Meet the Trot'n Turtle - Unimog U1300L Build

[Hodakaguy]

I've been posting this build thread on another site but thought I would catch the thread up here as well since Mogs and Syncro's play well together

A little background for this project: My father and I built a VW Syncro Westy camper a few years ago for adventure camping and while it was a cool rig we ended up selling it in favor of a Tundra with FWC camper. While the Tundra/FWC has been a great setup we were left still wanting something what we could use to take to the remote areas of Nevada, and something more capable off road. We talked about building up the Tundra to make it up to the challenge but ultimately decided to build up a purpose built truck instead...enter the Unimog!

About 18 years ago I owned a Unimog 404 and had a lot of fun with it. The 404 is a gasoline powered Unimog and lacks the power and creature comforts of the diesel mogs. A couple months back while in the shop working on my wifes car my dad and I started talking about building up a Mog with a camper to use for remote desert travel, within an hr that plan had been set in motion!

My wife on my old 404.

First up sell some toys to fund the project. I listed up for sale my dirt and street bikes, a couple minibikes and a few other misc items. Once things were sold we started looking for our perfect Mog to start the build with. I've always wanted a newer diesel mog and I quickly settled on a U1300L model as the unit we were looking for. I wanted a super clean/low mile troop carrier with a turbo engine but after quite a bit of searching all the troop carrier models I was finding were rougher than I really wanted. I did find a couple super clean RW1 units from [URL='http://www.vkcars.be/off-road-vehicles']VK Cars[/URL] in Belgium though and after talking to Andy (the owner) numerous times decided to close the deal and buy one of his 1988 RW1's. Andy was great to deal with and about 1.5 months later the Mog was on US soil! If your in the market for a Unimog or Pinzgauer I'd highly recommend Andy.

The RW1:

The RW1 is a fire truck that is used in rescue service, this truck carries gear such as the jaws of life, rescue tools, etc. The box on the RW1 is very cool, the sides fold down and become steps and the inside of the box is filled with slide out racks and drawers that the rescue tools once lived in. The RW1 offers a few advantages over the troop truck models which are usually bare bones basic models. The RW1 comes with an exhaust brake (very effective and reduces brake wear, keeps the portal temps down, and helps in steep decent in low range), has the newer 366A Turbo engine with fast axles, Hydraulic Werner winch (Located under the back of the truck for better winching effect to utilize the trucks weight, the cable spools out through guides to the front of the truck, you can also leave the front cable pinned and use the snatch block to pull backwards), diesel fired aux cab heater, Front and Rear sway bars, Hydraulic suspension drivers seat, Undercoating, has 4 calipers on the front rotors (two of the calipers can be locked down by pressing a button for winching duties), square vent hatch on roof, electric air dryer system on brakes. The U1300 trucks use a 8 speed gear box and have air actuated 4x4 and diff lockers. The articulation is amazing on these trucks, one of the most capable factory 4x4's you can buy.

Being a fire truck that was just recently taken out of service the maint is current and the truck is ready to roll. Since these are emergency vehicles they are maintained and treated very well compared to the military versions, in the end I decided this would be my best bet for finding a super clean unit to start my build. The truck has only 26,000 KM on it (16,100 miles).

My plan as of now is to install a troop bed, repaint the truck a silver/grey color, build a custom safari rack and brush guard, install larger tires and make/buy a removable camper unit for desert travel. I was thinking about making a dedicated camper to leave on the truck full time but really want the double duty offered by having a removable camper and troop bed.


The Truck: After going through all the necessary paperwork the day finally arrived to pick the truck up from the port of Tacoma WA. My father and I arrived at the port at 7:30 am eager to see what our money had bought. After a few more forms we were taken to the holding area to get the first peak at the truck.

My first peak at the truck....see it?

Yep that's it...I recognize that yellow stripe.

A few min later one of the dock workers brought the Mog over to me.

I was very impressed with the cond of the truck, it looked way better in person than it did in the pictures! The underside of the truck is super clean, no rust anywhere! It was advertised as being "like new", very accurate description. Thanks Andy! Had to pose with a shot of the new truck These trucks are BIG but at the same time they have a very tight turning radius.

