NOPEC
Well-known member
Well, I thought I had the camper building habit under control but recently I lost my way and sadly, my camper NOPEC and her trusty ride RUBY have to make way in the driveway for yet another “addition”. (interesting the similarity between the words “addition” and “addiction”.....)
NB: I am only interesting in selling the truck and camper as a unit.
The Camper
NOPEC (“New Old Perfect Expedition Camper”) started life in 1995 as a PEAK industries Kodiak 8'3” moulded fibreglass truck camper for short box trucks. About 4 years ago, she was completely gutted and rebuild with a view to making her stronger, lighter, completely weather tight and more thermally efficient. All of the seams were joined to make it truly a one piece camper. Around 40 percent of the exposure to the elements was reduced by the elimination of a variety of windows, hatches, appliances and the addition of smaller acrylic double pane windows. All of the Fiberglas was done with West Systems and Total Boat product. The exterior was finished with three coats of polyurethane industrial paint, rolled on, with one layer containing colloidal silicate to give the paint texture. The paint is still as good as when I applied it. The artwork was done with the same product by my artist co-pilot (shelleylross.ca). All caulking was done with Sikaflex 221 or 291.
Some of the additions were;
-4x Arctic Tern windows
-Novakool compressor fridge – Custom ordered with no freezer
-Propex HS2000 heater
-Propex Malaga HW heater
-All new water tank, sink, taps, water pump, plumbing, Suburban drop in two burner stove, etc
-new horizontal 20lb propane, new regulator, fittings, etc.
-Maxxair OH fancy model fan (kitchen area) and Maxxair vent (sleeping area)
-GoPower 2x 100 flexible watt solar panel, GoPower solar controller, Victron monitor
-Mostly Blue Sea electrical components including ACR, fuse-block, switches, etc.
-All lights, inside and outside, switched to LED fixtures
-Built in dedicated CTEK battery charger (for AC)
-Brand new 100AH Lead Carbon Battery (amazing product and underrated product IMHO....)
-Hardwired for the addition of a DC-DC charger (engine compartment breaker, Anderson style plugs, wire, etc) but I never seem to need anymore juice than what the initial set up gave me, so I never set it up
-Factory back ladder was replaced with a convertible custom build three piece square tube aluminum ladder for “safe” access to the roof. (we regularly carry two ocean going kayaks on the roof and the ladder is a waaay safer way to get up and down, especially for us “oldies”...)
-And a bunch of other features I will add when I think of them
Components that were not changed due them being in excellent condition were;
-The 4x hydraulic jacks work perfectly
-The bathroom received a cosmetic make over (some paint and new shower components) and loss of the OH fan but all of the sink and taps, toilet and fiberglas walls were just fine.
-The grey and black water tanks and valves were just fine. The valve components got a grease job but that was it.
-The mattress is still really good so it stayed as did the upholstery.
-We wanted to keep some of original look so some of the original wood grain panelling stayed.
The Truck
“RUBY” is a 2014 3500 GMC crewcab, short box, 4WD with the Duramax 6.6 diesel engine and automatic Allison transmission, factory LSD and engine brake. It is a “SLE” (middle of the “do-dads”options list...) and I have had it since new, it currently has 160K kilometers (100K miles) and is in extremely good condition. It has not been driven in the winter, only has had two“senior” drivers (arguably a plus....), has never been a daily driver, never seen a pet and is completely kitted out to be an excellent expedition vehicle with a slide in camper. There is not a speck of rust or any accident related body damage what so ever. It is far and away the best truck I have ever owned. It has been from the Mexican border to the Arctic Ocean and much of the road in between.
The camera equipped tailgate and the backseats haven't been used. The back of the cab is equipped with a storage platform which is easy to remove if the seats need to be reinstalled. The truck has;
-stainless steel sliders (GoRhino),
-a Ranch Hand front bumper guard (I added a third cross member so I could add PIAA 100 watt Halogen driving lights),
-LED factory fog lights and LED fan cooled PIAA High beams,
-Torklift frame mounted tie-downs,
-Torklift “quick throw”locking turn buckles (with locks),
-Torklift overload “blocks”(the camper is not heavy enough to to engage the overload spring pack so these blocks force the two spring packs together, makes for a perfect ride..)
-10 ply Geolander AT tires, lots of life left
-Scissors type of folding steps (5) and camper mount, not currently being used on the camper, but easily adapted.
-The newest version of the Allison Transmission Computer Module (TCM), the older ones having had some problem for these trucks in the past.
