2022 RAM 5500 Composite "Super Camper"

[StenchRV]

Laboring on Labor day A few long days of welding and grinding. 1/2" plate inner box and 1/4" plate outter "wings".












All I have to do is drill the holes for the Baja Designs reverse lights and wire it up. Superbright LED's surface mount tail lights.
Off to the powder coaters next week. Will match the finish on the Buckstop front bumper.

CHEERS!!

 

[RAM5500 CAMPERTHING]

Sexy!!!

 

[Alloy]

Laboring on Labor day A few long days of welding and grinding. 1/2" plate inner box and 1/4" plate outter "wings".

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All I have to do is drill the holes for the Baja Designs reverse lights and wire it up. Superbright LED's surface mount tail lights.
Off to the powder coaters next week. Will match the finish on the Buckstop front bumper.

CHEERS!!

Will there be diagonal gussets/braces keep the side wings from bending?

To hooks/D-rings/extra holes (long flatbar) for tie offs/shackles/pullies?

Galvanizing?

 

[StenchRV]

Will there be diagonal gussets/braces keep the side wings from bending?

To hooks/D-rings/extra holes (long flatbar) for tie offs/shackles/pullies?

Galvanizing?

Yes on the diagonals, was not the "final" picture.

I am deciding on 2 recovery points I already purchased, weld on, or bolt on (grade 8 of course) recovery hooks/loops on the base plate near the corners, pulls on the 1/2" plate grade 8 bolted to the truck frame.

https://www.tmrcustoms.com/collections/newest-products/products/the-rhino-soft-shackle-d-ring-mount

The welded on receiver hitch is good strap recovery point but I do not think I would 18k LB it

I am having the bumper powder coated black this week. A slight texture, to match the front Buckstop bumper.

CHEERS!!

 

[StenchRV]

I was PM'd about the bag mounting offset.
Picture worth a 1000 words.






Kelderman mount with new hole drilled for the bag offset plate. If you look closely, top left, you can see the plate. I aligned the air bag, offset plate and the Kelderman mount for the best alignment. Marked the positions, bolted the plate to the mount with a 1/2" bolt I had and welded the 2 together. New hole 3/4" towards the rear and 1/4" LEFT on BOTH Kelderman mounting plates. I dropped a plumb bob and cycled the suspension twice just to make sure . The 9" mark is the mid range of the suspension travel. Approximate normal ride height.

Drivers side installed.

CHEERS!!

 

[Alloy]

Yes on the diagonals, was not the "final" picture.

I am deciding on 2 recovery points I already purchased, weld on, or bolt on (grade 8 of course) recovery hooks/loops on the base plate near the corners, pulls on the 1/2" plate grade 8 bolted to the truck frame.

https://www.tmrcustoms.com/collections/newest-products/products/the-rhino-soft-shackle-d-ring-mount

The welded on receiver hitch is good strap recovery point but I do not think I would 18k LB it

I am having the bumper powder coated black this week. A slight texture, to match the front Buckstop bumper.

CHEERS!!

You'll be able to swing the truck around in the air with those

Welded (root and cap - by adding more bevel the weld could flush to the sides and ground to make the weld disappear) recovery points. Side pull on bolts is never good. X brace the top of the 1/2" plates with flat bar and you'd have to rip the frame apart to pull it off.

I was thinking smaller holes/rail for ratchet straps and 7/16-1/2" steel shackles so the big gear doesn't need to be broken out.


edit....guards for the tail lights

 

[Vance Vanz]

More progress

One of the things I forgot to mention in the previous post. The VHB I am using is .040 thick, on purpose, as it makes the Koropop bond much stronger.

I have a test piece all glued up, exactly as I installed my 8020, and the pull scale arrives Tuesday. More to follow on that. 10 inches of 8020 glued to a roof 14 inch roof plug. I will pull away until something fails. I just want to know......just because.

Shower pan- cut and installed. GREAT quality and easy to cut. We found one the correct width but 4 inches longer than we needed. Cut, install 1/4 aluminum bar tapped for 1/4-20 SS hardware for the toilet and seal up the end before we move on to the bathroom wall panels.


Interior 8020 glue in almost complete, upper cabinets frames to finish.

