2020 Ram 5500 DIY Composite Panel Camper Build Thread

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Listen to your friends. Those hinges are horrible.

Care to elaborate?

 

[ITTOG]

Care to elaborate?

Just agreeing with them on the hinges. The latches are very nice though.

I feel you have these cool recessed latches that look like current generation hardware. Then you are using these 1930's hinges that just don't fit the quality of the rest of the build and they are an eye sore.

I do understand simplicity but I would think there would be a better hinge out there that is still simple and more appropriate to match the quality of everything else you have done.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Just agreeing with them on the hinges. The latches are very nice though.

I feel you have these cool recessed latches that look like current generation hardware. Then you are using these 1930's hinges that just don't fit the quality of the rest of the build and they are an eye sore.

I do understand simplicity but I would think there would be a better hinge out there that is still simple and more appropriate to match the quality of everything else you have done.

Thanks for the feedback.

I actually agree with your opinion / assessment 110%

The 8020 extrusions are proving absolutely amazing for 90% of the build, but the 10% where they are proving challenging is kicking my butt.

Finding decent hinges that work cleanly with the extrusions has been a challenge to say the least.

I am still looking for the perfect ones, and will likely change them out at some point, but for the interim, these will function as i need them to.

My main thing i am trying to focus on is getting the foundation and main guts complete, and then enlist then help of a friend with magical wood work skills to make it all pretty!

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Here are some hinges that will just about disappear with a dab of paint and weigh nothing.
PRODUCTS | carbonhinge
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[HAF]

I used piano hinged on a set of aluminum cabinets I have built. The frame was 80-20 radiuses profiles. You could use piano hinges if you simply add a small aluminum angle to the backside of your plywood fronts. Could even add-glue a strip of wood to back side. Both methods will provide a way to secure the hinge.

 

[wfv56]

Nice clean look. HAF

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

We found that with conventional overhead cupboards, stuff wandered up and down, so we put everything in boxes.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

I used piano hinged on a set of aluminum cabinets I have built. The frame was 80-20 radiuses profiles. You could use piano hinges if you simply add a small aluminum angle to the backside of your plywood fronts. Could even add-glue a strip of wood to back side. Both methods will provide a way to secure the hinge.

Dang! That looks amazing @HAF

Thanks for sharing

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

UPDATES, KINDA NOT REALLY...

All the appliances are in now and wired to the breaker panel and functioning. More importantly, i finally have a place to SIT DOWN COMFORTABLY! Woohoo!

I went with this High Point convection microwave oven, and although install was quite an ordeal to get it done cleanly, it works amazingly well and is a game changer, its huge, and takes up a ton of room, but its basically a do all appliance: https://www.recpro.com/rv-convection-microwave-stainless-steel/

Progress is coming along but has been SLOWWWWWW

I have basically zero wood working experience, so the dinette area, microwave box, bed steps and such have been taking me FOREVER

I am fortunate to have very talented wood wizard friends that are totally onboard to help me with the interior stuff so they have been guiding me along and have all the cool fancy tools.

Pics soon, as i still have to sand and paint some stuff, but i am super happy with the progress.

I am trying to be very careful to not get sucked into the wood working rabbit hole as a hobby, as the possibilities and specialized tools are endless! hahahaha

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

We found that with conventional overhead cupboards, stuff wandered up and down, so we put everything in boxes.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Thanks! Yeah, i agree!

I already have boxes for the 2 small cabinets i made already. Also makes it easier to find stuff by just pulling the whole box out

 

[Mawgie]

CamperthAng,

I checked out that microwave. These are the first six advertised cooking programs:

• Popcorn
• Potato
• Pizza
• Beverage
• Dinner Plate
• Frozen Vegetable

HotPockets would be "dinner plate", I'm thinking? Hah hah !

Loving this build. Did you see that Total Composites is about to introduce semi mass produced truck campers, purportedly weighing in at around 1000 pounds?

 

[Herbie]

Nice work so far.

Don't sweat the comments on the hinges - I feel like most folks are missing the point of the 80/20-based construction by suggesting hinges that would require you to make permanent fastenings into the extrusion instead of keeping everything modular and removable.

EDIT: Hit post too soon and forgot to post this:
https://ourkaravan.com/attaching-cabinet-hardware-to-8020/ - a method for attaching euro-style hidden face-frame hinges to 80/20

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

CamperthAng,

I checked out that microwave. These are the first six advertised cooking programs:

• Popcorn
• Potato
• Pizza
• Beverage
• Dinner Plate
• Frozen Vegetable

HotPockets would be "dinner plate", I'm thinking? Hah hah !

Loving this build. Did you see that Total Composites is about to introduce semi mass produced truck campers, purportedly weighing in at around 1000 pounds?

I have some pretty smart friends with computer engineering backgrounds, that sumbitch WILL have a HOT POCKET quick button! FACTS!

Yeah, the truck campers will be cool. I am too big, fat, and clumsy, i need more room

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Nice work so far.

Don't sweat the comments on the hinges - I feel like most folks are missing the point of the 80/20-based construction by suggesting hinges that would require you to make permanent fastenings into the extrusion instead of keeping everything modular and removable.

EDIT: Hit post too soon and forgot to post this:
https://ourkaravan.com/attaching-cabinet-hardware-to-8020/ - a method for attaching euro-style hidden face-frame hinges to 80/20

Yeah, that guy does amazing work and ive followed him awhile.

But for those hinges he used.... Talk about making something VERY simple, as complicated as humanly possibly!

Also all those bits and pieces he used add up to close to $100 PER cabinet. Thats a lot of cheap beer

 

[ITTOG]

Yeah, that guy does amazing work and ive followed him awhile.

But for those hinges he used.... Talk about making something VERY simple, as complicated as humanly possibly!

Also all those bits and pieces he used add up to close to $100 PER cabinet. Thats a lot of cheap beer

Ha, $100 will be about 25 cases of the US's traditional breweries (or at least it should). Now if you are into craft beer then you are talking about 4 to 6 cases.