We drove a few miles down the road and stopped for breakfast, I wanted to give the truck a good once over and check engine oil before hitting the highway for the 230 mile drive home. Andy had changed the engine and trans oil, oil and fuel filters and air filter before the truck left Belgium...everything looked good!

Portal Axles: Unimogs use portal axles for increased ground clearance and each portal box has it's own oil reservoir. It's a known issue on the U1300's that at high speeds the gear boxes will pump their oil out through the vent and into the main axle, if you run the boxes dry you can burn up a lot of expensive parts. Knowing this I brought a IR temp gun with me and pulled over fairly often to check temps on the gear boxes and axles till I was comfortable that all was well. The drivers side front gear box was running higher temps than the rest so we stopped at an auto parts store to make sure all the gear boxes were topped off. Turns out both front boxes were a little low and once topped off all the temps were running low and close together....glad we didn't just roll on!

Getting ready to top off the portal hubs, once home I will change out all the gear oils to synthetic.

Checking the back portal units, both were full.

Nice shot of the winch.

Top of the pass crossing the Cascade Mountains. Cruising at 53-55mph and enjoying the scenery.

Dad checking out the dash, he hadn't driven it yet

Rest Stop

My Dad trying out the truck, we swapped drivers at this point so he could see what I was grinning ear to ear about

Fuel Baby!

Rollin down the hwy

Pulled in the driveway at home and my son came running out to the truck, instant jungle gym!

"Yeah dad, this is going to be sweet!" You can see the side folded down and the interior of the box, more pics to come.

Stock size tires arn't small by any means...they will be replaced soon by larger units though


Lots more to come!

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Spent the last couple days driving the Mog quite a bit, still haven't got the grin off my face . The truck is running great, only a couple minor issues so far....the dash lights are out, right rear tail light is out.

Stopped right at sundown to snap a few pictures of the truck.

Parked next to the Tundra, the Tundra looks small in comparison.

Good amount of ground clearance with the portal axles.

Taken at Sunset. You can see the roof vent popped in this picture.

RW1 box opened up with all boxes deployed. This box is really amazing, a work of art!

A few underside pics.

This is the cab tilt bracket, the entire cab can tilt forward for maint.

It's a good climb up into the cab. The suspension seat works great and really helps to smooth out the bumps. The white button on the floor in front of the seat is the exhaust brake, you actuate it with your left heel.

Still learning what all the knobs and buttons do There is a large bundle of wiring handing down by the ashtray that used to belong to the emergency radio equipment, I'll have to sort that wiring out and clean it up in the near future.

Don't forget to fill your Diesel Tanken.

Here we have the 8 speed shifter, right behind that is the forward/reverse lever, the red handle is the battery disconnect and in front of that is the parking brake. The tall lever with the safety catch is the winch controls.

A feature I really like of the 1300, you can fit 3 people in the cab! This is great and allows my father, son and I to all head out camping together

Couple shots taken with the fish eye lens.


I'll take some engine shots soon.

More to come.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Changed the engine coolant yesterday and adjusted the steering box slightly.

Looking at the coolant It looked like plain water so I figured I'd drain it and install fresh coolant. We'll once it was drained it did look like coolant, just a weak coolant. After some research on the web I picked up some Zerex G-05 Coolant (approved by MB) and refilled the system. Looks like that was what was originally installed as the G-05 looked exactly like what came out...oh well know I know it has fresh coolant

Next was the steering box. There is a slight amount of play in the steering box that allows the truck to wander just a bit. Again after a little research on the Web (I haven't obtained a shop manual yet) I verified the correct adjustment procedure and adjusted the play on the box. Afterwards took the truck out for an hr or so and it made a huge difference, no more chasing the steering

I wasn't very good at snapping pics during this project, only getting one crappy cell phone pic.
I really like how MB designed the hood and grill on the 1300, I wish all cars were built like this. To open the hood you use a small tool that's kept in the cab, you release the two 90 deg fasteners on the corners of the hood and then pop the hood as you would normally. If you want to completely remove the hood just use the same tool and turn 3 more fasteners on the back side of the hood, then just lift the hood off the truck! The grill has two quick release fasteners and it comes completely off as well. In under a minute you can have the hood and grill off the truck for easy engine access! I'll post more pics of this later.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Put a couple hundred miles on the truck in the last few days, running and driving great so far. Checked the trans fluids and portals again, Trans was nice and full (Andy changed oil and installed fresh Syntrans before it shipped) the front portals took a small amount to top them up.

