Building Our New Camper

First off, thanks for all the very kind comments. Winter is coming in with weather this week. The camper is back on the truck and we'll finish work there. Living here in the mountains, we've learned that a warm vehicle in the morning, safe in the garage, is one of life's special luxuries. All systems work. It was a treat to sit in the camper with the furnace running and testing lights and circuits. We're testing the water system now for any leaks. It is mostly finish trim work yet to do........ plus that refrigerator. Marty joked that it is a camper designed around a refrigerator. Marty nailed what started all this adventure. The truckfridge has been backordered. It finally shipped and will be here Thursday.

Thanks again. :)
 
ski3pin said:
Update. It will be delivered today. Yes! :)
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Better day than I am having. I just got the tracking number for my fridge, checked and that number shows it to be delivered in Lexington MI. Called and check and was told that is where it is going! I said I live in Stockton CA. Quite on the other end of the phone and I hear a Oh **** in the background. I was told they need to straighten this out and will call me back. :oops:
 
billharr said:
Better day than I am having. I just got the tracking number for my fridge, checked and that number shows it to be delivered in Lexington MI. Called and check and was told that is where it is going! I said I live in Stockton CA. Quite on the other end of the phone and I hear a Oh **** in the background. I was told they need to straighten this out and will call me back. :oops:
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Bill hope this works without too much hassle. I'm sure you'd rather be the one driving your new refrigerator all around the country. :)
 
The refrigerator arrived and late this afternoon and evening we worked on its placement. I have the 120 AC cord wired to a dedicated circuit (for pre trip cool down in the garage). The 12V DC cord has its own 15 amp fused circuit on the Blue Sea panel. We thought about all possible placements but settled with our original plan of across the front of the camper under the porthole window.

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Building an enclosure allows protection from gear loaded onto the floor, ability to add more insulation around the fridge, and to firmly anchor it.

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The fridge has handles for each end anchored with 6 mm bolts into threaded inserts in the fridge body. These made easy anchor points for longer bolts through the box sides.

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We worked in the camper parked outside with the top popped. Since it was 29° outside, we tested the thermostat and furnace and enjoyed our new cozy land yacht. The Lady made hot chocolate - shaken, not stirred - and we relaxed. We also did something we hadn't had the opportunity to do - pull the shoes off and climb onto the overhead bed. The Lady climbed up and stretched out when we picked up the camper, but this was my first time and our first together. We stretched and moved about trying to take in all the details. The foam mattresses that All Terrain uses in their campers are very comfortable!
 
ski3pin,

Nicely done! Your work is excellent. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1) #17 Is the aluminum roof sheeting 1 piece?

2) #25 What is the purpose of the wood insert in the long channel of the main frame? Is it just to have a substrate to screw/staple to, or does add to the structural integrity of the cab over?

3) Is the interior paneling stapled directly to the frame? If so, are the staples visible?

Again, Very nice.

Thanks,

CWD
 
cwdtmmrs said:
<snip>

1) #17 Is the aluminum roof sheeting 1 piece?

2) #25 What is the purpose of the wood insert in the long channel of the main frame? Is it just to have a substrate to screw/staple to, or does add to the structural integrity of the cab over?

3) Is the interior paneling stapled directly to the frame? If so, are the staples visible?
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The roof material's center seam is joined under great pressure so I'd think of it as one piece. It's not coming apart or leaking. The ridges and valleys also give it strength and ability to expand and contract. The roof construction of the All Terrain is one of my favorite parts of the camper. I don't think of it as old school. I think of it as tough.

The substrate doesn't add strength, the frame is plenty strong. It fills the void and you can screw and staple.

In places where it doesn't catch the eye, the paneling is stapled to the frame. In places where it catches the eye, decorative screws are used. Screws are also used in places you may want to open later such as to fish out wires for future lights, etc.

Thanks for your very kind compliment! We're still having fun building out the project, especially when we can sit and work in the warm camper and test systems. There was a bit of a problem last night with the thermostat not turning the furnace back on after initial warm up and getting up to temperature. I was a bit perturbed, understandably. "Why is this not working? It is brand new!" I asked and you know the tone of voice. I went on, "Bring the instructions in the house, please. I'll read over everything before sleep."
The Lady added, "You do remember I dropped it? It hit the concrete floor and went all the way across the garage."
I had forgotten that. I'll check it out.
 
ski3pin said:
The Lady added, "You do remember I dropped it? It hit the concrete floor and went all the way across the garage."
I had forgotten that. I'll check it out.
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You gotta love "honesty".
Really enjoying the build and you explaining how our campers are"created".I also think of my ATC as tough,not old school.
Frank

PS How cold has it been at your home?Here 3 miles from the ocean it's 27* in the morning.
 
Casa Escarlata Robles Too said:
You gotta love "honesty".
Really enjoying the build and you explaining how our campers are"created".I also think of my ATC as tough,not old school.
Frank

PS How cold has it been at your home?Here 3 miles from the ocean it's 27* in the morning.
Click to expand...
We sit on top the ridge so many times it can be colder down the hill from us in the low spots. Low this morning was 21°. 18° was predicted. Colder tonight.
 
Took the evening off. The Lady got her xmas tree. The home is definitely ready for the holidays with another whirlwind transformation. She says she's putting a bow around the camper but won't let me put it under the tree. :)
 
You both deserve the whole day off. Looking forward to the pictures of the finished build.

Oh and that walk around video tour of the camper ;)

Bill
 
What a weekend! Winter kicked in, snow came, the temperature dropped, ice. It warmed up to 30° today, clear skies, crisp air. We made more progress toward completion. I anchored the battery in its box and cleaned up the wiring bundles. The Lady stores several items in this box, so the battery is protected with a plywood cover. We installed the solar panel on the roof.

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Today we worked on the oak trim for the cabinet. Lots of steps in this process and it took some time.

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We also got the trim ready for the refrigerator box after adding some insulation around the fridge. We hope this increases the efficiency and makes it warmer to sit next to on a cold winter night. I also added insulation around the door frame and covered the void with oak trim.

Next steps are to finish the oak with polyurethane and then assemble. The maiden voyage is calling and I've heard a rumor about a bottle of champagne and a proper christening.

Oh, the AC circuit works. We enjoyed having a small electric heater on board. :)
 
'3pin... Lookin' good. The bubbly sounds like a neat idea! Just remember... Moderation in all things, including moderation.

What's the wattage on the solar panel?
 
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