Five minutes with a rattle can of $3 black paint would improve the appearance of the lift platform substantially.
Isuzu NPR HD Truck Camper Build
- Thread starter VicHanson
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Five minutes with a rattle can of $3 black paint would improve the appearance of the lift platform substantially.
VicHanson
Adventurer
Thanks, Kerry, I will put it on my to do list. But it will need to be wire brushed some first! I got the letters off the sides today, still need to do the roll up door.
Here are the prices I got from Busbee: 1 wheel - $125, 2 wheels - $200, shipping - about $25 per wheel. Used tires 215 85 16" - $50 each. 33 gal. side tank with mounting brackets - $250. All for Isuzu NPR. I might try to stop there on my way north and pick them up, unless I can find something cheaper locally.
Vic
Here are the prices I got from Busbee: 1 wheel - $125, 2 wheels - $200, shipping - about $25 per wheel. Used tires 215 85 16" - $50 each. 33 gal. side tank with mounting brackets - $250. All for Isuzu NPR. I might try to stop there on my way north and pick them up, unless I can find something cheaper locally.
Vic
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Thanks for the info and link to the pics. I have an idea rattling around in my head for the box. (lots of room to rattle!)
I would have no use for the lift gate though.
VicHanson
Adventurer
I got all of the lettering cleaned off of the truck box yesterday, this afternoon I got the lift platform repainted and it looks much better. Need to do a bit of touch on on the roll up door and then it will be ready to remove and sell. But before I remove it, I need to decide what materials I need to buy and go get those while I still have the box on the truck.
I was planning on building the flatbed for the camper out of wood, but a friend of my cousin's has an aluminum fabrication shop, and he gave me a quote of $940 to build the frame out of 4" aluminum, and mount it on the truck. This price does not include the decking material, I am still planning on using plywood for that. Any thoughts on the price? It seems resonable to me, but it is quite a bit more than a wood frame would cost. Trying to decide if it is worth it?
I was all set to use 2 layers of 15/32" pressure treated plywood for the deck, but was told that it would have to dry for up to 30 days before it could be sealed or even glued together. Has anyone glued PT plywood together? Also, any idea how much glue (Elmer's wood glue) it would take to glue two 4x8 sheets of plywood together? The 'experts' at Lowes said it could take close to a gallon, which seems like a lot!
I'm considering switching to 'exterior' grade plywood (not marine), which is about $5 a sheet more than interior plywood at Lowes, the guys at Home Depot had never heard of it. I remember exterior grade used to be common in California. Is that a West Coast thing or isn't it used much anymore? Then I would use Thompson's Water Seal and a polyurethane varnish to seal it.
Any thoughts?
Thanks, Vic
PS I got down to South Fort Myers to see Jim last week, enjoyed visiting with him and seeing his trailer.
I was planning on building the flatbed for the camper out of wood, but a friend of my cousin's has an aluminum fabrication shop, and he gave me a quote of $940 to build the frame out of 4" aluminum, and mount it on the truck. This price does not include the decking material, I am still planning on using plywood for that. Any thoughts on the price? It seems resonable to me, but it is quite a bit more than a wood frame would cost. Trying to decide if it is worth it?
I was all set to use 2 layers of 15/32" pressure treated plywood for the deck, but was told that it would have to dry for up to 30 days before it could be sealed or even glued together. Has anyone glued PT plywood together? Also, any idea how much glue (Elmer's wood glue) it would take to glue two 4x8 sheets of plywood together? The 'experts' at Lowes said it could take close to a gallon, which seems like a lot!
I'm considering switching to 'exterior' grade plywood (not marine), which is about $5 a sheet more than interior plywood at Lowes, the guys at Home Depot had never heard of it. I remember exterior grade used to be common in California. Is that a West Coast thing or isn't it used much anymore? Then I would use Thompson's Water Seal and a polyurethane varnish to seal it.
Any thoughts?
Thanks, Vic
PS I got down to South Fort Myers to see Jim last week, enjoyed visiting with him and seeing his trailer.
VicHanson
Adventurer
Due to the time and effort to rebuild my current camper I am again considering building a camper from scratch, and using the truck camper for parts. I have to take all the siding off the camper, got the left side done today. Many of the 1x2s need replacing, as well as the only 1x4 (one on each side), which supports the over the cab bed. I removed the 1x4 today and found that it is stapled to every joining 1x2 on the inside as well as the outside. It is also glued to the interior 1/8" plywood, so delaminated part of that when I pulled it off. About a 1/3 of that plywood is rotten and should be replaced, but there is no way to do that without removing all of the interior cabinets and the bathroom. It has a vinyl covering on the inside, which is OK, so I could possibly just glue the ridgid foam insulation directly to the plywood, or whatever is left of it and it might be OK. I was planning on putting Lauan plywood over the insulation, under the siding, so it would still be stronger than before.
