Mercedes LP 813
 

Hi all,

hereby some pics about my home made built LP 813.

This truck is from 1982, it is titled as "historic vehicle", and as I wanted to keep his truck look, there is no passage between the cab and the box.

being a member of a historical truck association, this truck has been bought and transformed to go on vacation as on historical trucks meetings here and there.

I bought it 4 years ago, it was a former horse transport, meaning the frame is/was heavily corroded.

It was cheap, it had the longest wheelbase available back then (4.80 metres), with a 6.50 metres (almost 22 feet) long box, its maximum weight is 7,5 tons, meaning I have no limitations to ride everywhere in Europe, with some exceptions like in France where most city centres are forbidden to trucks above 3.5 tons.

The first thing I did was to draw plans, plans, and maybe other plans (did I mention I drew plans?), to finally get this:

One of my friends had bought a camper based on a newer Mercedes truck, and I've found that the settee in the back was the better option to see outside the truck while parked.

The fact I didn't put an opening between the cab and box allowed me to put the bedroom in front of the box.

Table is folding like in a yacht, and removable to transform the "U"-shaped settee in a (almost) king size bed.

This project is a low cost one, I didn't want to build an expensive RV, without any return for my money the day I sell it.

For now, truck included, I'm almost at 10k €, which is almost the same amount in US $.

All the stuff inside has been bought second hand (fridge, genset, "Webasto" 2000 fuel heater, gas heater).

I have 300 litres (65 US gallons) fresh water under the settee, a 130 litres (30 gallons) graywater tank.

Toilet is a composting one, nice stuff, no odour at all, no sewage tank to carry on/off the truck

Next step is to put a LPG tank and fitting some solar panels.

Our 2017 vacations were in France, some pics of it.

And at last, this year if time allows, an other cab will be fitted to the frame, as the actuel one is FUBAR.

Main problem being Mercedes having for decades used low quality sheet metal, not only for their trucks but also on their cars.

They do rust just by looking at.

Pretty neat project!

Nice set up, more pictures we all love pictures



Sam

Hey!

Let's start by the beginning, then... :p

The first step was to pull out all the crap mounted inside the box to carry five horses, then to put the two side rear windows, bought second hand at the guy where I park the truck. Those windows were "vintage" ones, from the seventies, a nice ad to my 1982 truck.

next step was to put the rear windows, I pulled those out of a Mercedes Van wreck, at a scrapyard, as I wanted windows with a DOT number one, still unsure if I wanted to let the truck be titled as a commercia vehicle, or let it title as a RV.

Before that, I had to remove the rear door and put in a fixed wall, made out of a wooden structure and "bakelite" ply, the kind of ply used in concrete building.

Bakelite plywood. Integration Middle East - F.Z.C. Construction wood, Wood finishing materials

The three rear windows in place, with the middle one being framed on hinges and gas lifting struts coming from a automotive scrapyard, to be used as a escape hatch.

Insulation inside the box, everywhere but the floor, has been done with PUR hard boards, two crossed layers of 3 centimetres thick ( almost 2 inches 1/2)

The whole fresh water circuit has been done from three tanks, being 100 litres each, connected to a 12V pump, 7 litres/minute flow, going through a big 20 litres expansion tank, to a low priced (read : chinese) gas water heater, supplying two taps, one in the kitchen, the other one in the bathroom.

nice ! where have you taken it?

Do you mean, where did I buy it or where am I for now into the transformation?

as in where have you traveled to?

Mainly France, but also Germany, Luxemburg, Holland.

in 2017, I went here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3NIU7HSu2M

and here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZixhLtjcobY&t=202s

In May/june this year, we are going to Normandy, partly to visit the beaches where the US and British troops landed in june 1944.

In august/september, I'll go here, Enkirch in germany, it will be a first time for me, 120 miles from my home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh5l--ytPuM

Next year, we do plan Scotland...

Some more pictures about the two storage closets on the rear part of the box

I wanted them to be accessible from outside only. Framing has been done in pinewood, the aluminum door's outer sheeting comes from where it has been cut, bought some hinges and closing systems

I found out I had some storage place above the water tanks, in between the two closets former shown, so there the closet.

After having insulated the two outside closets, I then began to built the U-shaped settee, here the sitting part

I also have checked to get storage places after the backrests, which are hinged.

Planking every vertical wall was the following job, I used pine grooved planking bought at the local DIY shop.

The square hole in the floor is where the table foot slides in, thight fitted.

The settee cushions come from an IKEA store, I bought two latex foam matresses, I cut them out to get the wole set of cushions, I then bought some blue faux leather fabric to cover those matresses.

Almost 500 bucks spent into this settee, but it was worth it, really comfy...

