DIY Camper Build From Scratch

[Wyo1]

Hello all,
Back in April I bought a 1980 Fleet with the intentions of completely rebuilding it similar to what PokyBro has done. However after giving it some thought, I decided I'd be better off to just simply build a camper from scratch. I paid $1000 for my Fleet and the only thing I would be using from it was the frame. Not to mention all the work required to strip it down to the frame and then having to alter it to the specs I wanted. With that said, I began spending countless hours planning, researching and taking measurements from the old Fleet. I liked the width of the old Fleet but also liked the additional room the extra 6" of width a new Fleet has, but didn't like how much wider than my Tacoma it would be. So I settled on splitting the difference and designing a 72" wide camper. With my design plan in place and calculating material, I decided to start ordering pieces and parts. It's been slow making progress, but it is starting to come along nicely with the frame nearing completion. Fortunately I have a good friend who owns, and is quite competent with, a tig welder. Here is my progress so far:

 

[Wyo1]

 

[WyoIDI]

Very cool!

 

[GoinBoardin]

I like it! I've repeatedly said that I should have started from scratch. Lots of fixing or altering on my Grandby rebuild/flatbed conversion.

 

[Andy Douglass]

I love these kinds of threads....looking forward to following along.

 

[Wyo1]

Waiting for the paint to completely dry on the floor pack, got the board for the cab over cut, and started cutting the channel so it can bend around the corners of said board. Ought to be able to assemble floor pack to frame tomorrow night.

 

[PokyBro]

Hey Wyo1,

Just wanted to compliment you on your build that is well underway. You're very fortunate to have a welder buddy with a tig welder, that should cut some cost, but more important, you can keep a check on keeping everything true and strait.. It shows that you've put a lot of planning into this, and I'm betting it turns out spectacular!

Good luck, and I'm looking forward to following your build thread!

Poky

 

[Wyo1]

Hey Poky, thanks for the compliments! Following your rebuild has been an invaluable resource for me. Slowly but steadily I'm making progress.
I now have the floor pack painted, installed, and spray coated the outside with UPol Raptor spray on bed liner. Looks to be pretty good quality stuff, went down easy, and is UV resistant so it's not supposed to fade.
Apparently can't post photos from my phone, so will put some up later today.

 

[Wyo1]

 

[cwdtmmrs]

Wyo1. looks very good. I used Raptor on my floor and roof (color matched) years ago and think it is the only way to go. The camper won't slide around on your truck either.

cwd

 

[Squatch]

Nice work!

 

[takesiteasy]

I love these kinds of threads....looking forward to following along.

x2!

 

[Wyo1]

Not much to report on my build lately, had to take the weekend off to do some camping, hiking, and fishing. I did get the tie down points attached to the frame. I opted to use some pretty cool little quick disconnect anchor points. Rated at 4000 lbs. straight pull breaking strength, they should be plenty strong.

 

[Wyo1]

I'm all ready to have the sides welded on and complete the main body frame of the camper. Just waiting for when my friend can make some time to weld it up for me. Started working on the roof frame. I've got to figure out how to put a little arch in the center roof supports. May just take it to a machine shop and have them do it for me. I'm thinking an inch and a half should be adequate, anyone know how much arch there is on the roof of a factory built fwc?

 

[cwdtmmrs]

Nice and the quick connect anchors are cute, but were you fishing?

cwd

 

[buckland]

All I can say is double wow... great plan and method. It must be very gratifying to see how far it has come....
looks forward to more of your progress reports... ( and I am shaking my head at my worries of my small project of a counter re-do!

 

[Wyo1]

After a long and unproductive fall/winter, I’ve finally got back to working on the camper. Started building the lift panels over the weekend. Very thankful for all the valuable information provided by others. Between checking and rechecking all info I could find, and getting measurements from my brothers grandby (in AZ, I’m in WY)
I started building my lift panels. I added an inch of height to them and I really think I’ve done it all correctly. All the pieces for the panels are cut and ready to be assembled, but naturally in my small town the proper rivets cannot be found. So I have a question for others that have built their own lift panels, what rivets do you recommend. Looks like I need 1/8” diameter and enough length for approx. 3/16” thickness of panel and hinge. It looks like a rivet with larger head is preferred, but is everyone else using aluminum or steel rivets?

 

[ckent323]

Liking your build.

This question is probably too late for you but I am wondering if anyone has considered making the lift panels out of Aluminum plate or welding up something. It seems to me that they could be light weighted with cutouts that would also provide access to the inside of the canvas behind the lift panels (where it is hard to keep clean and wipe off condensation to prevent mold growth.

I suspect Aluminum might be lighter, stronger and importantly less prone to degradation as well. I have done no engineering related to doing this so perhaps there is a good reason I have never seen anyone do this.

Craig

 

[Wyo1]

Liking your build.

This question is probably too late for you but I am wondering if anyone has considered making the lift panels out of Aluminum plate or welding up something. It seems to me that they could be light weighted with cutouts that would also provide access to the inside of the canvas behind the lift panels (where it is hard to keep clean and wipe off condensation to prevent mold growth.

I suspect Aluminum might be lighter, stronger and importantly less prone to degradation as well. I have done no engineering related to doing this so perhaps there is a good reason I have never seen anyone do this.

Craig

My panels are made from aluminum composite paneling. Should be stronger than wood and no rotting, probably lighter too. The material is commonly used in sign making.

 

[PokyBro]

Wyo1,

Nice to see you back at it, and posting again.

Regarding the rivets used for the lift panels, here are a few thoughts. I did use 1/8" diameter for the hinges, and I apologize but I can't remember the length, but somewhere between 3/8" to 1/2". The correct term for the larger head is "large flange"rivets. You can find them by doing a search on eBay, but it may take some looking for all aluminum, which is best for avoiding rust.

You could take some of your scrap material and do some testing for length with standard flange rivets, keeping in mind you may need to flatten them a bit, especially on the center hinge for complete folding. You need enough length to get enough of the rivet crushing to hold the work. Too short and they barely crush before snapping off. Choosing aluminum composite paneling sounds like a good idea, I'll be anxious to see how it turns out. It occurs to me that you may not need the large flange rivets in your application, since you may not have the same issue of wood that crushes a bit around the rivets, especially when flattening them out a bit, as discussed above.

Shellback did his lift panels out of aluminum panels as well, so perhaps he can chime in on the rivets he used.

You could call ATC to ask specifically what size rivets they use, as well.

hope that helps a little.

Poky