Excella 32 Longer Tall offroad suspension

[Louie C]

We would like to share with you our project Airstream,
My Wife and I were lucky enough to purchase a 1985 Excella 32'. Nothing unusual there you may think, But that is where the "normal" stops.
We had it shipped from Illinois to Queensland Australia where we live.
We had spent some time looking at all the caravan models available in Australia and came to the conclusion that they were all the same with some pretty garish interiors, and all rather Macho exteriors. Saying that they are all very capable vans off-road.
So after some searching we found our van and had it shipped.
When the Excell arrived it was clear that it needed to be lifted , there was no way it was going to see any form of track/offroad/river crossings or in some case never make it into a gas station.
So a plan was hatched to replace the suspension, increase the interior height ( Im a tad over 6ft 2") and make it in to a fully off-road off grid ( Boondocking) long term living van.
The initial plans for the suspension upgrade called for the floors to be lifted and have a good look at the chassis/ suspension. It then became apparent that we would need to scrap the original and build one designed for somewhat tougher conditions.
We approached several companies who built chassis and found a company - www.limitlesschassis.com.au who were willing to undertake the challenge.
Now, as the Excella came from the USA , the electrical system had to be ripped out and we have to move the entrance door from the kerbside in the USA to the other side so it is on the kerb side in Oz.
During this discussion we decided that we did not want to lose the lounge room windows by putting the door there so we decided to extend the van by another 900mm.
New Chassis
The new chassis was designed and a load /stress analysis was done, with a maximum deflection of 8mm whilst hitting a substantial pot hole.The van will be rated to 4500kgs (9900lbs)manufacturing has now started and should be ready sometime next week. The Chassis is constructed with 150mm x 50mm x 3mm box section galvanised steel, with a separate 150mm x50 x 3mm "suspension dolly" mounted underneath the main chassis rails .
We also decided to add an extra axel making it a triple axel trailer. The suspension we chose is manufactured by Tuffride , its full airbag suspension with self levelling , and electric over hydraulic disk brakes
Wheels will be 17" running 275 75 R17 All terrain tyres.
Electrical system
We have spent some considerable time looking at what power system we would like , a load list was drawn up and then an evaluation was made on our typical consumption , As we plan to live full-time on the road in OZ , we want all the usual home comforts - Dish washer , washing machine/ fridge /freezer air-conditioning power for lighting , tv and charging . Our toilet is an electrical incinerator (cinderella _ made in Norway). Battery storage will be a system made by OZxCORP 51v 14.3kw with a 5kw inverter ( www.ozxcorp.com.au) the system will be replenished by a 5kw rooftop extendable solar array., with options to charge from our truck whilst driving and 240v if we are plugged in The battery is designed to sit beneath the chassis between the chassis rails and is completely maintenance free,It has its own fire suppression system and is plug and play , weighing about 133 kgs all up .
Water capacity
At the moment we have not decided on the amount of water capacity to install. We are thinking in the region of 5-600ltrs , with just a grey tank, no black tank is needed as the toilet is an incinerator (Grey tanks are required if we want to camp in national parks), We are fortunate enough to have a large tow car that has ample capacity to carry another 1000ltrs if we decide. We have looked at air to water generators , and have found a company that manufactures air to water generators for off grid living - we may incorporate that on our tow car. to extend our time off grid.
Interior
The interior will be split into 3 section kitchen /living area , bathroom , and bedroom It will be a centre bathroom with a full size walk in shower , toilet and decent sized wash basin ,
the bedroom will have a Kingsize bed ( 1.8m wide by 2.10 long )
Kitchen will be facing the front widows and come down the side where the door used to be .
Floor
The floor will be a single piece (almost 11m long) 40mm composite panel, 1/3 the weight of the usual plywood used. ( so no joins) this will be bonded to the chassis and the shell fixed onto this
The Whole interior will be modelled on the Orient Express, with Brass /leather and wood.
Outside
All service items like water heater (12kw diesel heater air compressor/ tank , water filtration system/ High pressure washer will be mounted between the chassis outriggers and the bottom of the van ( as we have extended the height of the chassis ,we hope to have about 450 mm depth below the floor)
One of our requests was to have a pull out deck built into the chassis , this is still in the design stage but will most likely extend from the kitchen to the bathroom .
Tow vehicle
Earlier this year we were fortunate enough to win at auction an ex ADF ( Australian Defence Force )Unimog U1700L this is one of the most capable off-road trucks you can get , some small modifications have already taken place intercooler , turbo and exhaust upgrade, taller wider wheels ( 395 85 R20)will be arriving soon.

You will see us coming

We have started a you tube channel and insta, so if you want to head over and have a look , please do, Like the Airstream this is a work in progress.We will show what we are upto with the van and unimog .
insta : post cards of a traveller .
youtube.com/@postcards_of_a_traveller

I work international and there goes a few months between work and project time so progress is somewhat slow. Ill post some pictures and hope you enjoy something a little different
Cheers
Louie

[Louie C]

A few pictures removing the body and the start of the suspension frame

[Louie C]

The old and new Chassis ,
The Unimog
Turbo upgrade getting fitted

[Caffeinated]

I will need to purchase a larger popcorn bowl.

Mike

[10Smiles]

All I can say is ... Ambitious!! But loving it, always been a fan of the Unimogs.

