C5500 TopKick 4x4 Crew Cab Build
- Thread starter NeverEnough
- Start date
NeverEnough
Adventurer
Having "central vac" has indeed been one of the things I've appreciated most. It is surprisingly easy to keep the rig clean. The central vac and dust pan are a big part of that. Also key is the slide-out "patio", which provides plenty of room for my crew and guests to take off their shoes, as well as the placement of the bathroom in-line with the entrance, so dirt never gets tracked through the rest of the rig. Add to that finishes that can all be wiped down without worry, and it makes keeping clean a snap.
Scoutman
Explorer
Do you have pictures of these jacks? I started digging through the thread to find some but there's a lot to go through.
4wheeldrivevan
Observer
Still looking for a paint scheme?
Since you're in Utah, how about something like this?
Since you're in Utah, how about something like this?
T.Low
Expedition Leader
Super great rig. First class, and really like the color combination.
Imho, graphics are too distracting, 1) graphics take away from photos of the rig in awesome places rather than add to it, and 2) it's almost as if you are advertising to people what the vehicle is for because they can't figure it out on their own. (This is a milk truck, that one is a Fritos truck, and that one is a mountain camper truck) , like Hot Wheels has to do so 4 yr olds know which truck is which.
It's also kinda like how my early off road vehicles sported all the decals of my mountain bikes, kayaks, enduros, and local hockey team, and related gear to make sure everyone stuck in traffic behind me knew I was into such cool stuff.
I decided to leave my van with only Pacific Northwest Pinstripping, no commercial decals. I received $1,000 off for my GTRV pop top, so Im cool with leaving two of the four GTRV decals they put on. I purchased my last Kona mtn bike for wholesale at Kona, so they put a Kona decal on. My buddies funk band played for free at my (outdoor) wedding, and he snuck a J.B.Quartet decal on.
But then, I'm probably the only guy on Expo who prefers women without tattoos. I've never seen a tattoo that I thought actually complimented the womens figure. I can't imagine graphics that would actually compliment your tastefully designed, already one of a kind rig.
My $0.02.
Imho, graphics are too distracting, 1) graphics take away from photos of the rig in awesome places rather than add to it, and 2) it's almost as if you are advertising to people what the vehicle is for because they can't figure it out on their own. (This is a milk truck, that one is a Fritos truck, and that one is a mountain camper truck) , like Hot Wheels has to do so 4 yr olds know which truck is which.
It's also kinda like how my early off road vehicles sported all the decals of my mountain bikes, kayaks, enduros, and local hockey team, and related gear to make sure everyone stuck in traffic behind me knew I was into such cool stuff.
I decided to leave my van with only Pacific Northwest Pinstripping, no commercial decals. I received $1,000 off for my GTRV pop top, so Im cool with leaving two of the four GTRV decals they put on. I purchased my last Kona mtn bike for wholesale at Kona, so they put a Kona decal on. My buddies funk band played for free at my (outdoor) wedding, and he snuck a J.B.Quartet decal on. But then, I'm probably the only guy on Expo who prefers women without tattoos. I've never seen a tattoo that I thought actually complimented the womens figure. I can't imagine graphics that would actually compliment your tastefully designed, already one of a kind rig.
My $0.02.
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Overland Hadley
on a journey
That is classic.
NeverEnough
Adventurer
Interesting thought and very creative- thanks! Looks like a bunch of the rock art we saw on an 8-day trip to the Swell in April:
I'm pleased with the paint color so far. It definitely makes for a more subtle visual footprint.
I with you on the tats, not my thing. And my last commercial RV I had the graphics removed at the factory before taking delivery. I definitely go back an forth on whether or not to add something. The lack of graphics certainly adds to the "What the hell is that thing?" incidents at every fuel or grocery stop.
3 short trips and 1 long trip this year and the truck is running great. I love the ground clearance, still messing with reducing the cab noise on the highway. And speaking of ground clearance, I think I'm going to flip the axles on the trailer. The rear ramp door will be a bit steeper, but the trailer could definitely use a bit more clearance.
