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We intentionally haven't installed the threaded inserts to the right side of the camper yet - my fear is that the epoxy and fiberglass will warp the plywood subassembly just enough to make it tough to realign the holes with the inserts. I couldn't decide if it would be better to install them...

I've built up both sides of the floorpack, with just the bottom floor to cut out still: The plan is to assemble the floor in three parts, the right/left sides and bottom. We assembled the plywood with Gorilla Glue and wood screws every 6"... the pieces line up so that the screws are always going...

@JaSAn that's just what I am going for - I hope to be able to push this thing pretty hard off road! I haven't even gotten beyond the daydreaming stage as far as interior layouts go, though. I hope to also keep it light and simple... We're used to tent camping so the goal with this build is...

That all makes sense to me - I think for the interior we want everything as modular and reworkable as possible. I guess the floorpack is more permanent though. Well we finally got some plywood - I did end up using baltic birch since Front Range Lumber didn't have any 1/2" or 5/8" marine grade...

Wow that looks great @pods8 ! I was considering fiberglassing the joints too but it's been a long time since I've worked with that stuff and I wasn't great at it back then haha. I bet that will be a bomb-proof structure when you are done though - that really seems like the way to "do it once and...

Wait so are staples actually considered better than screws in this case? Less likely to split the wood I guess? I didn't know that! I always assumed the OEMs just used them because it was quicker. That makes sense though... Like I said I know nothing about woodworking so I'll take all the advice...

@Black914 I'd say you should go for it. We bought this one thinking it was a basket case since we were planning to strip it down to the frame anyway. Even after almost 50 years the aluminum structure looks sound and square! If you found one with decent plywood I could see replacing canvas and...

Thanks everybody! Yes - I'm hoping to keep it as light as possible without sacrificing longevity at least... Our old truck is slow enough as it is, haha! @pods8 I was actually looking at Front Range Lumber and might give them a shot first since they are the closest (we are a little ways back up...

I haven't been able to weigh it yet - it's currently still attached to the old floor pack. That would be a good idea though, if it's really that light I could probably suspend it from a fish scale or something cheap like that! And I was wondering if I could get away with 1/2" plywood instead...

This post brings me up to my current progress (the teardown happened over the last two weeks). I was hoping to buy plywood for the new floorpack this weekend but kept second-guessing myself and wondering if there were a more robust or lighter way to build it. I spent some time in SolidWorks...

After a couple weeks of spending evenings tearing things apart, we barely managed to squeeze the camper into our garage: Once it was inside and I had my truck back, we were able to start really taking the camper apart. I wanted to be able to look at the aluminum frame and see if anything was...

On initial inspection, the camper is in better shape than we were expecting. The siding on the rear has been pulled up some near the door, and the lift panels are almost completely gone (seems like this is to be expected). If it's original, the plywood looks surprisingly decent... but I think it...

Hi everyone! My wife and I bought a beat-up '77 Fleet a couple weeks ago and are hoping to completely rebuild it! We've never had a truck camper before, and this is one of the few small enough for our little old truck (2002 Mazda/Ranger) to carry. The goal is to turn it into something that...