2022 Ford F550 - DIY - Adventure Expedition Vehicle Build Thread

[Vance Vanz]

Structural Items - Exterior

Time to pick back up on the build progress since the last post (interior tabbing). After the internal tabbing, I moved to the outside of the camper so I could complete the tabbing for all of the external joints.

The first step was completing some of the minor structural items that still needed to be addressed,

Laying up CF cloth over the exposed corners of the main floor that were cut off to match the angles on the corners of the walls-front and back bottom corners of the camper


Radius-ing all remaining squared edges so the CF cloth could wrap without causing any bridging


Finalizing the design/structural layup of the roof overhang on the back of the camper.

• The angle I wanted to put on the bottom side of the roof overhang (similar to other angles on the exterior of the camper) created an area that wasn't quite large/thick enough to use core foam. I could have tried to use Divinycell foam, but it would have been a very small/thin piece and a pain to match the angel I needed on one side and have a rounded off edge on the other side that would have matched the existing radius/fillet already laid up in the corner of the back wall and roof over hang. I was also worried the foam may not protect the radiused structural fillet from cracking, as well as CF cloth would.
• I decided to lay up a thin layer (5.7oz) of CF cloth over the first radiuses structural fillet, to protect the fillet from cracking, and also added an additional thinner width of 24oz CF cloth to build up to the needed thickness-first picture. I then added a very small/thin structural fillet on top of this to get my desired angle-second picture. Next is the three layers of tabbing that will be applied to all of the external joints on the camper-third picture. I was also checking that no bridging of the tabbing cloth would occur over the roof angles I created-third picture.

It doesn't look like much, but these are all the little details that are a time suck, especially when using epoxy and it needing the time (24-48 hours) to harden up/cure before moving to the subsequent layer/step.

There where also a few areas where I added some additional CF cloth, adjacent to existing tabbing, to build up the surface so it was level and/or square. No pictures of this, but the side of the step box is an example-where my custom fairings will butt up against, therefore needing a level/squared surface

 

[Vance Vanz]

Structural Fairing & Sanding - Exterior

Sanding all of the external joints from the first/initial bond of the walls. Sanding structural epoxy after it has cured is no bueno ?


Sanding tools of choice, or those my budget is choosing to afford for a one time build

• Note: I mostly used the block sanders as opposed to the orbital, to keep all of the surfaces level and edges of the camper squared off-squared off before being rounded/slightly rounded

After the initial sand on all of the external joints, I marked all of the areas that needed to be faired/floated out with a silver sharpie and went to town fairing everything out with structural epoxy. Lucky for me, nothing needed to be faired out/up more than a 1/32" thick. All of the meticulous jigs and time setting the walls/roof paid off. I then lightly sanded all of these cured areas as needed.


Next was sanding back all of the walls/panels for the width of tabbing to be applied


And finally marking all of the surfaces for laying out/dry fitting the tabbing


Not the sexiest work, but this is where I took the time and made sure everything was near perfect, so I stay on track for a factory finish. I also wanted to do all of the fairing needed on the joints/conners before the tabbing went down, as opposed to fairing everything out after tabbing.

 

[Vance Vanz]

Carbon Fiber - Exterior Tabbing

As previously mentioned, tabbing doesn't look like much, but OHHHHHH is it time consuming stuff. Cutting three layers for the entire outside of the camper while making sure each layer butt joints perfectly is a process. I also prioritized the orientation each layer was applied, to what it is optimally-structurally-designed for.

Its been a while since my last round of posts, so I'm going to include more pics than normal-whatever normal is anyway.

First layer dry fitting and spray tacking (Verticals going on first)


First layer complete

 

[Vance Vanz]

Carbon Fiber - Exterior Tabbing - Continued

Cutting and dry fitting layer #2 and meet my new work partner who likes to hold my role of tabbing ??. (Horizontal runs/pieces going on first)


Templating layer #2. I love clear plastic, although not so good for the environment. Sorry Mother Nature, I will try harder.


Some intricate pieces for layer #3-wheel well sides/verticals


All materials cut and prepped for the layup: 2nd and 3rd layers of tabbing, plastic to apply the 3rd layer and peel ply

• Note: It took about a week (My seven day work week) just to cut/dry fit the material for the tabbing. There were about 40-45 pieces on average for each layer. That is 120-135 pieces in total that needed to be cut exactly. Not to mention, also cutting the peel ply and plastic to length/size as well. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.

I tried to get some photos of the walls, how straight everything is coming out, but it is tough with pictures. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get my huge side-wall-panels not only laid up, but also bonded onto the camper, without any visible waves, ripples, etc. But ........................, they look perfectly straight to the eye . Beginners luck I guess.
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[Vance Vanz]

Carbon Fiber - Exterior Tabbing Lay Up #1

Layer #2 on and wetted out-back wall


Layer #2 going on down the side wall


Layer #3 on and peel plied for the first layup (Back wall and both lower side walls)

 

[Vance Vanz]

Carbon Fiber - Exterior Tabbing Lay Up #2

Lay up #1 and #2 were beasts and I won't even tell you how long it took me to do each in one shot, because it is insane and you probably wouldn't believe me anyway.