Decided to remove the radio wiring that was left after they decommissioned the truck, the wiring has been laying on the ash tray.

(Excuse the crappy pics, I think I had grease on my phone lens).

Here's the wire bundle that needs to go. Removed the dash face and started tracing out wires.

Getting closer. Lots of little bits removed here and there to gain access.

And out. The cab looks a lot cleaner with the bundle removed.


Next up I wanted to check the air cleaner and make sure no dirt is bypassing the filter. As I mentioned earlier in the thread the hood and grill remove in a minutes time, very handy!

Insert the key and turn to unlock the hood. If you unlock just the front two the hood opens as any other hood would, if you unlock the back three as well then the entire hood just lifts right off.

Here's a pic showing the latch mechanism on the rear hinge point.

And the latch unit itself

Now to check out the air filter.

View of the OM366A Engine.

The filter is HUGE, should go a long time before plugging off. I'll be installing a snorkel assy on the truck with a cyclone separator to further enhance it's ability to deal with fine NV dust.

Installed a film of Bel-Ray grease on the sealing surfaces to make sure no fine dust makes it past the seals. Filter element looks like new.


More to come as time permits.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Today's small progress. Woke up early to work on the shop....Must get shop finished! Soooooo....decided to start the day off with a quick project on the Mog lol The font portal boxes are still pumping their oil out through the vent and into the axle housing, I've been topping them off once a week to keep them full. A few weeks ago I ordered a set of Von's axle fixes, these are modified portal vent assemblies that keep the oil in the portal boxes and eliminate the pumping affect. The vents showed up this Sat so I decided to take a few minutes this morning and get them installed.

Von's vents. These break the vacuum and allow the oil to settle back into the portal boxes.

Disconnecting the stock portal vent line.

Side by side...old vs new.

And installed. The vent assemblies tuck up nicely out of the way.

Over the next couple weeks I should know if the issue is fixed, but based on others experiences I'm pretty sure it will be.

Now back to working on the shop...I need to get the mog inside.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Today's Update. A couple weeks ago I ordered a couple 5 gallon pails of Redline synthetic oil to change transmission oil, axles oil and portal oils. I hate driving the truck around not knowing what oil is in the truck or how old it is. The oil showed up yesterday so it's time to get it installed

I woke up early and cleared out one bay of the shop, this is the first time a vehicle has been in the shop for almost a year! The shop was built when we moved in but wasn't finished on the inside. I've been working on installing studs, wiring, insulation and walls so everything in the shop has been living in the middle of the bay while I work on the walls, now that the walls are getting close to done I'm starting to get room back!

After a trip to town to warm all the oils up I returned home and pulled the Mog into the shop, I did not want to do this job laying in the gravel! Nice that the doors are tall enough to clear the truck!, at my last house I had to raise the garage door to get my Syncro inside.

The Oil. I decided to go with Redline Synthetic, the transmission on the U1300 is know for it's notchy shifting and quite a few people rave about improved shifting when using the Redline or Amsoil lubricants in the U1300's. I ordered some MT-85 75W-85 (GL-4) oil for the trans and 75W-90 (GL-5) for the axles and portals.

Started with the transmission while it was nice a hot, out with the old and in with the new. I ran a bit of the new oil through the trans as a little flush then installed the drain plug and filled it back up. The magnet on the drain plug had very little on it and no chips/chunks.

Next up the axles and portals. Slide a 5 gallon bucket of oil in under the truck...no problem After draining all the fluids I refilled everything with a cheap 80W-90 GL-5 to use as a flush. I took the truck back out for a good drive to get all the fluids nice and warm again then returned home to dump them once more. After that I installed the Redline GL-5 and wrapped the oil project up for the day. All the drain plug magnets were pretty clean with no chips/chunks

While I was already covered in smelly gear oil I figured I should grease the king pins while I was at it. I lifted the front tires off the ground to take the load off the king pins and proceeded to grease them while my dad turned the wheels back and forth. I can see different floor jacks with a higher reach is going to be needed in the future!

