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Lowly Update: After showing Lowly to Jon and Heather (VerMonsterRV's owners) during their visit and discussing some of the issues I was having with the hydraulically driven winch and hold-down claws, it was determined that Lowly go on another diet. The entire hydraulic power unit (reservoir...

Had the pleasure of hosting the Vermonster and its occupants Jon and Heather for a night as they made their way thru to visit the Redwoods. So glad to meet up with other people who have equally crazy ideas as us. We just wish we were as quick in the conversion process as they were! They did a...

Thanks for the reminder on the differences in coefficients of thermal expansion between the two materials. I plan on providing quite a bit of slop between the aluminum sliders and the UHMW track. The track will be a slip fit inside the steel tubing at average ambient temps and be held in with...

Lowly Update: The integrated, hydraulically powered winch necessitated a "rail on" style subframe for the habitat, rather than a more desirable 3 or 4-point subframe. In an effort to limit torsional stresses being transmitted into the habitat from the truck's chassis through this subframe I...

Lowly Update: Had a bit of rework to do on the long C-channel components of the subframe due to assumptions I made about how it was to mate up to the habitat floor. I should have waited but was eager to try and stay ahead of the habitat delivery; strikes and gutters. With the habitat...

Lowly Update: The Globe Trekker habitat has arrived! Thanks to the WuFlu and it resulting disruptions/shortages in the aluminum supply chain the delivery date got pushed back a couple times (the edges of the Globe Trekker habitat are aluminum extrusion with a cleverly designed thermal brake)...

Lowly Update: Took a couple weeks off to raft in Idaho with the family. Got back home with a deadline to get Lowly out of the shop for the incoming habitat components. Finally got the hubs painted, the sway bar bushings installed, the wheels/tires put back on. Time to tilt the cab back down...

Lowly Update: Work continues on prepping the subframe components before welding. Layout for subframe and accessory mounting points: All holes and cutouts preferably need to happen before welding. Much easier to drill this many holes (well over 100) with a drill-press than a hand or...

Lowly Update: With the habitat box components due to arrive within the next week or so (timing is working out for Globe Trekker to deliver them rather than me having to make the trip up to Portland) I figured it was high time to start cracking on the sub-frame. All of the linear material has...

Jon, Yeah, those linkages running from the underside of the chassis down to the sway bar are what these 3D printed parts are replacing. See post #256 of this thread for pictures of how badly rusted ours were; a terrible original design. Pound-for-pound the carbon fiber/nylon is stronger and...

Lowly Update: After wrestling (dealing with the learning curve) with my 3D printer I was finally able to successfully print the two rear sway bar shackles out of Carbon Fiber/Nylon: Sourced some bushings to help distribute the fastener-shackle loads and it was time to assemble: The...

Lowly Update: Big news! Just pulled the trigger on the habitat box. Decided to go with Globe Trekker, a new business that has begun making and supplying the box components here in the USA and better yet, right here in the state of Oregon. With the understanding that they are a new...

Lowly Update + Questions: Front leaf spring swap continues; as in most things that come my way, it has become more complicated than originally anticipated! Mounting hardware that was removable was taken off the truck, blasted and painted. The critters once again assisted in some of the rust...

Lowly Update: With the rear leaf springs installed it was time to mount up the new wheels/tires for the first time. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous that I somehow goofed on measuring Lowly's hubs and Stazworks then followed those measurements into a very costly mistake. Checking the...

Lowly Update: Rust mitigation commenced once the old springs were removed. Whatever was small enough to fit in the media blaster got a good cleaning; everything else got scraped and scoured. Next came a couple coats of rust converter followed by a couple coats of Rustoleum's "Massey Ferguson...

Shop Update: A bit of shop infrastructure was needing to be brought online in order to continue making headway on Lowly. Thanks to beachfront living in his former life Lowly is pretty rusty in quite a few places. In the process of replacing leaf springs some of these places were made easily...

Lowly Update: Lowly gots himself some new shoes! If you've been following along with this saga it is not breaking news that my hunt for wheels and tires has been quite circuitous. I finally was able to source both the tires and custom wheels from two shops who happen to be near each other in...

Lowly Update: Leaf spring work commences. Jacked the rear of the truck up and set the chassis on jack stands. Removed the dualies on each side and then used the jack to lift the left side of the rear axle until the leaf stack was neutral. Then the fun began. For those of you just tuning in...

Lowly Update: Parabolic springs arrived via sea freight from Germany. Ordered on December 2nd, delivered to Southern Oregon on March 17th. Needless to say, a Super Mario Bros warp tube was not used in the delivery of these springs! Who better to pick them up from the delivery point than...

Trip Recap: Distance traveled: 1115 miles Total diesel consumed: lost track Estimated fuel economy: 9 miles/gal Number of miles driven across the Columbia River I-205 Bridge dragging my exhaust pipe: 3+ Hours spent driving without earplugs with truck's exhaust exiting directly beneath cab: 10...