Spudboy's super-sized camper replacement for a 130 - and no it's not a Unimog!

[spudboy]

I know it's not a Land Rover project, but seeing the interest in the Iveco 4x4 Daily build that "GoingBush" posted, I thought some might be interested to see a build up of something a bit different.

We started out a few years ago building up an ex-Telstra 130 Defender, and got a fair way along with it, but when we started fitting out the canopy it was obvious we were short on size for a couple of basic things we really wanted, being a shower and a toilet, and general head-room. It was a good 'live beside' proposition, but we wanted something we could 'live inside' for longer periods of travelling.

That started a search for a bigger platform to build a camper on. I went through a Unimog phase. Then an Iveco 4x4 phase. Then an ex-utilities 4x4 truck phase. I also got my Heavy-Rigid license so I could actually drive one of these things.

After a lot of deliberation and head scratching we finally decided that a MAN 4x4 truck would be the go, mainly for the following reasons:
- Used by many European camper builders (UniCat, ActionMobile, BiMobile)
- Low range 4WD box
- Centre/Front/Rear diff locks
- 4 wheel disc brakes + ABS
- Air-conditioned
- Air suspension on the rear + parabolics on the front
- Air suspension seats
- Available in a dual cab
- Twin-Turbochargers for 290 HP and 1100Nm of torque
- No Ad-Blu or complicated DPF to meet emissions (it uses an EGR)
- Faster than a Unimog! The MAN is not the ultimate offroad machine, but for general touring it has a lot of benefits over the Mercedes.

We got a good deal on a 15 tonne 290HP 4x4 Dual Cab and decided to go for it, so this is what we started with:


At this stage we haven't come much further than this. We've replaced the dual rear wheels with super singles, and made a start on the framing for the floor. I'll post up a few more bits and pieces as it progresses, and I'll put up a few photos of the progress so far in the next few posts.

The 130 is still sitting in the shed partially finished, and I reckon I'll get back to it at some stage (retirement?), but for now the main focus is the MAN.

Cheers
David

[spudboy]

This is the sort of thing we are aiming for:

[spudboy]

The first thing that got organised was replacing the skinny standard wheels with super singles. Super singles are a lot better off road, but the physical size of them is a bit daunting.

I'll let some photos do the talking:





The trailer is an 8 x 5 with Nissan Patrol rims/tyres, so they are not exactly small themselves, but they are dwarfed by the super singles!



Once we got the offset sorted out (took a few goes) and got the rims painted, she looks like this:

[spudboy]

This week, we got the flooring framework finished. It sits directly on top of the MAN chassis and is held in place with large springs that look like valve springs. This allows the chassis to flex underneath the canopy without cracking the fibreglass walls. The walls and roof are going to be single sheets of fibreglass panel with 50mm of insulation in the middle.



We've built some custom steps to get in and out:



They slide back into the frame and you can't really see them when they're put away.

The next step is to pull it off the chassis and turn it upside down to insert insulation between the voids.

[Hoges]

Spectacular!!!
I've been following the trials and tribulations online of a bloke named Rob Gray for the past several years who built a motorhome on the chassis of an old ACCO truck... Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat there's heaps of practical info on how he did it, including bespoke mountings which took account of chassis twisting in rough country... a great read...
good luck with it!
cheers

[d@rk51d3]

So, you're giving away the 130?

[spudboy]

Also - if you want more details on the build and how we decided on a MAN and so on, I've got a blog up and running:

MAN Truck Build & Travels

Go to the Blog section (or the Timeline section to get a chronological view of the posts).

[frantic]

Looks good I think there was an article in 4X4 Oz about a MAN set up like you want that was in either this month or last month.

[spudboy]

Spectacular!!!
I've been following the trials and tribulations online of a bloke named Rob Gray for the past several years who built a motorhome on the chassis of an old ACCO truck... Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat there's heaps of practical info on how he did it, including bespoke mountings which took account of chassis twisting in rough country... a great read...
good luck with it!
cheers

Yeah - I chat to Rob a bit on line. He's given me a heap of good advice, seeing that he's done it twice before, and is now building his third.

His was a MONSTER 6x6, so ours will look like a tiddler compared to his.

[spudboy]

So, you're giving away the 130?

No - I think that's a keeper, unless I get an insane offer for it. I'll get back to it when I have more time on my hands. Have had a thought that it'd be a good "tow-car" to pull along behind the MAN, but Mrs Spud thinks that is a ridiculous idea! Maybe a little Suzuki would be a better idea....