Still some work to be done in the shop but at least the Mog can be brought in now when needed

More to come

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Finally unloaded the 4 bags of tire chains from the truck, that's a LOT of dead weight to be carrying around when the temps outside hit 100 Deg yesterday LOL.

Always wear safety shoes when unloading heavy items like chains

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Well the Mogs new shoes arrived! We really wanted the larger tires on the Mog, to gain a few more MPH and I think the larger tires look more proportional on the 1300. Our 335 tires currently on the truck are almost brand new so if we are going to do the swap now is the time so we can sell the 335 units.

The new tires arrived this week and I've been waiting to get them installed. Yesterday I Loaded up the set of 5 new 365/80-R20 tires and headed down to a local tire shop that said they had Dynabeads (Tire balance beads) in stock, well once I got there they said they weren't actually Dynabeads but a off brand of the same thing. After doing some quick web research I decided that I didn't want to try their brand of balance beads so I started calling around looking for other options. In the end no one locally carried the Dynabeads so I decided to go with a spin balance for now and use lead stick on tape weights on the inside of the wheel (The clamp on weights won't stay on these wheels with the way the tire seat). Discount Tire said they could spin balance the wheels so I headed to the shop.

My Father and 5 new Mog tires.

In the shop.

First tire removed.

Brakes on the front looked great, pads have some life left in them but I'll have to keep an eye on them.

Good size comparison between the 335 and 365 tires. Would love to run the 395 tires but with the fast axles on the truck I wouldn't have the HP or a low enough 1st gear, 365's will have to do After installing the new tire on the wheel the tech found that the tire is about an inch to big for his tire machine. At this point he could mount them all but won't be able to do the balance. I told him to go ahead and get them all mounted up and I'll have the balance checked at a later time. A lot of people never balance big tires so I'll see how they feel on the ride home.

One side down...on to the passenger side. Brakes looked the same on this side. Rotors are in good cond. The first tire took a while as he had to reset the machine up for this wheel/tire combo. The pads on the rear of the truck are getting pretty thin, I'll order a set of pads soon and get them all changed out, I like being able to stop this beast!

The 22 Ton air over hydraulic jack needed an improvised lift kit to reach the axles

This guy earned his money today!

Now down to the spare. With the spare removed there is a lot of access to the transmission area. In these pictures you can see the winch cable guides, shift linkage, bed/cab mounts, etc. A lot of the hoses look brand new under there and some still have the plastic on them.

Heavy factory undercoating on the cab.

I had read on the net that the 365 tire will go back into the stock spare location but only if you lower the air pressure way down. After setting the spare at 15psi we managed to cram the spare back into its home but the side walls were tight up against the underside the of the bed and the edge of the cab. I can see a ruined tire in the future leaving it this way as the cab and bed flex/wear on the side wall so we pulled the spare again and threw it in the trailer for the ride home. After looking at the mount a little closer I'll modify the stock spare bracket and drop the whole assembly down a bit to give clearance for the new tire. More to come on the bracket.

Oh yeah, that looks a lot better! My Co-Driver gave his approval

The tires drove amazingly smooth for no weights, steering wheel was vibration free and cruised smoothly at 57mph (Engine has more left but will do 57mph at 2400 rpm and seems nice and happy there) at 35psi on all 4 tires. I still may try balancing with stick on weights to see how much improvement I gain. I'll head to a parking lot soon to chalk the tires and figure out the exact pressure I need to run to get full tread contact and maximum tire life. I don't want to be buying more tires any time soon so they will be babied when it comes to air pressure and rotations!

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Last weekend we took the Mog to the Cool Desert Nights car show in Richland WA. This is the big car show around our area and is always a lot of fun. Talked to a lot of great people and looked at a lot of cool cars/trucks!

My father and I arrived at the show at 4:30 am, if you want a spot in the shade then you have to be there early! We managed to snag a perfect spot under the trees and right on the road where they do the slow drags later in the day.

