Very High Quality Molded Expedition Cabin

[mhiscox]

NEWER EDIT: The shell's gone to a local ExPo member. See the 8/06/09 post below.

EDIT 5/31/09: The shell's going to stay here, probably serving as a backyard guest cottage to get it out of storage. Thanks for the interest.


Mikey's Prepackaged Instant Overlanding Vehicle . . . Just add truck. :sombrero:

It's looking like the EarthRoamer Jeep is not going anywhere, so here's another offering to free me up some space.

I have a close-to-unique fiberglass expedition cabin that has been around for years waiting for me to do something with it. The shell is very thick, 1.50 inches for the bottom half and 1.25 for the top and molded of cored fiberglass the same way as yacht hulls. My guess (untested ;) ) is that this shell could stand up to being rolled. No one quite knows what it weights; the guess is 1500 pounds, but it could be as much as 500 pounds more or less.

Safari Vehicles Manufacturing, the former Richmond, BC expedition vehicle manufacturer, only molded three. This white one is the one the president of Safari Vehicle Manufacturing finished off for his own use and mounted on a U140L Unimog:

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/CamperU100L.jpg

and the other two are in the Portland area, the green one I have and there's a raw white one I sold to a fellow Unimogger a couple years back. It cost SVM something better than $25K for the raw shells themselves--probably one reason why they only made three before switching to NidaCore--with the price of the finished shell on a U140L being something better than $200K almost ten years ago. So you can see why I thought it'd be a good idea to grab one to make into a rugged go-anywhere overlander.

The opportunity to get this one came up when SVM closed and the shell ended up at a BC Mog dealer. Unfortunately, they stripped the appliances and then, through carelessness, the door was left open and a year or two worth of winter weather got into the cabin, causing the wood parts to become stained and mildewed and ruining the less waterproof parts. After getting a lead from a Unimogger, I bought it and had it shipped to Portland. Now, after paying to move it around and store it for several years, it'd be nice if it got finished off, put on a truck and put to good use (and not coincidentally, out of my way).

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/Dsc00360.jpg

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/DSCN1102.jpg

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/Dsc00349.jpg

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/Mogshellgreenasis.jpg

As you can see, there are molded-in wheel wells at the midway point of the camper. If you mount this on a long-bed pickup (something with a cab-to-axle of 60-64"), the wheel wheels will pair up with the truck's. But if you wanted to mount the shell on a flatbed or bare frame, you could leave 'em be or else glass in the wheel wells--which isn't a bad idea, since you could turn them into tanks--and put it anywhere. (The wheel wells are mostly for looks; it'd be an unusual big truck that would use the space for articulation once the camper was mounted on a subframe.)

Not that ya'll need engineering help, but I've been screwing around with this for six years now, so I've thought of about every alternative. If you look at the photo gallery link below, there are photos/diagrams with very detailed measurements, as well as a number of quick-and-dirty side views of the shell mounted on a variety of chassis.

One nice feature is that it has a completed (undamaged) shower room with a Thetford cassette toilet, a vent fan and shower head and valves. There's also a fair amount (about 75% maybe) of the plumbing and wiring already done. And all of the wood parts are included, so if you wanted to replicate the Safari floorplan, the wood pieces can serve as templates and you could rebuild the cabinets that need redone very quickly. (Alternately, you could paint the wood pieces; they're not rotted or anything, just stained and mildewed.) Another nice thing is that I bought all-new Seitz double-pane windows with the blind-screen cassettes, so making the shell weatherproof wouldn't take but an afterrnoon and a couple tubes of Sikaflex.

Check here for some additional pictures and the measurements:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mhiscox01/FiberglassCampingShell (http://picasaweb.google.com/mhiscox01/FiberglassCampingShells?feat=directlink)

and if you read the captions, there's some useful information about the shell's current condition.

