2022 Ford F550 - DIY - Adventure Expedition Vehicle Build Thread

[Vance Vanz]

30 years ago I used to build and repair patterns for foundry sand casting. There was a lot of Bondo work involved. All those swept and sanded fillets. Woof! Getting them right in the corners is tricky business.

Glad somebody can relate to the process and pain !

It did take a ton of time to get all of the corners/radiused fillets transitioned into the walls-ever so smoothly. I had to make various length 7/16" diameter dowels and wrap them in adhesive-backed-sand paper as my sanding tool. Sanding with a 7/16" diameter object for 4-5 days, gives the fingers a great workout and they even start to go numb a bit. The inside back corners, where all the corners of the cabinet meet......., Woof!, you just have to sand those with the tip of a finger. I burnt through about 12 pairs of work gloves doing all this.

Good times 🙂!

 

[Vance Vanz]

I agree on the piping and wiring and I applaud your commitment to doing it your way.

Yeah that Bondo dust can get crazy. It seems to take weeks to get rid of it.

Thanks ITTOG!

Shop vac is always running and I'm on my second one.

 

[DzlToy]

...you just have to sand those with the tip of a finger. I burnt through about 12 pairs of work gloves doing all this.

Showa Atlas KV300 Gloves - Cut Level A3

Showa Atlas KV300 Gloves are designed with a Kevlar seamless knit and dipped latex palm for added grip and wear. Excellent tactility and protection from cuts and abrasions.

www.palmflex.com

 

[Vance Vanz]

I've been living in it! Part time... did a couple extended trips last winter. Working on the underbody boxes now. I'm not particular like you, but it still takes a lot of time. My fillets are not sanded at all! Yesterday I had to break out the angle grinder and flap disc and get covered in fiberglass/epoxy dust. It's been awhile since I've had the "pleasure" of that... I'm using 5mm EPVC as a core material with fiberglass layup, and carbon for the door to keep it stiff.

That's great rruff! I'm glad you're up and running enough to be taking trips in it. Awesome and congrats on all your hard work thus far 😃!

Wishing you well in getting those underbody boxes dialed in and finished. Another project that can take some time. I still have a few CF pieces to fabricate on mine, in order to finish out the underbody before it heads to paint/coating.

I agree; no matter what your level of detail, building these things takes time. So many parts and pieces that you have to custom build, or buy and somehow modify.

I feel you about having to dive back into composite/glass work. I can't wait until all of it is in my review mirror.

 

[Vance Vanz]

Showa Atlas KV300 Gloves - Cut Level A3

Showa Atlas KV300 Gloves are designed with a Kevlar seamless knit and dipped latex palm for added grip and wear. Excellent tactility and protection from cuts and abrasions.

www.palmflex.com

!

Info for the next insane builder who is going to sand damn near the entire inside of their habitat box, including all those pesky radiused corners 😁.

 

[rruff]

Wishing you well in getting those underbody boxes dialed in and finished. Another project that can take some time.

Lot's of fillets! But one of the rear ones is almost done and it wasn't terrible.

I've noticed that a lot of people make these quite small. Mine are 38" long, 17" high and 14.5" deep, and I don't see why it would be a problem. I still have 21" ground clearance and a 27 deg departure angle. I guess I'll find out...

Here are a couple pics from Jan near Terlingua:

 

[Vance Vanz]

Lot's of fillets! But one of the rear ones is almost done and it wasn't terrible.

I've noticed that a lot of people make these quite small. Mine are 38" long, 17" high and 14.5" deep, and I don't see why it would be a problem. I still have 21" ground clearance and a 27 deg departure angle. I guess I'll find out...

Here are a couple pics from Jan near Terlingua:

Looking tough out there in the South West rruff 💪😁!

I still love the sleek contoured lines on the front/top of your camper.

As far as underbody boxes, I guess it is really up to you/the builder. As long as you/someone is OK with all of their clearances, that is all that matters.

