2007 Silverado - Buy Once, Cry Once: 1-tons, 40's & a Custom Camper
- Thread starter Andrew_S
- Start date
Kingsize24
Well-known member
That looks like an amazing amount of progress to me!
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
Looks great!
Something that is noteworthy, is if welding the box's to the flatbed frame. Remember that the bed will flex quite a bit, especially for those who use their rigs. And the box's can get torqued, easier to replace/rebuild and allows a little more flex if bolted.
We used a lot of flatbeds, hard: growing up farming and ranching.
Something that is noteworthy, is if welding the box's to the flatbed frame. Remember that the bed will flex quite a bit, especially for those who use their rigs. And the box's can get torqued, easier to replace/rebuild and allows a little more flex if bolted.
We used a lot of flatbeds, hard: growing up farming and ranching.
colierar
Observer
Just an appreciation post. Thanks for the updates, I come back once a week just to see what else you have done. Keep it up! I love your mid-size, build, but this this is going to be awesome. I did a lot of work on my old caddy in the garage this winter, so I know you have a ton of time in this thing. Very impressive.
Andrew_S
Observer
Thank you, but don't let the pictures fool you, it's more about being cheap and stubborn than talent...
Time is ticking, baby is due in a month... It never feels like I get enough done in a day right now. Thanks for the encouragement though.
Thanks, definitely bolting these, not welding straight to the deck. I placed all of those random tabs on the deck for that exact purpose. 6 - 1/2" bolts hold each box in place.
Thanks for this, I appreciate the encouraging words. Definitely a ton of time and $'s invested at this point. Whenever I see a comparable rig pop up for $300k+ it keeps me motivated. We'll have less than 1/3 of that into this by the time we are done.
First task of the weekend was modifying my spool gun for an M15 standard tip. I got tired of the old tiny tips getting hot and burning back. These tips are half the cost and so far I'm getting almost not burn back. If you own a comparable spool gun, take the 5 mins and do this mod. Wish I had done this years ago.
Next up was making the doors for the boxes on the driver's side,
And just like that, it's done, one side atleast.
So much room for stuff
Onto the arduous task of doing it all over again on the passenger side,
Fortunately I learned all my lessons and this was going much quicker. Knocked out the frames in about 2 hours,
So much easier not having to work in a fuel neck and block outs for the fass.
Mock up
Rear box is totally done, fully welded out. Need to pick up a small piece of sheet tomorrow to finish out the front box and then 2 more doors and this deck is done.
Andrew_S
Observer
Continued on the passenger side today:
Big booty, looking forward to getting a nice reverse light and spare tire set up completed to finish this out.
This is definitely a milestone, first real miles on the swap after a 6-month grind.
Really stoked on how the deck came out. From an idea in my head to reality.
The fuel filler neck works awesome, can run it at full steam in a commercial cardlock with the large commercial nozzle, no issues at all. 250L in only a few mins to fill.
Last one, this thing rides amazing. Tons of power, great road manners and smooths out the rough roads perfectly, way better than I could have hoped for.
Big booty, looking forward to getting a nice reverse light and spare tire set up completed to finish this out.
This is definitely a milestone, first real miles on the swap after a 6-month grind.
Really stoked on how the deck came out. From an idea in my head to reality.
The fuel filler neck works awesome, can run it at full steam in a commercial cardlock with the large commercial nozzle, no issues at all. 250L in only a few mins to fill.
Last one, this thing rides amazing. Tons of power, great road manners and smooths out the rough roads perfectly, way better than I could have hoped for.
Kingsize24
Well-known member
Dude!!! Knocked it out of the park man!
Andrew_S
Observer
Thanks for all the good words above, it's been a grind for nearly 6 months and it's definitely super rewarding to see it all start to materialize. Still lots to do though.
A younger me would have definitely said yes, colour match the front bumper. I kind of like the chrome finish now, not necessarily for the shiny bits, but for the durability. I can rub this thing up against trees and scrape it through drainage ditches and I don't have to worry about scratching paint. The only other thing might be line-x, but in my experience, it doesn't stick well to a chrome surface.
Thanks, don't look to close, it's a solid 50 footer haha.
Put an hour or so in tonight, got my bulkheads and chucks installed on both sides of the truck in the front boxes.
Also ran both front and rear locker air lines. This air system is complete, except for a bit of wiring for the compressor and locker solenoids.
Thanks for this. There was 2 goals with the deck, make sure it doesn't look like the municipal truck flat decks you see everywhere and also try to not make it look like a total home built deal. Bowen was definitely the inspiration for some elements of it, so that comment hits home for me, thanks again.
A younger me would have definitely said yes, colour match the front bumper. I kind of like the chrome finish now, not necessarily for the shiny bits, but for the durability. I can rub this thing up against trees and scrape it through drainage ditches and I don't have to worry about scratching paint. The only other thing might be line-x, but in my experience, it doesn't stick well to a chrome surface.
I definitely plan to mess with the rear springs once the camper is sorted. Likely add a couple main springs with more flex and maybe remove the overloads. Nothing planned just yet though.This is simply amazing to see come to fruition, it looks beauty.
What are your plans for rear ride height once the weight of the camper is on?
VERY stoked to see this level of imagination, forethought, fabrication skill, and precise execution.... also in BC
Cheers,
Joe
Thanks, don't look to close, it's a solid 50 footer haha.
Put an hour or so in tonight, got my bulkheads and chucks installed on both sides of the truck in the front boxes.
Also ran both front and rear locker air lines. This air system is complete, except for a bit of wiring for the compressor and locker solenoids.