The Memorial F150 Craptor. A semi foamie camper shell camper

[dbhosttexas]

Feeling a little better today, went out to dose up on some Vitamin D and went ahead and finished removing the Engo E9000 winch and roller fairlead. Got to looking at how the winch mount / brush guard is installed. Should be pretty simple but I need to soak some rusty bolts... Now where is that can of PB blaster?

Been sorting through camping gear, whittling down to size for one. Did I mention I bought a 63 quart 12v fridge? Well if nothing else, I will have plenty of space to keep drinks cold AND lots of food.

No word on delivery of the engine yet. This was not a rush job though. I had asked to be done and on the road by Nov 7. This would include getting the tires done, alignment, inspection, and tags so I can hit the road for Veterans day. Even if it is just a quick trip to the beach...

I am also looking at affordable, reliable and that seems to be contradictory terms, 12,000lb winches. I do not want to reinstall the 9K winch...

[dbhosttexas]

The 78" runs of 2x2 are cut. I am debating if I want to do the more labor, but less weight / lower cost of cutting half laps and making bascially and upper and lower frame that will get connected to each other by the uprights, or if I want to go with more cost / weight but less labor and just screw it together using L brackets and mending braces... Cutting half laps in my shop on the ends of 78" long lumber is what hs me wondering as it is going to be a bit or a pain, will likely have to hand cut them...

The new 12K winch came in, considering it is about as low buck as they get I am actually a bit shocked how well made this thing looks to be... I know there is some risk as the MFG is not known to have great support. Chinese import and all... I'm not blasting across the Amazon rain forest though. I am going to be bouncing down beaches, logging trails, and the like in what can be most accurately described as moderate off roading.

I have 5 more days I need to quarrantine from COVID, and then I should be able to get some help here installing the new off road winch bumper, and drag some sheets of XPS foam and plywood to the shop.

Need to do the headliner in the topper, pending on a decision on that. A friend of mine has access self adhesive moldable insulating carpeting similar to the stuff used underhood on cars but looks more like rat fur carpet. We are thinking of going that way, and I will doing doing relectix panels basically sewn inside of fabric sleeves to look, well less like Reflectix.

[dbhosttexas]

Upper bed framing outer permiter is boxed in, May not cut the L in after all as it looks like everything, all 4 aquatainers, and electrical center will fit easily into the area just under the bed, will know for sure when I finish up the wheel well setbacks. Not sure. I could still very much use a night stand to put my CPAP on...

I opted for a very simple design, just L brackets and mending plates. Will drive 2.5" coated screws into the uprights, and then get after it with the foam and PMF...

I underestimated the yield of my 2x2s for some reason I was thinking 2x2x10 not 2x2x8. Dummy...

Got the reflectix for the windows yesterday. Was looking for rat fur carpeting, and came up empty handed. I need to do a headliner in this thing and am not having any luck sourcing the material...

[dbhosttexas]

So went to working on the lower bed frame skeleton last night, and ran out of the wood screws I am using to hold it all together. Gotta go to Home Depot and get a box of screws...

I've got the 2.5" coated deck screws for the uprights but the corner pieces are using 3/4" screws through brackets. I figure they hold houses together, they can hold a bed together, and I am going to coat this thing in PMF and foam...

Getting anxious for the engine delivery, trying to iron out the electrical system, and hoping / praying for a few cooler days where I can work on the suicide doors and get them working again...

So I also ordered the Stansport steel clad stainless steel heavy duty cook set. The bottoms / walls are supposedly more like clad home cookware, but nesting. If the skillet works as well as I think it will, I might only end up bringing the dutch oven, and griddle as far as cast iron is concnered. This set, my 12 cup percolator, Ikea Grunka stainless steel utensils, can / bottle opener, SS mixing bowl, campfire fork, pie iron and a couple of other smaller doo dads for cooking. Need to figure out what can be eliminated...