The dark blue obscuring sliding curtains come from an ALDI store, they originally were intended to be put into roof windows, the height is adujstable, the width is not, so I had to build boxes to put then in...

I am curious regarding the red pressure tank and 12V pump. Any specifications for the pump? And how satisfied are you with water pressure for showering?

I found your mention of composting toilet interesting because I also have in mind to use such and avoid blackwater tank altogether.

For my truck conversion I sourced 400L potable water, and 240L graywater.

Hi Jay,

the 12V pump is a "Shurflo" 4008 one, three pistons, I took a light one, 8 litres a minute (almost 2 gallons a minute), there are more powerful ones with more debit. T
hey are really silent, are thermically protected and have a pressostat which stops the pump when the top pressure is reached.

I bought that red tank, because the tiny plastic shitty expansion tanks available for RV cost more!

Now, once filled, this 20 litres tank allows to take a comfy shower, it either would work without any expansion tank at all, but the advantage of the solution I took is that the pump only runs two to three times a day. It runs longer, yes, of course.

Now, having been in the Navy for 33 years, I'm quite thighfisted in regards to water use, so my shower are "sea showers", open up to getting wet, close the tap to shampoo/soap myself, open the tap to rinse, clear. My wife follows the same procedure, the hell am I the boss in my truck or not, haha!

About the dry composting toilet, there are two solutions available, the ones you only poo-poo in, the others wher you poo and piss in.

For the moment, we both poo and piss in, and the best organic component we found to cover the feces is peat (turf) you may find in any gardening center. I tried sawdust and woodchips, you get odours, certainly with the chips, as the piss is not soaked up as it is with peat

the composting toilets with a separate urinal get filled at a lower rate, and the pee should normally go into a blackwater tank, so your problem won't be solved.

In the bucket (a big garbage can), we put a 100 litres heavy and thick plastic bag, and once filled with feces and peat, we just throw it into our composting plant at home and start all over.

It happens the bag fills faster, so we throw it in a camping trash can, with a second bag around it, to avoid stinky leaks. When your are in the middle of nowhere, if laws don't forbid it, you also may bury it into the vegetation, with no plastic bags then, you empty it, watch your nose, hehe!

Here a picture of the composting toilet, on the left the peat storage, on the right the bucket, and in front, the shower receiver.

for the shower, I bought a thermostatic tap, much safier than another tap, and it works quite well with an "instant flow" LPG heater.

Thanks for the details of the pump. Regarding composting toilet, I had thought to try kitty litter. If it works for cats, should work for people! But peat is a great idea and I will check to see if our garden centers in USA have this. I image they would. Thanks again!

Kitty litter work good either, but the mineral litter weights tons and can't be composted, they sell litter made from wood, much better.

try peat, you'll be happy, its inexpensive.

I found this locally:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/3-cu-ft-Org...-Moss/50339650
. . . this the stuff?

Also offered is Oil Dri for automotive use. Really good for liquids. I use it in the shop.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oil-Dri-Pre...rbent/50043484

My 'camping' is 6-8X a year at a model flying field where there is a weekend flying event. I manufacture servos and attend events not to sell but to show the flag and fly my models. Usually arrive Friday, fly all day Saturday, maybe fly Sunday morning before departing mid-day Sunday. Once home, park rig for a few weeks, rinse, repeat, all through the summer. So the truck is mostly a place to charge and work on models, sleeping arrangements ill be rudimentary. Purchased an air mattress because I desire an open floor plan. Only closed off place is the bathroom. Partly for your sake because you don't want to see or smell me doing my business, partly for my sake because of large home-size shower with plenty of water because my wife's never been in the Navy and detests the very concept of a military shower (her father was in the navy, and mine was was Sergeant Major in the Army so we both know how). Anyway, twice daily wasteful showers is why I'll carry lots of water (and I also have in mind an instant-on gas water heater for my setup. You mentioned it was Chinese origin. I don't mind that. Which one did you use? And if you recall, about how costly was it? Also, do you have transportation-certified propane gas bottle? In the USA, permanent installations must be DOT certified (I believe). Anyone with better information, please speak up!

The peat you showed is the kind of I use.

The instant heater is branded "Fastar", you'll find them on Ebay, mine is a 2 gallons a minute, it costs for about 100/120 US $.

Here in Europe, we may transport propane/butane bottles under certain circumstances, they have to be firmly tied, in an independent box, with no communication with the living space. This counts for the middle and big sized bottles. Little ones under 7 kg (15 pounds of gas) may be tied into the living room.

We also have LPG fixed tanks, outside the shell, they have to get an EU certification, like your DOT certification. Which means periodical controls by a specialist.