The wonderful wife tackled exterior box mock up and planning. THANK YOU @CAMPERTHING for the design and lead on the side cargo boxes! We will use your design for the two side boxes and will contact Highway Products this week to get the custom grey tank box(she found a perfect HDPE tank to fit), and stair side recovery gear box, design process rolling and discuss time lines.





View attachment 732005
The Do all came in HANDY!

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VERY WELL supported! This thing is a beast!
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View attachment 732009II I cut the drain hole after this test fit. THAT is where it lives!
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Notice the cardboard "box". More CAD!

ONWARD.....here comes rear bumper, plumbing and heater installation.

CHEERS!!

Hey StenchRV,

I first wanted to say great work??! I like how you are keeping everything super clean looking throughout your entire build so far.

I know you have a lot of irons in the fire right now, but please show some detailed pics of how you finish out your shower basin/pan-the edge you cut and the wall panels you will be using to finish out the shower. I'm also interested to know/see what you will do as far as a door and a door that actually seals without the use of a curtain if that is your plan. Inside showers are often one of those afterthoughts in many builds, so there aren't many good references.

Our builds will share many similar aspects when complete, that is if I can ever get my carbon fiber habitat box completed ?.

You are cruising along; keep up the good work and I'll be tagging along for the ride.

 

[StenchRV]

Hey StenchRV,

I first wanted to say great work??! I like how you are keeping everything super clean looking throughout your entire build so far.

I know you have a lot of irons in the fire right now, but please show some detailed pics of how you finish out your shower basin/pan-the edge you cut and the wall panels you will be using to finish out the shower. I'm also interested to know/see what you will do as far as a door and a door that actually seals without the use of a curtain if that is your plan. Inside showers are often one of those afterthoughts in many builds, so there aren't many good references.

Our builds will share many similar aspects when complete, that is if I can ever get my carbon fiber habitat box completed ?.

You are cruising along; keep up the good work and I'll be tagging along for the ride.

Vance,

Thank you for the kind words! We have BUSY on the camper the last few weeks and just neglecting posting! LOTS going on at one time. We are trying to get ready for a trip next week in this beast!

A good sized inside shower was in our plan from the start. The outside shower RARELY get used, but we will have one also. The Bullfinch is VERY WELL made, easy setup and looks simple enough to use.

We purchased honeycomb FRP panels to finish out our shower walls. YES I will show some detailed pictures, will take a few more since you asked. The shower door We went round and round on this one. ALMOST chose the Nautilus door, we went back and forth on the sealing aspect of the entire thing. We will have a bamboo bathroom door. We decided on a ceiling mount shower curtain rail, it will be pretty well hidden, and a nice shower curtain that will tuck away next to the toilet when not is use.

I can not say enough good things about the shower pan we chose. I have renovated a bunch of showers in my life and this was the best quality shower pan I have run across. I would buy it again in a blink!

CARBON FIBER.......WOW you pull that off and I would love to see it! I have a friend that built a fiberglass airplane and I helped him now and then.....NOT FOR ME! We had a good rule, I helped him with all the metal work on his airplane and he helped me with the limited amount of fiberglass work on our airplane.

This weeks progress, ok it has been more than a week


Just waiting on a couple 400 amp fuses and a cable or two.


Starting the Bamboo wood working.


Getting the wiring cleaned up. AC on the bottom DC on top. Labeled every 2 feet.


Shower faucet wall, before the FRP goes on, and fridge enclosure.


Cabinet work. The countertop will be Stone Coat epoxied. We had some damaged bamboo plywood in shipping so they sent us two new 3/4" sheets. We salvaged a damaged one to use as a countertop.


Test fit. Wiring them up this week. There will be a door in front of these for a possible TV or a nice place to hang artwork. I designed a heat escape for all the electrical components, vented out the top. There is an upper panel, it will be removable. With 8020 our entire camper will have fantastic airflow.


Raptor liner. First time shooting it, REALLY like this stuff!


ONWARD!!

CHEERS!!

Craig

 

[supdies]

Thanks for the update, Craig. Looks awesome! Very clean & organized.

Is that mostly 3/4" bamboo on the walls? It looks like you glued the bamboo to the 8020? Do you think 1/4" bamboo walls bolted from the front through to the 8020 would work or would the 1/4" bamboo be too flexible?

