Mini pick-up from Belgium - Europe

[racing green]

The load bed is all covered with wood, the inner space is a little less royal then mentioned in the official sales brochure figures below. The innerside dimensions at the height of the top of the sidewalls of the load bed (sorry for the complicated descrition) are 109cm long, 109cm wide at the front and 103cm at the back.

I agree the blue one still is too low, it wasn't actualy precizely drawed to dimension. I'm 1.86 by the way.

The way to get in bed on that drawing, was to lift the middle 1/3 of the bed up, then climb on top of the roof 1/3, then lower the middle 1/3 and having the full 3/3 to use.

I'm still trying to figure out how much the construction may lean over the back, I could hang some spare taillights onto the new construction and put the license plate on a new spot, not sure if that's legal though.

Where can I find some detailed pictures of a slide-in system please ?



A 38.0in. 0.97m. - Seat cusion to roof *

C 18.0in. 0.46m. - Seat cushion depth *

E 19.0in. 0.48m. - Seat squab height *

G 13.5in. 0.34m. - Height of seat cushion *

J 16.5in. 0.42m. - Steering wheel to squab (max.) *

J 12.5in. 0.32m. - Steering wheel to squab (min.) *

K 6.5in. 0.17m. - Steering wheel to cushion *

L 43.5in. 1.10m. - Leg room (max.) *

L 41.0in. 1.04m. - Leg room (min.) *

Q1 20.0in. 0.51m. - Width of single seat *

Q2 43.5in. 1.10m. - Overall width of seats *

S 45.5in. 1.16m. - Max. seat width at cushion level *

U 46.0in. 1.17m. - Width of seats at shoulder height *

W 84.2in. 2.14m. - Wheelbase

X 53.5in. 1.36m. - Overall height

Y 55.5in. 1.41m. - Overall width

Z 130.2in. 3.31m. - Overall length

AA 32.0in. 0.81m. - Door entry width

AC 37.0in. 0.94m. - Height - body floor to roof

AD 43.75in. 1.37m. - Body interior width

AE 17.25in. 0.44m. - Body interior height

AF 39.2in. 1.00m. - Tailboard opening width

L 43.5in. 1.10m. - Leg room (max.)

AH 17.5in. 0.44m. - Height of body floor

AJ 54.75in. 1.39m. - Body interior length at floor

* Approximate measurement

[angib]

The innerside dimensions at the height of the top of the sidewalls of the load bed (sorry for the complicated descrition) are 109cm long, 109cm wide at the front and 103cm at the back.

I will use these dimensions - once I have looked all around that lovely www.minipick-up.com web site!

The ciritical dimension for the Mini is the width of the tailgate opening - as this is narrower than the wheelarches, this will be the limit on the camper width - at least for the depth of the pick-up bed.

I'm still trying to figure out how much the construction may lean over the back, I could hang some spare taillights onto the new construction and put the license plate on a new spot, not sure if that's legal though.

I don't think there is any legal limit - in most European countries there is only a limit on how far behind the rear lights you can go - add new lights and there's no problem.

The practical limit will be the weight of the camper - the rear axle of the Mini pick-up is rated at 488kg and the rear axle kerbweight is 233kg, leaving 255kg payload. If we assume two 70kg people in the front seats, they will apply about 55kg to the rear axle, leaving 200kg for the camper - that is total weight including food, water, etc, so we should be looking at around 175kg (385lb) empty.

Where can I find some detailed pictures of a slide-in system please?

The camper simply slides into the pick-up bed - there is no 'system' just a flat base of the camper that rests on the pick-up floor.

The camper is lifted by four jacks (either permanent or temporary) so that the pick-up can drive out from underneath - the jacks are outside the width of the pick-up body. For a camper weighing less than 200kg, a simpler method can probably be invented - simply pushing or pulling the camper would work!

