DIY Composite Camper T100 Expedition Vehicle Build

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

Side hinges on these and bottom hinge on the flip down (going between two of these on the rear wall).

I have a friend with a TIG, yet thinking maybe just Sikaflex the corners? I want to cover the screw heads anyway.. Any suggestions other than for those corners? Really want his 'bath-tubed'! No water, no dust!

Ok, I wasn't getting it ?
I feel like that should be pretty well sealed if you Sika the angle onto the camper and Sika the angle joints. Then use a foam rubber seal in-between the door and the angle all the way around. It would be pretty submersible as long as the door compresses the foam rubber seal when it is closed.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

UPDATE

I have installed the solar panels and the electrical system.

I used 4 x 100W flexible solar panels wired in parallel. The panels are mounted to the roof with Sikaflex 252. The wires are held in place with cable tie anchors sikaflexed to the roof. The only hole I had to put in the roof was to run the wires into the camper. I installed a plastic thru-hull fitting in this hole sealed with sikaflex 252. Then covered it with a cable gland housing sealed to the roof with sikaflex 252.


The other major components of the system are mounted low, against the front wall of the camper. I used a Renogy DC-DC charger with mppt charge controller to take power from the solar array or the vehicle alternator to charge the battery. The battery is a 200ah LiFePO4 unit. To use the power in the battery I ran cable to a 6 way fuse block and negative busbar. Then cables go out from there to different parts of the camper. Any screw or bolt that enters the wall is sealed with Sikaflex 221.


To get power from the vehicle alternator to the charger and also to get power from the house battery to the cab of the truck (where my water pump will be) I installed a thru-hull fitting in the floor to run cables through. This will eventually be sealed around the cables with Sikaflex 221.


To get power to various loads on the ceiling I installed a plastic cable concealing track. This had an adhesive backing, but I chose to drill holes in it and mount it with a few screws as well. It was easy to cut to length and seams to be working well to deliver power to my lights and fans.


I will be adding more loads as I get more components of the camper installed (fridge, toilet, H2O system).

Compared to the solar electric system I had in my DIY camper that I drove to Panama, This system has a 33% increase in solar array, 140% increase in usable battery and will dual charge from alternator and solar more effectively. Plus, with the new technology the solar array weighs 70% less and the house battery weighs 58% less.

If you want more details on the installation checkout the YouTube video:

 

[mangymarmot]

Digging it!

 

[RJ Howell]

Haven't watched yet but will, of course. I'm curious of you thoughts of a induction cooktop.. I'm just not into dealing with propane for those few times we need to cook inside. An induction cooktop takes solitude space and can do so much.. I figure a 2 element if I go that way. I'm sure you thought about this in your research/planning.

The build is looking great!

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

I'm sticking with propane.

I do like the idea of cooking with electricity and not needing to worry about running out of propane, but I would need to have a pretty excessive battery bank/solar array to feel comfortable relying on it for our ability to cook. My wife really likes to cook and eat well so telling her "no cooking if we get 3 days of clouds" is not really an option.

Of course your cooking preferences and how/where you plan to use the camper make a big difference on how much solar/battery you would need to feel confidant that it will meet your needs.

 

[IdaSHO]

You are beyond fine with LP

We can go for months on a single 20# cylinder even during the winter months.
That's an LP furnace keeping things nice and warm, coffee every morning, hot soups for lunch, and grilled whatever for dinner, and as needed bathing, for two adults.

I get the ideal for keeping things electric as it is a "free" energy, but the truth is LP is so efficient, easy, light and cheap its a no-brainer.

 

[rruff]

I'd never call solar "free" as the capital outlay, weight, and space "costs" are significant. Plus, unless you way oversize your system for your average consumption, you'll run low sometimes.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

UPDATE

I built a fridge slide. I used a pair of 250 pound capacity drawer slides, a couple spring loaded gate latches, and some scrap steel to put it together. It's pretty basic, but it works nicely and fits the space perfectly.



I cut the cigaret-plug off the power cord on the fridge and wired it to a fuse block mounted behind the fridge.


Last time I built a fridge slide I used drawer slides with built in latches that locked the fridge in place. The latches failed after 1.5 days of off-payment driving. So, I'm hoping these gate latches will prove to be more durable.


I also added some ventilation holes in the side of the cabinet with a whole saw and sealed the exposed wood with epoxy resin.


Here's the video for those of you that want more details.

 

[trackhead]

I'm sure you'll get there, but what's your plan for interior finish? Looking great, awesome build.

Agree on propane, the trend is for $$ electric everything, but I think keeping it simple, and relatively cheap is so overlooked. So many people want the most expensive gadgetry/monitors/screens they can get, at a high price premium. I like the simple stuff myself.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

I'm sure you'll get there, but what's your plan for interior finish? Looking great, awesome build.

Agree on propane, the trend is for $$ electric everything, but I think keeping it simple, and relatively cheap is so overlooked. So many people want the most expensive gadgetry/monitors/screens they can get, at a high price premium. I like the simple stuff myself.