 

[Alloy]

Fantastic workmanship!

Love the wiring. No voltage drop in those wires


If gravity is the only way to fill the second tank you may want to use 2" between the tanks.

Vents have to drain outside or back to tank. ANY sag in the hose will trap water and prevent the tanks (especially the 2nd tank) from being filled or cause a vacuum when drawing water. It's amazing how much pressure it takes to pull/push liquid out of a vent line. To prevent sagging I've pushed hose though alum. pipe. Also the top of the tanks will sag over time so you may want to try and glue/caulk it to the 80/20

I've always used Tef-Gel on the electrical (not electronic) connections + non ferrous fasteners.

 

[StenchRV]

Thanks for the update, Craig. Looks awesome! Very clean & organized.

Is that mostly 3/4" bamboo on the walls? It looks like you glued the bamboo to the 8020? Do you think 1/4" bamboo walls bolted from the front through to the 8020 would work or would the 1/4" bamboo be too flexible?

We used a mix of 1/2" and 3/4". I have to admit the 3/4" is HEAVY but we are not using a truck load of it. We glued and back screwed the 3/4", hidden in the 8020, and just glued the 1/2". There are places where we want to remove panels for inspections and maintenance, we drilled and put screws into fixed or roll in T nuts.

I think 1/4" bamboo would be fine if you need no, or very little, structure and you were using it as a "cover".

Thanks for the kind words!

CHEERS!!

 

[StenchRV]

Fantastic workmanship!

Love the wiring. No voltage drop in those wires


If gravity is the only way to fill the second tank you may want to use 2" between the tanks.

Vents have to drain outside or back to tank. ANY sag in the hose will trap water and prevent the tanks (especially the 2nd tank) from being filled or cause a vacuum when drawing water. It's amazing how much pressure it takes to pull/push liquid out of a vent line. To prevent sagging I've pushed hose though alum. pipe. Also the top of the tanks will sag over time so you may want to try and glue/caulk it to the 80/20

I've always used Tef-Gel on the electrical (not electronic) connections + non ferrous fasteners.

THANKS! NO voltage drop here!

We used 3/4" ID between the tanks. IT takes 5 min to "equalize" when the first tank is almost full. Takes 15 min to fill both tanks. YES...the vents do vent directly to the outside, no trapped air or fluid.
Sagging....hmmm, I will keep an eye on that. I can see the tops right below the L couch seats so easy to see. THANKS.

Tef-Gel. Will look into it. I have always used Dielectric grease, cheap insurance.

CHEERS!!

 

[Alloy]

Tef-Gel.

CHEERS!!

It's dielectric but doesn't contain water like grease and 100% stops non ferrous from galling...like stainless steel nylocs do.

Will you used a tank gauge?

Hinging one side of the electrical panel makes it install/service easier,

 

[Vance Vanz]

Vance,

Thank you for the kind words! We have BUSY on the camper the last few weeks and just neglecting posting! LOTS going on at one time. We are trying to get ready for a trip next week in this beast!

A good sized inside shower was in our plan from the start. The outside shower RARELY get used, but we will have one also. The Bullfinch is VERY WELL made, easy setup and looks simple enough to use.

We purchased honeycomb FRP panels to finish out our shower walls. YES I will show some detailed pictures, will take a few more since you asked. The shower door We went round and round on this one. ALMOST chose the Nautilus door, we went back and forth on the sealing aspect of the entire thing. We will have a bamboo bathroom door. We decided on a ceiling mount shower curtain rail, it will be pretty well hidden, and a nice shower curtain that will tuck away next to the toilet when not is use.

I can not say enough good things about the shower pan we chose. I have renovated a bunch of showers in my life and this was the best quality shower pan I have run across. I would buy it again in a blink!

CARBON FIBER.......WOW you pull that off and I would love to see it! I have a friend that built a fiberglass airplane and I helped him now and then.....NOT FOR ME! We had a good rule, I helped him with all the metal work on his airplane and he helped me with the limited amount of fiberglass work on our airplane.