If you like the original layout, it'd be pretty easy to finish it off. But even if you gut it and do your own layout, you'll have a really fine piece without the extremely substantial effort of building a cabin this solid. It might even be something someone'd want to buy for resale; a decade ago Safari had a plan to get $140K for the finished shells mounted on F350s. (And, FWIW, the shell is almost exactly the same size as the body on a quarter-million dollar EarthRoamer XV-LT without the cabover extension.)

I've got a small fortune in this, much of it the result of renting it storage spaces and paying a rollback wrecker to move it around. Beyond that, though, I've got $7K in it. How about $3,000 even to someone from the Portal (and that includes $1,500 of new Seitz windows) assuming you can come and fetch it in the next few weeks. Interested persons anywhere near Portland should arrange to come and see it.

If you're interested--and I hope you are--let me know ASAP, by posting here or PM'ing me, what questions you have and whether you'd like some photos posted of some specific area(s) of the shell.

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

p.m. sent

[Terrainist]

Wow. Someone is going to snatch this up!

Any chance you can post the "quick and dirty side views" you mentioned? I tried to access the photo link, couldn't get it to work thru Safari or Explorer.

Don't get too twisted about it though because I'm just dreaming right now.

Thanks...wow!

[mhiscox]

Any chance you can post the "quick and dirty side views" you mentioned? I tried to access the photo link, couldn't get it to work thru Safari or Explorer.
Anyone else having trouble with the link to the Picasa gallery? Worked for me when I just clicked it.

Anyway, here are some examples:

The most likely . . . 'Muricun one-ton SRW longbed pickup with bed off, or a 60" CA cab-and-chassis truck:

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/ShellonF-series.jpg


A Fuso FG (with a 48" surplus truck sleeper--$1K at the Freightliner surplus store up the road--so you could have a small cabin if you made the shell easy on-off if you wanted to carry bikes or ATVs, or space for more seats, or use the space for whatever):

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/ShellonFG.jpg


A Japanese cab forward crew cab (2WD in this country):

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/ShellonFEcrewcab.jpg


A Japanese cab forward crew cab with an axle relocation:

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/ShellonFEcrewcabrelocateaxle.jpg


A custom Sprinter double cab . . .

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/ShellonSprinterDoKa.jpg

ETC. :)

[haven]

I like this one:


http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/HiscoxShellonFG.jpg


Now we're talking!

Instead of the sleeper, you could use the 4 foot wide space as a Hackney-esque
motorcycle garage, or as general storage.

This illustration shows the long wheelbase Fuso FG. The short wheelbase
model would work well with this shell without the extra storage compartment.
The Fuso chassis is certainly able to carry the heavy shell.

Chip Haven

[Terrainist]

Thank you very much MHiscox! That really shows what is going on with it.

Put it on a 2001 Ford 7.3l Powerstroke F350 SRW regular cab, just like your drawing. Finish it out, gear it up, and presto'....one hell of an all weather, heavy duty, very capable rig.

Or, the short wheel base Fuso FG like you say Haven. Man what a rig that would be. Put a 100 gallon fresh water tank between the frame rails...oh the time I could spend in the desert kicking over rocks camping out of that thing.

I have to stop looking at this website.

[tommudd]

If you were not clear across the country I would be on your doorstep in the morning. :wings:Someone grab this quick, it will be sweet on the back of any vehicle!

[over2land]

Dang Mike...

As much as I've been wanting to build a 725, if I had the 3K, I'd pull the bed off my 715 and just build that instead. That box is bitchen man.

Bump for ya.

[mhiscox]

I like this one:


http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/HiscoxShellonFG.jpg

This illustration shows the long wheelbase Fuso FG. The short wheelbase model would work well with this shell without the extra storage compartment. The Fuso chassis is certainly able to carry the heavy shell.

If you had or could find a short wheelbase FG, you could do this:

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/FGSWBwithshell9-04.jpg

if you wanted to leave the wheel wells. If you glassed them in (or didn't care) you could snuggle the shell up behind the cab to get a passthrough and build a nice storage platform about 18" wide at the rear. (BTW, the unlabeled dark, striped thing is a spare tire inserted sideways; you could carry another on the passenger side.)