Can you spot the Mog?

Our spot for the day. Brought along my fathers 69 Z50 that I restored a few years ago for him and our Tom Thumb minibike we made from scratch back in 2004.

Part of the show from the roof of the Mog.

When the slow drags started the roof of the Mog was a perfect viewing platform!

My father holding up the Tom Thumb. This bike was built from a set of plans out of a 1970 Popular Mechanics magazine, I had the magazine since high school and back in 2004 my father and I finally decided to build an exact replica of the one in the magazine. Always a fun bike to bring to shows.

My father and I enjoying the show

More to come....

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Today was another small step in converting the Mog from a RW1 into an Expedition truck, we brought home the troop bed Andy came through again with a bed in great cond, just as promised. Thanks Andy! Won't be a RW1 for much longer.

My father and I left the house at 4am this morning and headed to the West side of the state to snag the bed. After a couple months of dealing/shipping the bed is finally here and ready to be picked up.

Paperwork done (always LOTS of paperwork) and waiting for the bed to be forked out to the truck.

And finally the bed arrived

The pallets and banding had come apart in shipping but everything was in one piece.

Dad taking some quick measurements. I borrowed the aluminum car hauler for the trip, the fenders are quick release for loading...nice!

Took a little adjusting but we got the bed loaded on the trailer and clearing the fenders.

All tied down and ready for the trip back home.

Only damage during shipping was the front mount under the bed what attaches the bed to the truck. Looks like it got bent backwards during it's voyage at some point. No worries, a little heat and it should be easily sorted back into shape.

More to come....

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Not a lot of progress lately, been working on the shop and trying to get it finished up before winter.

I did manage to score a set of Mercedes/Bosch Diesel injector service tools for the OM366A thanks to ADV member Icebox...Thanks Man! When I get time I'll set the valves and go through the injectors to get them right on the money. Gonna be fun!

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Christmas came early today After a couple month wait the snorkel assy finally showed up today. I wanted the snorkel mounted before starting on the roof rack/brush guard build. Now to get it mounted up

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Well had a bit of time to do some quick work on the Mog today. Installed the Snorkel and changed the engine oil out with some fresh Syn. Not a lot of progress today but I like the looks of the truck with the Snorkel installed

First up I removed the bracket on the passenger side that used to hold the spot light. When I do the paint I'll have quite a few holes to fill here.

Installing the snorkel assy was a breeze, took a matter of minutes to have the whole thing assembled. I like projects like that lol.

I opted to install a cyclone separator on top of the snorkel instead of the standard rain cap. These units do a great job of removing dirt before the air reaches the actual filter and helps keep the air filter cleaner and yielding longer filter life. Should come in handy when traveling down moon dust trails out in the middle of nowhere.

Under side of the cyclone separator. The air/dust enters under the assy through these louvers which swirls the air and throws the dirt out to the sides of the clear catch bowl with centrifugal force, the dust/dirt then falls down into the clear bowl and the air continues on down to the air filter assy. Every once in a while you need to remove the clear bowl and clean/dump out the collected dirt.

Next up was a quick oil filter change, I like to know exactly what what's in the engine even though it was changed right before the truck shipped to the USA. The change was quick and new Syn blood is now flowing though the 366A

Now that the snorkel is on the truck I want to start fabricating the roof rack and the brush guard, a few more things to do on the shop first then the project should start rolling. Can't wait.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

A friend and I went out and played with the Mog a little this morning, wanted to see what kind of camera shots we could get. Truck was a blast, very capable. Really made me want to be heading to NV!

Here's a video that my friend put together, look for a longer version coming soon.


Link


Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Well been a while since I did an update. The last few months I've been driving the Mog quite a bit but haven't had a chance to get any work done on it. Last week I finally recieved the mounts for the troop bed that I've been waiting several months for. With the new parts in hand It's time to start getting the troop bed ready to install.

Here's the long awaited mounting brackets for the bed.

First up get the bed up in the air so I can get under it. The tractor is small but man is it handy!

Here's the damaged front mount that we will fix shortly. This mount was damaged when the fork lift operator pushed the bed off the pallets and on to the ground when we were picking the bed up at the shipping terminal.