I figured it would be trivial for me to use two of the 20lb bottles common for barbecue grills. Exchanging them is easy and i suspect a bottle will easily last a couple weekends, maybe more. Two minimizes inconvenience. After all, it's not like I'm living in this thing long term, it's just rather more than camping in a tent and cold water won't kill me. Especially during summer when it may well feel rather nice to bath in cold water anyway.

The instant heater isn't 12V so what are you using for mains AC?

the instant heater works on LPG, butane or propane, there is no electricity required, the "piezzo" lighting works with two 1,5 Volts batteries.

This almost is what I have in mine:

https://www.befr.ebay.be/itm/8L-2-1-...U1X~:rk:4:pf:0

As said, I put it into a box with outside ventilation, it doesn't burn fresh air from inside the living space, and the exhaust gases go outside either.

Watch out, some of those heaters works only on "natural" gas, not on butane/propane...

Thanks for sharing your pictures and you tube, nice!



Thanks again
Sam

I found a nice selection of Fastar heaters on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/p/12l-FASTAR-28...ess/1172948539

Photos of your installation would be nice. Mounted inside the box, but isolated and vented so it does not use air from inside the box, correct?

Regarding the Shurflo 4008, does this provide a nice pressure; comparable to mains in a home?

You're welcome

The heater indeed has been installed in separate closet, behind an existing door in the box, on the left side.

I put on the door enough ventilation grilles, to be sure the amont of fresh air would be sufficient.

In the same closet, I've put the fridge, the "Trimix" (12V, 220V, LPG) fridge is accessible from the inside, but the rear part of it, with the condenser and the gas exhaust is within the same closet.

The pictures below show the box in its first green colour, it was the original colour when I bought it, the box is now painted white, and some pics are inclined to the left, damn it!

On the same pictures, the closet is under construction, this is why you may see inside the box, to the living space.

On the picture inside the truck, showing the front side of the fridge, the bulge on the right side of the fridge is where the water heater is located.

I should take new pictures, I guess. I will...

the water pump is enough for a normal use, pressure is sufficient, but it gives a slower debit than the one you could have at home. You always may take a heavier one if you wish more debit.

Here the bulge next to the fridge

My box has no existing doors other than roll-up cargo door at the aft end. Using the existing door has been a convenience for you. However, I am not inclined to cut any access openings so I must come to another solution. These Fastar units are routinely mounted in home with a vent to the outside. And good venting to the outside due to CO is a real consideration. Anyway, I am inclined to mount to interior wall, duct to the outside, and then fabricate a metal box to cover the entire assembly, with special attention to sealing the unit from air exchange within the box. Note; I use the term box to refer to the inside of the living quarters. Thanks for sharing those photos.

Anyway, you have to keep access to the heater, to change the batteries for instance.

You also may build a airtight box inside your living space, with outer low and high ventilation grilles, with the exhaust pipe coming out the roof, box wherein you hang your heater, this box being accessible from the inside through a airtight door to service the heater.

This is the solution I thought out, before I built my heater where it is now.

Important point to me was to get the shortest water routes through the box, this is why the kitchen sink and the bathroom are joint together, the warm water from the heater travels 3 feet to the kitchen sink and 5 to 6 feet to the shower. My grey water tank is located under the kitchen/bathroom area.

By the way, I didn't vent my composting toilet, no need to as I've put a window on the bathroom roof. Ventilation is important in a bathroom, to allow water
dampness from the sower to get out quickly...

About skylights/roof windows, I bought two "Crystal" Fiamma windows, not knowing if those are available in the USA, I guess you must have other brands as well

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1X7fTN-vuL.jpg

on the truck's roof, the left one is above the kitchen, the right one is above the bathroom. They give plenty of light within those spaces.

The grey water tank is a 130 litres thick plastic one, hung under the box, just under the kitchen and bathroom.

I build a bracket with scrape square tubes I dismounted from inside the box when it still was used as a horse van.

The same square tubes were used to build a bracket to fix the gasoil ventilation heater tank, which comes from an old crane cab.

I saw someone mentioned he had a H-D Sportster, so do I...

Oh! I forgot to say Hi... :D

That was me, John, also with a Sportster!

Possibly the slowest street bike I have ever owned, but nevertheless cherished because it's quite competent at everything I need from it. I ride it perhaps 3X a week for errands that don't require a truck, and when we take the Freightliner to model flying events, it comes along as transportation backup. Mine is blue '05 model.

A little bit about me . . . https://www.facebook.com/john.beech.716

Hi all,

I began this week the kitchen drawers building.

"El cheapo" built, with old wardrobe walls for the structure, a thin bakelite ply for the bottom , the visible front being part of the drawers being made with pinewood and the same panelling used on the living space walls, the slides were bought at the local DIY shop.

blocking the drawers while riding is made with little wooden rotating slats.

more pics of the drawers, have yet six to eight to build