Several weeks ago, Matt at Angry Iron Metalworks in Georgia, was contacted by NEVER QUIT Overland, to explore the possibility of getting a 2019 Isuzu NPR crew cab, converted to 4WD.
After seeing and driving Matt’s newly completed 4x4 conversion using a 2015 NPR crew cab, (see link below to the truck we drove) we were blown away by the fit, finish and craftsmanship, as well as how well the truck drove, even without a bed or box installed. The ride is leagues ahead of the stock NPR and far better than any other 4x4 cabover camper, that we have driven. NQO came close to purchasing Matt's 150” wheelbase NPR chassis cab, which is for sale on Expedition Portal as the "Ultimate Expo Vehicle"
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However, we need the 176” wheelbase version to fit the 15’ custom box we are building, so NEVER QUIT asked Matt to undertake another 4x4 conversion, this time using a 2019 NPR that we have purchased. Ours will be similar to Matt's truck (above), but will be tailored to our needs.
After a discussing numerous details for this conversion with Angry Iron Metalworks, NEVER QUIT Overland purchased a 2019 NPR V8 Crew Cab for our conversion. There were no constraints placed upon this build, allowing us to create the ultimate cabover 4WD. As most of you know, Isuzu does not offer the NPS in the United States, however, we know that the NPS has neither the capabilities nor the quality fabrication that our truck will have.
Build Start Date: February 2019
Initial plans are to have the chassis cab completed before the Overland Expo West event in May, then to add a 15’ x 7’ x 7’ box with plenty of room for dogs, kayaks, surfboards and two (tall) adults. We plan to have the camper box completed and installed by September 2019.
Everyone seems to want to know what parts are going into a build, why they were chosen and what the cost is to do a build like this. So, we are going to try to provide some of that information.
This is not a DIY build and we, the customer, NEVER QUIT Overland, has very specific requirements, many of which have determined the design of the truck and the parts list you see below.
Never Quit Never and Never Quit World Tour, put on free large scale running events for deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as large scale events in the U.S. and throughout the world.
The truck will travel for events and more throughout North, Central and South America, Australia, New Zealand and Africa with its owner who has lived and traveled to over 55 countries over the past 48 years.
Please feel free to leave constructive criticism or to ask questions about the parts and build process, which will be spread out over three phases and will probably take 8 months to complete, in total. Without further ado, here is the proposed parts list, along with our initial cost estimates.
AXLES:
Front: Dynatrac Pro Rock 80 with 4.88 gears, Eaton E-lockers, 8 on 6.5”, setup for custom leaf springs.
Rear: Dynatrac Pro Rock 80 rear with the same parts, except for leaf perches. A four link suspension will be fabricated for the rear end and the Pro Rock 80 was chosen for its weight carrying capacity. (#11,000)
Approximate cost: $20,000, exclusive of link suspension, custom leaf springs, and installation.
TRANSFER CASE:
A Trail Worthy Fab HERO transfer case was chosen after discussing this project with another transfer case builder, who was honest in stating their case was not the right product for this application. The HERO case can be found in diesel drag trucks, KOH/U4 cars and rock bouncing buggies around the country. You do not want a transfer case failure in the jungles of Nicaragua, so, overkill it is.
The TWF HERO transfer case will be divorced for two reasons: A small drum parking brake is mounted on the tail shaft of the 6L90E transmission, which multiplies the braking force by the ring gear ratio (4.10). Secondly, tearing apart a perfectly good, brand new transmission to swap a 4WD tailshaft onto it, just does not make sense.
Approximate cost: $5,000 retail, per TWF website. Andy is a great guy and provided excellent customer service.
ABS/EBD:
ABS Tone Rings: Isuzu uses a 56 “tooth” tone ring on both axles; though the front has holes and the rear has teeth. Dynatrac has a 55 tooth ring (Dodge), a 48 tooth ring (GM) and a 60 tooth ring (Ford). Obviously, none of these will work, so we will purchase new 56 tooth rings, and Dynatrac will install them during the build, allowing us to retain the factory Isuzu ABS and EBD on our NPS.
