BUBB - Big Ugly Budget Build
- Thread starter BlueCoyote
- Start date
BlueCoyote
Observer
Got some more progress done. Weather and the day job have slowed me down. I do like having the barn...
Rear hitch extension done, welded, triangulated and wired.
Flat bed is done, mounted, fuel filler and tie down mounts done, side locating brackets on, camper plug wired in.
As for the flat bed - agreed, don't want to mix a flexible frame and rigid bed. This bed has plenty of flex due to the limited cross members and the use of a C channel frame - about 3" worth. Will keep an eye on the mount areas but not expecting any issues.
Ran across the Noti scales - 3600 front, 3150 rear, 6750 empty.
Camper goes on in the morning.
Rear hitch extension done, welded, triangulated and wired.
Flat bed is done, mounted, fuel filler and tie down mounts done, side locating brackets on, camper plug wired in.
As for the flat bed - agreed, don't want to mix a flexible frame and rigid bed. This bed has plenty of flex due to the limited cross members and the use of a C channel frame - about 3" worth. Will keep an eye on the mount areas but not expecting any issues.
Ran across the Noti scales - 3600 front, 3150 rear, 6750 empty.
Camper goes on in the morning.
barefoot boy
Observer
PM sent.
BlueCoyote
Observer
Got some 1/4 rubber sheet and blue water hose from a Pacific Rubber.
Found some pickup bed mats, but they had nubbies on the bottom - not sure how that would work with the diamond plate, so spent a few extra $ for the rubber mat: don't want this moving around. It is similar to horse stall rubber, just much thinner and lighter.
Installed new tail lights and made up a new power cord. Also replaced a bunch of exterior lights and fixed inner ones.
Bigfoot is now on BUBB!
Took it for a drive - handled fine. Flexed it up in the field, the flatbed does flex as designed. Still working on the rear tie down location. And rear is a bit lower than planned, will have to add airbags.
Now time to work on some systems. Heater was inop. Took the heater burner cover off, cleaned it up, blew it out. Fired it up and there is now heat.
Hooked up the water system with a new filler hose. Put 10 gallons in the tank and powered up the water system - pump worked and water flowing from the faucets - and pouring out the bottom! Isolated the leak from the water heater area. Pulled the water heater and well - crack.
Other camper issues found are leaking side windows (need a reseal) and the fiberglass roof is sagging. Have not heard of this issue with the truck campers, but have read about travel trailers sagging. The weight of the AC is a contributing factor. Since this will involve fiberglass work, it's being pushed off until summer.
And the truck has a new issue - the LH fuel tank pump is now working. Not sure if it's an electrical issue or pump failure.
So a few more issues to resolve. All part of the deal when working with budget 23 year old trucks and 25 year old camper.
Found some pickup bed mats, but they had nubbies on the bottom - not sure how that would work with the diamond plate, so spent a few extra $ for the rubber mat: don't want this moving around. It is similar to horse stall rubber, just much thinner and lighter.
Installed new tail lights and made up a new power cord. Also replaced a bunch of exterior lights and fixed inner ones.
Bigfoot is now on BUBB!
Took it for a drive - handled fine. Flexed it up in the field, the flatbed does flex as designed. Still working on the rear tie down location. And rear is a bit lower than planned, will have to add airbags.
Now time to work on some systems. Heater was inop. Took the heater burner cover off, cleaned it up, blew it out. Fired it up and there is now heat.
Hooked up the water system with a new filler hose. Put 10 gallons in the tank and powered up the water system - pump worked and water flowing from the faucets - and pouring out the bottom! Isolated the leak from the water heater area. Pulled the water heater and well - crack.
Other camper issues found are leaking side windows (need a reseal) and the fiberglass roof is sagging. Have not heard of this issue with the truck campers, but have read about travel trailers sagging. The weight of the AC is a contributing factor. Since this will involve fiberglass work, it's being pushed off until summer.
And the truck has a new issue - the LH fuel tank pump is now working. Not sure if it's an electrical issue or pump failure.
So a few more issues to resolve. All part of the deal when working with budget 23 year old trucks and 25 year old camper.
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Bernard_Roofus
"Jackaroo of all trades"
Looking great! My camper water heater did the same thing a few years ago.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
BlueCoyote
Observer
Spent the day trouble shooting the fuel pump issue as now the RH side is intermittent and the LH inop. None of the repair manuals had wiring diagrams for the dual tank set up. Some time on the web landed me this:
After some quality time with the Fluke meter, it was looking like the transfer switch was the culprit. Pulled it out and carefully dissected it.
And one ugly looking set of contacts - that will cause the issue.
Some contact cleaner, 800 emery cloth and it cleaned up nicely.
Reassembled and installed, tested and there is power in all the right places now. Truck fired right up, pumps and gauges work on both tanks, problem solved.
