Race truck conversion - where

[Jez-i9scb]

Its seems pretty easy to buy a used 7.5T or 12T solid body truck, but I cant find anywhere on the net who offer conversions.

Plenty of places will sell a new £100k+VAT race truck motor home but I really don't need that.
Upgraded ramp/tail lift
some fixed lockers
belly lockers added
Compressor system
Onboard generator (maybe)

I've tried googling all sorts but no luck. There must be people out there doing this for a price somewhere between knackered old trucks people need rid of and £100k show homes on wheels

Any suggestions

[andrewcliffe]

When we had ours, we got a local commercial truck place to certify the taillift was ok.

It had belly lockers which were simple right angle section frames, boarded out with hinges and catches from Albert Jagger. Nothing fancy, did the job just fine. Internal fixtures was a mix of caravan interior for a kitchenette with some fabrications.

So, if you can't DIY - a local metal fabricator, a local carpenter and a local truck place.
A compressor is just mounting it in a suitable place with some pipework to where you need it, and some wiring for generator through a small fusebox. Have an external feed if you have power in the paddock.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

you need to google for commercial truck body builders near you. That should give you a starting point.

[grumpy52]

Using a 7.5t truck is always going to be tight on weight especially if it's got a tail lift .
One of our customers had a conversion done on a smart 7.5t Iveco , unfortunately the thing ended up at over 6T when empty and when loaded up with a car / kit and 3 crew it went over 8 T and it had a tow bar .

[andrewcliffe]

Yes, ours was close on weights. The tail lift platform became the entire rear end of the truck, and the roof section was pretty flimsy skylight material.

[CanoeSniffer]

Most conversions are done by horsebox body constructors, especially if living is to be taken into account.

If you have or will have the licence then don’t stop at 7.5T, it’s a total false economy. I run an 18 tonner, £6.5k to buy and the amount of kit on it doesn’t compare to what you could fit on a 7.5 tonner. A small truck is still a truck, with storage and fuel costs to consider, the ownership experience really isn’t that different to a proper big rigid that will cater for everything you need (and never find you plated-weight challenged when carrying a car and kit- my truck with living accommodation, tail lift and all the trimmings is in the region of 10 tonnes ‘empty’, I’ll never end up overweight with 8 tonnes headroom).

[TimCrighton]

J & J Conversions in Andover - https://www.jjconversions.co.uk/ (they build lots of race car transporters and the owners are huge petrolheads)

Or Hopkins Motorsport at Bristol (PM for a review of Hopkins....)

I run a 7.5T Man truck now, with a tail lift but it is tight on weight.

We are probably going to part with it and go down to a Sprinter based covered truck and either an ECO or PRG covered trailer. (Currently have an RS3 but will be looking to go to a fixed roof trailer).

When we were running more cars we ran two Artics but the cost of plating them mean you need to be using them to make them sensible.

[radical78]

W H F at market weighton east yorks i know of a few they have done and are very good