Need to get some updates in. The desert trip is in 2 weeks. I had to get stuff knocked out to be prepared to go. Without further delay I'll get into it...
Main thing I needed to do is silence the rattles of the new bench. We did a validation run the weekend before to shake down our trucks before the big trip and the noise was beyond obnoxious. I knew it would be noisy, but I found myself stuffing anything soft in between the main lid and the fold out section and the main lid to the box. Plus the added shake from washboard roads really allowed the heavy box to move around more than I expected even with my heavy tool bag and spare parts/fluid bag.
To quell the lid rattles I added rubber "T" handle latches, very similar to ones found on high end coolers. The main lid is latched down to the side and the fold out is latched to main lid. Oh and as you'll see here I moved the supports down to the side from the fold out section.
Here's a better shot of one of the latches. By spreading the anchor out a little bit you can set a little tension in the latch to hold tight.
The support legs got reconfigured to swing sideways by relocating the hinges to the side of the box. They open easy, but nestle in up to the side and under the lid tightly. They still support the added section like before, but it also smooths out the top to allow seating easier. Plus they can't bounce around like before.
To stop the box from moving I screwed it down to the floor in 16 spots. Now I wouldn't consider screwing into the pristine floor that my K5 has. But the unique thing the Blazer camper has is a plywood floor that originally had carpet on it. There is nothing connecting the floor the the camper itself, but it allowed FWC to screw down the stock bench to the floor and the lower section of the cabinet to the floor. You can see the floor earlier in this thread when the camper went on the final time, with the rubber bed mat instead of the nasty carpet. 1.5" Long screws were enough to get through the plywood floor of the bench, rubber mat and into the plywood floor below. It's not going anywhere now. Nice and solid.
I had an extra T-handle latch so I added it to the two main cabinet doors on the other side. I found out on the rough stuff last summer the cabinet latches I installed are not rated for off road duty. So one latch between the two doors stops the ability of them flying open off road.
The good news I discovered by placing the cooler inside is I have enough room to move with it inside and not need to pull it out at every camp spot. My co-pilot for the last two years is driving his recently finished K5 so I'll be solo this time around. So I'll probably not need to deploy the fold out section at all on this trip. The fresh memory foam mattress up top is where I'm going to sleep.
Outside I had to wrap up a couple of items with the help of my buddy Bill on the bumper project. I needed a basket to allow me to carry added fuel/water cans for the long trip. Bill put together a strong basket that bolts to the bumper by way of a c-channel over the top of the bumper. It will hold three 5 gallon cans.
Bill added a vertical gusset underneath to aid in supporting the load of the cans.
I can put my weight on it and not have it budge.
The license plate needed hard mounted and light added to be legal again. A LED light gives out a huge amount a light. Crazy amount.
I do need to tie the wiring down, but it's otherwise ready.
Time to load out next weekend. All I'll have to pack before leaving is the coolers and my duffel bag I hopefully remember to bring this time around.