The truck was manufactured in the US and none of the components, especially related to the emission systems, have ever been messed with so hopefully, it should be easlily importable back to the States. It has clear title.
NB: I am only interesting in selling the truck and camper as a unit.
The Camper
NOPEC (“New Old Perfect Expedition Camper”) started life in 1995 as a PEAK industries Kodiak 8'3” moulded fibreglass truck camper for short box trucks. About 4 years ago, she was completely gutted and rebuild with a view to making her stronger, lighter, completely weather tight and more thermally efficient. All of the seams were joined to make it truly a one piece camper. Around 40 percent of the exposure to the elements was reduced by the elimination of a variety of windows, hatches, appliances and the addition of smaller acrylic double pane windows. All of the Fiberglas was done with West Systems and Total Boat product. The exterior was finished with three coats of polyurethane industrial paint, rolled on, with one layer containing colloidal silicate to give the paint texture. The paint is still as good as when I applied it. The artwork was done with the same product by my artist co-pilot (shelleylross.ca). All caulking was done with Sikaflex 221 or 291.
Some of the additions were;
-4x Arctic Tern windows
-Novakool compressor fridge – Custom ordered with no freezer
-Propex HS2000 heater
-Propex Malaga HW heater
-All new water tank, sink, taps, water pump, plumbing, Suburban drop in two burner stove, etc
-new horizontal 20lb propane, new regulator, fittings, etc.
-Maxxair OH fancy model fan (kitchen area) and Maxxair vent (sleeping area)
-GoPower 2x 100 flexible watt solar panel, GoPower solar controller, Victron monitor
-Mostly Blue Sea electrical components including ACR, fuse-block, switches, etc.
-All lights, inside and outside, switched to LED fixtures
-Built in dedicated CTEK battery charger (for AC)
-Brand new 100AH Lead Carbon Battery (amazing product and underrated product IMHO....)
-Hardwired for the addition of a DC-DC charger (engine compartment breaker, Anderson style plugs, wire, etc) but I never seem to need anymore juice than what the initial set up gave me, so I never set it up
-Factory back ladder was replaced with a convertible custom build three piece square tube aluminum ladder for “safe” access to the roof. (we regularly carry two ocean going kayaks on the roof and the ladder is a waaay safer way to get up and down, especially for us “oldies”...)
-And a bunch of other features I will add when I think of them
Components that were not changed due them being in excellent condition were;
-The 4x hydraulic jacks work perfectly
-The bathroom received a cosmetic make over (some paint and new shower components) and loss of the OH fan but all of the sink and taps, toilet and fiberglas walls were just fine.
-The grey and black water tanks and valves were just fine. The valve components got a grease job but that was it.
-The mattress is still really good so it stayed as did the upholstery.
-We wanted to keep some of original look so some of the original wood grain panelling stayed.
The Truck
“RUBY” is a 2014 3500 GMC crewcab, short box, 4WD with the Duramax 6.6 diesel engine and automatic Allison transmission, factory LSD and engine brake. It is a “SLE” (middle of the “do-dads”options list...) and I have had it since new, it currently has 160K kilometers (100K miles) and is in extremely good condition. It has not been driven in the winter, only has had two“senior” drivers (arguably a plus....), has never been a daily driver, never seen a pet and is completely kitted out to be an excellent expedition vehicle with a slide in camper. There is not a speck of rust or any accident related body damage what so ever. It is far and away the best truck I have ever owned. It has been from the Mexican border to the Arctic Ocean and much of the road in between.
The camera equipped tailgate and the backseats haven't been used. The back of the cab is equipped with a storage platform which is easy to remove if the seats need to be reinstalled. The truck has;
-stainless steel sliders (GoRhino),
-a Ranch Hand front bumper guard (I added a third cross member so I could add PIAA 100 watt Halogen driving lights),
-LED factory fog lights and LED fan cooled PIAA High beams,
-Torklift frame mounted tie-downs,
-Torklift “quick throw”locking turn buckles (with locks),
-Torklift overload “blocks”(the camper is not heavy enough to to engage the overload spring pack so these blocks force the two spring packs together, makes for a perfect ride..)
-10 ply Geolander AT tires, lots of life left
-Scissors type of folding steps (5) and camper mount, not currently being used on the camper, but easily adapted.
-The newest version of the Allison Transmission Computer Module (TCM), the older ones having had some problem for these trucks in the past.
The truck was manufactured in the US and none of the components, especially related to the emission systems, have ever been messed with so hopefully, it should be easlily importable back to the States. It has clear title.
Last edited: