4WheelResto

[Overland Hadley]

Good way to go with the bike rack.

And damn the interior of your camper is nice.

 

[CSG]

Dude, I am in awe.

 

[resto]

Experiment Results 1

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Here is one of the latches that was left out in the rain for 1 week. Already oxidation is significant. This is because even though I had polished off the old rust/oxidation there is no longer the galvanized protective coating on most of the latch. The areas were there is still galvanized coating left are easy to recognize as they shine somewhat. Thus even though you can polish off rust/oxidation it will quickly return if the galvanized surface has been removed.

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Same latch now dipped multiple times in salt water over the coarse of one week.

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Obviously greatly accelerated. Note the galvanized areas doing well.

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[resto]

Experiment Results 2

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Here are some new observations.

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I had place 3 additional galvanized screws into the piece exposed to salt water. Here is a picture showing 2 of those screws—Note 1 is brand new and 1 is used:

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The third screw not shown in the above picture was a new galvanized as well. The picture below shows all three screws 2 weeks after salt water exposure.

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And the final picture shows the screws after being cleaned with a soft nylon brush and water.

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Note that the stainless steel screw appears unchanged. I believe the galvanized screws are developing their protective "patina", albeit not very pretty: but ????

 

[ripperj]

Thanks for the update, I figure direct exposure to salt water has to be way worse than just normal exposure, my concern for SS screws in Al is now minor

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk 2

 

[Nevadamerica]

Beautiful work resto.
I have a request:
I'm looking to remove the wings from my '97 Ranger II as well.
Did you take more pics of how you attacked the cutting and welding process?
The outside of the camper has a stack of 3 square tubes that you cut out when removing the wings and then reconnected.
Did you also weld a "plate" or something to the bottom of these 3 tubes to add to the structural stability?
Thanks for any input you may have, pic attached.
Ken

 

[resto]

Wing Removal 2

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I had a friend do the welding for me. I did not add a plate.

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Here are some pictures that should help:

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Notice we have left 1" extra along the bottom of the drivers side. This would allow us to add 1 more vertical bar so that the frame would have the proper width (compare to the finished pics).
Also note the cut we mistakenly made on the passenger side, we had to weld this back together.

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The welds were done on one side only (except for where we had made the wrong cut—it was welded on all 4 sides).
I later replaced my floorpack. Together there was lots of support. If you are not replacing the floorack you will have to add on to the plywood.
Use biscuits to help form the joint if that is the case.

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[resto]

Thanks for the update, I figure direct exposure to salt water has to be way worse than just normal exposure, my concern for SS screws in Al is now minor

Sent from my Passport using Tapatalk 2

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Be aware there are different types of stainless steel with different properties. For example, 316 SS has very good corrosion resistance compared to 410—so pick what type suits your application.

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Also I should comment that FWC and ATC uses self-tapping; not self-drilling screws. While self-drilling go in nicely, they are more likely to strip, and don't hold as tightly as self-tapping.

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[resto]

Interior - Under Seat Storage

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I had used piano hinge to create under seat storage.

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The piano hinge is not noticeable under the carpet.

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[resto]

Update:

Well its been a while since I've posted, and I wanted to update this thread.

So first a quiz. Can you identify the plant in the photo below?




If you answered Cornus Canadensis, your wrong. The correct answer is: it's a FWC part I was hoping to grow another FWC camper from.





All joking aside. This is the piece of latch I had left in my garden to be exposed to the elements for 1 1/2 years. Again, I live near Vancouver Canada - so lots of moisture.

Alongside it was a piece of aluminum siding, attached to a piece of aluminum trim, attached to a piece of aluminum frame. They were held together by different types of screws to see how the screws would fair, and to see if galvanic corrosion would occur with the stainless steel screws.

Pieces out of garden.




Meanwhile I left similar parts in a container of salt solution. This magnified the corrosion aspect greatly. The pieces sat in a covered plastic container. They were held out of the solution by pieces of plastic. The solution was poured over the pieces 5 times during the 1 1/2 years.








I will wash off the pieces with a paintbrush and soapy water tomorrow then take some final pictures before throwing everything away. Based on the experiment it is clear to me how the different screws preformed.

 

[jnelson4x4taco]

What a great build! Did you source the fabric and lift boards directly from FWC or ATC? If not, what was the process like making them and what materials did you use?

 

[resto]

Sideliner and lift panels from ATC. I would like to try another build in the near future (I have a friend wanting me to build one for him), when I do I will use FWC for those items - so I can assess what the advantages and disadvantages of each. I like the idea of composite lift panel material instead of wood in moist climates. However my camper is stored indoors when not in use, and thus will likely hold up just fine. My siding and interior headliner materials came from FWC. Both companies have great customer service.

 

[GCecchetto]

Nicely done Resto. I restored my FWC by building a whole new camper.

 

[resto]

Nicely done Resto. I restored my FWC by building a whole new camper.

I see mine as a restomod; yours is a super high quality build from scratch. Thanks for showing us what can be done.

 

[CBone]

What a fantastic job.