[marlow]

What kind of fuel consumption do you get from this beast?

Between 12-20 mpg.

For 20 mpg, I have to not exceed 100 km/h (60 mph) and take it light on the throttle.

12 mpg is either running at full throttle 90 mph (145 km/h) or towing a 3t car trailer with a land rover defender and the van loaded to the roof at speeds of 60 mph across the continent

/M

 

[marlow]

Not much has happened this year, as I was 7 months on crutches, after I had a bad car crash with my black T4.

This however has landed in my yard:

It's a 1980 LT28, that originally was converted by Devon.

Now, it's the pop top I was after. This a SWB LT, so on my LWB 4x4 LT, it'll be a tad further back on the van, but that's actually not a bad thing.

My bus also needs some rust mending, so over the winter, we'll be transplanting this plus some other stuff and it'll all be nice and shiney in spring.

I've got a lot of bits to be sorted:
- the pop top
- double glazed windows (opposed to normal ones) and an additional window in the left center section.
- one rear door without window, but ladder mounted
- spare wheel carrier
- diesel heater
- cooker and oven/grille, running of diesel
- and fix my sliding door and wheel arches up.

Other parts of the donor have already been spoken for, so it'll have a good purpose.

/M

 

[Pamponi]

Can't wait to see this when its finished.
Awesome beast!:ILU:

 

[marlow]

Been sick all week, so nothing got done. But on Tuesday, before I got sick, we were down in Thurles to collect "Chugga Boom". The LT, that's going to donate it's roof to the beast.

Here a few pictures, that show the difference. The rear of the vans are aligned, so you can see, how much longer the LWB Beast is, compared to Chugga Boom, which is SWB. You can also see, how much higher the roofline on the Beast due to the offroad suspension and bigger wheels.

The Monster .. my white high top 4x4 LT in the background is on standard offroad wheels .. 7.5x16. The Beast is on 9x16's.

So, plan for the winter:

- strip the camper interior in the beast out again.
- rust and panel work on the front of the Beast.
- cut the roof out of both the orange LTs and transplant to poptop into the Beast.
- widen the U-bolt on the sliding door of the Beast
- replace the right hand rear door with one that's window less
- fit a Florida frame and window on the left hand center section of the Beast
- refit camper interior in the beast ... with some extras maybe.

/M

 

[Alan Long]

Great looking LT's T:

 

[marlow]

I can't believe it's been 3 years ... but lots and lots have happened and the "Beast" is finally getting to the stage, where it's going to be back on the road.

So .. the things we've done are the opening window and window-frame on the left. And the pop top of course

Awning rail on the right hand side for a 4.5m Fiamma Caravanstore awning.

Double glazed sliding window in the sliding door

Doors with last facelift trim, electric windows, opening quarters and heated mirrors.

A new, replica of the original, snorkel .. still need to find a MANN filter for that. The complete front got gutted and another one welded on. Foglights, new(ish) front bumper.

The sliding door hinge has been extended so that it now clears the rear tyre.

Timing belts done, alternator and starter refurbed. The old 70l diesel tank, that was leaking anyhow, replaced with a 110l oem tank. New rear axle. Diff-locks front and rear unceased, steering linkage replaced (it was shaking violently between 80 and 100). And lots more, I can't think of now.

And a re-enforced pedal box and accelerator

/M

 

[upspex]

Love it, keep it coming!

 

[marlow]

Well ... the interior of the Beast is coming together this winter.

The exterior ... is mostly finished as of end August.

I even made it to Busfest and Adventure Overland this year.

The thing in tow is our custom build offroad camping trailer. A friend of mine build it about 7 or 8 years ago and we use it as the "guesthouse". This autumn it also doubled as kitchen, as the Beast had no interior yet.

Hoping to make it to Camperjam also next year. It has been way too long, since I last was there and the Beast should be near finished inside by then.

A few weeks ago, we tackled the electrical system. Last time around, it was cobbled together from an intelligent split charger, an pure sinewave inverter/charger intended for icecream vans, 3 x 65 Ah drycells etc.

This time around I went for an integrated system: Victron EasySolar, together with the Victron Cyrix splitcharger, Victron BMV battery management, a battery cut-off from Victron and 2 x 200Ah 12V AGM batteries from Victron. (enough with the advertising alright )

The previous system took up nearly all the space under my backbenches. This only used one of the two bulkhead sections. A cabinet will be build around it to suit.

