bryce0lynch
Member
Reflection time. I welcome the commentary of others and I examine where I am with this build.
I'm building what is essentially a dedicated camping platform. An RV that looks like a Frontier. I'm generally trying to keep it looking stock. I'm not interested in a lot of setup at a campsite. Put out a chair and start a fire is all.
The Truck - 13 Frontier SV
Doing great. Mostly. I've had trouble working on it. Everything seems ... harder than it should be. No real space around the battery. No good access to fuses under the hood or inside ... oh my journeys with add a fuse. Recall, I'm working in the common parking garage under my building ... where the HOA doesn't want me working on it. With tools I keep in my condo. This ups the difficulty level in every project. Nissan seems weird. They make a great truck. Its super reliable. It's inexpensive. And yet they seem to hate marketing it. Or, maybe it's just my 13 since the later models have that Holy Grail underdash accessory cable available.
MX Cap DONE
This has worked out fairly well. It was probably the better choice than the fiberglass one I wanted. Lighter, stronger. The front gap is larger than I would like, aesthetically, but, also, I'm thinking of taking advantage of that to mount some antennas on swivels in order to keep the clean look. I do still need to nibble more out out of out taillight cutout holes. They are still a pain to get to. In retrospect I would not have gotten the back windows. Windows in a cap are, I think, useless. The airflow from the windoors is nice, but, my powered roof vent should do the same thing when I get it in. The slider window in the front is useless. It doesn't match up with the Frontiers cap window for more than about six inches. It's 1" tubing, so I insulted it with 1" R6. Works great down to about 30 degrees with just a normal blanket. Aluminum cap, high but not the highest. This is the correct choice for what I am doing.
Bedrug for insulation/feet purposes
Meh. I ended up putting down some thin paneling on the floor and covering it in some floor vinyl. It cleans easy and the paneling provides a flat surface ... which is probably the more important of the things. I put some outdoor carpet on the sides. Works good enough.
KO2's
Working fine. A good choice, I think, of quality and availability. I still need to replace my spare.
Windshield patch
I can still see it, but it hasn't gotten worse. I assume this is as good as it gets.
Surface scratches
I did a **** job on the doors. And the hood still has a few small rust dings. And the passenger side is torn up from tangling with a pillar in my parking garage. Err, I mean a Grizzley in Alaska. I want to get it fixed. We'll see.
Bluetooth Stereo and IPAD mount
I bought a cheap unit, only caring about bluetooth and a monitor for the backup cam I added. It works great since I only use it for the backup cam and bluetooth to my phone for music and google maps directions. . In fact, the bluetooth is better than on my old 16 Escape or my 22 Wrangler. It connects fine all the time. The IPAD mini is on a RAM magnetic mount hooked up to the top tray. It works ok. I'm starting to think again about finding/making a headunit thing so that the ipad can sit in the headunit space. We shall see ...
Magnetic window screens.
Disaster. Don't hold at all. I guess I could have spent a fortune on stronger magnets. Anyway, switched to velcro. It's ok. The windoor struts get in the way. I think I should remove them, mount the screens, and then remount them over the screens. That would eliminate the gaps in the screens at those points ... the the cost he screens no longer being fully removable. I'm not sure I need them to be, though?
Backup Camera
It's fine. Works great. CHeap *** unit.
Sonar
I still miss the beepy beeps. I am probably though not going to do this.
U shaped platform with yacht table.
The yacht table just isn't meeting my hopes and dreams. It doesn't slide up/down to become a table./bed platform, easily at all. I can't seem to figure out a better solution that raises/lowers easily and remains stable when up. The bed ... ug. Ok, so, prototyping in 2x2's was the right thing to do. And, maybe, the 80/20 was a good idea until I get the thing complete. But, also, Angle Aluminum would have been cheaper. And, with those brazing rods, held better. I'm dealing with continual nuts/bolts shaking apart, even with blue locktite. I WILL braze it together, once I get the rest of the build complete and I'm sure things are not changing. But, also, things have not changed for awhile now. Anyway. Brazing.
Clam
I got the 6'. It fits insidethe cap on the floor down the center aisle. I think I should have gotten at least one size smaller. Also, the clam has now broken in two places, with just some light use. It was meant to be outside shade/rain shelter. It works for that, but also, is too big in its largest size, I think. Great for group campouts and too much of a pain for two people? Which is weird because it IS a 30 second setup. There's some cognitive dissonance here. Again, I'm avoiding an awning in order to keep a clean look ... and I don't think it will help in light/medium rain.
Bike Hitch
So yeah, I have the hitch on. I keep a recovery point on it most of the time and a ball in the backseat in case I need it. I'm starting to second guess carrying a bike though. I'm not sure I'll use it enough, even though I love biking. I'd need to switch bikes for the rougher gravel/dirt roads, which will be expensive. I'll probably drag the carrier as I drive places due to the rear departure angle. And, it looks like I'm camping when I carry it. I may just end up renting bikes more? A quandry!
