I actually thought about getting an NPR and making it a tiny Dakar race truck. I was also looking at a 1ton Hilux I wanted to find a 5mt diesel combo to swap in it, should be faster in a lighter truck. I think the wheels would swap, too.
I actually thought about getting an NPR and making it a tiny Dakar race truck. I was also looking at a 1ton Hilux I wanted to find a 5mt diesel combo to swap in it, should be faster in a lighter truck. I think the wheels would swap, too.
Ironically, the new episode of Dirt Every Day just came out. And they are doing an offorad NPR.
In reply to JaxRhapsody :
I know that, just like an Odessy is different from a Sienna.
I always wanted to do one slammed with a box on the back. (after losing some spring).
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:I drove a similar utility body for years on a different chassis. It wasn't an NPR, it was a van cutaway.
It was an incredibly awesome rolling workshop.
Yes, you can fit sleeping area in it. I put a bed side to side behind the cab above the tool boxes.
My only reservation with these is that it is easy to load the tool boxes fully and find you are pushing the GVWR. There is a LOT of volume in there, and tools, etc get heavy. I found I never off loaded the unnecessary stuff, and often rode heavy. Heavy enough that my towing capacity was limited.
Also, the weight sits pretty high. It affected it's handling.
Fuel economy eventually did me in. It was hard to get better than 5 or 6 mpg with a 5.7L Vortec. With a 53 gallon tank it was a nightmare pulling up to a gas pump.
I still miss mine sometimes. The confidence of having the entire shop rolling with me can't be beat.
Congrats, and good luck!
i can definitely see how easy it would be to be over gross if i had all the compartments and back filled with tools and such, thankfully im not really trying to make this thing a rolling workshop. only real big ticket weight items would be a generator, some kinda AC unit for the rear, and possibly a really small and basic portable welding rig. beyond that, it wouldnt be more than the stuff most folks pack into thier truck for a race weekend. also, all the compartments on this are down low, so that would help keep the COG low. and the silverado 2500 this is replacing got a flat 9mpg regardless of what it was doing, so if it gets 10 on the highway, ill be impressed.
Well, unfortunately the truck was not delivered as promised today, no phone call or anything from the tow company, will have to phone them tomorrow and see what went wrong today.
The beast has been delivered
sorry for the terrible nighttime pic, i work nights, and it didnt get dropped off until after i was out of the house.
moving on, i gave the key a try... no dice, battery is flat as a pancake, threw that on the charger to see if it will take some juice. will dive more into it over the weekend. But im very excited for this thing, ive been planning for years to build out a truck like this, now its time to make it happen for real.
Looking at that open horizontal storage door, I can't help but think...some chain added so the door doesn't fall all the way and that door could become a flat work surface. Could be handy for many things wrenching related but could also serve as the center of a mobile kitchen.
Add an awning over top.
In reply to John Welsh :
They are normally setup with chains. That's what those brackets are for. Yes, it's very useful. Chains are apparently broken.
They break because we all use them for all things wrenching related.
The rear bumper is more useful for wrenching on things. It's incredibly stout, and perfect for mounting a vice.
I'm certainly no expert but might you have some issues towing with that massive overhang in the rear? I suppose controlling the tongue weight will be important.
AxeHealey said:I'm certainly no expert but might you have some issues towing with that massive overhang in the rear? I suppose controlling the tongue weight will be important.
I can't speak for the NPR, but it was a very big issue with my Spartan body on a GMC chassis.
8' overhang from the rear wheel centerline to the back. It had almost no tow rating. I only flat towed a Metro behind it.
So, for towing, the npr frame runs all the way back to right behind the rear step, and the pics are decieving, this is a short wheelbase NPR, so theres only maybe 3' between the rear axle and the back of the frame. You also have to keep in mind with cabovers, the weight of the cabin and engine are directly over the front wheels, so you have roughly 3800lbs on the front axle alone, they are very nose heavy. And on the door, there is indeed a chain there, it came loose from the mount, so the door ended up falling down.
Im also not very committed to the body that's currently on the truck, I'm gonna give it a good look over this weekend, but it may get removed in favor of a side loading box instead, kinda like how the Dakar support trucks are setup.
Looking forward to this. I love that 4x4 cabover look.
In reply to Gaunt596 :
Yeah, I thought about the fact that the frame rails likely run all the way back. Without the wheel well limiting placement, you could push the rear axle however far you want.
Weight distribution is a good point also.
well, the past two days have been interesting, now that the truck is here at the shop.
