rodtermaat
New member
I have been a lurker here for many years. I even had a couple of false starts over the years with a rotten Alaskan and a jeep camper build I could not complete. For various reasons my expedition / travel vehicle for the last couple of years was a Prius. Not real expedition worthy, but you get to where you are going with $ in your pocket. Actually, it is a pretty good car for camping and you can comfortable sleep in the back.
Of course I have large plans in the future that involve month long trips across N America, but more realistically, I need to get my son thru college over the next couple of years. My immediate plans are to build up a nice truck for camping with the misses and to go to woodworking events / classes. I build chairs and carve for a hobby.
I finally saved the cash for a truck and found a nice 2002 F150 regular cab 4x4. It has the V6 and a 5 speed so its not going to win any contests, but remember I am coming off a 2 year Prius binge so it feels like a race truck to me. Oh yeah, owned by and old guy with 40,000 miles
Goals:
Somewhat stealth camping when needed
Camper topper thingy
2nd battery to run fan, lights, someday a fridge
Capable of solar
Forest road ready
First steps are to ensure the truck has all the pm's done: new fluids throughout, plugs, throttle body clean… I will be doing those over the next several weeks as time allows. I am also working on master degree, finishing a kitchen remodel where I build all my own cabinets, and have a chair or two to finish. Yeah I'm busy just like the rest of us.
Last weekend I did my first projects. I really hate chrome and this truck came with a sweet set of fake chrome hubcaps. I used the vast sum of $ in my wallet to correct that situation. $6 dollars in paint and a few hours of work. I also did the Gotts mod to the air cleaner.
I have done a ton of research on truck campers and camper shells and at first decided to build my own shell with folding beds in order to retain the truck bed floor for woodworking. I think I am changing my tune and really excited about that topper ez lift. It reminds of the Alaskcan and would give me some head room to work with. The truck came with a decent topper so I could temporarily cut out a bunch of work and go straight to the interior work. I think I will still build out a taller shell in the future and basically have my own version of the Alaskan camper. We will call it a Nebraska camper for now - subject to change. I plan to build out chase lounge beds over the wheel wells that fold upwards when needed. They will allow me to have sitting position with a table to eat, of course sleeping, but also reclining for late night movie watching or most likely studying statistics.
The other major thing is to figure out the whole second battery and power to the truck bed. There is almost information overload on this subject so any pointers are appreciated.
I have noticed very few after market parts for these trucks, but someday I want to replace the front bumper with something more awesome. I love the truck, but man I hate that front bumper.
rod
Of course I have large plans in the future that involve month long trips across N America, but more realistically, I need to get my son thru college over the next couple of years. My immediate plans are to build up a nice truck for camping with the misses and to go to woodworking events / classes. I build chairs and carve for a hobby.
I finally saved the cash for a truck and found a nice 2002 F150 regular cab 4x4. It has the V6 and a 5 speed so its not going to win any contests, but remember I am coming off a 2 year Prius binge so it feels like a race truck to me. Oh yeah, owned by and old guy with 40,000 miles
Goals:
Somewhat stealth camping when needed
Camper topper thingy
2nd battery to run fan, lights, someday a fridge
Capable of solar
Forest road ready
First steps are to ensure the truck has all the pm's done: new fluids throughout, plugs, throttle body clean… I will be doing those over the next several weeks as time allows. I am also working on master degree, finishing a kitchen remodel where I build all my own cabinets, and have a chair or two to finish. Yeah I'm busy just like the rest of us.
Last weekend I did my first projects. I really hate chrome and this truck came with a sweet set of fake chrome hubcaps. I used the vast sum of $ in my wallet to correct that situation. $6 dollars in paint and a few hours of work. I also did the Gotts mod to the air cleaner.
I have done a ton of research on truck campers and camper shells and at first decided to build my own shell with folding beds in order to retain the truck bed floor for woodworking. I think I am changing my tune and really excited about that topper ez lift. It reminds of the Alaskcan and would give me some head room to work with. The truck came with a decent topper so I could temporarily cut out a bunch of work and go straight to the interior work. I think I will still build out a taller shell in the future and basically have my own version of the Alaskan camper. We will call it a Nebraska camper for now - subject to change. I plan to build out chase lounge beds over the wheel wells that fold upwards when needed. They will allow me to have sitting position with a table to eat, of course sleeping, but also reclining for late night movie watching or most likely studying statistics.
The other major thing is to figure out the whole second battery and power to the truck bed. There is almost information overload on this subject so any pointers are appreciated.
I have noticed very few after market parts for these trucks, but someday I want to replace the front bumper with something more awesome. I love the truck, but man I hate that front bumper.
rod