Since all of my storage is internal, and I only had to cover up/hide the CF floor drop-in boxes and make room for my grey water tank inside of the D.S. rear fairing/skirt, I was more concerned with matching the lines/rockers on the truck. The very bottom of my rockers on the truck/camper currently sit at about 28-3/4", the back is a little higher since this thing isn't finished/wet yet. The bottom of my electric steps are currently at about 25-1/2" ground clearance and should not see any lower than 22", max 21", when this thing is fully loaded.

The only thing that I have run into so far related having slightly shorter in height fairing/underbody skirts is my grey water tank ended up being a little smaller than I wanted, about 28 gallons instead of 32. This isn't that big of a deal to me as I never really have my grey water tank closed and never really stay/freedom camp in a city (and in one location within a city without moving) for longer than 3-4 days. I could have sacrificed some other internal aesthetic items on the inside of the camper to get to a 32 gallon tank, but they were not worth four more gallons of grey water.

To each their own!

I'm currently scratching the noggin trying to finalize the designs for the custom: shower pan, grey water tank and fresh water tank, so I can get them fabricated. Sooooo many items and details to consider as to not miss something 😳🫠.

 

[ITTOG]

Looking tough out there in the South West rruff 💪😁!

I still love the sleek contoured lines on the front/top of your camper.

As far as underbody boxes, I guess it is really up to you/the builder. As long as you/someone is OK with all of their clearances, that is all that matters.

Since all of my storage is internal, and I only had to cover up/hide the CF floor drop-in boxes and make room for my grey water tank inside of the D.S. rear fairing/skirt, I was more concerned with matching the lines/rockers on the truck. The very bottom of my rockers on the truck/camper currently sit at about 28-3/4", the back is a little higher since this thing isn't finished/wet yet. The bottom of my electric steps are currently at about 25-1/2" ground clearance and should not see any lower than 22", max 21", when this thing is fully loaded.

The only thing that I have run into so far related having slightly shorter in height fairing/underbody skirts is my grey water tank ended up being a little smaller than I wanted, about 28 gallons instead of 32. This isn't that big of a deal to me as I never really have my grey water tank closed and never really stay/freedom camp in a city (and in one location within a city without moving) for longer than 3-4 days. I could have sacrificed some other internal aesthetic items on the inside of the camper to get to a 32 gallon tank, but they were not worth four more gallons of grey water.

To each their own!

I'm currently scratching the noggin trying to finalize the designs for the custom: shower pan, grey water tank and fresh water tank, so I can get them fabricated. Sooooo many items and details to consider as to not miss something 😳🫠.

Yeah I agree. The full width rear door is pretty cool as well. Too bad @rruff didn't share the build.

 

[rruff]

Too bad @rruff didn't share the build.

... his comedy of how not to do things... 🤪

Regarding the "full width door" it's quite stiff and strong being mostly carbon and weighing 70 lbs. Unfortunately it's also warped a bit (~0.25" out of plane?) plus I compounded the issue by not having the top where the hinges attach, perfectly in line with the mating surface at the bottom. At the time I thought a big bulb seal would cover all my sins, but I couldn't find any large ones that were wimpy enough to span the irregularity, so I used two where I still had a gap (the right bottom area in the photo).

Another problem was that a box with one end open lacks lateral stability... especially with a 70 lb door hanging off the top. So it wants to rack a bit... not much, a few mm, but it's enough that the door latch and seals rub, and will wear out sooner. I could "solve" that with heavier duty hinges and a pair of heavier duty latches that would basically clamp it all more solidly. I could also add an aluminum angle to the top (already have them on the sides) and add corner braces... but I think I'll leave it be.

Making panels perfectly flat requires a perfectly flat table to start with, plus a way to "clamp" the panel to that surface while the epoxy is curing. So either vacuum infusion as VV is doing, or a weighted perfectly flat panel to put on top. I only had a not-flat surface to build on... actually a wall panel from my earlier experiment, that wasn't quite flat either. The challenges of building and storing and moving things around, alone in a 2-car garage, reduced any ambition I might have had for perfect surfaces. Plus a lot of the pieces are curved, which is a whole nother challenge...

