loonwheeler
Adventurer
Hmmm, a Google search didn't result in much. Do you have more details or a link to a website?
Diving in Head First!
- Thread starter yabanja
- Start date
Retired Tanker
Explorer
My landlord used to chide me for calling a pickup a truck. He couldn't say "truck" without lowering his voice 2 octaves and growling while gripping and shaking an imaginary large steering wheel.
yabanja
Explorer
yabanja
Explorer
It has been a flurry of activity around here. I got the bike rack all finished(had to add extra bracing). I also finished the spare tire hoist and bracket. It turned out well, except that I have to deflate the tire to get it in. I figure if I re-inflate it no one will be able to steal it!
I also got the second window installed. It is always fun when a microburst comes along and dumps marble sized hail on you when you are trying to work on the truck.
In an attempt to increase storage I built a rack for the spare propane tank and a 5 gallon bucket behind the rear tire. It also holds a couple of 2x6 boards for leveling the truck.
The original curtains were pretty tacky so I made some insulative curtains.
The trim insert along the roof was breaking up and no longer sealing so it got replaced.
I also re wired the water pump with a new switch and relay, secured the water tank(it was just sitting there with no bracketry holding it in place! I threw together a custom map tray on top of the water tank to take advantage of some wasted space. I also went through and glued several drawers and doors that were coming loose. And a million other things.
Sakshi got all the food together and organized the kitchen. Tomorrow morning I will pack my clothes, hop in and hit the road. Can hardly wait!
Allan
I also got the second window installed. It is always fun when a microburst comes along and dumps marble sized hail on you when you are trying to work on the truck.
In an attempt to increase storage I built a rack for the spare propane tank and a 5 gallon bucket behind the rear tire. It also holds a couple of 2x6 boards for leveling the truck.
The original curtains were pretty tacky so I made some insulative curtains.
The trim insert along the roof was breaking up and no longer sealing so it got replaced.
I also re wired the water pump with a new switch and relay, secured the water tank(it was just sitting there with no bracketry holding it in place! I threw together a custom map tray on top of the water tank to take advantage of some wasted space. I also went through and glued several drawers and doors that were coming loose. And a million other things.
Sakshi got all the food together and organized the kitchen. Tomorrow morning I will pack my clothes, hop in and hit the road. Can hardly wait!
Allan
Bris31
Adventurer
yabanja
Explorer
Time for an update!
We returned from about a month on the road two weeks ago and are preparing to head to Canada for two months.
Of course with only a week left I have big plans for the truck.
I finally located some used brackets for my 50 gallon fuel tank:
I made a few modifications, cleaned and painted them up in preparation for install:
I got the new Bilstein external reservoir rear shocks installed. They are very nice.
I've been working on building the new stairs:
We suffered two cracked wheels causing flats on our last trip. They were the 17x9" Marsh Racing wheels.(please keep the I told you so's to yourself-this is not a wheel discussion thread) Luckily we did not have a catastrophic failure. The owner of marsh racing died recently and I don't think the wheels are available any longer. This caused a huge disruption in our trip as I had to take a bus home and pickup the original wheels, locate tires for them, and drive them back down to the truck. I really struggled with which wheels to purchase to replace them. I really really wanted a set of Alan's Aluminum 16" wheels but economics won out. We already have a nearly new set of 17" bfg tires which I am very happy with so I ended up ordering a set of Kym Boulton's 17" steel wheels from Australia so that I wouldn't have to purchase a new set of tires. Luckily the AUD to USD conversion has improved in my favor enough since I bought my last wheels to completely offset what I paid for the original set!
Unfortunately, the wheels will not be here in time for our departure next week so we will be running the stock wheels for the upcoming trip. There is just one problem. I found an awesome deal on some almost brand new stock sized tires but they were studded. So today Sakshi is spending the day removing studs so we don't get turned back at the Canada border(they are only legal from October-March.)