Approximate cost: $600, tone rings only, from Isuzu dealer + Dynatrac's installation cost.
SHOCKS / SPRINGS:
Dampers, Front and Rear: This has not been settled yet, but King Shocks is at the top of the list, possibly combined with a custom air bag system in the rear, allowing the ride to be adjusted for road conditions or changes in vehicle weight. Dampers will likely need to be bumped and strapped for safety and longevity.
Approximate Budget: $1,600 plus installation, exclusive of links and bags
Front leaf springs will be custom made for this application once the camper box is completed and all fluids and gear are aboard. Possible vendors are Deaver, Atlas or Alcan and cost is estimated to be $1500-$2000, plus installation, front springs only, rear is links and bags or links and coils.
DRIVELINE:
Driveshafts will likely come from an vendor such as High Angle Driveline or Tom Wood's Driveshafts. Both of these shops have loads of experience building shafts for off road and unusual applications.
Approximate cost: $2500, including spud shaft for the divorced HERO transfer case.
CABLE SHIFTERS:
Cable shifters can be seen in the post linked above, on the previous build and something similar will be fabricated using TWF, JB FAB or NWF cables. This eliminates linkage and allows the case to be shifted easily and smoothly from the driver's seat.
Approximate cost: $1000 plus installation
TIRES & WHEELS:
Nitto Ridge Grapplers in LT285/75R18E were chosen from a small pool of singles that were rated to carry approximately 4,000 pounds each. We explored dual rear wheels, large MPT tires and custom wheels but have settled on these. They are well reviewed and very quiet on the road, even though the tread is said to be between an A/T and an M/T. Two full sized spares will be carried on the truck at all times. Method's 305 Heavy Duty wheels, in black, were chosen for their good customer service, ease of balancing, high finish quality and high load rating (#4500), in an 18” x 9” wheel.
Approximate cost: $3500 for six wheels and tires.
WINCHES:
High capacity winches will be installed front (#17,500) and rear (#12,500), with the rear mounting into a cradle that can only be accessed from inside the camper, to prevent theft. Possible vendors are Smittybilt, SuperWinch, Warn, Runva and RED.
Approximate cost: $4500-$5500, plus installation, soft shackles and 200' of 9/16ths inch 12 strand Plasma rope.
LIGHTS:
Matt is a Baja Designs dealer, so some of their lights may find their way into the truck, but we are also talking to Vision X and Rigid Industries, for camp lighting, driving lights and an LED bar or bars. There are lots of decisions to make here.
Approximate cost: $4000 - $6000 total.
SEATING:
Seats can make or break a trip, so a pair of custom Scheel-Mann seats have been ordered. The rear will have a fold down bench, allowing access to the camper box. High quality seats are not cheap but they reduce fatigue, especially on long highway trips and difficult off road trails.
Approximate cost: $3500 for driver and passenger seats.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Some of the work Matt will perform over the next 3 months, includes custom fabrication of the following:
BUMPERS: front and rear, with lights & winch support.
FUEL TANK: Add an OEM Isuzu 30 gallon (auxiliary) tank with a transfer switch, allowing the fuel load to be spread out some, providing 60 gallons total.
EXHAUST: budget is approximately $1200
A myriad of custom work will need to be performed to complete this one-off conversion with a few such items such as:
Much of the fine detail has yet to be decided or is like to change as the build progresses, so we will try to keep this thread updated as progress is made.
That gets most of the major components out of the way. Our truck will be delivered to Matt's shop in about a week and he will start tear down then.
If you are a vendor or represent a company that would like to be a part of this build, please contact us for further details on our upcoming events and adventures.
Thank you for you interest; we hope that you follow along here, on 4BTswaps, or on Expedition Portal. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.