If I had it to do again, I think I'd buy flat panels already made from someone and arrange them with facets kinda like the Attera camper. Or just do a box and carve a nice aero nose to glue on the front...

 

[Vance Vanz]

... his comedy of how not to do things... 🤪

Regarding the "full width door" it's quite stiff and strong being mostly carbon and weighing 70 lbs. Unfortunately it's also warped a bit (~0.25" out of plane?) plus I compounded the issue by not having the top where the hinges attach, perfectly in line with the mating surface at the bottom. At the time I thought a big bulb seal would cover all my sins, but I couldn't find any large ones that were wimpy enough to span the irregularity, so I used two where I still had a gap (the right bottom area in the photo).

Another problem was that a box with one end open lacks lateral stability... especially with a 70 lb door hanging off the top. So it wants to rack a bit... not much, a few mm, but it's enough that the door latch and seals rub, and will wear out sooner. I could "solve" that with heavier duty hinges and a pair of heavier duty latches that would basically clamp it all more solidly. I could also add an aluminum angle to the top (already have them on the sides) and add corner braces... but I think I'll leave it be.

Making panels perfectly flat requires a perfectly flat table to start with, plus a way to "clamp" the panel to that surface while the epoxy is curing. So either vacuum infusion as VV is doing, or a weighted perfectly flat panel to put on top. I only had a not-flat surface to build on... actually a wall panel from my earlier experiment, that wasn't quite flat either. The challenges of building and storing and moving things around, alone in a 2-car garage, reduced any ambition I might have had for perfect surfaces. Plus a lot of the pieces are curved, which is a whole nother challenge...

If I had it to do again, I think I'd buy flat panels already made from someone and arrange them with facets kinda like the Attera camper. Or just do a box and carve a nice aero nose to glue on the front...

Hey rruff,

Thanks for your transparency in some of the structural and alignment elements on your build. The main thing I'm hearing is straight/flat panels from the get go. I can't stress this enough and I'll only speak from my own personal build, and build experience.

Composite work, DIY style, can take a long time. H(smiley face)ell, to do composite work well takes time, period. If you don't build a completely level and flat layup table/mold from the get go, you are going to pay for it every step of the way moving forward. And if you fail to address this, everything just keeps getting exponentially off/worse as you move forward through the build process. As you mentioned, if you don't resin infuse, or vacuum bag the part, you are going to have variations in a wet layup. It is/can be surprising how much variation will occur in a wet layup.

It took me a long time to build my larger layup table, get everything perfectly level, and I wish I would have also biscuitted all of my butt joints in the table. I didn't and I paid for it with additional body work-getting all those pesky little variations perfectly flat/smooth. This is also why I completely dialed in all of my body work, especially on the inside of the camper. It wasn't just for aesthetic purposes, it was also for final/finish alignment of the composite work-to get everything more: squared, straight, level, perpendicular, etc. If I didn't, all of my finish work would have been that much harder, including: hinges, door locks, latches, drawer slides, cabinet/drawer/door alignment, 🤨😣😫🤬🤯........., etc.

It's also why I roll my eyes when some people say "just do this", or "just do that", related to glassing/composite work. As if you are working with straight and flat materials. You can't simply "just" do anything related to composite work, It takes time and unfortunately quite a bit of it.

Enough said, I'm getting off my soap box and getting back to work !

 

[rruff]

The main thing I'm hearing is straight/flat panels from the get go.

Yes. I will say that the door was the only place I had an issue caused from a panel being out of plane, though all of them are warped similarly. And I could have made the door fit very well if I'd simply glued the bottom piece of aluminum angle to match... but unfortunately I had a lapse in forethought. The angle that forms the seals on the sides *was* positioned after the door was attached, so those fit well.