Roof Rack
I will probably spend some cash to get one mounted to the cab instead of to the cap. Maybe a clamp on, though? I'm just looking to put some lighter recovery stuff on top. Maybe chairs. Maybe extra gas ... which would help some range anxiety issues. I've seen a few setups where it looks like the roof rack boxes are "hidden" by the rack ... without the rack looking HUGE. I like that low profile concept. Again, clean look. Paying a grand or more kind of galls me ... but also I'm getting used to the idea. heh One of my big projects
100k service
Not done yet I'm at 97k
Tints
Probabaly not getting this done.
Fluid FIlm
Did this the first year. DIdn't do it the second winter. Just didn't drive it in winter.
The frame was rust free when I bought it so I'd like to keep it that way until I really start using it hard.
Wind Deflector
Because the cap sticks up over the cab. Maybe I'll do something once I get the rack on the cab. I'd still ike a cleaner look, and it HAS to impact MPG, right?
Roof Vent
This is absolutely coming to the cap. It will be a pain, since I've got it insulated and covered in a headliner, but its going on. I always feel like I'm going to suffocate without the windoors open. Ventilation, fresh air, and ... maybe ... positive air pressure when driving to keep the dust out? That would be nice. One of m y big projects.
Alternator Charging
Done. 30 amp DC-DC charger to a Lithium 100 amp hour battery. Manual shutoffs for when its before freezing. I've got two lights and a yacht fan hooked up, as well as one of the front seat 12v/usb charger stations. I cut the ends off and hooked it up to the rear battery fuse panel I put in. Fun fact: some laptops can now not charge on 12v adapters. I shouldn't need that beefy of one anyway.
Fridge Cooler
This will go on the backseat behind the driver on a small shelf. I'm getting a very small one. Like, a half or third a cubic foot small. Like 12 liters or so. Just enough for some leftovers. It will be powered by the cap battery, so, I'll need to run wires back from the cap in to the cab. One of the big things I still need to do.
Insulate Cap
Done. R6. Works great. Headliner looks fine. Some repairs sometimes with the liner to keep the trim glued on. Looks nice, which is what I wanted.
Spare Tire
Yeah. I should do this. It's just spending money. I don't need to figure things out. That's nice.
Compressor
I'm carrying a portable unit. I want a mounted unit. I'd like to mount it "outside". In the hood (Ha! Fat chance ...) or under the body. (FUD about water/dirt/mud) It may get ounte din side the cap in some dead space. IDK. One of the big things I still need to do.
Recovery Hooks
Done, thanks to the wam winch mount up front and the tow hitch on back. They are fine,
Porta Potty/pop up shower house/shovel
Yeah, so, I carry these in the back seat. They have never been used, although I used the shovel one morning. These will move to the roof rack boxes, I think.
Hitch wiring
Done, but I should test it
I'm building what is essentially a dedicated camping platform. An RV that looks like a Frontier. I'm generally trying to keep it looking stock. I'm not interested in a lot of setup at a campsite. Put out a chair and start a fire is all.
The Truck - 13 Frontier SV
Doing great. Mostly. I've had trouble working on it. Everything seems ... harder than it should be. No real space around the battery. No good access to fuses under the hood or inside ... oh my journeys with add a fuse. Recall, I'm working in the common parking garage under my building ... where the HOA doesn't want me working on it. With tools I keep in my condo. This ups the difficulty level in every project. Nissan seems weird. They make a great truck. Its super reliable. It's inexpensive. And yet they seem to hate marketing it. Or, maybe it's just my 13 since the later models have that Holy Grail underdash accessory cable available.
MX Cap DONE
This has worked out fairly well. It was probably the better choice than the fiberglass one I wanted. Lighter, stronger. The front gap is larger than I would like, aesthetically, but, also, I'm thinking of taking advantage of that to mount some antennas on swivels in order to keep the clean look. I do still need to nibble more out out of out taillight cutout holes. They are still a pain to get to. In retrospect I would not have gotten the back windows. Windows in a cap are, I think, useless. The airflow from the windoors is nice, but, my powered roof vent should do the same thing when I get it in. The slider window in the front is useless. It doesn't match up with the Frontiers cap window for more than about six inches. It's 1" tubing, so I insulted it with 1" R6. Works great down to about 30 degrees with just a normal blanket. Aluminum cap, high but not the highest. This is the correct choice for what I am doing.
Bedrug for insulation/feet purposes
Meh. I ended up putting down some thin paneling on the floor and covering it in some floor vinyl. It cleans easy and the paneling provides a flat surface ... which is probably the more important of the things. I put some outdoor carpet on the sides. Works good enough.
KO2's
Working fine. A good choice, I think, of quality and availability. I still need to replace my spare.
Windshield patch
I can still see it, but it hasn't gotten worse. I assume this is as good as it gets.
Surface scratches
I did a **** job on the doors. And the hood still has a few small rust dings. And the passenger side is torn up from tangling with a pillar in my parking garage. Err, I mean a Grizzley in Alaska. I want to get it fixed. We'll see.
Bluetooth Stereo and IPAD mount
I bought a cheap unit, only caring about bluetooth and a monitor for the backup cam I added. It works great since I only use it for the backup cam and bluetooth to my phone for music and google maps directions. . In fact, the bluetooth is better than on my old 16 Escape or my 22 Wrangler. It connects fine all the time. The IPAD mini is on a RAM magnetic mount hooked up to the top tray. It works ok. I'm starting to think again about finding/making a headunit thing so that the ipad can sit in the headunit space. We shall see ...