After seeing and driving Matt’s newly completed 4x4 conversion using a 2015 NPR crew cab, (see link below to the truck we drove) we were blown away by the fit, finish and craftsmanship, as well as how well the truck drove, even without a bed or box installed. The ride is leagues ahead of the stock NPR and far better than any other 4x4 cabover camper, that we have driven. NQO came close to purchasing Matt's 150” wheelbase NPR chassis cab, which is for sale on Expedition Portal as the "Ultimate Expo Vehicle"
However, we need the 176” wheelbase version to fit the 15’ custom box we are building, so NEVER QUIT asked Matt to undertake another 4x4 conversion, this time using a 2019 NPR that we have purchased. Ours will be similar to Matt's truck (above), but will be tailored to our needs.
After a discussing numerous details for this conversion with Angry Iron Metalworks, NEVER QUIT Overland purchased a 2019 NPR V8 Crew Cab for our conversion. There were no constraints placed upon this build, allowing us to create the ultimate cabover 4WD. As most of you know, Isuzu does not offer the NPS in the United States, however, we know that the NPS has neither the capabilities nor the quality fabrication that our truck will have.
Build Start Date: February 2019
Initial plans are to have the chassis cab completed before the Overland Expo West event in May, then to add a 15’ x 7’ x 7’ box with plenty of room for dogs, kayaks, surfboards and two (tall) adults. We plan to have the camper box completed and installed by September 2019.
Everyone seems to want to know what parts are going into a build, why they were chosen and what the cost is to do a build like this. So, we are going to try to provide some of that information.
This is not a DIY build and we, the customer, NEVER QUIT Overland, has very specific requirements, many of which have determined the design of the truck and the parts list you see below.
Never Quit Never and Never Quit World Tour, put on free large scale running events for deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as large scale events in the U.S. and throughout the world.
The truck will travel for events and more throughout North, Central and South America, Australia, New Zealand and Africa with its owner who has lived and traveled to over 55 countries over the past 48 years.
Please feel free to leave constructive criticism or to ask questions about the parts and build process, which will be spread out over three phases and will probably take 8 months to complete, in total. Without further ado, here is the proposed parts list, along with our initial cost estimates.
AXLES:
Front: Dynatrac Pro Rock 80 with 4.88 gears, Eaton E-lockers, 8 on 6.5”, setup for custom leaf springs.
Rear: Dynatrac Pro Rock 80 rear with the same parts, except for leaf perches. A four link suspension will be fabricated for the rear end and the Pro Rock 80 was chosen for its weight carrying capacity. (#11,000)
Approximate cost: $20,000, exclusive of link suspension, custom leaf springs, and installation.
TRANSFER CASE:
A Trail Worthy Fab HERO transfer case was chosen after discussing this project with another transfer case builder, who was honest in stating their case was not the right product for this application. The HERO case can be found in diesel drag trucks, KOH/U4 cars and rock bouncing buggies around the country. You do not want a transfer case failure in the jungles of Nicaragua, so, overkill it is.
The TWF HERO transfer case will be divorced for two reasons: A small drum parking brake is mounted on the tail shaft of the 6L90E transmission, which multiplies the braking force by the ring gear ratio (4.10). Secondly, tearing apart a perfectly good, brand new transmission to swap a 4WD tailshaft onto it, just does not make sense.
Approximate cost: $5,000 retail, per TWF website. Andy is a great guy and provided excellent customer service.
ABS/EBD:
ABS Tone Rings: Isuzu uses a 56 “tooth” tone ring on both axles; though the front has holes and the rear has teeth. Dynatrac has a 55 tooth ring (Dodge), a 48 tooth ring (GM) and a 60 tooth ring (Ford). Obviously, none of these will work, so we will purchase new 56 tooth rings, and Dynatrac will install them during the build, allowing us to retain the factory Isuzu ABS and EBD on our NPS.
Approximate cost: $600, tone rings only, from Isuzu dealer + Dynatrac's installation cost.