I had the thought today that it might be easier to build a whole new camper rather than try to rebuild the walls of the current one. If I made it the same size and basically the same layout, I could reuse all of the components of the old camper, cabinets, shelves and closets, bathroom, bed, appliances, even the wireing and the plumbing. It looks like it would be fairly easy to change from a rear door to a side door at the same time, which would be an added bonus.
Something more to think about anyway!
On a side note, I bought a used mtn. bike today, it is a Schwinn S-30 full suspension, aluminum frame, for $75. The seller said he had only ridden it a few miles - it looks brand new. They aren't a very expensive bike, but rides and shifts good, and it perfect for what I want it for. After a few crashes and broken items (on me, not the bike) a number of years ago, I don't expect to be doing much technical single track anyway.
I had the thought today that it might be easier to build a whole new camper rather than try to rebuild the walls of the current one. If I made it the same size and basically the same layout, I could reuse all of the components of the old camper, cabinets, shelves and closets, bathroom, bed, appliances, even the wireing and the plumbing. It looks like it would be fairly easy to change from a rear door to a side door at the same time, which would be an added bonus.
Something more to think about anyway!
On a side note, I bought a used mtn. bike today, it is a Schwinn S-30 full suspension, aluminum frame, for $75. The seller said he had only ridden it a few miles - it looks brand new. They aren't a very expensive bike, but rides and shifts good, and it perfect for what I want it for. After a few crashes and broken items (on me, not the bike) a number of years ago, I don't expect to be doing much technical single track anyway.
Sounds like a HUGE project! Keep us posted.
Certainly could be done. My take on the matter is that there are tons of used campers available on the market at fairly low prices. I'd look for a used camper in good condition rather than take the large amount of time and money necessary to build one from scratch. Probably a break even proposition when it comes to $$. It would be advantageous to purchase a used camper that spent its life in a dry climate.
VicHanson
Adventurer
OK guys, thanks, wiser heads have prevailed and I will rebuild the existing truck camper. I just met with Dana, the one who will build the aluminum flat bed frame, and he gave me some ideas about repairing the camper, and strongly recommended not starting over and building a new camper shell. I gave him the go ahead to start building the new frame, it should be ready by Tuesday of next week. I will then take the truck to his shop and he will cut the frame where it was extended to mount the lift platform, and loosen the mounting bolts on the box. His shop is near the Isuzu dealer, so I will then take the truck there and have them lift off the box and have them sell it on consignment for me. Then I will take the truck back to Dana's shop and they will mount the new frame on the truck, and then I will put the plywood bed on it.
I've got all the siding and insulation off the camper so now I can see what wood needs to be replaced. I also took the air conditioner off, and will take out the furnace. I think I will put the water heated back in, and also will keep the oven. Unfortunately I didn't check any of them to see if they worked before I started pulling things apart! I am debating whether or not to keep the refrigerator - it is only propane or 120v, not 12v. I would like to replace it with a small dorm type 120v fridge and run it off the inverter. I found a Magic Chef at Lowes that is very efficient, manual defrost, has a nice freezer and is the perfect size (4.1 cf, plus freezer), and is only $200, but it says in the manual not to use it with an inverter. Home Depot has a similar one (Whirlpool?) but it is $300, has auto defrost and not quite as efficient, but it doesn't say anything about not using it with an inverter. Guess I need to call them and see if it is different from other refrigerators.
Well I need to get back to work on the camper, thanks again for the advice.
Vic
I've got all the siding and insulation off the camper so now I can see what wood needs to be replaced. I also took the air conditioner off, and will take out the furnace. I think I will put the water heated back in, and also will keep the oven. Unfortunately I didn't check any of them to see if they worked before I started pulling things apart! I am debating whether or not to keep the refrigerator - it is only propane or 120v, not 12v. I would like to replace it with a small dorm type 120v fridge and run it off the inverter. I found a Magic Chef at Lowes that is very efficient, manual defrost, has a nice freezer and is the perfect size (4.1 cf, plus freezer), and is only $200, but it says in the manual not to use it with an inverter. Home Depot has a similar one (Whirlpool?) but it is $300, has auto defrost and not quite as efficient, but it doesn't say anything about not using it with an inverter. Guess I need to call them and see if it is different from other refrigerators.
Well I need to get back to work on the camper, thanks again for the advice.
Vic
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Vic,
Check with them on this. As a very loose rule, anything with digital control needs to run through a pure sine wave inverter. Possibly these guys are saying "inverter" to generally cover themselves when they should be more accurately saying "don't use the product with a square wave or modified sine wave inverter". I reckon it's worth a check if an AC electric fridge is what you've decided on.
Of course, it's technically not as efficient as 24V DC electric due to the inverter inefficiencies and they usually have a higher duty cycle (from the thinner insulation) so they will use a little more power but sure, an AC fridge will initially be a fraction of the price. Then again a pure sine inverter big enough to run a fridge will be alot more than a square wave. So weigh up everything carefully.
I can give you some tips on gas(propane) fridge installation (if you ever need just PM) but the last one I installed was way back in '98.