Started by putting the truck in service position
which led to the discovery of these
Pro start? more like No Start
then forced open all the compartment doors, found this
which led to this
\
And a closer inspection of the frame revealed this
So, not 100% sure where im going right now. Electrically, its a nightmare, theres multiple direct shorts to ground, as it completely destroyed 2 batteries in short order, and my multimeter measured an 80 amp draw from the battery, with the key off. it did at least turn over, so i know the motor isnt locked up, and didnt make any unusual noises while cranking. the discovery of the rust hole in that compartment led to a further under truck inspection, and the box is too far gone to save, the fiberglass roof leaks in multiple spots, the floor is rotten in a few places, and the frame under the floor is pretty far gone. so i pulled the box off, and found that most of the top of the frame rails has been eaten away, most likely from moisture and salt trapped in the wood that sat on the frame. i know i can weld in new sections to replace the rot, but theres also a company in south Carolina that specializes in parting out NPR's, so ill try and get a price on a replacement frame in better shape, and go from there.
I am reminded of the wisdom of Kenny Rogers..."know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know went to walk away, and know when to run!"
It's all a gamble. I'd suggest to look at the good parts and judge from there but..
Not a good box
Not a good frame
Motor?
Trans?
Interior?
Tires?
But, I'd start over with the best example you can find and scrap off this hulk.
John Welsh said:I am reminded of the wisdom of Kenny Rogers..."know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know went to walk away, and know when to run!"
It's all a gamble. I'd suggest to look at the good parts and judge from there but..
Not a good box
Not a good frame
Motor?
Trans?
Interior?
Tires?But, I'd start over with the best example you can find and scrap off this hulk.
well, i dont wanna write the frame off until i get some time to knock all the scale off and see what the rest of it looks like, as the frame is just 1/4" c channel, that i could get cheaply and weld in new sections. the box, honestly, i wasnt a huge fan of from the get go, but if it was solid i was gonna use it until i found something better. motor and trans are both OK, although i was gonna LS swap it regardless, and the cab and interior are immaculate for the age. plus... these trucks are damn expensive in my area, like, they usually sell for 8-10k, i got this one for 2500, so even if i end up putting a new frame under it, im still ahead by quite a bit.
If you are working on the frame that much, either move the axle back, or cut the overhanging frame off. It will tow much better. (Less see-saw effect, less leverage for the trailer to try to steer you). Personally, I'd cut. More weight for more tow capacity and no loss of turning radius. It also helps to have the smaller box to have first order retrievability.
In reply to Gaunt596 :
This one claims to have a 5.3L engine. Does that mean LS engine already? Only 131k miles. Probably not the box you want either given that it is an open top box. Seems more set up to tow. The ad seems to be 28 days (at least) old. There might be some price movement possible.
the crappy frame extension is 100% coming off, that will put the rear of the frame about 18" or so behind the axle, should be fine for my 15' car trailer and focus rally car.
and that truck is 100% a 5.7, and not an LS engine, unless its been swapped. the 5.7 vortec was the only gas engine option until 2003, which had a 6.0 LS based motor as an option, which then became the standard and only gas engine option in 2004. also, given the monumental fight i had today, to get that scrap box loaded onto my trailer, im not buying another truck with a box on it until i get a forklift
i think i should mention too, the goal for the box on this truck, is a smaller version of this
where both sides flip open, to provide full flatbed acess to the interior, and also providing a small awning at the same time.
weather and work have been keeping me from working on the truck much, but i did finally get it rolled (slowly) into the shop tonight.
A floor mounted winch is invaluable. I have the small harbor freight 115 volt 1500lb winch, doubled up with a snatch block for 3000lbs line pull on the first wrap, that little winch punches well above its weight, and has yet to fail to drag anything into the shop that ive asked it too.
also, this is on reason why you should build your shop with 12' doors, this truck is 9'2" high. also pictured is another very helpful thing to get along with a winch, a V bridle with multihooks on the ends, so you can grab factory tow/tiedown points on the frame to pull from.
aaaand in. Pardon the mess, been meaning to clean, but life has been getting in the way, and its kinda miserable out in the shop when its 90* and 90% humidity. This is by far the largest thing to date that rolled in the shop. hoping i might be able to tinker a bit over the weekend, and see if i cant get this thing to at least run for a short while, and also get that frame extension cut off, should make the truck right about 44" shorter
I licked it, its mine now. 
Finally got more time to work on this today, managed to get the box all chopped up to hopefully take to the dump, supposedly they will take it if its small enough to compact.
thankfully the county dump is extremly close to my house.
also found an interesting color in the spray paint aisle, decided to give it a shot on one of the wheels
I like it quite a bit, might have to pull the wheels off and paint them all that color.
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