There are obvious advantages to the passthrough you can have with the shell right behind the cab, but there are some drawbacks on a truck like this due to the tilt cab and the engine placement that limits the height of the hole. And, regarding the sketch, most of the weight on any roof rack would, of course, have to be easy to remove for when you needed to tilt the cab.

[adventureduo]

I've seen this cabin in person and i can tell you it's high quality. Mike has taken good care of it and it's been in his garage out of the elements. Shoot if i had a truck to put it on i'd snatch it up! Good luck Mike.

[Terrainist]

Just to be clear, and someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Fuso FG schematic used in the last representation of cabin placement is for a long wheel base FG judging by the split rear driveline (short wheel base FG has single rear driveline?) and the distance (154") between the back of the cab and the end of the frame.

On a short wheel base FG the cabin should just about fit perfectly, if not perfectly, up against the back of the truck cab with the wheel wells of the cabin aligned above the rear wheels of the truck.

There are a few short wheel base FG's for sale on Truckpaper right now.

[Terrainist]

Okay, I used some of the figures given on the schematic to get an approximate wheel base of 136.8". So it's for a long wheel base. Short wheel base FG measurement will be around 112". Should fit very nicely as well without the storage between the cabin and cab.

[mhiscox]

BTW, as long as I'm throwing out these plans, I should point out that the shell would also make a very good off-road trailer:

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/Shellastrailer.jpg.

It'd be easy to mount, can accommodate big wheel sizes and is sturdy enough for the purpose. Weld up a simple frame, give it a good suspension and you'd be in good shape.

One advantage to the shell is that while it currently has a little hole in the front that's the passthrough for the original U140L, if the configuration (such as a trailer) doesn't need a passthrough, you can put a big window in the front. In fact, the new window is included.

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/DSCN1091.jpg

The blue tape shows the position proposed for the window.

[mhiscox]

On a short wheel base FG the cabin should just about fit perfectly, if not perfectly, up against the back of the truck cab with the wheel wells of the cabin aligned above the rear wheels of the truck.

It's been years since I messed with this stuff (the picture is dated 9-04), but my recollection is that the cab-to-axle on a SWB Fuso was something like 84 inches or 87 or some such, whereas the shell front-to-wheel-well-center is 60 or 64, depending on which way you point it. Not sure why the discrepancy with your calculations.

FWIW, while we're discussing chassis options, the Chevy/GM 4500 and 5500 can be had with 4WD and an 84 inch CA, and last I knew, they were available new with big discounts. I had considered them as a good possibility.

[Terrainist]

Okay, you would know what the distance is from the wheel well center to the front on your shell, you are calling it 60" or 64". And the useable cab to axle area on the SWB FG is 87.4".

However, you have assembled your drawing on a blueprint for a LWB FG, that's what threw me for a loop. Didn't know you had figured the distance between the cab and cabin already on the SWB and drew it up accordingly. I did think the cabin would have fit better on the SWB though. And you are saying there is going to be 23.4"-27.4" left over between the cabin and the cab, or for a platform at the rear of the truck. Cool.

[haven]

From the "almost exact" measurements photo, the center of
the wheelwell is 62.5 inches from the front of the camper.
It's probably not a good idea to mount the camper flush with
the truck cab, so add a couple of inches of space between them.
That puts the center of the wheelwell at about 65 inches from the
back of the cab.

