DIY Composite Camper T100 Expedition Vehicle Build

[NVLOC]

I saw Deaver for this. Had the same requirements. They rebuilt my stock T100 leaf pack: rear arched the pack slightly and added two leafs (plus new ubolts). They did an excellent job at a very fair price : flexes better than stock and holds the weight as desired. Had them put in new oem bushings that i provided at the same time. I wouldn't buy something online if these guys are remotely close by to you.

Factory bumpstop not in place yet in picture.

 

[rruff]

They did an excellent job at a very fair price : flexes better than stock and holds the weight as desired.

How much and when?

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

I can buy both short and long add-a-leafs for my truck (and both would probably be good), but... they usually take a pretty thin leaf and curve it too much to get the lift... and the result is usually that it will break before too long, since with a load it will be stressed more than the others. At least that is my theory. Currently I just have airbags.

If you have a spring shop locally, ask them what adding a leaf or two will cost. It may be more expensive, but it would last longer I bet. I don't have any shops near unfortunately.

I think the steel used is all the same, so width, thickness, length, and curvature are the main variables. I'm kinda surprised that you can't kind find a long one. There is probably something that would fit.

I suspect there is something that would fit. I just haven't found anything marketed as being correct fitment for T100s. I honestly don't know how critical the arch, length, width, or thickness of each to leaf in the pack is to the performance or longevity of the springs, so I've been hesitant to get creative.
I haven't found any used T100 leafs for sale in my area either otherwise I would just try DIYing my own.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

I saw Deaver for this.

I've always heard good things about Deaver. They are a few hours away, but I contacted them to see what they suggest and get a quote.

 

[NVLOC]

How much and when?

Pm'd you

 

[NVLOC]

I've always heard good things about Deaver. They are a few hours away, but I contacted them to see what they suggest and get a quote.

I think this is your best bet. They know what they're doing, turn around in a day and prices are fair as mentioned. Solid family owned business that knows their stuff and cares about their product/customers.

 

[NVLOC]

I've always heard good things about Deaver. They are a few hours away, but I contacted them to see what they suggest and get a quote.

PM'd you

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

UPDATE
Ticked a couple more projects off the to-do-list.
I built an entry step that swings up under the camper to stow away. It's made of scrap steel, hinges, and bolt latches.


Buying a step stool would have been a lot easier, but wouldn't have worked well most places we camp.
I would have liked to keep the design simpler, but this was the best I could come up with to meet my goals:
-doesn't require firm, level ground to function well
-doesn't reduce my departure angle when stowed
-doesn't block door when stowed
-doesn't stick out behind the camper when stowed
-easy to deploy/stow
-easy to use entering and exiting the camper

It's a little more cumbersome than I was hoping for, but once I'm using it on a regular basis I suspect it will start feeling a lot easier. currently it takes about 40 seconds to deploy or stow.

I also modified my old ARB awning to fit the back of my camper. I disassembled it and cut down the canvas and the storage bag by 2 feet then hand stitched the hem seams.


I used a chop saw to cut down the aluminum extrusions and drilled new mounting holes for the arms and legs of the awning. Then reassembled everything and mounted it to the camper with screws and sikaflex 221.


The result is a 6x8 foot awning mounted and sealed to the back of the camper. It provides a nice amount of shade and should make for a nice dry entryway in the rain.

Here is the video if you are interested in more.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

UPDATE

We finally took the new camper out on a little trip in our local national forest.


It was good to get a feel for the space with 2 of us in there and see how it functioned. I did a handful of small projects after the trip. Some of them I was planning on doing and some I realized needed to be done while we were camping.
I installed a paper towel holder and some little hooks in the ceiling for oven mitts and napkins.


I built a 1lbs propane bottle holder out of some scrap plywood and 1x2 lumber. There is a bit of shock cord that runs across it to hold the bottles in place. The mount is screwed into the wall behind the stove.


I built a little trash shoot in the side of the passenger side cabinet. It feeds into a small trash bag behind the fridge. The trash shoot is made of PVC fittings that I modified and fixed onto the cabinet all its Sikaflex 221


Once I put in the 6" foam mattress in got pretty tough to get in and out of the bed, so I got a sturdy folding step stool.


we spent a little bit of time driving on some gravel roads and it reminded me I wanted to put some mud flaps on the rear. I welded a couple tabs to the subframe behind each wheel well and bolted on these fairly stiff mud flaps.


Here is my video from our trip and the modifications I made:

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

UPDATE

I finished a couple more little projects. The first being an adjustable surfboard rack. I used some of the leftover aluminum extrusion from my ARB awning mod as mounting track for the rack arms and made the arms out of scrap steel. I normally travel with 3 surfboards, so this will let me keep my boards easily accessible while also being protected from sun, scratching branches, or thieves. I can also adjust or remove the rack arms to accommodate other loads.


I also installed an LED light bar in the front bumper. I welded some angle iron to the truck frame to make it easy to mount the adjustable bracket that came with the light bar and cut a big hole out of the stock bumper to let the light shine through. Wiring the light was super easy with the included wiring harness and switch. A bit of black paint and I'm calling it good.


Here is the video with all the details

 

[rruff]

Hey Matt, did you ever get your rear suspension sorted?

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

Hey Matt, did you ever get your rear suspension sorted?

No. That's still on the to-do-list. It rides nice on the stock springs, but I know I need to make some changes for off pavement driving with it fully loaded.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

I consolidated my build episodes into one abbreviated video, so if you just found this thread and want the project summery, watch this:


The video has chapters, so you can skip around to see what interests you.

 

[mangymarmot]

Bravo! Nicely done. Hoping to run into you guys during our travels so I can check out the build in person.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

Just sharing another video I thought you all might be interested in. I try to answer the questions I get asked the most about my camper build.


To answer the question I get asked the most here on the forum, The camper dry weight (camper with fridge, toilet, mattress, stove, lights, fans, solar... but NOT including water or house battery) is 1300 LB.