Okay here we go. I’ve been doing a ton of research and planning for my 83 FWC Fleet Complete Rebuild. Please comment on anything you want. The more information the better. I’m a guy who likes to have most things planned out before I start. Lots of it will change on the fly but having a solid plan makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
This is a complete rebuild. Going to strip it to the frame and start from scratch. Most of this will be done next summer but the more and more I think about it, the more motivated I get. I’m going to try and reuse anything I can which won’t be much. Mainly the windows and the moldings that attached the soft side to the roof and base. It looks good but need to confirm during demo.
The goal is to keep this Fleet as light, simple and as cheap as I can. I will splurge where I need and not afraid to where needed.
The Roof
I’ll reskin the entire thing. I’m thinking some 1/8” aluminum sheet or something lighter. One big sheet so no seams. Saw some people use ¼” plywood and glue rubber sheeting on the top concealing all the screw holes but seems like added weight I don’t want. It might be quieter in rain storms though. I do like the idea of not having all those holes in the roof from the screws though. I like what Pokybro did adding a bunch of cross support members. I’ll be doing that. Foam board insulation and 2 electric ceiling fans like the Fan-Tastic Roof Vent.
Head liner
I could not find much information on the materials people use here. Any ideas? Also not sure how it attaches, adding more metal screws seems like overkill but what do I know.
Lifting Panels
As of now I plan to rebuild the originals. We will see once I get into it. The rear panel I can template but the front maybe not, it’s pretty rotted. If not I’ll do the EMT lift system. I do have a question on the material used. People use wood and composite same thickness per original. If its 1/8”, why not use 1/8” aluminum?
Soft Side
My father in law has a sewing machine to handle the job and knows what he is doing. This is a huge resource for me. Otherwise I do not know how I would get this job done myself. I’m basically going to copy what Tim did. I don’t see why I would not. He did a great job. The plan is to use 18oz vinyl coater polyester. Copy what Tim did with 4 windows. As of now my windows will not open. They will be for light and have a privacy flap. I’ll build an arctic pack eventually.
Hard Siding
I plan to use aluminum sheet siding like what The Metal Company provides. Keep the seams to a minimum. All foam board insulation. Keep the original windows unless I can find some cheap used ones but I’m guessing the camper framing is also perfect for the stock windows which would make my life easier.
Frame
Initially I was going to shorten it up to fit in my 6’-6” bed with tail gate up but I don’t want to lose that much real estate inside. Eventually I’ll get a 8’ bed ¾ ton truck which will be perfect for this Fleets stock size. My life will be much easier stick to stock size. I’ll inspect all the framing for cracked welds and repair as needed. Question on repair. I see lots of people L bracket them back together. What are peoples thoughts on that versus welding? I can L bracket it myself easy but also have a buddy who can weld it for me. Issue is every time I need something welded I need to bring it to his shop 20 miles away. I’ll also all some more support to the frame. Beef it up a little to help prevent cracking in the future these older campers are known for.
Floor Pack
As you all know these stock are all wood framed. I was brain storming and why not make it aluminum? I was thinking of making the entire camper framed in aluminum, floor and all. Foam board insulate everything, aluminum skinned all sides and floor. Would that make it too rigid and take away from the performance of the FWC when off roading? I’ve read these campers ride so well because they have give built in them. It’s hard to tell but looks like the newer ones are more build like this. Just seems warmer and more sturdy but also will cost more. I’ll have to cost it out. I like the idea of zero wood framing for longevity. I also need to raise the floor about 5”-6” to clear the bed rails in my truck. Since I’m 6’-5” this is a good way to increase ceiling height. Biggest issue here is what to do with the door being a major trip hazard. I’ll figure that out but likely will need to custom make a door.
Solar
I don’t see I need that much power but this is one thing I do not know much about. I need to research watts and amps. Basically my diesel heater will use some power. I’ll be adding lights that will use a little power. I want to be set up for a compressor fridge. As of not I’m thinking 200w panels, not flexible as it seems like people have issues with those after about a year. Also most of my use will be in the winter where these things seems to run at about 50% compared to the summer months. Likely a 2 battery system.
