The
Vehicle
Roof Conversion
'Alucab Hercules'
The team at Alucab did an awesome job with the roof conversion. The roof is made specially for the Troopcarrier in South Africa by Alucab. Being pre-made the install takes only one day.
The whole roof is on heavy duty gas struts which, when the rear clips are undone, lift the roof up with ease.
The sides are a heavy duty canvas with large windows on all sides. A canopy at the rear gives the option of having the rear window open while providing cover from the elements.
The bed is high density memory foam and rests on a hinged frame also on gas struts. Being on gas struts allows it to be lifted up and down to give full head height in the rear in seconds.
The roof kit also includes an overhead console above the front seats, LED lighting in the front, rear and reading lights for when the bed is down.
The floor was stripped, cleaned and repainted.
Direct stick sound deadening was used from the fire wall to behind the front seats.
This was then covered with a thicker thermal/acoustic insulation.
A 9mm ply was cut in to the rear to provide a flat floor. Direct stick water proof vinyl floorboards were then fixed straight to the ply.
The original hard vinyl 'one and three quarter' seats needed to go for two reasons.
1. They weren't ideal for long trips, and,
2. They didn't allow direct access into the back.
We fabbed some brackets to allow a pair of leather ute seats to be installed. With lumber support, the ability to flip forward and additional bolstering they are much more comfortable and practical!
Internal
Electrical
Prior to us buying the car the wiring had been attempted several times and there was poor connections and dead cabling everywhere.
The dash was removed then all accessories cabling was stripped out and removed.
A new fuse block was installed behind the drivers seat to service all the rear electrical requirements including fridge, lighting, water pump and 12v cig and USB sockets.
A 70amp circuit breaker was fixed next to the secondary battery in the engine bay.
Cabinetry
The vehicle was brought with a twin drawer setup in the rear made from a 17mm form ply.
This was cut down and completely recycled into the kitchenette and rear seating.
The kitchenette includes the Engel, SMEV sink (including fold down hot/cold taps and glass top), two large drawers, shoe/general storage and two other cupboards for food and misc items.
The front of the kitchen is covered with 15mm ply and stained and varnished. The bench top is a 20mm laminated pine finished in a hard wearing semi gloss super enamel.
Adjacent to the kitchenette is the seating. The seats have hinged tops on gas struts and are room for clothing and other large items. There is a smaller section at the rear near the door to hold tools.
The seat cushions and backrests are made from high density memory foam and custom covers which all conveniently fold down to make another bed or seating for four!
External
Tyres
'Mickey Thompson' ATZ P3s 285/75/16 on black ROH steel rims. A good solid, all round, quiet tyre that will suit the areas we plan on travelling to.
Wheel Carrier
'Outback Accessories' dual wheel carrier. A robust bar with several good features - gas struts, ergonomic easy to use handles/latch, stay open feature and chequer plate top. We brought this second hand and had it blast and re-powder coated.
Other:
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Stock bullbar - blasted and re-powdercoated
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10000LB Winch
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IPF HID Spotlights
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GME 5100S UHF Radio
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Custom Flares
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Ram snorkel head
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Diff breathers
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Dual battery
Specifications
Make: Toyota
Model: Troopcarrier HDJ78R
Year: 2006
Configuration: In-line
Engine Size (cc): 4164
Cam: Overhead Cam
Engine Code: 1HD-FTE
Cylinders: 6
Valves per Cylinder: 4
Compression Ratio:18.8
Power: 122kW @ 3400rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 1400rpm
Induction System: Turbo
Fuel Type: Diesel
Fuel Tank Capacity (litres): 180
Fuel Delivery: Direct Injection
Method of Delivery: Electronic
Fuel Combined (l/100km): 12.0 (Yeah right)