One side mounted up. We used the original hardware for now but will replace it with new hardware when we paint the bed.

Next up fix the bend front mount. My father and I measured the undamaged rear mount and fabricated a spacer to install in the front mount so we could set the proper gap. Here we are fabricating the spacer block.

With both bolt on mounts installed we started repairing the bent front mount. We first heated and bent the rear tab straight again to use as a reference point then installed the spacer and went to work on the front tab.

Once clamped we heated the tabs once more and let them cool with the clamp set.

The mount came out right on the money and should fit up perfectly. Now to clean the area up and get it primed

All finished for today

More to come.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Got to play around with the Mog a bit today. Helped a guy today that's been trying to winch a vintage house up onto a trailer so he can skid it over to a different lot. He placed a couple telephone poles under the house and over the past couple weeks he's been using an electric winch to try and pull it up onto the trailer. He's moved it a few feet but the winch keeps stalling out. I offered to give him a hand with the Mog so this morning we gave it a shot. I've been wanting to try the winch out so this was a perfect chance to play

Arrived on site

Cover off the fairlead. This swivel fairlead is very well built!

His electric winch was able to get the house to this point. His plan is to pull the house as high up on the trailer as possible then drag the house on the skids resting under the house.

A look inside the house. It's a good fixer upper

Time to get the Mog set up, out come the winching chocks. These babies are stout!

The guy had a home brew snatch block set up with a open sheeve so we looped the cable through the middle and anchored it to the trailer.

Winch brakes set and the house easily moved up the timbers. We used both winches at the same time, although we finished with just the Mog winch.

After winching the house up onto the skids we hooked the mog to the trailer and tried to pull it forward on the skids....The mog just spun it's tires lol. The owner will get a piece of heavier equipment to finish the job. Here the house is up on the skids and ready for something bigger than the Mog to move it to it's new home.

Quick video of today's fun. You can see the hydraulic pressure on the winch jumping up and down as the building lurched forward.


Link


Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Swapped out the beds today.....Finally!! I talked with a guy who owns a large fork lift and he agreed to help me out on the bed swap, he was available today so we decided to make it happen.

First up....Mike and I disconnect the tail lights and start unbolting the RW1 box.

Mike removing the bolts on the center mount, lots of room to work under this baby!

I'll have to fabricate some new mounts to reuse the fenders and tail lights on the troop bed.

Setting up to pull the RW1 box, we played with a few different ways to attach the straps.

Driving the bushings out of the front and rear mount.

And getting ready to pull the box. The box pulled a little crooked due to setting the straps to clear the aluminum rain gutter at the top of the doors. Everything under the bed cleared so we just went ahead with the lift rather than messing with the straps again.

And the box is free from the truck! We had placed a couple pieces of OSB behind the cab as a barrier in case the box decided to play tag with the cab.

With the box free I moved the truck into the shop to get it out of the way for now.

Dad checking out the underside of the truck. Super clean other than some dust.

Moving the RW1 bed off to the side in preparation for the troop bed install.

And its new home for now....anyone need to buy a RW1 box in excellent cond?

The troop bed went on nice and smooth, a lot easier to install the troop bed than remove the RW1 bed. A bit of alignment with a pry bar/2x4 and the bed dropped right into place.

And back in the shop. Now to fabricate some mounts for the fenders and tail lights, get the bolts back on the bed mounts and then move onto fabrication of bumpers etc. Can't wait!

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

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My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Got up today with plans to bolt up the bed and start fabricating mounts for the fenders, but it didn't go down exactly that way lol.

First up decided to install the bushings and bolts on the front and rear pivot mounts. Started with some metal shims to lift/align the holes to install the bushings. The fit is very tight and the alignment has to be right on the money to get the bushings installed.

One of the bushings. There is a bushing on each side of the pivot mount.

Bushing Installed.

When we removed the RW1 box we had to cut the rear bolt in half to remove it from the mount, it was installed from the rear and was trapped by the rear frame/hitch mount. Rather than remove a LOT of bolts to get it clear we just cut the bolt. Luckily the local bolt supply shop had a metric replacement in stock.

Rear bolt installed.