NeverEnough
Adventurer
Off Road Stress Test
With my two oldest out of the house for a few years, my wife tramping around Peru for a few weeks, and boy #3 at Lake Powell with friends for a week, my youngest and I set out on a photo safari for 5 days. And while we were at it, I decided to keep the rig off the pavement as much as possible. The result was over 400 miles of dirt roads on a 700 mile loop. We started out crossing three of the high points of the Wasatch, with a little snow still next to the road in spots.
Most of the route was graded, but we managed a few tight squeezes, with "tight" being relative to the fatness of my rig!
After a great day of frequent stops to shoot photos, we decided to drop down into the Swell because of the extreme cold front that was rolling across Utah (it snowed in Park City a few days later).
We did some riding, then knocked down a favorite technical slot combo: Upper Baptist and Chute Canyons.
My son took a video of me driving a section of the road back from the trailhead, which I'll try to get posted. Mild by jeeping standards, but it was a good test of the rig's ability to handle steep, angled terrain. 4L is quite impressive for such a heavy truck, and I was happy that I'd paid attention to keeping the CG as low as possible on the camper.
We ended up going all through the Swell, over Boulder Mtn, onto the Paunsuagunt Plateau (Bryce), and Sevier Mtns. before heading back north. Wish I had more time to post more photos of the trip, but the good news is that the truck ran great and the camper performed as intended, even with hours and hours of rough terrain. The suspension and tires do their job in those conditions, which is a huge help, but it's great to not have to worry about busted cabinets, hardware, and dust.
Thumbs up on the International 7400 and the Hutchinson/Michelin XZLs!
With my two oldest out of the house for a few years, my wife tramping around Peru for a few weeks, and boy #3 at Lake Powell with friends for a week, my youngest and I set out on a photo safari for 5 days. And while we were at it, I decided to keep the rig off the pavement as much as possible. The result was over 400 miles of dirt roads on a 700 mile loop. We started out crossing three of the high points of the Wasatch, with a little snow still next to the road in spots.
Most of the route was graded, but we managed a few tight squeezes, with "tight" being relative to the fatness of my rig!
After a great day of frequent stops to shoot photos, we decided to drop down into the Swell because of the extreme cold front that was rolling across Utah (it snowed in Park City a few days later).
We did some riding, then knocked down a favorite technical slot combo: Upper Baptist and Chute Canyons.
My son took a video of me driving a section of the road back from the trailhead, which I'll try to get posted. Mild by jeeping standards, but it was a good test of the rig's ability to handle steep, angled terrain. 4L is quite impressive for such a heavy truck, and I was happy that I'd paid attention to keeping the CG as low as possible on the camper.
We ended up going all through the Swell, over Boulder Mtn, onto the Paunsuagunt Plateau (Bryce), and Sevier Mtns. before heading back north. Wish I had more time to post more photos of the trip, but the good news is that the truck ran great and the camper performed as intended, even with hours and hours of rough terrain. The suspension and tires do their job in those conditions, which is a huge help, but it's great to not have to worry about busted cabinets, hardware, and dust.
Thumbs up on the International 7400 and the Hutchinson/Michelin XZLs!
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Thanks for the update. Please post up more photos when you get a chance.
NeverEnough
Adventurer
Thanks! We buzzed up to a friend's ranch for a quick overnighter and some fishing on the weekend. You must work in Evanston?
Hi NeverEnough
I just read through all 65 pages in one go, it's 3AM, but I couldn't let go!
I stumpled on your thread looking for builds using PP honeycomb, and got SO much more!!!
First off, what dedication! You chose a path and kept on it all the way regarding this build, and obviously also regarding your family, while we might not all be able to invest so much in a vehicle, we should strive for doing it in our families.
Best Regards from Denmark.
I just read through all 65 pages in one go, it's 3AM, but I couldn't let go!
I stumpled on your thread looking for builds using PP honeycomb, and got SO much more!!!
First off, what dedication! You chose a path and kept on it all the way regarding this build, and obviously also regarding your family, while we might not all be able to invest so much in a vehicle, we should strive for doing it in our families.
Best Regards from Denmark.