A Ford guy's Silverado build

[JumpinFord]

I am a Ford guy.

But a few months ago while shopping for a Ranger to commute with I got a deal on a Silverado I couldn't pass up. A 2004 Silverado 1500 4x4 long bed with a 4.3 with only 65k miles for $9500. Nothing was in the works for awhile, but I really can't leave well enough alone.

I decided I wanted to do some camping with the family, but 2 kids and the wife won't fit in a regular cab without some work. First I thought about a slide-in camper, but decided my lil truck probably wouldn't like that. So I started researching ideas on the web (most coming from here) and started building.

First was the high roof shell I got used for $400.

Next I needed room for my kids. I got this leather 3rd row seat from a dodge Durango for $50 bucks.

Its narrow enough it won't interfere with my sleeping platform build and it will fold down flat enough to actually store under the platform when not in use. The seat belts are from an Astro.

In order to make sure this setup was safe for my kids, I got one of these...

So far its been a whopping 0 on the display.

I also made some blackout curtains that are attached with Velcro to the carpet lining the shell.

More to come!

 

[JumpinFord]

Next I decided to work on ventilation. I wanted a roof vent to allow heat to escape naturally as it rises in the summertime. I found this 9x9 vent at a local RV supplier.

I still need to come up with some sort of frame for the inside, but its in and functional for now.

I started working on the platform today. I wanted to keep headroom at a maximum, as well as not wasting a lot of bed space. My side boxes are just big enough to cover the wheel wells. Here is the finished frame work awaiting a 3/4" plywood side and covers for the compartments.

And since the mailman was nice to me today, here's a taste of the next stage of the project after the platform is complete.

 

[JumpinFord]

Made a bit more progress today. Rain kept coming and going, and without a garage I have to work outside. Managed to get my side panels cut, carpeted and installed. They are 3/4" higher than the frames so the storage covers are held in place without any hardware.

Hoping the weather will let me finish this tomorrow.

 

[JumpinFord]

It was cold today, but the rain was gone. We managed to finish the platform today.

Here is the 4'x4' platforms carpeted and laying in the floor. You can also see the 2x2 supports that hold the sleeping platform in its elevated position.

Here are the jumbo cup holders I scored on amazon.

Here it is with the covers carpeted and installed in "travel mode"

The setup bed

The Durango seat folded up under the bed.

I'm very glad this portion of the project is over. I am not a carpenter, so I took a lot longer measuring 2, 3, 4 times before cutting. Halfway through I shredded some tendons in my foot, which resulted in my wife getting a crash lesson on running a skill saw. I think she did amazing.

Now we can begin working on the electrical and heat portions of this project!

 

[Thunderbear]

Nice looking work! Any plans for a bedliner of some sort?

 

[bfdiesel]

Looking good. Where you putting that heater at in the back?

 

[JumpinFord]

No bed liner, but might cut another price of carpet to lay on the bottom of the bed. Haven't really decided yet.

The heater will go just above the cup holder on the passenger side. I'm going to use abs pipe to plumb the heater intake on the opposite side of the bed to promote circulation. The burner intake and exhaust will run in the cavity of the bed in front of the tire. I will also have to install some sort of fuel tank for the diesel fuel, but haven't settled on a final direction yet. I'm trying not to cut a filler hole into the bed of the truck. I still need a control unit, so until I get all that worked out I'm going to focus on the lighting and other electrical.

 

[k9lestat]

fine job

 

[JumpinFord]

The next phase of this project is the electrical system. I plan on adding a 1200w inverter, the espar heater, lighting, and an amplifier to run a pair of 6x9 speakers with an iPod. Since I'm working on a budget I'm working on the portions that I can safely run off the trucks main battery until I can get the deep cycle battery installed.

For lighting I got a pair of beautiful aluminum flood lights on amazon for less than $15 each. These are LED and will be installed near the rear door so they can be pointed in or out but will remain inside the shell to help prevent theft. These will be individually switched near the lights so I dont have to crawl in to turn them on. I'm working on the articulation arms right now but here is one of the lights.

I also built an electrical panel out of a 6x6 box from home depot. It has a dimmer for the LED strip lighting that will be overhead, a voltmeter with a momentary push button switch to activate it, a 3.5 mm input for the iPod to plug into the amplifier, the amp power switch, and 2 12v accessory plugs. Inside the box is the fuse panel for everything.

Here is the finished face. I may take it to my local engraving shop and see how much to have a professional one made, but this will work fine for now.

 

[JumpinFord]

Successful light test! This is why I got a dimmer

 

[RangeBrover]

Love the electrical panel, build looks like it's coming along great. Out of curiosity are seats in the bed of a truck legal? I know in a lot of states you can ride in the bed, but I never considered seats.

 

[Vicreo A Legarreta]

nice work I have 2 pods off led each pod haves 4 led and they are to bright, what type off dimmer are you using

 

[JumpinFord]

The legality of the seats really depends on the state, but in general yes, this setup is legal. Some states have requirements such as a camper shell, or a line of communication. I have a slider which I will add an inflatable boot to so I can leave it open if we want. Another option when the kids music doesn't mesh with my mood is walkie talkies. And the kids love this idea.

This is the dimmer. Goes for about $6 on amazon.

 

[Vicreo A Legarreta]

Nice I gonna have to order one, thank you for the info

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[k9lestat]

dang man your making wish i'd kept my long bed z71, but the family board of directors insisted i trade for a suburban. a suv style tent would set this thing off even better i think because you would have more room if needed.