been fitted. They work great, providing the extra storage space and a nice ledge to put stuff on. The mattress and slat base is very comfortable - better than our bed at home.

Attachment 55109

I have found a place for the diesel furnace / water heater / engine pre-heater. I will need to bend up some aluminium to protect it from water etc during river crossing, but it is more than 1.3m about the ground, and the furnace needs to be the lowest point on the water jacket or so the instruction manual says.

Attachment 55110

The table also arrived - this works great, providing a nice surface to eat, write stuff or just to look at maps. The side by side seat is much better than sitting opposite each other when it comes to discussing routes and plans.

Attachment 55111

The table swings out the way for the night time position, whilst still being a usable surface.

Attachment 55112


The drawers under the seat can hold a large amount of stuff - there are two positions, the first one can be accessed with the table in place, and the second requires the table to be removed to access the rear of the drawer.

Attachment 55113

A lot of behind the scenes work as well - the 240V inverter has been fitted, the permanent battery chargers, the solar regulators, battery monitor, switch panels etc. Loads of heavy duty cable and switch gear. The system is now live - with the solar panels keeping the batteries topped up thanks to the skylight in the shed - only 0.5A but that's enough to keep everything at 100% charge most of the time.

What about a pic of the Puma,it looks good as well,saw it in the flesh the other day;)

Where did you get the roll cage/rack from?

Safety devices roll cage - made the roof rack myself.

Only got some of us camping on the last trip on this computer - more on the home one..

Attachment 55133

Attachment 55134