Well it happened again. Since last year February the Sikaflex attached gasket came loose on the front passenger corner as well as the Sikaflex on the bed rails. I band aided it by just shoving it back in place every few weeks, but inevitably I knew I was going to have to remove the camper a third time.
Last year Black Friday I finally ordered a Long Range Tank and that was delivered this year in January. So why not knock out two birds with one stone. This past weekend that is exactly what I did. I pulled the camper off and the truck bed and replaced the tank.
First we will start with the tank. For something so expensive and theoretically not from China I expected the directions to be amazing. Unfortunately at times I felt like I was using Ikea furniture instructions. I am glad that the tank is in, but I will never do that again. I also installed a standpipe for a future Gas Heater that I will install next winter.
With the new tank it was back to getting the truck bed and camper reinstalled. I decided that I was going to use the same double sided tape that the camper was built with to attach the bed rails with as well as attach the camper gasket. Ultimately after some hemming and hawing I decided to not use a gasket at all between the camper and bed. It is now just taped on and a bead of sealant was added as backup to keep dirt out of the tape seam. Only time will tell if this is the end all, be all, but I can assure you it will be the last time I pull the camper off the truck. Leaks or not.
I also upgraded my batteries to Dakota Lithium. I now have a 135ah under the hood and a 315ah in the camper. I know 315ah is super overkill, but I will not need to ever worry and size and weight compared to the existing yellow top optima is negligible. Overall I saved 30lbs.
Last fall I did some upgrades and installed some Camber Engineering upgraded spindles as well as Powerbrake 6 piston brake kit. The brakes are amazing and braking is how it should be now. No more braking early due to the weight. While I was in there I also did the bearings and replaced my upper control arm to a JBA Offroad.
Just a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of realizing that even in front of my house my camper isn't safe. Some ************ tried to drill out the camper lock. Thankfully Tern Overland knows what they are doing and the would be overlander was unable to gain access. Also the folks at Tern are amazing. They were a pleasure to deal with. I was able to order a new lock keyed to my existing key and receive it in less than a week. They also sent me instructions and a video on how to replace the lock myself.