Here are a few measurements taken from the body builders'
manuals for Ford, Chevy and Fuso:

2009 Ford F350, F450 and F550

Cab/Chassis and Regular Cab

141 inch wheelbase, Cab to axle distance 60.6 inches
165 inch wheelbase, Cab to axle distance 84 inches


Fuso FG

Short wheelbase 112.6 inches
Cab to axle distance 91.9 inches
Cab to end of frame 133.8 inches

Long wheelbase 136.2 inches
Cab to axle distance 136.2 inches
Cab to end of frame 157.4 inches


GMC Topkick / Chevrolet Kodiak 4500 / 5500

regular cab
wheel base 128 inches
cab to axle 60 inches
cab to end of frame 100.5 inches

regular cab
wheelbase 140 inches
cab to axle 72 inches
cab to end of frame 145.6 inches

crew cab
wheelbase 194 inches
cab to axle 84.9 inches
cab to end of frame 146.6 inches

[over2land]

Hey Mike... I'll bring the 715 for collateral and you can have fun with it till I pay the shell off, how's that? LOL I'll MAKE it work. That thing is way beefy, and for anyone even thinking about doing something like this, there will never be a better basis for it....

[mhiscox]

Hey Mike... I'll bring the 715 for collateral and you can have fun with it till I pay the shell off, how's that? LOL

Ummm . . . well, there's the problem that the 715 would take up more space than the shell, and I'm selling the shell because I have no space, so I'm thinking that won't work. :sombrero:


That thing is way beefy, and for anyone even thinking about doing something like this, there will never be a better basis for it....
Even if I didn't have a sizable vested interest in this, I'd sure second this observation. You could not buy the windows and raw NidaCore to build your own for the price. Anyway, about ten days left until it's assigned to "cottage" duty in the back yard.

[mhiscox]

Hey, lookey here . . .

While looking at the pictures of the U2450 discussed nearby, I came across this:

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/EurotruckU140L.jpg

See the bigger pictures at

http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp283/mhiscox01/EurotruckU140L.jpg

This is the truck the shell was designed for. You could mount it in no time flat. Definitely the way to go, except for that pesky $52,000. :victory:

[Sleeping Dog]

Hey, lookey here . . .

This is the truck the shell was designed for. You could mount it in no time flat. Definitely the way to go, except for that pesky $52,000. :victory:


$52K and the small issue of convincing US customs to let it in the country, it not being 25 years old.

[toyfunraider]

Mike,

What is the final word on the box ?

Do you still have it ?

[mhiscox]

Mike,

What is the final word on the box ?

Do you still have it?

Oops . . . got caught up in selling the Mog and forgot to update this thread.

I still have the shell, but it's theoretically sold to a gentleman from the LA area; I have a deposit on it. There are the usual questions about how the heck to get the thing up on a trailer or truck and transported, but it should be gone by the end of July. I'll let everyone know if anything goes awry with the plan. Thanks for all the interest.

[18seeds]

Damm how did I miss this. That is a sweet deal WITH the windows. Keep us updated.

Trade ya my 4 runner

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/sledmods/DSC00519.jpg

[mhiscox]

Damm how did I miss this. That is a sweet deal WITH the windows. Keep us updated.

Trade ya my 4 runner.
Hmmm . . . How did you miss this? :sombrero:

I'll post up here with any more details I get about the progress of the sale.

[18seeds]

got any pics on how this would work with a Kodiak?

[mhiscox]

got any pics on how this would work with a Kodiak?
No pics, but the regular cab C-K 4500/5500 4x4 was probably my first option for shell mounting. Not uncommon in a 60" cab-to-axle (though more crew cabs than regular cabs), plenty of capacity, good engine with the Duramax (or even the Vortec), some fancy-up parts available and, when I was looking, dramatically discounted from list. You have to put up with some extra length vs. a Fuso FG, but it's significantly better than an F450/550, and it also turns more sharply.

FWIW, the Body Builders manuals for the C/K medium duties can be accessed at:

http://www.gmupfitter.com/body_builder_manuals.html

No sign in required, and much useful information for anyone thinking about using one.

[39Ronin]

Just looking for an update, did the sale go through?

[mhiscox]

Just looking for an update, did the sale go through?
No, I've still got it. But it's pretty much not for sale any longer. Transporting it did in the expected sale, as the cabin is just too wide to fit between the fenders of most trailers and we don't have any good way here to get it high enough to set onto a flatbed big enough to carry it.