[Louie C]

Well, a few months have passed and there has been a little progress on the new chassis.
The chassis is made from 150 x 50 x3mm Galvanised steel, I have applied a couple of coats of etching primer and I'm now in progress with applying Raptor Coat top coat. A somewhat laborious and time consuming job , considering once the floor is on, it will not be see.
The suspension components will also get a coat of Raptor. I plan to install the suspension when I'm home shortly.
The original plan for the battery location was to sit in the chassis just above the middle suspension frames, however, this is no longer possible as the dual shock absorbers have taken up more space than originally planned. The battery will now sit just behind the rear wheels. It will take a little of the storage space , but there will still be ample space to install the spare wheels on a slide coming out just underneath the rear bumper.
The electric/hydraulic brake actuator will now sit just in front of the from wheels, in one of the side lockers that will run down both sides of the Airstream .
The hitch has also arrived , a DO-45 from Cruisemaster suspension.
Im looking for a solution for the corner jacks, Im not wanting to crawl around and have to use a crank or power drill to lower them , the other small issue I have is that I will have about 550mm of ground clearance so the jack needs to be quite long . there are a couple of options on the OZ market , but they are quite ugly and will interfere with the complete smooth underbelly that I'm aiming for. So far I have found some 12/24v linear actuators with a 600kg push rating. These may well work , however Im unsure at the moment exactly the amount of " stick up" from the belly pan into the interior. The front will not be too much of an issue as the kitchen area is planned a "C" so the actuator can easily be accommodated in the cupboard space , The bedroom ( Rear) needs a little more thought.
The Unimiog
I purchased an upgraded turbocharge , intercooler and a 100mm (4") exhaust. The fitment took a lot more time to fit. the Unimog had a PTO driven front winch, so had an additional driveshaft running down the side of the engine. this had to be removed and the bell housing and clutch cylinder then had to be replaced. Eventually the exhaust was installed. I also purchased a turbo and manifold blanket, this has made a massive difference to the amount of heat radiated into the cab, more of a slow roast than a hot grill.
There has been relatively good gains with regards to HP and torque, +20% hp and +30% torque. Next stop will be an uprated fuel pump and fuel injectors.

I plan to increase the internal height of the airstream by 250-300mm , has anyone done this , if so Im keen to hear from you .

[Louie C]

A few pictures of the new chassis

[Wazbro]

Are you going to have flat floors over the tires?

[Louie C]

Hi Wazbro,
Yes that was one of the reasons for replacing the chassis. We have taken inspiration from the Orient Express, the bathroom will be in the middle of the Airstream with a corridor running down the side similar to a train carriage, entry to the bathroom will be through a sliding door, with slides into the bathroom frame.

[Louie C]

inspiration for the interior

[Louie C]

Update on the floor :
We have chosen a 32mm 100% resin infused composite floor, (weighs absolutely nothing is exceptionally strong and comes without any of the associated issues with a plywood floor) this will be a one piece floor (11mx 2.5 ) and will be bonded to the chassis, With luck it will be cut out just after the Christmas holiday.
Pictures early next year
Cheers
Louie

[Louie C]

Below is a link to my question about cutting the shell in half , any ideas or comments are welcome .
Cheers
Louie
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...lf-256284.html

[MsRivet]

Following!

This will be exciting for us to watch your rebuild.

[BigAl]

Very ambitious project. Have you taken into account thar hallway down one side of the trailer may make that side of the trailer lighter than the other?

[Louie C]

Hi Big Al,
The short answer to your question is yes, we went through a weight distribution exercise with the chassis team.
We plan on having the seating/sofa area along the same side as the bathroom , what we have to compensate for this weight difference (left/right) lies underneath the floor:
There will be the pull out deck which will run from the from the entry door to the first wheel.(opposite side to the bathroom) I also have the option to move some of the hardware from one side of the van to the other: electric over hydraulic brake actuator, high pressure washer, water filtration system etc
In addition to this we are able to reposition our battery (140kgs), left or right as needed to get the final weight distribution as close to neutral ( Left / right).
The same goes for the ball weight, we have the option to move the spare wheels (for example) from the rear under floor storage to the front , along with shuffling the hardware left /right / forward /aft.

Aiming for perfection - lets see how it ends up

Cheers
Louie

[Disco Stu]

Wow, what a bonkers project!! I can't wait to see it progress.
I'm on my third Airstream shell off build, including one all new chassis, the only server hatch that i've seen with round corners, and now my second LHS door for Australian rules.
I just chop into them with a 1mm grinder disc, then overlap your fresh guillotined sheet to hide the rough cut.
Were they still Alclad in the 1980s?
Anyhoo, good luck with the project!
Stu

[dsatwork]

What are you doing about the departure angle? I have a 30' international with a 3" lift, and we removed the skid plates on the bumper to achieve a better departure angle.

[Louie C]

Originally Posted by dsatwork

What are you doing about the departure angle? I have a 30' international with a 3" lift, and we removed the skid plates on the bumper to achieve a better departure angle.

Hi dsatwork,

That's a good observation.
That is something I have not given any great consideration to. As it sits right now I have 550mm clearance with the suspension on the bump stops. with the bags fully inflated I will have another 140mm on top of that , so about 690mm (27"). Adding the extra axel (pushed to the rear a little from the original dual axel) will help. I will know the real world angle once I get the airbags hooked up and make a measurement.
This will of course put some limitations on some of the tracks & campsites that we are able to get to , but if that gets too much then we will still be able to park the Airstream as a base camp and hit the harder to reach places with the Unimog. I think that's a fair trade off , rather than having a typical off-road caravan, without all the space and uniqueness that the Airstream will have.
Cheers
Louie