Next issue was a high idle. GM TBI is rather solid so before making any adjustments wanted to check for leaks or mechanical issues. Vacuum lines are fair but no leaks found. Throttle body did not seem like it was closing all the way - and found then Cruise Control servo linkage was out adjustment, and holding the throttle open a bit. Re-adjusted and idles right down.
With proper idle, 2 working pumps it was test drive time - so off to Noti for a trip across the log truck scales.
Weights
F - 3650
R - 5600
T - 9250
This is with no passengers, no mattress, 10g of water, missing water heater, empty interior, 3/4 fuel. Nothing exact, just an idea of weights. Axles are rated 4500/7500 so plenty of capacity.
It ran great but did throw a CEL light but the LH exhaust manifold is leaking, so maybe an unhappy O2 sensor.
After some quality time with the Fluke meter, it was looking like the transfer switch was the culprit. Pulled it out and carefully dissected it.
And one ugly looking set of contacts - that will cause the issue.
Some contact cleaner, 800 emery cloth and it cleaned up nicely.
Reassembled and installed, tested and there is power in all the right places now. Truck fired right up, pumps and gauges work on both tanks, problem solved.
Next issue was a high idle. GM TBI is rather solid so before making any adjustments wanted to check for leaks or mechanical issues. Vacuum lines are fair but no leaks found. Throttle body did not seem like it was closing all the way - and found then Cruise Control servo linkage was out adjustment, and holding the throttle open a bit. Re-adjusted and idles right down.
With proper idle, 2 working pumps it was test drive time - so off to Noti for a trip across the log truck scales.
Weights
F - 3650
R - 5600
T - 9250
This is with no passengers, no mattress, 10g of water, missing water heater, empty interior, 3/4 fuel. Nothing exact, just an idea of weights. Axles are rated 4500/7500 so plenty of capacity.
It ran great but did throw a CEL light but the LH exhaust manifold is leaking, so maybe an unhappy O2 sensor.
BlueCoyote
Observer
Time for some updates.
Was fighting a water leak around the windows that I could not stop. Did some reading and decided to pull and reseal the windows. Not really a hard job.
And on all 4 windows, the sealer at the top had deteriorated - the green stuff is rotten sealer - that was the source of the leaks.
Couple rolls of buytl tape later and the are sealed up. Three came out and went back in with ease. Remember to keep the glass in the closed position to help keep the frame the right size. The LH front opening must have been cut out with an ax on Friday afternoon- took a bunch of aligning to get the window centered to fill the hole.
And the old clearance lights still leak. Even after sealing them. Enough of that, now awaiting a box from Amazon - new LED lights
Was fighting a water leak around the windows that I could not stop. Did some reading and decided to pull and reseal the windows. Not really a hard job.
And on all 4 windows, the sealer at the top had deteriorated - the green stuff is rotten sealer - that was the source of the leaks.
Couple rolls of buytl tape later and the are sealed up. Three came out and went back in with ease. Remember to keep the glass in the closed position to help keep the frame the right size. The LH front opening must have been cut out with an ax on Friday afternoon- took a bunch of aligning to get the window centered to fill the hole.
And the old clearance lights still leak. Even after sealing them. Enough of that, now awaiting a box from Amazon - new LED lights
BlueCoyote
Observer
Some updates:
The side box frames are fabbed and welded up. Rear tie downs also done.
Built some overload spring extenders (aka stabiloads). Seem to work good, about 1 hours worth of fab and $15 in material.
And then many steps back.
Rear brakes were grabby, so pulled the rear drums to do wheel seals. Oil looked nasty, so pulled the cover - YUK.
Had about .125 back lash and about the same side play. Pulled the carrier, found the LH side bearing had spun and wiped out the shims, leading to the rest of the damage. So it now needs new bearings, carrier, shims and probably a ring & pinion.
The side box frames are fabbed and welded up. Rear tie downs also done.
Built some overload spring extenders (aka stabiloads). Seem to work good, about 1 hours worth of fab and $15 in material.
And then many steps back.
Rear brakes were grabby, so pulled the rear drums to do wheel seals. Oil looked nasty, so pulled the cover - YUK.
Had about .125 back lash and about the same side play. Pulled the carrier, found the LH side bearing had spun and wiped out the shims, leading to the rest of the damage. So it now needs new bearings, carrier, shims and probably a ring & pinion.
Capt Eddie
Adventurer
Blue Coyote; I am all for doing it yourself. I live by the motto that" I can do anything but lay carpet." But the blocks for the overload springs look like a major accident waiting to happen to someone else. The very nature of steel dictates that the expansion during hot and cold conditions dictate that the bolts will loosen over time and those blocks will come off along the way and could cause major damage for someone other then you. You are doing everything else right, why not just add some helper spring properly? I do enjoy your build, keep up the good work.