Roof Rack
I need to design this yet but thinking I’ll screw some brackets to the side of the roof so the weight is distributed more to the outside structure. Sounds like these roofs can’t handle much weight. I do whitewater kayak as much as I can. I would like to get 3-4 kayaks up there which each weight 50 pounds each. Sounds like popping up the roof with weight is a pain and not good for the structure. I can easily take them off the roof before popping it up, takes 5 min. Roof weight will be about 40 ish pounds of solar and another 20 ish for the roof rack cross bars which will likely be galvanized steel bars. I think that should work.
Awning
I really like those bat wings but they are spendy. Might just go with a tradition awning that is lighter and easier to deal with.
Heater
I actually have one of those knock off Wabesto heaters new in the box I was going to put in my 89 Jayco Sportster but got the furnace working. Sounds like these diesel heaters really crank out the heat and are more efficient than a blower furnace. Plus I don’t have to run propane lines. I also already have a Buddy Heater as a backup.
Fridge
I’m going to use my 65 Yeti for now. I’ll build a home for it and likely down the road buy a compressor fridge/freezer that will sit in its place on longer trips.
Stove
I’ll buy a standard 2-3 burner stove top. Which will be the only thing that uses propane in my camper. Not sure if I should keep the 20lb tank. I’m thinking about buying one of those 11lb composite propane tanks. Lighter and smaller since I won’t be using much propane. I also like the idea of visually seeming how much propane we have left. The other option is to use those little green tanks but I hate the idea of all that waste.
Bed
I’m 6’-5” so I’m going to build a slide out bed so I sleep parallel with the camper. Perpendicular is not an option. Seems like the go to method is screw a support to the side of the camper on each side. Plywood on that and bed on top of that. Sounds easy enough LOL. As of now it’s my wife and I as well as our yellow lab/golden retriever mix
Kitchen and bench that also makes another bed.
Those will be a design build once I get close. Too much to think about now J
Not sure what else I’m missing. This is a lot to think about but feel pretty good about my ideas in my head and on paper. I’ll start the demo soon but with winter coming to Idaho this weekend and not having a dry place to work on this will be a challenge. I do have a pretty large covers patio in my back yard. It’s a matter of getting the camper in and out of there. My wife might need to give up her spot in our single garage. If I can make that happen I can work on the camper all winter which would be huge speeding up the process.
Appreciate any insight anyone has, any tips or trick, etc.
I'll post pictures as I go, you might have saw some pictures in another thread I made.
Thanks
Berts
This is a complete rebuild. Going to strip it to the frame and start from scratch. Most of this will be done next summer but the more and more I think about it, the more motivated I get. I’m going to try and reuse anything I can which won’t be much. Mainly the windows and the moldings that attached the soft side to the roof and base. It looks good but need to confirm during demo.
The goal is to keep this Fleet as light, simple and as cheap as I can. I will splurge where I need and not afraid to where needed.
The Roof
I’ll reskin the entire thing. I’m thinking some 1/8” aluminum sheet or something lighter. One big sheet so no seams. Saw some people use ¼” plywood and glue rubber sheeting on the top concealing all the screw holes but seems like added weight I don’t want. It might be quieter in rain storms though. I do like the idea of not having all those holes in the roof from the screws though. I like what Pokybro did adding a bunch of cross support members. I’ll be doing that. Foam board insulation and 2 electric ceiling fans like the Fan-Tastic Roof Vent.
Head liner
I could not find much information on the materials people use here. Any ideas? Also not sure how it attaches, adding more metal screws seems like overkill but what do I know.
Lifting Panels
As of now I plan to rebuild the originals. We will see once I get into it. The rear panel I can template but the front maybe not, it’s pretty rotted. If not I’ll do the EMT lift system. I do have a question on the material used. People use wood and composite same thickness per original. If its 1/8”, why not use 1/8” aluminum?
Soft Side
My father in law has a sewing machine to handle the job and knows what he is doing. This is a huge resource for me. Otherwise I do not know how I would get this job done myself. I’m basically going to copy what Tim did. I don’t see why I would not. He did a great job. The plan is to use 18oz vinyl coater polyester. Copy what Tim did with 4 windows. As of now my windows will not open. They will be for light and have a privacy flap. I’ll build an arctic pack eventually.
Hard Siding
I plan to use aluminum sheet siding like what The Metal Company provides. Keep the seams to a minimum. All foam board insulation. Keep the original windows unless I can find some cheap used ones but I’m guessing the camper framing is also perfect for the stock windows which would make my life easier.
