The Tacobox Build - A Mini Baja Surf Camper

poorturtle

Observer
Oooh I need to update this more frequently. Haha!

I've managed to get the bed platform as well as passenger side panel and rear panel into place. At the moment, I'm working on doorjambs and have sealed up the interior wall, though the pics don't show it.

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poorturtle

Observer
being a little drifty at the moment ... is this box going to be a basement and then another floor going on top? I can appreciate the amount of work involved, just not understand the grand scheme. thanks.

ps: waves rolling in @ the Forties today: http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/North-Pierat-Narragansett/forecasts/latest/six_day

Dead flat here - and it's been firing on your coast for weeks!

Anyway, so this more of a camping box than a camper. I wanted it to be a bit more low-profile than most truck campers. Something that'll be good for going off-grid for a few weeks at a time.
I suppose I should have uploaded these earlier but here are the Sketchup shots...

camper_01.jpg camper_02.jpg
 
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southpier

Expedition Leader
nice drawings. there will be canvas sides to the tip-up? i'm thinking the blue, orange & red boxes are gear lockers.
 

poorturtle

Observer
Thanks - yeah going to do a canvas or more likely rip-stop tent to the tip up area.

The blue area up top is a mattress, on the right is an awning. The large blue box below is the cooler, next to that is a stove. The red is gas, the orange is recovery track. And last, the brown pole is a pull out dowel to hang wetsuits on (sick of hanging them on the mirrors when camping).
 

poorturtle

Observer
sounds like you've got it sorted; following along

Haha maybe I've got a general direction, but a lot of this is changing as I go. Just spent a ton of time and money ordering the electrical and water systems last night - you'd think I'd have that all figured out by now. :)
 

poorturtle

Observer
It's been a while since I've posted, but I've still been working away. Figure it's time for an update.

Here's a shot of the doorjams like I mentioned before, where you can also see the beginnings of the internal wall being built. Since the side walls are sealed, I had to run the wiring for the running and porch lights before building the top of the wall and glassing.

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Then it was on to the glassing! I went with 2 layers of 6oz glass (or 8? - ack!) instead of the chopped strand. The latter was way to thirsty. As you can see, it was a messy process.

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poorturtle

Observer
Once the top was dried and sanded, it was time to flip the box and glass the sides and bottom. In the first shot, you can see the finished bed sidewalls, while the rear is still open for more wiring later on. In the last shot you can see the recessed bolt holes for the house battery mount, which were filled in with resin.

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poorturtle

Observer
Made a quick trip up to LA to visit some friends for Halloween. One of them owns a shop where they build props, sets and obstacles for (mainly reality) tv shows. Here's a link to their site if you'd like to check it out - https://www.aretela.com

I was lucky enough to go in and use the facility build some tie down bars for my Tacoma. Apparently the bed is composite and you can't drill in and expect a camper to hold. I have to admit I'm a little concerned these aren't going to be strong enough though. I used 1/4 inch steel strap, but am thinking of adding some reinforcement to it or building a 3rd mount to use the rear bolts.

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poorturtle

Observer
Once back in Encinitas I was able to start working on the rear bed panel and wiring. Oh and some painting. Painted the bottom first, and tested out a number of different primers to find one that would stick to epoxy but not contain the word "boat" in the title. Turns out regular duplicolor worked best. My neighbor came over to help with the painting, and we tried out these mini sprayers that I plan on using for small items. It worked great!

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poorturtle

Observer
This pretty much brings us up to speed. Right now I'm working on fitting the doors and will start painting in a few days. After that it's onto the lid/roof, tent, and then cabinetry.

More pics soon, but for now, enjoy a video of the most satisfying part of this whole process:

[video]https://www.instagram.com/p/BbLSSdjAJvo/[/video]
 

poorturtle

Observer
Today I started painting. Primering the small areas with a hand sprayer that is...

Still have a bit of cleanup to do on the doorjambs and will bit hitting the large areas with a full size sprayer.

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poorturtle

Observer
Time for another update

I know it's so close to being done, but feels like it's so far away still!

Here's a few shots of painting (primer) and the surfboard storage area.

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Fitting and building roof #1 - I've actually rebuilt this as I made some mistakes, but you get the idea...

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Creating and installing some of the hardware. Ended up cutting down these boat bumpers to go against the rear of the bed.

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poorturtle

Observer
moar

Painted! (mostly)

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Hooking up some lights, and the driver's side gear and hookups.

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I've actually gotten a lot further on with this, and will post more when I've got some time. :)
 

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