FWC Keystone remodel and short bed conversion

AZ_Nick

Member
I thought some of you that have similar visions about making old things useful again might enjoy another reconditioning thread! I'm a long time VW Westfalia owner who became fascinated with truck campers as a better option to camp in remote locations. The camper started life as a 1986 Four Wheel Campers Keystone that was in bad shape except it had a new tent installed. The upper bunk was rotted out and the floor pack was rotted in places. Although the Keystone floor plan has great appeal, especially if you want to incorporate a porta potty, I decided to shorten the floor down to 82" and push the remaining length into the overhead bunk. The overhead bunk it now a king size bed that can sleep North/South with the 11" extension in place or sleep East/West without the extension. To support the extended overhead bunk I have added a 4" aluminum halo, I also added a 3" aluminum extension over the front of the bed rail to close up the cab to camper gap. Eventually I would like to make a pass through from the camper to truck cab. The most unique feature is probably the fact that I rebuilt floor pack and bunk in aluminum so I wouldn't have to deal with rot again. This was quite a bit of work compared to just gluing together a wood floor pack and I probably wouldn't do it again! The whole project gave me great respect for what FWC is able to offer at this price point! Here's a before and after of the exterior. I still need to finish the upholstery, but the camper is essentially complete. I will add more pictures and descriptions of the process in the following days if there is interest.

IMG_7277.jpg
IMG_9093.jpg
 

AZ_Nick

Member
First up was a new floor pack for the 78" bed. Originally I had planned to use my old 1/2 ton Chevy crew cab so I was trying to keep weight down and decided to make the floor pack out of aluminum tube with aluminum sheet bonded on with 3M VHB tape.
IMG_8099.jpg
Test Fit...
IMG_8183.jpg
And wrapped in 0.040" aluminum sheet.
IMG_8275.jpg
 

AZ_Nick

Member
Once the floor pack was completed I dropped the old wood floor out of the Keystone...
IMG_8061.jpg
IMG_8401.jpg
Fit the new floor pack and it was ready to be shortened and have the halo attached...
IMG_8419.jpg
IMG_8440.jpg
Test fit again!
IMG_8446.JPG
 

AZ_Nick

Member
Here's the shell after I finished removing the siding...
IMG_8468.jpg
Had a heck of time finding Dometic camper parts in the US but Bus Monkeys in the UK came through with a Seitz 1200x500 window for the side and SMEV 9222 Hob and sink kit. I'm really happy with both, especially the window with a reflective shade you can pull up. For the front window and door window I used run of the mill camper parts from eBay, although the rear has a pull down shade as well so you can have a little privacy if using the Thetford Curve porta potti inside the camper. The master plan is to move the potti outside into a shower tent when camping. I also built a outdoor shower with tankless hot water heater for the back of the camper I will detail in a bit. That will make bathing much more pleasant than an indoor shower, in my opinion.
IMG_8689.JPG
IMG_8194.jpg
I also started to build out the couch base to place the 21 gallon water tank and Thetford Curve...
IMG_8500.jpg
 

AZ_Nick

Member
I used a 48" stainless steel prep top from a commercial kitchen for the countertop and plasma cut the opening for the sink and cooktop.
IMG_8464.jpg
After researching the available options I opted to build my own rollover bed hinges so I should get exactly what I wanted. The end result is that the downstairs can convert into a full size bed when camping 4.
rollover.JPG
 

AZ_Nick

Member
Once the inside was finalized the remaining siding was removed and replaced with 0.040" aluminum siding. The exterior is clear anodized for exterior application. Foam insulation was used instead of the original fiberglass.
IMG_8809.JPG
IMG_8810.JPG
IMG_8812.JPG
 

AZ_Nick

Member
For the rear of the camper I built an enclosure for a tankless hot water heater and shower box. I didn't like the idea of showering inside the camper and mounting the water heater outside eliminated the venting issues as these portable tankless units aren't intended to be used indoors.
IMG_8068.jpg
IMG_8449.JPG
IMG_8452.JPG
 

AZ_Nick

Member
On the other side I just needed a sealed box for garbage and wanted to be able to carry 2 jerry cans for extra fuel and or water.
IMG_8742.jpg
IMG_8769.JPG
IMG_9228.JPG
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,531
Messages
2,875,591
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top