So while it's still in the garage, won't be long until it's dragged into the yard for "cottage" duty. There's one local guy who'll come check it out later--he's on fire-fighting duty in Central Oregon for a while--'cuz if he wants it, he can pay for a rollback wrecker to get it the five miles to his house. Beyond that, though, it's looking like too much trouble getting it into the hands of someone with a good plan for it.

Thanks for asking, though.

[39Ronin]

hmmm...

I will be coming to Oregon for the NorthWest Mog Fest in August, if you still have it then I would like to come look at it. Besides it came from BC originally so maybe it is fitting that it returns here again.

BTW I have a FG that would go really nicely with it.

Cheers,
Neil

[mhiscox]

Funny, but one of the principal reasons that transporting it seems such a hassle to me is the scary trip :Wow1: it had on a trailer--sitting on timbers to clear the fenders--from Richmond to Portland. And that was with a forklift to position the cabin; not sure how we'd have managed otherwise.

Still, you're welcome to come and see it going to or from MogFest. Just let me know your schedule preferences.

[mhiscox]

SHELLVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING! (Sorry. :sombrero:)

Fellow Northwesterner and ExPo member Brian Beaulaurier came this morning to pick up the shell with an impressive tilt-bed equipment trailer that turned out to have about at least a nanoinch of extra space between the fenders. It wasn't trivial come-a-longing the trailer onto the bed, but it went well enough and I'm sure it rode securely back home.

Brian hasn't picked out a chassis yet, but knew that he needed to grab the shell before petunias got planted around it in my back yard. He's off to Africa soon, but has assured me that we'll all get to hear of the work on the rig when he gets back and gets the work underway.

Thanks for all of the interest. I'm very happy that this unusual cabin is going to end up in expedition use.

[adventureduo]

Awesome, im sad you had to sell it to make space.. but im not sad it was going to turn into a cottage in the back yard :D Glad it's going to stay roaming like it should.

[squeezer]

I miss it already...:wings:

[mhiscox]

I miss it already...:wings:
Yeah, me too. Looking through the Commercial Truck Trader last night just wasn't the same. :(

On the other hand, the unfinished white one is still trapped in Fred Fitzgerald's yard by his inoperative vehicles, so there's still hope for us. ;)

[doubleb]

Do not worry ExPo! Like Mike mentioned, it has gone to a good home. Over the winter will be the planning stage, then once next summer rolls around I will get crackin! Luckily, on top of the wicked deal Mike gave me on the shell, he also gave me a fresh copy of "Travel Vans". Thanks dude :victory:

I'll keep everybody updated on the progress.

Well, I'm off to Africa!

cheers,
Brian

[T.Low]

Yeah, me too. Looking through the Commercial Truck Trader last night just wasn't the same. :(

On the other hand, the unfinished white one is still trapped in Fred Fitzgerald's yard by his inoperative vehicles, so there's still hope for us. ;)


Good luck Brian, looking forward to the thread. With so many options, I'm real curious as to whats gonna happen with this one.

Mike, we never outgrow it do we. When I was sixteen, after we exhausted ourselves wheeling and performing recoveries all night, we'd drive back into town, grab a Mountain Dew and a Moon Pie from the local all night corner store, park the still steaming, mud coverred FJ40 under a lamp post and look thru the auto trader.:coffee:

[Expedition Key]

Good luck Brian, looking forward to the thread. With so many options, I'm real curious as to whats gonna happen with this one.

Mike, we never outgrow it do we. When I was sixteen, after we exhausted ourselves wheeling and performing recoveries all night, we'd drive back into town, grab a Mountain Dew and a Moon Pie from the local all night corner store, park the still steaming, mud coverred FJ40 under a lamp post and look thru the auto trader.:coffee:

Just checked out your Astro, very cool!

[T.Low]

Just checked out your Astro, very cool!

Appreciated, especially from a guy drivin a Tacoma.