Frame
Initially I was going to shorten it up to fit in my 6’-6” bed with tail gate up but I don’t want to lose that much real estate inside. Eventually I’ll get a 8’ bed ¾ ton truck which will be perfect for this Fleets stock size. My life will be much easier stick to stock size. I’ll inspect all the framing for cracked welds and repair as needed. Question on repair. I see lots of people L bracket them back together. What are peoples thoughts on that versus welding? I can L bracket it myself easy but also have a buddy who can weld it for me. Issue is every time I need something welded I need to bring it to his shop 20 miles away. I’ll also all some more support to the frame. Beef it up a little to help prevent cracking in the future these older campers are known for.
Floor Pack
As you all know these stock are all wood framed. I was brain storming and why not make it aluminum? I was thinking of making the entire camper framed in aluminum, floor and all. Foam board insulate everything, aluminum skinned all sides and floor. Would that make it too rigid and take away from the performance of the FWC when off roading? I’ve read these campers ride so well because they have give built in them. It’s hard to tell but looks like the newer ones are more build like this. Just seems warmer and more sturdy but also will cost more. I’ll have to cost it out. I like the idea of zero wood framing for longevity. I also need to raise the floor about 5”-6” to clear the bed rails in my truck. Since I’m 6’-5” this is a good way to increase ceiling height. Biggest issue here is what to do with the door being a major trip hazard. I’ll figure that out but likely will need to custom make a door.
Solar
I don’t see I need that much power but this is one thing I do not know much about. I need to research watts and amps. Basically my diesel heater will use some power. I’ll be adding lights that will use a little power. I want to be set up for a compressor fridge. As of not I’m thinking 200w panels, not flexible as it seems like people have issues with those after about a year. Also most of my use will be in the winter where these things seems to run at about 50% compared to the summer months. Likely a 2 battery system.
Roof Rack
I need to design this yet but thinking I’ll screw some brackets to the side of the roof so the weight is distributed more to the outside structure. Sounds like these roofs can’t handle much weight. I do whitewater kayak as much as I can. I would like to get 3-4 kayaks up there which each weight 50 pounds each. Sounds like popping up the roof with weight is a pain and not good for the structure. I can easily take them off the roof before popping it up, takes 5 min. Roof weight will be about 40 ish pounds of solar and another 20 ish for the roof rack cross bars which will likely be galvanized steel bars. I think that should work.
Awning
I really like those bat wings but they are spendy. Might just go with a tradition awning that is lighter and easier to deal with.
Heater
I actually have one of those knock off Wabesto heaters new in the box I was going to put in my 89 Jayco Sportster but got the furnace working. Sounds like these diesel heaters really crank out the heat and are more efficient than a blower furnace. Plus I don’t have to run propane lines. I also already have a Buddy Heater as a backup.
Fridge
I’m going to use my 65 Yeti for now. I’ll build a home for it and likely down the road buy a compressor fridge/freezer that will sit in its place on longer trips.
Stove
I’ll buy a standard 2-3 burner stove top. Which will be the only thing that uses propane in my camper. Not sure if I should keep the 20lb tank. I’m thinking about buying one of those 11lb composite propane tanks. Lighter and smaller since I won’t be using much propane. I also like the idea of visually seeming how much propane we have left. The other option is to use those little green tanks but I hate the idea of all that waste.
Bed
I’m 6’-5” so I’m going to build a slide out bed so I sleep parallel with the camper. Perpendicular is not an option. Seems like the go to method is screw a support to the side of the camper on each side. Plywood on that and bed on top of that. Sounds easy enough LOL. As of now it’s my wife and I as well as our yellow lab/golden retriever mix
Kitchen and bench that also makes another bed.
Those will be a design build once I get close. Too much to think about now J
Not sure what else I’m missing. This is a lot to think about but feel pretty good about my ideas in my head and on paper. I’ll start the demo soon but with winter coming to Idaho this weekend and not having a dry place to work on this will be a challenge. I do have a pretty large covers patio in my back yard. It’s a matter of getting the camper in and out of there. My wife might need to give up her spot in our single garage. If I can make that happen I can work on the camper all winter which would be huge speeding up the process.
Appreciate any insight anyone has, any tips or trick, etc.
I'll post pictures as I go, you might have saw some pictures in another thread I made.
Thanks
Berts
