IcedVolvo
03-06-2010, 05:03 AM
I have sort of put these things in the order that I think is the priority, however you make prioritise the order in which you think they should be done
1: One of the first things you will have to to is to fit sealed breathers to both differentials, the gearbox and transfer cases. These can be done as a do it yourself effort with some neoprene tubing or you can buy special kits from most four-wheel-drive stores. a block of chocolate to the first person who finds the breather on the transfer case (believe me it's not easy to find!)
2: The second thing you will have to do is find some stainless steel mesh i.e. like the stuff they use in stainless steel security windows. This is an absolute necessity to be fitted as a protective screen between the radiator and the intercooler as this gap readily fills up with sticks, leaves, mud and other crap. Previous NPS models had one of these screens fitted as standard but the new model doesn't.
3: Many of the electrical connections to sensors and other devices are well below normal wading level heights. Especially vulnerable is the fuse box which is only about 250 mm off the ground behind the left-hand front wheel. I have either sealed or moved many of the connectors up as high as possible but it is impossible to move the fuse box any significant distance because the leads coming into it are very restrictive however what I did do was turn the fuse box on its side and released the first zip tie to allow the fuse box to be mounted sideways on a new bracket at about 550 mm high behind the cab.
4: The air conditioning heat exchanger is in the most ridiculous position you can possibly imagine: directly in front of the left-hand footstep. It's not a terribly expensive venture to get the whole thing moved to the back of the cab with its own cooling fan fixed. Keep in mind that you still need to be able to tilt the cab so it needs to be supported on its own bracket fixed to the chassis not the back of the cab.
We are up to here ......
5: The existing 140 L fuel tank is directly inherited from the road going brothers of the NPS series however it is simply the lowest point of the truck and only approximately 200 mm from ground level right smack in the middle of your ramp over angle. We are having a trapezoid shaped tank made which will hold the same amount of fuel to run the whole length of the chassis and give us an extra 200 mm at ground clearance in the middle of the chassis.
6: The new series of NPS trucks incorporates a specific type of particulate filter which requires the occasional burning of diesel fuel injected directly into the catalytic converter. As a direct result of this at some point in time the catalytic converter becomes extremely hot i.e. nearly red hot. I'm not sure what the status of other states years but in New South Wales this is such a serious problem that the RTA is considering allowing modifications to this system for 4WD trucks which can show cause. I know that the New South Wales rural Fire service has already had several instances of these trucks setting fire to grass and other foliage beneath the truck even without standing still!
More to come.....
1: One of the first things you will have to to is to fit sealed breathers to both differentials, the gearbox and transfer cases. These can be done as a do it yourself effort with some neoprene tubing or you can buy special kits from most four-wheel-drive stores. a block of chocolate to the first person who finds the breather on the transfer case (believe me it's not easy to find!)
2: The second thing you will have to do is find some stainless steel mesh i.e. like the stuff they use in stainless steel security windows. This is an absolute necessity to be fitted as a protective screen between the radiator and the intercooler as this gap readily fills up with sticks, leaves, mud and other crap. Previous NPS models had one of these screens fitted as standard but the new model doesn't.
3: Many of the electrical connections to sensors and other devices are well below normal wading level heights. Especially vulnerable is the fuse box which is only about 250 mm off the ground behind the left-hand front wheel. I have either sealed or moved many of the connectors up as high as possible but it is impossible to move the fuse box any significant distance because the leads coming into it are very restrictive however what I did do was turn the fuse box on its side and released the first zip tie to allow the fuse box to be mounted sideways on a new bracket at about 550 mm high behind the cab.
4: The air conditioning heat exchanger is in the most ridiculous position you can possibly imagine: directly in front of the left-hand footstep. It's not a terribly expensive venture to get the whole thing moved to the back of the cab with its own cooling fan fixed. Keep in mind that you still need to be able to tilt the cab so it needs to be supported on its own bracket fixed to the chassis not the back of the cab.
We are up to here ......
5: The existing 140 L fuel tank is directly inherited from the road going brothers of the NPS series however it is simply the lowest point of the truck and only approximately 200 mm from ground level right smack in the middle of your ramp over angle. We are having a trapezoid shaped tank made which will hold the same amount of fuel to run the whole length of the chassis and give us an extra 200 mm at ground clearance in the middle of the chassis.
6: The new series of NPS trucks incorporates a specific type of particulate filter which requires the occasional burning of diesel fuel injected directly into the catalytic converter. As a direct result of this at some point in time the catalytic converter becomes extremely hot i.e. nearly red hot. I'm not sure what the status of other states years but in New South Wales this is such a serious problem that the RTA is considering allowing modifications to this system for 4WD trucks which can show cause. I know that the New South Wales rural Fire service has already had several instances of these trucks setting fire to grass and other foliage beneath the truck even without standing still!
More to come.....