Battle stations all set for layup #2.

Gotta love my cheap IKEA desk that is still holding strong through the build!​

Layer #2 going down


Layer #3 and peel ply going down


All finished with lay up #2 (Pass through wall, nose and roof)

 

[rruff]

Wow... no wonder why you got frustrated... that's tedious work!

 

[Vance Vanz]

Carbon Fiber - Exterior Tabbing - Cured

Here are some pics of lay up #1, dried, that I took right after finishing layup #2. Not the greatest, but I was tired and in a hurry to get out of the shop and get to bed. I'll snap some better shots when all of the peel ply comes off at some point.

Back wall, vertical corner and floor


Side wall


Note: some of the small lines/variations in the finished tabbing are from the creases in the peel ply that didn't sit/lay completely flat against the layup. Not a big deal, they will be sanded out and/or faired out if needed.

I tried to capture how tight/flat the tabbing sits against the wall, or better said, how thin the tabbing is/sits above the wall. The total thickness, at all three layers, is roughly/just under 1/32"


If I do a good job blending/fairing the tabbing out into the panels and the painter does their job well, this thing should look like it came out of a mold. Of course I won't tell people it came out of a mold, the important thing is that it looks like it came out of a mold ?.

I'm undecided as to whether I'm going to stay on the outside of the camper and start shaping the rear fenders and/or making molds for the four lower fairings, or move to the inside of the camper and start finalizing/bonding the internal walls. It’s all composite work, so I guess it really doesn’t matter. But, oddly enough, after all of that exterior tabbing, something about moving to the interior feels like a break/change of pace. We’ll see where the wind takes me in the morning

It is crazy to think how much composite work is still left, considering how much I have already done and for as long as I have been on composite work ?. I guess I’m just now realizing, in some weird kind of way, what I already knew, but really maybe didn’t know to this level-just how much of my build is going to be composite. I promise I'm not going crazy ?, .................... or maybe I am ?.

I'm not sure if I have articulated this thus far in the build thread, but the: camper shell, wheels wells, water box, battery box, rear fenders, lower four fairings (in front of and behind the rear wheels on the bottom side of the camper) interior subfloor (that sits on top of the main floor and allows electrical/plumbing to pass from one side of the camper to the other), all interior walls and pretty much all interior cabinets (excluding cabinet and drawer faces) will be composite. And composite that I'm doing/building from scratch.

With that said, Holy Smokes, I still have butt loads of composite work left to do.

Enough talking, time to get back to work!

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[Vance Vanz]

The aluminum is parts for the truck-camper interface, bumper, and step. I'm cutting it all freehand with an angle grinder and bolting it together. Didn't want to buy more tools that I'd then need to get rid of.

Heat in the sun would not be ideal, but it wouldn't be any hotter than other campers that are painted dark. I was actually thinking the roof would be white, and that you'd paint a design on the sides with the carbon visible in the background. You could work around the places that don't look so good. Not trying to talk you into more work... . Maybe you know an artist would like a big canvas? The carbon looks really nice with a shiny surface... looks very deep and 3d.

This sounds like some details for my next build in my next life, when I can get started a decade or so earlier than I am now ?!

 

[Vance Vanz]

Wow... no wonder why you got frustrated... that's tedious work!

Slow and steady and the occasional deep breathing when needed usually keeps things sane.

 

[ExpoMike]

Amazing work but I would never have that level of patience nor time commitment.

 

[Vance Vanz]

Amazing work but I would never have that level of patience nor time commitment.

Thanks ExpoMike!

Yah, composite work (vacuum bagging or resin infusion) is definitely a huge time commitment, especially a project of this size.

Lucky for me, I already have too much money and time invested in the project, so no pulling out. I'm in it to win it ????...........?

 

[trackhead]

Would be fun to keep track of time spent building accurately just for fun.....awesome work! Look forward to seeing it mounted.

 

[rruff]

Would be fun to keep track of time spent building accurately just for fun.

No it wouldn't....

Just assume that it's a lot more than you think it will be... and then double it again if your skills and experience are lacking. Don't bother unless you really believe that you'll love the journey... or you think minimum wage is good money!

 

[trackhead]

No it wouldn't....

Just assume that it's a lot more than you think it will be... and then double it again if your skills and experience are lacking. Don't bother unless you really believe that you'll love the journey... or you think minimum wage is good money!

well in a self punishing way it would be fun And when you invariably sell the rig years down the road you can tell the buyer “look, I spent xyz hours building this…”