SHOCKS / SPRINGS:
Dampers, Front and Rear: This has not been settled yet, but King Shocks is at the top of the list, possibly combined with a custom air bag system in the rear, allowing the ride to be adjusted for road conditions or changes in vehicle weight. Dampers will likely need to be bumped and strapped for safety and longevity.
Approximate Budget: $1,600 plus installation, exclusive of links and bags
Front leaf springs will be custom made for this application once the camper box is completed and all fluids and gear are aboard. Possible vendors are Deaver, Atlas or Alcan and cost is estimated to be $1500-$2000, plus installation, front springs only, rear is links and bags or links and coils.
DRIVELINE:
Driveshafts will likely come from an vendor such as High Angle Driveline or Tom Wood's Driveshafts. Both of these shops have loads of experience building shafts for off road and unusual applications.
Approximate cost: $2500, including spud shaft for the divorced HERO transfer case.
CABLE SHIFTERS:
Cable shifters can be seen in the post linked above, on the previous build and something similar will be fabricated using TWF, JB FAB or NWF cables. This eliminates linkage and allows the case to be shifted easily and smoothly from the driver's seat.
Approximate cost: $1000 plus installation
TIRES & WHEELS:
Nitto Ridge Grapplers in LT285/75R18E were chosen from a small pool of singles that were rated to carry approximately 4,000 pounds each. We explored dual rear wheels, large MPT tires and custom wheels but have settled on these. They are well reviewed and very quiet on the road, even though the tread is said to be between an A/T and an M/T. Two full sized spares will be carried on the truck at all times. Method's 305 Heavy Duty wheels, in black, were chosen for their good customer service, ease of balancing, high finish quality and high load rating (#4500), in an 18” x 9” wheel.
Approximate cost: $3500 for six wheels and tires.
WINCHES:
High capacity winches will be installed front (#17,500) and rear (#12,500), with the rear mounting into a cradle that can only be accessed from inside the camper, to prevent theft. Possible vendors are Smittybilt, SuperWinch, Warn, Runva and RED.
Approximate cost: $4500-$5500, plus installation, soft shackles and 200' of 9/16ths inch 12 strand Plasma rope.
LIGHTS:
Matt is a Baja Designs dealer, so some of their lights may find their way into the truck, but we are also talking to Vision X and Rigid Industries, for camp lighting, driving lights and an LED bar or bars. There are lots of decisions to make here.
Approximate cost: $4000 - $6000 total.
SEATING:
Seats can make or break a trip, so a pair of custom Scheel-Mann seats have been ordered. The rear will have a fold down bench, allowing access to the camper box. High quality seats are not cheap but they reduce fatigue, especially on long highway trips and difficult off road trails.
Approximate cost: $3500 for driver and passenger seats.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Some of the work Matt will perform over the next 3 months, includes custom fabrication of the following:
BUMPERS: front and rear, with lights & winch support.
FUEL TANK: Add an OEM Isuzu 30 gallon (auxiliary) tank with a transfer switch, allowing the fuel load to be spread out some, providing 60 gallons total.
EXHAUST: budget is approximately $1200
A myriad of custom work will need to be performed to complete this one-off conversion with a few such items such as:
- Skid plates – steel, alloy or UHMW
- Custom steering linkage to allow push/pull to work on D60
- Made to measure brake lines to mate NPR to Dynatrac axles
- Rear Air Suspension (links and bags)
- Engine and transmission tuning
- Switchgear, likely from SwitchPro or InfinityBox, but currently TBD.
Much of the fine detail has yet to be decided or is like to change as the build progresses, so we will try to keep this thread updated as progress is made.
That gets most of the major components out of the way. Our truck will be delivered to Matt's shop in about a week and he will start tear down then.
If you are a vendor or represent a company that would like to be a part of this build, please contact us for further details on our upcoming events and adventures.
Thank you for you interest; we hope that you follow along here, on 4BTswaps, or on Expedition Portal. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.