Once in position, the camper needs to be fixed down to the pick-up bed. The simplest way to do this is with turnbuckles (like on boat rigging) and eyebolts. These are outside the camper under the sides of the pick-up bed, so access doors in the side of the camper are needed. Here are some pictures: eyebolts/turnbuckles, access doors.

Andrew

[racing green]

- once I have looked all around that lovely www.minipick-up.com web site!

Yeah it's my favourite website about mini pick-ups. Your http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear00.htm is one of my favourite caravan sites, didn't realise it's yours !

The ciritical dimension for the Mini is the width of the tailgate opening

That's exactly 1.00 metre if I'm not mistaking.

The practical limit will be the weight of the camper - the rear axle of the Mini pick-up is rated at 488kg and the rear axle kerbweight is 233kg, leaving 255kg payload. If we assume two 70kg people in the front seats, they will apply about 55kg to the rear axle, leaving 200kg for the camper - that is total weight including food, water, etc, so we should be looking at around 175kg (385lb) empty.

The information I had says the load capacity is 360 kg, having 2x75kg persons would mean 220kg to be left for the rest. Almost the same result so that must be about right.

The camper is lifted by four jacks (either permanent or temporary)...
Once in position, the camper needs to be fixed down to the pick-up bed.

You're talking about the kind of unit you can leave on the campsite while driving to the store etc. ? Wouldn't that be a heavy construction ? For now I was thinking of a construction wich stays on while away from home. It even doesn't require a bottem, while the pick-up load bed allready is in wood. Or is that a bad idea.

Thanks for your thinking and support andrew, you sure seem to know a lot about this !!

[racing green]

- once I have looked all around that lovely www.minipick-up.com web site!

Yeah it's my favourite website about mini pick-ups. Just don't mention there what I'm yupto, I wanna kep it a secret project just for now. http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear00.htm is one of my favourite caravan sites, didn't realise it's yours !

The ciritical dimension for the Mini is the width of the tailgate opening

That's exactly 1.00 metre if I'm not mistaking.

The practical limit will be the weight of the camper - the rear axle of the Mini pick-up is rated at 488kg and the rear axle kerbweight is 233kg, leaving 255kg payload. If we assume two 70kg people in the front seats, they will apply about 55kg to the rear axle, leaving 200kg for the camper - that is total weight including food, water, etc, so we should be looking at around 175kg (385lb) empty.

The information I had says the load capacity is 360 kg, having 2x75kg persons would mean 220kg to be left for the rest. Almost the same result so that must be about right.

The camper is lifted by four jacks (either permanent or temporary)...
Once in position, the camper needs to be fixed down to the pick-up bed.

You're talking about the kind of unit you can leave on the campsite while driving to the store etc. ? Wouldn't that be a heavy construction ? For now I was thinking of a construction wich stays on while away from home. It even doesn't require a bottem, while the pick-up load bed allready is in wood. Or is that a bad idea.

Thanks for your thinking and support andrew, you sure seem to know a lot about this !!

[angib]

Firstly, is anyone but me and racing green (do you have a name?) reading this? Please say if you are, because otherwise we should be discussing the details off this list.

Now I've done some looking around at Mini pick-ups (I haven't seen one in the flesh for a good few years), it will be that bracket that holds the tailgate pin that will determine the width, unless that bracket can be removed:



There will also need to be a narrower part of the camper base where it passes in front of the bulge in the wheelarch where the damper is mounted.

A floor is needed to hold the bottom of the camper together - otherwise you wouldn't be able to remove the camper, ever, without it falling apart. The camper would not be easily removable so that you could leave it at a camp site - that would require too many fittings that would add to the weight. They would be expensive too - the cheapest removeable legs are around $500 a set, and then they have to be shipped to Europe!

Looking around, I did see proof that you can build a high body on a Mini pick-up - posted by you!



But I would like to speak to anyone that had driven one of these - I bet they did not take them on motorways (freeways)!

Thanks for your thinking and support andrew, you sure seem to know a lot about this !!

