Foamie truck camper build!

[rowerwet]

Sounds like a carpeted bed liner would be perfect for the camper

 

[mvankanan]

seanc

Great build and the closest to what I want to do with my roof top sleeping compartment. Hope mine turns out half as nice.

Mike

 

[seanc-TNT]

8,000 Miles? Camper is still going strong.

I'm feeling some long lost motivation to finish all the details I imagined when I started the camper last Fall.

This weekend I installed gas struts on the door.

They are 25 lbs of force each, which is too much for a 12 lb door, but they were the weakest ones I could find. Overall I'm pretty happy with how the installation turned out.

The door itself is entirely foam core except for two 4" square 2x4 blocks at the hinges and a 2x6 block at the door knob. The gas strut brackets on the door were cut from 12 inches of 1.5" aluminum angle and bolted together to make a T angle, then screwed to the canvas with 20 #6 1/2" sheet metal screws. I am not 100% confident the bracket/door connection will stand the test of time.... but we'll see.

But it is a BEAUTIFUL thing turning the door knob with one hand then having the door automatically open, and stay open. It probably only takes 8 pounds of force to pull the door shut.

Happy camping out there!

 

[seanc-TNT]

I bought a set of helper springs this week. I wasn't bottoming out, and the rear end wasn't sagging, but the high center of gravity makes caused terrible sway when taking corners or in high wind.

https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-550-Level-Helper-Spring/dp/B001UFRUWU

I've only driven 10 miles with them, but I think they're worth every penny. Basically, the truck now handles like an exotic sports car.

Wow, I am kind of ashamed to show my dirty undercarriage on here... I just can't stay out of the mud.

 

[seanc-TNT]

Does anyone else use tow mirrors with their foamie?

I am sick of not being able to see around the camper.

There are very few tow mirror options for 1st generation Toyota Tacomas. You're mostly limited to the clip/ratchet/suction cup temporary kind.

https://www.amazon.com/Fit-System-3...7258571&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+tow+mirrors

Apparently they work well, but they are hideous, and I live in a high crime area where people will steal anything off/out of your car.

So why not build my own??? Attempt #1

I bought some aluminum angle, cut it to length, used sheet metal screws that were already in the bottom of my mirror to attach it to the OEM assembly. Bought a really poorly made plastic mirror from Pep Boys ($18?) and bolted it to the end.

Are they hideous? I think they're an improvement overt the clip ons. However, they vibrate so much they're almost unusable, and cheap 2nd mirror is almost heavy enough to pull the whole assembly down. But WOOOOOOW that is a seriously improved view.

 

[seanc-TNT]

The obvious answer to this problem is foam. IT NEEDS MORE FOAM.

cut it.

carve it.

wrap it.

 

[seanc-TNT]

get ready.

glue it.

Hopefully after a couple more layers of PMF, paint, screws, silicone, glued on mirrors, and who knows what else, I'll have a workable product.

I fully expect these to drop my fuel economy by 10%.

 

[GPW]

Sean, That’s BRILLIANT !!!! I was going to suggest one of those rear facing cameras you can get so easy now .... They work Great !!! But then I thought about your neighborhood ...

 

[seanc-TNT]

Three coats of old t-shirt PMF on the mirrors. They're stiff enough for my liking. I'll need to do a layer on the mirror side, then figure out how to secure them to the existing mirrors. There will definitely be glue involved, I have a little bit of 4000 marine adhesive left, or atleast RTV silicone to seal them up. I could also drive sheet metal screws into the plastic mirror housing... I would like them to be semi-permanent. I don't plan on removing them, but If I have to I'd like to be able to do so without destroying the original mirrors.

Any ideas?

Also, I am building WINGS to help my baby fly more efficiently.

The plan is to attach the trailing edge of the wings to the camper with a 24" continuous hinge, then use a spring/bungie/cord tensioned between the wings to keep them pulled against the truck

There is too much movement between the camper and cabin to adhere the wings to both.

I'm always open to better ideas if you've got em

 

[GPW]

Good glue (adhesive) should hold those mirrors ... and seal the edges too ... ( 3M marine sealer , but then it’ll NEVER come off )

Wings ( fairings) Good idea ... Just have to keep the air from getting under them or they’ll flap ...

 

[seanc-TNT]

I put down 3 thin layers of cotton t-shirts and titebond on the mirrors and let them cure for a week. They were ROCK hard. When you tapped the unsupported part of the mirror (the cutout for the OEM mirror, where there is no foam backing) you could feel the whole mirror ring.

48 hours ago I painted them with Gripper.... Now they are very, very soft. They went from feeling like fiberglass to feeling like cheap cardboard.

like I said, it is extremely noticeable because there is NO foam backing the PMF in the mirror cutout.

Has anyone else dealt with this?

I am planning on finishing them with spray truck bed coating: http://duplicolor.com/product/bed-armor-truck-bed-coating-aerosol

 

[dales133]

Great idwa.
Id keep them as removable as possible as they stick out quite a bit and will likely get damaged by someone

 

[GPW]

This stuff dries SLOW !!! Latex/Acrylic products require a good week of drying to fully harden .... be patient ... and support your PMF .... By itself it’s not so much , with backing , it’s SOLID !!! It’s like a system , a symbiotic relationship between old T-shirt , glue and foam ...

 

[seanc-TNT]

GPW - I am moving in 6 days, so going slow is not an option! The mirrors stiffened up significantly when I moved them from outside (sunny, 100 degrees) to inside next to the A/C (70 degrees)...

Here they are with Gripper and a coat of truck bed liner. Honestly, they look a lot cleaner than I expected. I'm planning on gluing/sealing them with RTV silicone. They are already held on with a very tight friction fit. bumping/hitting them when walking by makes the entire mirror assembly collapse at the "elbow" without affecting the coupling of the OEM and tow mirror.

 

[KCStudly]

Nice job!!! To the casual observer those are OEM. Mint.

 

[GPW]

Yes , they do look quite NICE !!!

 

[seanc-TNT]

updates!


I have been living in the camper full time since the end of August I am in the bay area, so the weather is mild and the ocean side parking is too good to shell out money for rent!


I sewed a little wall organizer to hold my 5v batteries, headlamps, etc. Turned out great! Next time i'll buy a sewing machine instead of doing it by hand

I built a pair of small two way speakers in the truck. All gluing, staining, soldering the crossovers, and final assembly took place in the camper. They're powered by a 12v, 50 watt 2 channel amplifier which is wired to the starter battery OR runs off of 8 AA batteries.

I built a pair of swing arm lamps out of pine and copper mugs from goodwill. They draw 5 watts each and are wired to the starter battery.

 

[seanc-TNT]

Here is a recent shot of the interior.

I installed a pergo floating floor, bought a sewing machine and reupholstered the cushions, and made "skirts"' out of drop cloth to hide the under cabinet areas.

 

[GPW]

Sean, that’s really Great ...

 

[ghcoe]

Handy.