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The auto shop says that there shouldn't be too much of a problem bending the frame back even though upon further inspection, I see the frame has been so racked that the front tires are about an inch offset from each other fore-aft. After the frame adjustment and the minor body work, they are...

Nida core is great stuff. You get the frame, skin, and insulation in one piece. The cost really isn't too bad, around $200 a 4' x 8' sheet. Working with fiberglass isn't too terribly hard, but very itchy, especially when doing the cuts. You must have a 8" disk sander and know how to use it...

David--I'm in a similar situation since the leaf springs on my 2004 with 1000 lb camper were broken in our recent accident. Deaver told me to just get a new stock pack (with overloads) and they would add leaves as required, rather than getting a full custom pack. So let me know how they go...

Good point, Scott, on the negative arch thing. Since I'm not looking for lift, my springs would be much more susceptible to going into the negative arch zone. On the rivet vs weld subject, you do get stress risers at rivet holes, but you also get stress risers at a weld joint, due to both the...

overload springs necessary? Hey Scott Brady or anyone else with a heavy truck and Deavers: I'm trying to piece my rig back together and get custom leaf springs. Scott Born at Deaver said my best bet would be to get new stock springs (since they are broken) and then take it to him to add leaves...

Thanks for the info Tacodoc. Our 2004 taco frame (slightly bent) is 41" rail to rail. Wouldn't be an easy swap as my mounts would be coming up short. oh well...

I don't know the exact weight breakdown of truck vs camper, but its somewhere around 1000 lbs including extra battery, refrigerator, compressor, mattress, etc. Just no clothes, food, and water. I'll get the real weight in a couple of days since I'm going to be taking the camper off the frame...

260 increase in GVWR and 190 decrease in payload = 450 lbs increase in vehicle weight. I just can't imagine taking a 2004 Tacoma and trying to add 450 lbs of steel to it without actually beefing up whatever is needed to increase the payload.

I've just been looking at the possibility of putting the camper on a 2005+ Tacoma if it came to that. I noticed that the shock is now mounted on the outboard side of the frame making me think that the frame might not be any wider than on the 2004 and earlier tacomas, despite the 4" increase in...

Does Deaver do the full custom thing like Alcan or do they just have a few different models to choose from? The Deavers for sale on Whelers Off Road, say that "there is a decrease in gross max weight handling capability over the stock leaf packs". Will they make packs for more weight? I know...

Nida Core is good stuff and easy to work with if you are familiar fiberglass and polyester or epoxy resins. If you are not, some experimenting with the resin's cure times and behavior would definitely be required. Cutting the nida core is as easy as cutting plywood, though is very itchy and...

Thanks for all the help everyone, we really appreciate it. Once the adjuster gets out to check the damage, I'm going to take the camper off the truck and be able to see what's really going on. At least I'll be able to sight along the length of the frame better and see how extensive the damage...

I don't know if I should be posting here or the suicide hotline... Our Mexico trip was a disaster. An accident on the highway in Baja has left the camper somewhat damaged and the truck on the verge of being totalled. At least we had insurance. At least the camper is somewhat intact. At...

Hey guys, thanks for all the support. Holly's posting another blog entry showing some of the minor mods we've been making as we try to stuff another baja trip in during the xmas madness. We finally weighed the truck, coming in at 4520 dry (including camper, suspension mods, fridge, extra...