It's mostly just visual imperfections on the surface. In my case I didn't care about getting an "automotive" finish, but I was still amazed that a mere 0.5mm discontinuity (1700 FG cloth overlap) was so incredibly visibly obvious... even after I thought I'd done quite a bit of faring on the joint! Plus there was no way I could get the cabover nose-piece perfectly matched to the roof and sides, which were all built separately, and the layers of FG at every joint are obvious as well. I know with lots of filler and work that can be made to look non-obvious, but I don't have the patience for a show piece or work of art like yours! A bedliner finish would have helped, but I used shiny paint. It definitely looks home made!

 

[Vance Vanz]

Pass Through Items

Where does the time go? I can't believe my last build update was the end of May 🙃!

I hope everybody had a good 4th of July. I did a multi-day coastal backpacking trip in Olympic National Park with my sweetie and it was awesome. The long distance relationship thing gets me out of Boise/off the build every 2-3weeks and it is much needed.

Let's see. The next few posts are going to be a bit all over the place. I have been bouncing back and forth across many build projects. It also feels like everything is getting half done, as something is always waiting on something else before it can be finished.

After the mountain of sanding on the interior, I dry fit the pass through flanges and checked the fitment of the accordion boot. I can't tell you how great it felt to see how simple and clean everything is coming out on the pass through.


Next up was rigging the camper off of the truck, AGAIN, to remove the cab side pass through flange and start bonding the fairings to the camper (see additional posts on these).

Sanding the cab side flange and notching the bottom of the C channel so rivets can be installed for mounting purposes. The notches will also act as drains in the C channel if water ever gets in there.

Taping off and applying seam sealer


Taping off and applying acid etch primer so the inside, crew cab side, can be coated


I'll coat the inside, when coating some additional parts that also still need to be fabricated. One more project to put on hold 🤨

 

[Vance Vanz]

Rigging the Camper - AGAIN 😁

Oh........., how naive I was to think that I would only have to rig the camper on/off a few times. One day I'll learn.

Getting the camper off of the truck and back on the stand, so: the cab side pass through flange could be coated and sealed to the truck, the exterior composite/body work could be finalized, the bottom of the camper could be coated and the camper could be transported to the coating/paint shop on the stand.


Let me tell yah. Rigging the camper does not get any less anxiety provoking the more times you do it. For me, it gets more anxiety provoking each time. The more items I permanently add to the camper, and the more time I have into it, just makes it that much scary to think about the camper hitting the deck when it is hovering, and at times teetering a bit, 44" off of the ground 😬.

I was finally able, and at a point in the build where I had to, counter balance the camper so the jacks could be used directly on the wheel wells. Thanks again for mentioning this way back when rruff (counter balancing). Two Warn 16.5 ti winches and three heavy tool boxes did the trick. I also lucked out. There was only about an inch space left between the width of the jack and the wheel well. One less thing to have to cut and alter to keep the build moving.


I needed the camper to be lifted/rigged from the wheel wells, so I could coat the bottom of the camper and back sides of the fairings, before the fairings were permanently bonded to the camper. There would be no way to fully coat certain areas under the camper and on the back side of the fairings, after the fairings are permanently bonded. I hovered the camper over the stand while sanding, cleaning and coating, so the stand could act as a safety net if the camper fell for any reason/one of the jacks decided to fail. A bit more crawling around and through the stand than I would have liked, but I thought this was better than the alternative of having a camper possibly squash me to death 🫠

 

[Vance Vanz]

Coating Bottom of Camper & Inside of Fairings

Insides and outsides finally sanded for coating and bonding


Sanded, cleaned and all taped off.


Coated

 

[Vance Vanz]

Pass Through Door Fabrication

While the camper was hovering, so the coating could dry, I had to find something else to do . A little pass through door fabrication should do the trick 🐒.

This is the first composite layup that I was able to complete, start to finish, in one long day. I can't tell you how good this felt considering most of the composite layups thus far on the build have taken 1.5-3 weeks to complete.


I'll cut it to size after the pass through opening has been sanded, so I can get the shape/fitment dialed in. Another project to set aside for a bit (Hurry up and wait)!