First test run.

And the point for the EHU was convenient placed on the drivers side, nice and high up.

Three advantages there:
- It won't get waterlogged, if we ever have to wade a river or the likes
- We're not tripping over the cable as it's the opposite side from where we're camping
- I can't miss it, before driving off. It'll be literally in my rearview mirror.

/M

 

[Pickledog]

Fantastic! I love it T:

 

[stuartt5t30]

Got me looking at lt28 vans on ebay now
Love it. Keep the pictures comeing please T:

 

[On1on]

Awesome build. Love those off road pics from busfest years ago!

 

[smarty63]

Got me looking at lt28 vans on ebay now
Love it. Keep the pictures comeing please T:

Go for it Stu
Those LTs look great off road style.
You know you want to

 

[stuartt5t30]

Go for it Stu
Those LTs look great off road style.
You know you want to

Currently have the t5 and a split screen But also currently selling my 72 bay window so she cant say 3 vans is to many if one goes and one arrives surely :*
Sold your t5 yet smarty? New crafter on the way ??

 

[marlow]

Nevermind her. You can never have enough vehicles. I stopped counting at 20 😛

/M

 

[smarty63]

Currently have the t5 and a split screen But also currently selling my 72 bay window so she cant say 3 vans is to many if one goes and one arrives surely :*
Sold your t5 yet smarty? New crafter on the way ??

Hopefully it will be sold this weekend mate. got two serious!!! second views.
Crafter is nearly done deal - watch this space. Swamper Crafter.
I have been busy buying stuff, like a mad woman in a half price shoe shop.LOL:
on first name terms with the DPD drivers.

 

[stuartt5t30]

Nevermind her. You can never have enough vehicles. I stopped counting at 20 😛

/M

20! she would kill me LOL:

 

[stuartt5t30]

Hopefully it will be sold this weekend mate. got two serious!!! second views.
Crafter is nearly done deal - watch this space. Swamper Crafter.
I have been busy buying stuff, like a mad woman in a half price shoe shop.LOL:
on first name terms with the DPD drivers.

LOL: looking forward to a build thread budT:

 

[marlow]

So ... this is a non-update ... a rollback ... a back to basics issue ... but it means: improvements .. and permanently.

My plywood has arrived ....

Lovely 9x5 sheets in lightweight composite ply materials .. laminated in "Hacienda Black" and "Driftwood".

I wanted things forward to be contemporary .. i wanted contrast ... and I did NOT want clinical clean. A little bit rugged. A little bit on the beach.

So .. either way .. I have today stripped the last of the original flooring out of the LT.

in 2014 .. 5 years ago ... I put my "temporary" interior into the Beast ... out of MDF .. it was supposed to last a year or two .. while I figured out, how I'd approach my layout.

Well .... it's been 5 years. We are talking a bottom layer of some foam+alufoil material used for underfloor heating, then a 6mm sheet of MDF ... then a soundproofing material used to build speakerboxes .. and then another layer of 6mm MDF. Would I recommend this approach to anybody: hell NO !!

Considering that this (lower layer) floor has lasted 5 years ... and the offroad abuse it got ... it is in a remarkable state .. given that it is indeed ... cheap oul MDF.

That layer gone and we're down to the underfloor heating layer.

And one step more ... we're down to the floor

The Beast has not been empty like that in years. The left set of rails is going to be removed. The right set I am keeping.

Oh wait .. empty .. scratch that:

Obviously there is the EasySolar system I installed recently. But what is this thing on the left ? ... There at the back there ....

Oh yes .. new gadgets .. that is my Diesel heater. 6kW loveliness .. it also sports 1.8kW electric heat elements for when I have electric hookup ... and a 10l flow-through water boiler ... for onboard hot water .... it is a Truma Combi D6E.

Trust me .. camping at the northern polar circle .. in the winter .. is not an issue any longer

Updates on the new interior to follow.

/M

 

[Hoovie]

......

I even made it to Busfest and Adventure Overland this year.

....

Looks brilliant. I think I must have taken a photo of The Beast at just about the same time you did


IMG_20190907_164718 by David, on Flickr

(feel free to download the full-res photo from Flickr)

 

[marlow]

Looks brilliant. I think I must have taken a photo of The Beast at just about the same time you did

You took your picture maybe an hour earlier or so. The indicator being that lonely 16" Mefro rim in your picture, which then disappeared into Rays LT.

/M