Thanks.
I am planning on coating all the epoxy in the interior with clear spar urethane. I did the ceiling and around the window cutouts before installation. It brushes on easy and is supposed to provide decent UV protection for the epoxy. It won't protect as well as paint, but hopefully be sufficient since it's inside.
Anything that is not epoxied, I will coat in a (relatively) cheaper polyurethane.

We had a couple times while traveling internationally when we let our propane run low because we had gotten used to fill stations being prevalent, but were then surprised not to find one for a long way or learn that there was a local holiday that results in the stations being closed. So, I get the appeal of going all electric, but we don't have the space or the budget for a big solar array or battery bank

 

[RJ Howell]

We had a couple times while traveling internationally when we let our propane run low because we had gotten used to fill stations being prevalent, but were then surprised not to find one for a long way or learn that there was a local holiday that results in the stations being closed. So, I get the appeal of going all electric, but we don't have the space or the budget for a big solar array or battery bank

I find that re-filling stations are getting fewer n fewer when traveling also.. I've gone to li'green bottles (I refill) for our outside cooking. Inside (rainy days) is typically coffee and soups/sauces. Even then we use our MSR cooker since Butane bottles are getting harder to get on the road. I really liked that butane one burner.. I don't see going completely over to electric cooking, yet I may just add a one element..

It's looking good Matt!

 

[vintageracer]

Matt,

Why all this work building this wonderful camper shell to install on a 28 year old Toyota truck?

 

[rruff]

Why all this work building this wonderful camper shell to install on a 28 year old Toyota truck?

Eh? It's a T100... just finally getting broken in!

Besides... new trucks kinda suck and are expensive, and also attract thieves. If I had one of those and it was treating me well, I'd be keeping it. It also wouldn't be hard to move the camper to another truck if necessary.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

Matt,

Why all this work building this wonderful camper shell to install on a 28 year old Toyota truck?

Fare question. The short answer is, money 😅

The longer answer is, I live in the USA and most newer vehicles don't tick the boxes as well as the T100 when you look at the numbers.

Price= $2,500 usd	length = 209.1"	width = 75.2"	height = 70.1"
max payload = 1960 lbs	curb weight = 4040 lbs	turning circle = 43.3 feet	Torque = 220 lbs-ft
Estimated fuel efficiency = 15/18 mpg	Ave. fuel efficiency with old camper = 15.5mpg	fuel capacity = 24 gal	Horse power = 190

Body parts can be hard to find, but it shares most of its steering, suspension and brake components with the Toyota Hilux and most of its drive train with Tacoma, 4runner, Prado, and the ace van, so the vital parts are still pretty easy to come by in the states and abroad. It would be nice to have more torque, but small trucks with torquey, little fuel efficient engines aren't popular here.
It is relatively simple compared to newer vehicles, which makes it less intimidating for me to work on and makes it less finicky. This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't expect a new car to hold up any better than this T100 did on our Panama trip. I replaced the starter, rear pinion seal, the idler arm, and the starter battery during the trip ($300 in parts). It never left us stranded. That was a 60,000 mile trip that included 4,000 miles off pavement, countless river crossings (a few over the hood), and all while loaded down with roughly 1900 pounds. And I foolishly didn't do anything besides change the oil to "prep" it before we left.

 

[Traveling 2gether Journal]

UPDATE

I got the water system installed. It consists of a 20 gallon water tank, a 12v water pump, a water purification filter, an indoor faucet and an outdoor shower.

I started by removing the storage boxes I had built behind the driver's seat and re purposing the steel framing to build a mount for the water tank.


The mounting bracket is bolted to the floor of the truck cab with the bolts that previously held the rear seat and seatbelt. The tank is held in place with 3 ratchet straps.

It is a sump tank, so the water drains out through the bottom of the tank. This lets us get all the water out of the tank if we need to. Under the tank is a 40 micron spin down filter. This removes sediment that could harm the pump and quickly clog the finer filter elements. The water pump is also mounted under the tank. It is a 12 volt, 3gpm, on demand water pump with a 50psi shut off. It is powered off the house battery and also has a manual power switch mounted under the tank bracket.


From the pump a hose runs along the frame rail to the rear bumper, where I mounted a quick disconnect hose bib and ball valve. This will be used for outdoor showers or rinsing gear.


There is also a hose that runs into the camper under the passenger side cabinet. This is where I mounted my water purification filters. I bought 2 filter housings from ClearSource RV and the replacement filter pack for their Nomad water filter system. Then put the housings together with stainless plumbing fittings and installed the filters. The water runs through a 5 micron, then a .02 micron filter. According to ClearSource RV this will remove bacteria, parasites, and viruses.


This filtered water comes out the faucet. It will be used for drinking water and doing dishes.


Water that drains out of the sink will flow into a 5 gallon gray water tank directly below the sink. This tank can easily be disconnected from the drain hose and walked away from the camper to be dumped out.


Here is the video for more detail