John
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Everyone has different opinions on fridges. But for what it's worth, I far prefer a propane frig to an electric one. First off, there is no compressor to fail but secondly, electric fridges are typically power hogs if run off batteries. I love my propane/120volt fridges.
VicHanson
Adventurer
It's not a fancy fridge, just plain basic model, no digital controls. I checked on their website and the downloadable manual there doesn't say anything about inverters or RV use. On some other models it does, on some it doesn't. My guess is that they put that in there just for product liability protection, not sure if they are adding it or taking it out of their manuals.
It only draws 1 amp if I remember right, 290 KW per year according to the yellow energy tag.
I sent them a mail to customer service, and it was rejected - mailbox full !! Guess I will need to call them.
It only draws 1 amp if I remember right, 290 KW per year according to the yellow energy tag.
I sent them a mail to customer service, and it was rejected - mailbox full !! Guess I will need to call them.
VicHanson
Adventurer
I bought a bunch of 1x2, 1x3 and 1x4 today, and started cutting them to replace the bad wood. Will put them in with Liquid Nails adhesive, and I think staples, like was done at the factory. Too hard to use screws with the inside paneling on. Feels good to be starting on putting it together, instead of tearing it apart!
john101477
Photographer in the Wild
pics or it didn't happen lol
I have been watching intently and reading along. would love to see your preperations as you go. As i stated earlier, I also own an 01 NPR flatbed. I figure if i can't sell the dang thing i might as well use it
I have been watching intently and reading along. would love to see your preperations as you go. As i stated earlier, I also own an 01 NPR flatbed. I figure if i can't sell the dang thing i might as well use it
VicHanson
Adventurer
I was hoping to get lots of work done on the camper today, but spent most of the day running around shopping. I put the first new board on this morning, but the staples I had were one inch in length, and they should be 5/8". I went looking for some, and finally found them at a builder's supply store - $88 for a box of 10,000! After a few other stops, I found them for about $30, but still a box of 10,000. I probably should have gotten them, but will see if I can a smaller box, only need a couple of hundred.
I bought some more lumber, including the plywood for the flat bed, finally decided to go with treated, after much debate. I was also looking for a truck parts store for filters last night by Internet, and found another Isuzu truck dealer, they also sell Fuso and Hino. I went there today to see if they would buy the truck body. They offered me $1000 and they would remove it. I explained that I was going to have the flatbed builder prepare it for removal and asked if they would give me $1100, which they agreed to. So on Tuesday, I will take it there and they said they would have my check ready, and take the bed off!
I also looked at the refrigerator again at Home Depot, and the price had gone up $20. I asked when that happened so the salesman checked the computer and it still showed $199 there, so he said he would sell it for that. But when he went to get one they didn't have any in stock, so I asked about the floor model, and he gave me that with a $25 discount.
The sticker on the back says it draws 1.5 amps and the yellow label says 290 KW per year. I bought a Kill a Watt meter so see what it uses and after it got cold, in 2 hours it has used less than .04 KW (still shows .03 so it is between .03 and .04). 290 KW per year equals just under .8 KW per day or .033 per hour, so it is very efficient! It is almost silent as well, which is important when it is just a few feet from my bed. I'll check it again after 24 hours and then after a few days to get a more exact reading, but I should have plenty of solar power to run that. It is a bit of a $200 gamble to see if it will work OK with the inverter, but life is full of uncertainties!
OK John, a few pics! Two 'before' photos and one of the first new board! Didn't get anything more done on it today.
I bought some more lumber, including the plywood for the flat bed, finally decided to go with treated, after much debate. I was also looking for a truck parts store for filters last night by Internet, and found another Isuzu truck dealer, they also sell Fuso and Hino. I went there today to see if they would buy the truck body. They offered me $1000 and they would remove it. I explained that I was going to have the flatbed builder prepare it for removal and asked if they would give me $1100, which they agreed to. So on Tuesday, I will take it there and they said they would have my check ready, and take the bed off!
I also looked at the refrigerator again at Home Depot, and the price had gone up $20. I asked when that happened so the salesman checked the computer and it still showed $199 there, so he said he would sell it for that. But when he went to get one they didn't have any in stock, so I asked about the floor model, and he gave me that with a $25 discount.
The sticker on the back says it draws 1.5 amps and the yellow label says 290 KW per year. I bought a Kill a Watt meter so see what it uses and after it got cold, in 2 hours it has used less than .04 KW (still shows .03 so it is between .03 and .04). 290 KW per year equals just under .8 KW per day or .033 per hour, so it is very efficient! It is almost silent as well, which is important when it is just a few feet from my bed. I'll check it again after 24 hours and then after a few days to get a more exact reading, but I should have plenty of solar power to run that. It is a bit of a $200 gamble to see if it will work OK with the inverter, but life is full of uncertainties!
OK John, a few pics! Two 'before' photos and one of the first new board! Didn't get anything more done on it today.
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