First FWC

[Woodsy]

I have a question about fitting an early 80s Grandby to a 2002 1500 Silverado. The seller states the slide in is 64 inches. Is there a way to make it fit without modding the camper? Or am I just out of luck on the deal?
Thanks!

 

[Karlton]

Need a bit more info. Are you concerned about the length or the width of the camper in relation to the truck bed? Another item to consider is putting a Grandby on a 1500 series truck. You'll need to consider suspension modifications, and there are dozens of threads on here about that topic.

 

[Woodsy]

Definitely the width. Good point on the suspension.
Thanks!

 

[Karlton]

K. That is what I suspected. There are folks on the forum that have made modifications when doing complete rebuild. But if the width of the camper exceeds the width of your bed your options are are really limited. And not that a half ton truck (be it a GMC, Chevy, Ram, Ford, or Tundra) cannot carry a Grandby, the camper will be over the weight the truck can carry, and you'll likely be driving with the camper on the tailgate (which is an okay option). Thus, some type of suspension upgrade (most likely leaf springs) will be needed. See this post for an example
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/20515-grandbytundra-combo-early-report/

Most often a Hawk, Raven, or similarly sized older camper is matched to half ton trucks. And depending on how they are appointed, they still might be a bit over the vehicle weight.

This community is great, and folks are always ready to answer questions. Best with your search for a camper.

 

[Ronin]

Unless the Grandby was built/mod'd to fit a flatbed I can't imagine the width being 64". The floor of a pickup bed is generally 48"-51" wide to fit a 48" wide sheet of plywood or sheetrock between the wheel wells. Hopefully the seller meant 64" wide where the camper slides in between the upper rails of the bed. I think 64" is a standard width between rails of the majority of standard size pickups. You might want to clarify this with the seller. Good luck!!

 

[LuckyDan]

As mentioned, you’re probably out of luck. The width of the tail end is wider where it fits at the tailgate opening than the bed is wide. I haven’t been on FWC’s website in quite a while, at one time they had a “Fit Chart” for the older campers. That said, it may pay to double check your bed measurements, shape and any FWC you’re considering. For example my camping buddy of days past got lucky and his old Keystone fit his new Chevrolet 2500. He did have to set it on 1 or 2 inch stringers so it would clear the curve at the rear end of the bed floor.

The other opinion is to modify the floor pack/back of an older FWC to fit. A search of the threads on here should yield a few examples of those who did just that.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Woodsy]

Thanks!

 

[oldhotrod]

From the used camper fit guide...

Four Wheel Campers Built Before 1990 will ONLY Fit

- Chevy Trucks built in 1988 or older

- Dodge Trucks built in 1993 or older

- Ford F-150 Trucks built in 1996 or older

- Ford F-250 / F-350 Trucks built in 1998 or older

 

[oldhotrod]

I believe the height from bed floor to top of bed is an issue and a spacer may be required but it isn'tstated so it might be much more of an issue...get all measurements first...

 

[Dramagal62]

I am wondering if a Grandby model will fit my 1993 Toyota T-100 longbed (8 feet) and if the truck will be appropriate for it. The T-100 is a great truck but a weird variant. It is "full size" truck with a payload of just over 1500. It has a 3.0 V-6. I am a first time truck camper buyer and I want to buy a camper without having to buy a new truck until I am sure I love it. Will this work? Thanks.

 

[BBZ]

I am wondering if a Grandby model will fit my 1993 Toyota T-100 longbed (8 feet) and if the truck will be appropriate for it. The T-100 is a great truck but a weird variant. It is "full size" truck with a payload of just over 1500. It has a 3.0 V-6. I am a first time truck camper buyer and I want to buy a camper without having to buy a new truck until I am sure I love it. Will this work? Thanks.

Depends on which year grandby.. older ones were wider.. you will need to measure the width between your wheel wells and the width between the tailgate opening to determine if it will fit. A loaded grandby is going to be heavy and don't think your truck would handle it well, very underpowered...

 

[Dramagal62]

Width between wheel wells is 4 feet.