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I'm building my own hard-side truck camper, and after finding out that all of the following materials (except 2024, which I haven't looked into yet) are available and within budget, I'm trying to decide what alloy to use. The application is the underside (bed will be removed), walls, and roof -...

That sounds like a hassle, sure... but is it worse than bending spring shackles? That's what my next point of impact would be; what's yours?

Well, I'm a mechanic first, a carpenter and metalworker tied for second. I've built whole projects from scratch more with wood, but made small random repairs and minor fabrications more with metal. I feel more familiar with steel than anything, followed by alu and wood about equally. I have zero...

My Toyota's spare tire mounts under the frame, right behind the rear axle. Would it be a better idea to keep it there, perhaps with a metal plate underneath, and let it be a bumper for situations where departure angle comes in to play (dragging the rear, such as dropping into a ditch)? Or would...

Great response, Moe, thank you! I did have a specific design, though it's in need of revision. It's a frame made of 2x1x0.125 aluminum tubing (riveted), skinned on the outside with 0.019" alu sheeting, on the inside with 1/8" plywood (1/2" for the floor), and with 3 inches of polyisocyanurate...

Well, I'm still going off road, but then what standard should be used for structural strength?

<shrug> I don't know, I've never done this before, it just seems that a slow rollover is the likeliest type of accident I'd get into. I'm not worried about small holes and general deformation; it's complete disintegration that I don't want to happen. The idea is to be able to winch myself back...

I'm designing a very small (4' x 5' x 8') camper to replace the bed of an '81 Toyota 4x4. I'm on the third iteration of the design (first was wood, then steel, now aluminum), and having visited a metal yard and checked out what's available and what it feels like, I'm about to do a fourth...

Alrighty, I've taken the answers to my original question seriously (and also gotten more nervous about stretching a frame that's not so strong to begin with), and redesigned my whole rig for a stock wheelbase and angled rear. Here's the .skp file for anyone who uses the (free) program Google...

I've already got an '81 longbed. I'd like to hear more details about the axle relocation you did; I'll likely be doing something similar for engine swap purposes. Did you use the factory "extra hole" in the front leafs? Shortening the trac bar seems easy, but what'd you do for the drag link...

I went back to my drawing board, and now I'm thinking of keeping the stock wheelbase, but building an angled rear. The next question that's coming up is: what's the best component to have as the lowest point - spare tire, framerail, rear spring shackle, or the cabin?

I should point out that I do in fact have the time, ability, facilities, motivation, and budget (at least for non-fancy hardware) to do exactly this, as well as any other tuning and fabrication that may be required. This project has the full weight and significance of a gearhead's Project, with...

+1 The Vinland colony didn't do much for history, either. I'd say the Greenland settlement was more relevant, actually, because it's a good textbook example of what not to do. One we (the 7 billion "we") could still stand to learn from, in fact. I would add the Portuguese expeditions to Africa...

Sounds like people's experience points quite clearly towards longer wheelbase & shorter overhang, though an angled overhang might make the whole thing moot. Back to the drawing board for me... Problem with an angled overhang is the lack of bumper. Do I need one at all? Other than as a step and...

The stock bed is 7 feet long. I want to build a permanent camper on the back of the frame, replacing the bed, and I'd like it 8 feet long. I don't want to get too sidetracked about a discussion of weight distribution, because that's a separate matter and I have it figured out well beyond what...

Howdy! I like your style - how you write and how you keep the rig light, compact, and simple. What part of MT if I may ask? I lived west of Missoula for a while. And I had a BMW track car once whose numbers were 008... I'm slowly getting into building my own expedition vehicle, also on a Toyota...

Hi all! I'm a mechanic, BMW enthusiast, a newbie with 4x4's, and slowly beginning the build of an expedition vehicle out of an '81 Toyota. I'm trying to keep it as compact and lightweight as possible, but it's apparent to me that the 7 feet between cab and bumper are not enough. 8 feet would be...