No, I don't know a lot about it - I've just thought about it and read about it a lot while doing some previous truck camper designs. I wish anyone else here who knows about these campers would add their opinions.

We have one member here, Larry, who built his own camper - but a bit larger than yours would be! Here is Larry's camper web page. Another site to look at is Glen-L who sells plans for American-sized campers and has some photos showing one being built.

Andrew

[jay]

are you guys kidding? i'm bloody riveted to this topic. high time someone attempted a practical project!


don't go nowheres without telling me!

i'm dead serious, this is good stuff.

j

my only "technical" concern is how desireable is it to load this [or any] vehicle to the max on a regular basis? but then i tend to over-maintain and baby my vehicles because it has to serve all my needs [having just the 1].

[Gerdo]

I am also reading this thread. I would love to see a CAD Benroy shaped TD in the bed.

[apratt]

HECK NO!!! I am enjoying every bit of this posting. Keep going, no complaints from me.

[asianflava]

I'm reading, I love Minis and I'm talking real minis with 10in tires. Not those BMWs (with a Mercedes engine) that they call Minis.

[racing green]

My pick-up's got 12" unfortunately ;-)

I too was wondering if it wouldn't be better to have email contact with you rather then continuing here online. Maybe both ?

The bracket that holds the tailgate down can not be removed, it's one piece with the part where the rear light fits in. Writing this, I just realize that could be a problem, since it would prevent the camper from being wider then that frow that point downwards. Hmmmm and the size allready was that limited.

The bulge above the wheel-arch is even bigger on mine, well actually the wood-covering is more or less rectangular. I'll post a picture of my actual mini and the load bed soon.

The construction not being removable in 1-2-3 seconds on a campsite is okay, it was the first few days that sort of camper was in my head but soon I realised it would make it far too complicated and I'ld go for a lighter solution.

The red bodied icecream van is a recent project only finished in 2004 or 2005, I hoped to see it on a huge minigathering in the U.K. last month and have a talk with the owner, but it wasn't there. There were some similar icecream pick-ups in pink in the '60s. Got some more pictures of those, they even build scalemodels of them, one being released end of this year



I forgot to mention I haven't ever built anything really, and it's more of a fun project that I want to do right, but if I see the projects on the lates pictures posted by Andrew, they're experts in my eyes. Don't think I'll ever equal that kind of craftmansship, but I'll do what I can.

Can this topic continue here or will a moderator split it and move the technical part to the techical forum area ?

My real name is Bart by the way, forgot to mention that.

[apratt]

Hello Bart, I know each to his own. Nothing against the camper but would a teardrop trailer be much easier, more room, easier on the truck not carrying the weight instead towing it? Just IMHO.

[madjack]

Andrew, Bert, if y'all move this to private messages and email, I will kick yer butts off the board this is just to interesting a concept not to share so just keep on keepin' on......
madjack

[jay]

how about a fifth wheel style tiny trailer...?

betcha nobody has one of those



yet!

[angib]

Just to help me figure out what can and can't be done on a Mini pick-up, i thought I would draw out the red ice cream van.



I've scaled the height off the photo and I think it's reasonably accurate, so that 67" (170cm) is within an inch or two - it's certainly not 6 foot. But then I don't think it's necessary to have full standing headroom to stand up - as I've said before, all you're doing is pulling up your trousers/pants prior to stepping out! It is possible that the pick-up bed floor was cut away in the ice cream van and a new floor put in on top of the centre tunnel, but I doubt it - when standing at the sales window, you'd have one foot on each height.

I reckon the ice cream van has 60-65% more frontal area than the pick-up, so the reduction in top speed would be 20-25%, assuming the gearing was perfect at the new reduced speed. Third gear would drop the speed by 30% from fourth, so I reckon the top speed would be on the rev limit in third. Ouch!

Andrew

[angib]

betcha nobody has one of those

Close enough?



Andrew