[dbhosttexas]

Top and bottom of the skeleton for the bed / cabinet are done. I need to come to a final decision on the verticals, get them cut and install them. Also need some spacers at the wheel well cutouts for the upper to be done. Nothing in the slightest fancy, just a block to screw to.

The Stansport Heavy Duty clad stainless steel cook kit came in and it is definately heavy, not super thin sheet stainless like my old Texsport set that is getting retired. Likewise there is also NO bag / stuff sack / carrying case for this set. I made the bag for the Texsport set as the original one had fallen apart over the years. Will recycle that.

Getting anxious for the run to HD for the foam. Hopefully that should be this weekend maybe.

Still need to rip off the factory front bumper and not sure what you would call that plastic piece above the bumper between the bumper and the grille, then I can install the HD winch bumper and winch...

My plan is to have the factory bits pulled off before the weekend, and then get a friend to help me install the winch bumper and just maybe since he is a lot smaller than I am, get the suicide doors open for me so we can tear into them and get the aluminum end / tension pieces on the cables so I can actually use the suicide doors.

And with all THAT being said and done, we should still be about 1 week out from the engine delivery date. Anxious for that...

I am hoping to have the bed cabinet done, doors done, winch bumper done, winch install done. I MAY NOT end up installing the E series van battery box after all. I think I want a 200 amp / hr battery to hold my juice as it were, and the largest capacity battery I can find that will fit the E series van battery box is a group 31 at 135 amp hours... Not enough.

I am probably shooting for massive overkill, but the idea is to not have to even think about power for the fridge or my CPAP...

[bdosborn]

Dude! You gotta post some pictures!
Bruce

[dbhosttexas]

Dude! You gotta post some pictures!
Bruce

Not much has changed looks wise since the first page. The tires are in the living room, the HD bumper is in the living room. The new winch is in the kitchen. About the only thing photo worthy and it would be kind of lame is the empty space where the old winch was, the new batter disconnected but in place, and the bed frame that is about 75% done...

Once the new bumper / winch goes on, I will post some pics there, and I have some cross and vertical bracing to do to the bed frame still.

[dbhosttexas]

Okay, you asked for them, here they are... Updated photos of progress.

Of course the brush guard / winch mount and stock front bumper waiting to be removed. I am not sure if I am going to reuse the ProComp 130w off road lights. Modern LED bar lights can fit in the grille and throw WAY more light with WAY less power used.


The bed frame skeleton mostly done. I will be adding cross braces at 25" centers from the ends with 2x3 uprights to help support my weight better, Then foam / old sheets and TB2. And of course the plywood topper. It looks like I probably ought to remove stuff from inside the camper, and get back in there with a bucket of soapy water, a scrub brush and the pressure washer and have another good go at cleaning the inside of the topper before I insulate and carpet it.

And yes I know the bed is a bit away from the sidewall of the bed. I am sizing it up so the mattress does not jam right into the brackets for the camper shell. I will likely be adding cot organizers to each side for storage of small items.

And for those interested, that is a residential twin size frame / mattress I am using. I am a big guy and while there are narrow twins. I needed something that would support ME..


A very recent addition is a receiver hitch recovery shackle. This is rated at 42Klbs which I think is wildly optimistic, but if it goes 36K that means double line pull with 12K winch, if that doesn't get me unstuck I massively screwed up.


The Summit racing side steps. Unlike the Hunters, these have rubber seals on the ends keeping sand and hopefully saltwater out of the tubes. Yes I could have gone with retracting side steps but simplicity was the order of the day here.


Not shown, and not likely to be shown for security reasons as the key number is stamped into it and can be visible, but I replaced the failing locks on the camper shell. I knew that needed to be done when I got the camper shell so no big deal.