BlueCoyote
Observer
mrbracket - Fern Ridge area
IdahoXJ - thanks
Captn Eddie - I understand your concern; these are stronger than they look. And as a desert racer - all suspension hardware gets a visit from a torque wrench. Lug nuts often get checked every morning, Ubolts before every trip, and every thing after a major component replacement. A set of stableloads would be nice, and true overloads are probably in the works, but wanted to see how it handled.
Got another Dana 70HD rear end from B&R out of Eugene- after a lot of clean up and swapping the brakes it is all back together. It came with a rear sway bar, but Ubolts were too short. Have to get another set made by Anderson Truck.
. But in the mean time it's back on the road.
The rear end came out of a 91 CC - and it had some decent aftermarket bucket seats. After some serious clean up, they bolted right in. Upside - they recline, have lumbar, center seat/console, are comfortable. Down side is they are red - but this is OR, camo seat covers are a requirement.
We had to make an emergency camping trip this weekend to the OR coast ( we have a very sick Aussie that we promised a beach trip). We were railing it on the Hwy101 corners; it's proving to be a stable set up. It was pouring rain- thankfully no water leaks.
Other than the first trip stuff that we forgot, only 2 issues. Suspects a cracked simulator cover making a lot of racket. Other was a dead battery in the morning. Suspect the 12v cooler killed the battery. We had the little Coleman 1850 that puts out 15A @ 12v, but it took a Ford Focus with jumper cables to get the 7.4 running again.
Dual batteries are next. Still need to fabricate the side doors, and load the rest of the camping stuff.
IdahoXJ - thanks
Captn Eddie - I understand your concern; these are stronger than they look. And as a desert racer - all suspension hardware gets a visit from a torque wrench. Lug nuts often get checked every morning, Ubolts before every trip, and every thing after a major component replacement. A set of stableloads would be nice, and true overloads are probably in the works, but wanted to see how it handled.
Got another Dana 70HD rear end from B&R out of Eugene- after a lot of clean up and swapping the brakes it is all back together. It came with a rear sway bar, but Ubolts were too short. Have to get another set made by Anderson Truck.
The rear end came out of a 91 CC - and it had some decent aftermarket bucket seats. After some serious clean up, they bolted right in. Upside - they recline, have lumbar, center seat/console, are comfortable. Down side is they are red - but this is OR, camo seat covers are a requirement.
We had to make an emergency camping trip this weekend to the OR coast ( we have a very sick Aussie that we promised a beach trip). We were railing it on the Hwy101 corners; it's proving to be a stable set up. It was pouring rain- thankfully no water leaks.
Other than the first trip stuff that we forgot, only 2 issues. Suspects a cracked simulator cover making a lot of racket. Other was a dead battery in the morning. Suspect the 12v cooler killed the battery. We had the little Coleman 1850 that puts out 15A @ 12v, but it took a Ford Focus with jumper cables to get the 7.4 running again.
Dual batteries are next. Still need to fabricate the side doors, and load the rest of the camping stuff.
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shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
When I added dual batteries to my 86 crewcab dually 4x4 I went down to the Chevy dealer and bought the factory left hand battery tray and bracket. Went to mark the inner fender and core support to drill the holes and discovered little guide dimples already there from the factory. Made my own battery, ground, and starter cables from 2/0 welding cable, sure cranked over good after that. Very nice build you have going on.
BlueCoyote
Observer
The Chevy mounts would be easiest - just need to get to B&R to look for some.
Now for some updates. The side cargo area is all framed in, drop down doors frames fabricated and installed, stainless latches attached. The diamond plate skin did not arrive in time so had to run with out it for now.
The 7.4 move BUBB and the trailer loaded with the Can Am along in mountains just fine. But the TH400 could sure use an extra gear between 2&3 along with an Overdrive. Even so it averaged 9mpg.
The LH side has room for all the camping stuff, chairs, BBQ, cooler fits in there as well.
RH side has a tool box built in, rack for the N2 tank, and room for all the pit boxes and spare parts.
Stopped outside of Sisters to camp. Hit several inches of snow going back over the pass the next morning - good thing for 4x4, it was a bit interesting...
While it was our first "winter camp", it was still warm and comfy (but we still brought along spare heaters -
))
Now for some updates. The side cargo area is all framed in, drop down doors frames fabricated and installed, stainless latches attached. The diamond plate skin did not arrive in time so had to run with out it for now.
The 7.4 move BUBB and the trailer loaded with the Can Am along in mountains just fine. But the TH400 could sure use an extra gear between 2&3 along with an Overdrive. Even so it averaged 9mpg.
The LH side has room for all the camping stuff, chairs, BBQ, cooler fits in there as well.
RH side has a tool box built in, rack for the N2 tank, and room for all the pit boxes and spare parts.
Stopped outside of Sisters to camp. Hit several inches of snow going back over the pass the next morning - good thing for 4x4, it was a bit interesting...
While it was our first "winter camp", it was still warm and comfy (but we still brought along spare heaters -
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