Magnetic window screens.
Disaster. Don't hold at all. I guess I could have spent a fortune on stronger magnets. Anyway, switched to velcro. It's ok. The windoor struts get in the way. I think I should remove them, mount the screens, and then remount them over the screens. That would eliminate the gaps in the screens at those points ... the the cost he screens no longer being fully removable. I'm not sure I need them to be, though?
Backup Camera
It's fine. Works great. CHeap *** unit.
Sonar
I still miss the beepy beeps. I am probably though not going to do this.
U shaped platform with yacht table.
The yacht table just isn't meeting my hopes and dreams. It doesn't slide up/down to become a table./bed platform, easily at all. I can't seem to figure out a better solution that raises/lowers easily and remains stable when up. The bed ... ug. Ok, so, prototyping in 2x2's was the right thing to do. And, maybe, the 80/20 was a good idea until I get the thing complete. But, also, Angle Aluminum would have been cheaper. And, with those brazing rods, held better. I'm dealing with continual nuts/bolts shaking apart, even with blue locktite. I WILL braze it together, once I get the rest of the build complete and I'm sure things are not changing. But, also, things have not changed for awhile now. Anyway. Brazing.
Clam
I got the 6'. It fits insidethe cap on the floor down the center aisle. I think I should have gotten at least one size smaller. Also, the clam has now broken in two places, with just some light use. It was meant to be outside shade/rain shelter. It works for that, but also, is too big in its largest size, I think. Great for group campouts and too much of a pain for two people? Which is weird because it IS a 30 second setup. There's some cognitive dissonance here. Again, I'm avoiding an awning in order to keep a clean look ... and I don't think it will help in light/medium rain.
Bike Hitch
So yeah, I have the hitch on. I keep a recovery point on it most of the time and a ball in the backseat in case I need it. I'm starting to second guess carrying a bike though. I'm not sure I'll use it enough, even though I love biking. I'd need to switch bikes for the rougher gravel/dirt roads, which will be expensive. I'll probably drag the carrier as I drive places due to the rear departure angle. And, it looks like I'm camping when I carry it. I may just end up renting bikes more? A quandry!
Roof Rack
I will probably spend some cash to get one mounted to the cab instead of to the cap. Maybe a clamp on, though? I'm just looking to put some lighter recovery stuff on top. Maybe chairs. Maybe extra gas ... which would help some range anxiety issues. I've seen a few setups where it looks like the roof rack boxes are "hidden" by the rack ... without the rack looking HUGE. I like that low profile concept. Again, clean look. Paying a grand or more kind of galls me ... but also I'm getting used to the idea. heh One of my big projects
100k service
Not done yet I'm at 97k
Tints
Probabaly not getting this done.
Fluid FIlm
Did this the first year. DIdn't do it the second winter. Just didn't drive it in winter.
The frame was rust free when I bought it so I'd like to keep it that way until I really start using it hard.Wind Deflector
Because the cap sticks up over the cab. Maybe I'll do something once I get the rack on the cab. I'd still ike a cleaner look, and it HAS to impact MPG, right?
Roof Vent
This is absolutely coming to the cap. It will be a pain, since I've got it insulated and covered in a headliner, but its going on. I always feel like I'm going to suffocate without the windoors open. Ventilation, fresh air, and ... maybe ... positive air pressure when driving to keep the dust out? That would be nice. One of m y big projects.
Alternator Charging
Done. 30 amp DC-DC charger to a Lithium 100 amp hour battery. Manual shutoffs for when its before freezing. I've got two lights and a yacht fan hooked up, as well as one of the front seat 12v/usb charger stations. I cut the ends off and hooked it up to the rear battery fuse panel I put in. Fun fact: some laptops can now not charge on 12v adapters. I shouldn't need that beefy of one anyway.
Fridge Cooler
This will go on the backseat behind the driver on a small shelf. I'm getting a very small one. Like, a half or third a cubic foot small. Like 12 liters or so. Just enough for some leftovers. It will be powered by the cap battery, so, I'll need to run wires back from the cap in to the cab. One of the big things I still need to do.
Insulate Cap
Done. R6. Works great. Headliner looks fine. Some repairs sometimes with the liner to keep the trim glued on. Looks nice, which is what I wanted.
Spare Tire
Yeah. I should do this. It's just spending money. I don't need to figure things out. That's nice.
Compressor
I'm carrying a portable unit. I want a mounted unit. I'd like to mount it "outside". In the hood (Ha! Fat chance ...) or under the body. (FUD about water/dirt/mud) It may get ounte din side the cap in some dead space. IDK. One of the big things I still need to do.
Recovery Hooks
Done, thanks to the wam winch mount up front and the tow hitch on back. They are fine,
Porta Potty/pop up shower house/shovel
Yeah, so, I carry these in the back seat. They have never been used, although I used the shovel one morning. These will move to the roof rack boxes, I think.
Hitch wiring
Done, but I should test it