I have purchased a Weatherguard storage box which is 5'-2'-2' which is going to completely fill the space between the front and rear wheels on our short wheelbase truck. This will free up a huge amount of space inside the camper which has been dedicated to recovery, camping gear, and tool storage. It will probably allow us to take more than we should! There isn't room for the box on the passenger side due to the size of the stock airbox which means I am going to have to move just about everything on the frame. The fuel tank is square and only 32 inches long so it is going to be moved forward as close to the airbox as possible. The truck batteries and stock bracket will be moved behind the fuel tank on the passenger side which will leave room above for the stairs. The propane tank is going behind the drivers rear tire, and the air pump will be inside the new box. This should keep me busy for the next week!
Oh, I forgot, I ordered new valves for my front shocks so I will be rebuilding them with different valving as well.
Allan
We returned from about a month on the road two weeks ago and are preparing to head to Canada for two months.
Of course with only a week left I have big plans for the truck.
I finally located some used brackets for my 50 gallon fuel tank:
I made a few modifications, cleaned and painted them up in preparation for install:
I got the new Bilstein external reservoir rear shocks installed. They are very nice.
I've been working on building the new stairs:
We suffered two cracked wheels causing flats on our last trip. They were the 17x9" Marsh Racing wheels.(please keep the I told you so's to yourself-this is not a wheel discussion thread) Luckily we did not have a catastrophic failure. The owner of marsh racing died recently and I don't think the wheels are available any longer. This caused a huge disruption in our trip as I had to take a bus home and pickup the original wheels, locate tires for them, and drive them back down to the truck. I really struggled with which wheels to purchase to replace them. I really really wanted a set of Alan's Aluminum 16" wheels but economics won out. We already have a nearly new set of 17" bfg tires which I am very happy with so I ended up ordering a set of Kym Boulton's 17" steel wheels from Australia so that I wouldn't have to purchase a new set of tires. Luckily the AUD to USD conversion has improved in my favor enough since I bought my last wheels to completely offset what I paid for the original set!
Unfortunately, the wheels will not be here in time for our departure next week so we will be running the stock wheels for the upcoming trip. There is just one problem. I found an awesome deal on some almost brand new stock sized tires but they were studded. So today Sakshi is spending the day removing studs so we don't get turned back at the Canada border(they are only legal from October-March.)
I have purchased a Weatherguard storage box which is 5'-2'-2' which is going to completely fill the space between the front and rear wheels on our short wheelbase truck. This will free up a huge amount of space inside the camper which has been dedicated to recovery, camping gear, and tool storage. It will probably allow us to take more than we should! There isn't room for the box on the passenger side due to the size of the stock airbox which means I am going to have to move just about everything on the frame. The fuel tank is square and only 32 inches long so it is going to be moved forward as close to the airbox as possible. The truck batteries and stock bracket will be moved behind the fuel tank on the passenger side which will leave room above for the stairs. The propane tank is going behind the drivers rear tire, and the air pump will be inside the new box. This should keep me busy for the next week!
Oh, I forgot, I ordered new valves for my front shocks so I will be rebuilding them with different valving as well.
Allan
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yabanja
Explorer
We will be there! Shoot me a private message w your email and we will look you up! (PS. your message box is full)
Allan
yabanja
Explorer
It is two days later and progress is slower than I would like. I spent half the day friday running around getting the parts I needed for the planned modifications and ordering stuff up on the internet so that it would all arrive before departure.
Yesterday I got the old tank off and mocked up the new tank position.
In preparation for the potentially wet pacific northwest trip coming up, and seeing how exposed the underside of the camper is with the tank out, I decided to insulate and seal the underside of the camper. The original floor consisted of 3/4" plywood and 1/8" insulation(most of which was gone. Now it is 3" insulation in the central areas and 1 1/2" on the edges(under the cabinets).
About this time I am starting to realize that my desired projects prior to departure may have been a LITTLE too ambitious. Nothing like a little pressure to get oneself motivated!!!
Allan
Yesterday I got the old tank off and mocked up the new tank position.
In preparation for the potentially wet pacific northwest trip coming up, and seeing how exposed the underside of the camper is with the tank out, I decided to insulate and seal the underside of the camper. The original floor consisted of 3/4" plywood and 1/8" insulation(most of which was gone. Now it is 3" insulation in the central areas and 1 1/2" on the edges(under the cabinets).
About this time I am starting to realize that my desired projects prior to departure may have been a LITTLE too ambitious. Nothing like a little pressure to get oneself motivated!!!
Allan