After messing with the shims to level the rear mount I got smart and brought out the Porta-Power.....Sooooo much easier. Here the front mount is pinned. Enter the next problem.

So the troop bed I picked up is off a U1350L and it came without the middle mounting brackets. I received the mounting brackets a few months later and bolted them up to the bed. Now with the bed mounted and the front and rear pivot points pinned the center mounts were about 3/4" to high and wouldn't seat all the way down. At first I thought I had the wrong center mounts, then I went out and looked at the mounts on the RW1 box. The center mounts on the RW1 box are about 3/4" lower than the front and rear pivot mounts, the mounts on the troop bed are all close to even.....Hmmmm.

That leaves us with a couple options, either extend the center mounts (lots of work) or lower the front and rear pivot mounts until the center mounts rest fully down. A quick search on google showed that the brace that bridges the frame where the pivot attaches is different on the troop bed than mine. The RW1 box is made by Wackenhut and it looks like they supplied the front and rear braces as well, which turns out to be at a different height than the Mercedes unit.

Here's a shot of the front brace, the tab on the end of the brace that mates with the frame is off centered by a 1/2". We flipped the braces over and pinned the bed in again which lowered the bed some, better but still to high on the center mounts.

Time to modify the two braces to match the stock troop bed height. We will remove the tabs and relocate them so the center mounts sit fully seated.

In the vise and ready to remove the mounting tabs.

Porta-Band made quick work of removing the tabs

Shimmed the tabs to the required height and tacked them in place.

Required difference between the stock and modified mounts.

At this point the tabs are just tacked in place, we installed both braces in the truck and verified the correct fit on the center mounts then removed them again to fully welded them up. Fit is right on the money, center mounts seat nicely now. We also loosened all the bolts slightly on the center mounts so we can square everything up.

With the fit verified it's time to weld the tabs in place. My father getting ready to perform his magic!

And the tabs securely back in place. Will paint the braces then get them installed and hopefully move on to mounting the fenders and taillights soon

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

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My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Got up this morning and bolted up/aligned the bed, now on to the fender mounts. Of course the fenders off the RW1 box are different than the Military fenders that was used on the troop bed, more mods . We discussed a couple options for mounting and ultimately decided to fabricate some adapters and use the stock troop bed mount bolts. Eventually I would like to change the rear fenders out for the round units and this will allow me to easily unbolt these and install the round units once I source a pair.

Fabricating the parts for the adapters, there is also a few parts in the mix for the supports that we are going to need to modify.

Welded up

Painted and Installed. We used a few washers to shim the mount for an exact fit as the bed is slightly tapered here.

And one side bolted in place. We could have trimmed the fenders down and raised them up into the bed to help close the gaps on the corners but I thought the fenders would then be to high overall. We will fabricate some corner pieces to give the fenders a finished appearance. Still have to modify and install the fender braces as well.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

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My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401

[Hodakaguy]

Time to get the fender mounts finished up!

Now that the fenders are mounted the supports need to be modified as well. My helper heating up the support in preparation for a bend .

Supports are in place.

Next up mount the storage box on the bed so I can see how far out I need to build the tail light brackets. After holding the box up in place we found that one of the box mounts interferes with my newly fabbed fender support. I cut the offending mounting tab off the box and will make a new mounting tab to clear the fender support later.

And mounted

Here's the gap at the top of the fenders that need to be filled in, when they were on the RW1 box they looked flush and you didn't see the gap.

Here's the paper pattern, we will use this to cut the steel pieces to fill in the gaps. I'll get some 1/16 steel and form the pieces soon, will look a lot better with them in place.

After the fender work I decided to mount up the fresh air intake filter that I've had in the parts drawer for a while now. This filter will keep the fine dust out of the cab when running the heater blower.

The fresh air intake for the cab.

The intake is set up for the optional factory filter assy, you just need to drill out the two mounting holes.

Installing the filter support bracket. The bracket goes behind the plastic and is inserted through the opening into the fan area, it's slightly larger than the opening and has a little spring to it but needs the help of some channel locks to slip it in place.

Heavy duty air filter. Should help when out in the deserts of NV.

And all mounted up.

Hodakaguy
_________________
My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401