[bdosborn]

[dbhosttexas]

No pic yet, but I got the 110V pass through wired up and installed / screwed into the topper. No pic because I want to install the headliner / carpet before I mount up the outlet box. The outlet box will simply be liquid nailed to the upright on the topper next to the window by the hatch. I have some funny angles to work on... Simply put, I now have a place to plug the AC into!

My giddyup ran out of give a fart and is waiting for a refill. Need to head back into the shop, and cut up the remaining 2x3 uprights. Then I can set my fence to knock out the cross braces. Once that is all assembled. I need a truck bed, mine is still out of commission for a while, and a trip to home Depot. Knock out the plywood top, and like I mentioned, grab the foam. And the piano hinge.

Everything will load / unload from the hinged bed top. I will cut it so that it is one long strip, and then 3 main hinged pieces over each compartment.

Heard back from the shop. Engine builder will ship on 12th, so I should have the truck in his shop on the 14th. I have until then to get the rest of my pre-engine swap crap done. I think all I want to do at this point is finish the bed, swap the front bumper / install the winch. Once I get the truck back running and ready to hit the tire shop, will do tire swap, front coil spring swap, alignment, and then take it in for inspection and tags, THEN I can tackle the bedrug, battery system, and suicide doors.

[dbhosttexas]

Spent way too much time upside down under the front bumper with large bolts to the frame of the truck. Removed the old Go Rhino winch mount / brush guard in preparation for installing the HD off road bumper / winch mount and larger winch.


Cut up my last 2x3 for the remaining uprights, so I cam move THAT production stop out of the way, now I need to measure and cut the cross bars so I can finish the frame out 100%.

Hoping to get a friend to help me out tomorrow, go run to Home Depot for 1 sheet of plywood, and 2 sheets of 3/4" XPS foam so I can start foaming the sides in...

[dbhosttexas]

So I went ahead and removed the front bumper fascia, and the bumper itself. The plastics for the fascia were more or less crumbling so I guess it was going to come off one way or another anyway. I was able to get it off of the truck and onto the driveway anyway. I am waiting on a helper to get the new bumper lined in and installed, he won't be available until Thursday so that will be paused for now...


The fender flares, like so many of them for these trucks actually extended down the fascia and needs to be trimmed , and possibly the ends filled to make them work as it is kind of hollow in the middle. I will go ahead and trim them flush with the fenders, probably shoot a tiny bit of expanding foam in the end and epoxy the ends to seal them up. I do not want water / salty sand getting trapped between the flares and the fender sheet metal.


I have the uprights cut, and am about the head out re-re check my measurements and cut my cross pieces for the bed...

[dbhosttexas]

Did some testing with a friend and found that the AGM profile on my Atempower DC to DC charger / charge controller works on his Chins 100ah lifepo4, so I went ahead and ordered the 200ah variant to give me the power reserve I need.

Taking careful notes of the dimensions will be building the electrical cabinet 100% foamie, and will have separate compartment for the battery and the charging gear / inverter.

Still so much to do, but it is coming together finally!

[dbhosttexas]

Decision time now. Mostly so I can fiigure out how to divy up storage for the kitchen. But which stove should I use / bring?

I have a Coleman Classic 2 burner propane stove. You know the basic green one I think everyone has. It does what it does well.

I also have a Coleman 424 Dual Fuel liquid fuel stove, it also works REALLY well although the left burner is only 7K BTU and the right is 10K BTU. However this has never in all my years of using it been a problem. I also have the propane adapter for this stove so it will run on white gas, ethanol free unleaded gasoline, or propane. Huge advantages there. And with me providing the pressurization of the stove at colder temps, no chance of the fuel not leaving the cylinder due to low temps like propane or butane sometimes does...

The disadvantage of the 424 is going to be that it is much bigger than the propane stove, AND it is certainly more fussy to get going.

Since I have a propane heater, and shower, I am leaning toward the propane stove, but we get into distribution setups and hoses and... just a mess... Or way too many little green bottles. Especially for the heater.

[dbhosttexas]

The video of the build so far...