This weeks progress, ok it has been more than a week


Just waiting on a couple 400 amp fuses and a cable or two.
View attachment 744576

Starting the Bamboo wood working.
View attachment 744581

Getting the wiring cleaned up. AC on the bottom DC on top. Labeled every 2 feet.
View attachment 744582

Shower faucet wall, before the FRP goes on, and fridge enclosure.
View attachment 744583

Cabinet work. The countertop will be Stone Coat epoxied. We had some damaged bamboo plywood in shipping so they sent us two new 3/4" sheets. We salvaged a damaged one to use as a countertop.
View attachment 744584

Test fit. Wiring them up this week. There will be a door in front of these for a possible TV or a nice place to hang artwork. I designed a heat escape for all the electrical components, vented out the top. There is an upper panel, it will be removable. With 8020 our entire camper will have fantastic airflow.
View attachment 744585

Raptor liner. First time shooting it, REALLY like this stuff!
View attachment 744586

ONWARD!!

CHEERS!!

Craig

You are welcome and I hope you are able to get the beast on the road next week!

I was looking at the Nautilus as well, but I’ve heard mixed reviews, long term. I’m also trying to keep a clean look with Bamboo, or another exotic wood, throughout the camper and a solid wood shower door looks pretty sweet and ties everything together nicely. Here are some pics of the shower in a previous campervan I had: bamboo door, powder coated aluminum interior walls, stainless shower pan and a teak floor. It was mostly leak proof on the door without the use of a shower curtain.



Thanks for the recommendation on the outside shower setup; I’ve heard nothing but good things about Bullfinch as well. Too bad my shower is only 27” wide, or I would have taken a closer look at the shower pan you chose. I look forward to seeing yours as it all comes together.

CARBON FIBER : (?????????): Well…….., I’ve already jumped off the cliff and I’m in it to win it, so there is no turning back now. Yah, building your own composite box/panels it’s not for everyone. Fiberglass and carbon fiber take time and it is taking me a LOOOOOOT LOOOOOONGER than I expected. Check it out when you are fried from your build, or when you are having a tough day and just need to read someone else’s build thread who is getting there butt kicked on a daily basis.

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...nture-expedition-vehicle-build-thread.232762/

The pictures look great; thanks for posting an update on everything!

 

[StenchRV]

You are welcome and I hope you are able to get the beast on the road next week!

I was looking at the Nautilus as well, but I’ve heard mixed reviews, long term. I’m also trying to keep a clean look with Bamboo, or another exotic wood, throughout the camper and a solid wood shower door looks pretty sweet and ties everything together nicely. Here are some pics of the shower in a previous campervan I had: bamboo door, powder coated aluminum interior walls, stainless shower pan and a teak floor. It was mostly leak proof on the door without the use of a shower curtain.

View attachment 744949View attachment 744951View attachment 744950

Thanks for the recommendation on the outside shower setup; I’ve heard nothing but good things about Bullfinch as well. Too bad my shower is only 27” wide, or I would have taken a closer look at the shower pan you chose. I look forward to seeing yours as it all comes together.

CARBON FIBER : (?????????): Well…….., I’ve already jumped off the cliff and I’m in it to win it, so there is no turning back now. Yah, building your own composite box/panels it’s not for everyone. Fiberglass and carbon fiber take time and it is taking me a LOOOOOOT LOOOOOONGER than I expected. Check it out when you are fried from your build, or when you are having a tough day and just need to read someone else’s build thread who is getting there but kicked on a daily basis.

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...nture-expedition-vehicle-build-thread.232762/

The pictures look great; thanks for posting an update on everything!

Vance,

GOOD LOOKING wood work in the Van. The bath looks WELL DONE!

Bamboo is really nice to work with. Hard as maple but with a new Diablo 80 tooth blade it cuts like butter and no end fray. We are using Odie's dark finish on our bamboo. What finish did you use in the Van? I like the look. We may have to matte clear over our finish, a few coats, for long term durability. My wife tried no less than 10 finishes before she found one she likes. Most were on the yellow side and not golden.

HOLY BATMAN! Carbon Fiber! I will check out your thread. YES the days have been CRAZY long this last few weeks trying to get ready for our trip. I will need the break , even a good read while I am away, thanks for the link.

Another fun day at the hanger rig factory!

CHEERS!!

Craig