Four Wheel Camper Flatbed Conversion

[teleturns]

E-Panel

I found a smoking deal on the E-Panel made by 3A Composites. The place I found is called Montroy and they have 4x8 sheets of the 3mm for about $45.00 each. This is half the price I have found in Albuquerque. Montroy has locations in Phoenix and Tucson, so hopefully shipping will not be too bad.

I also went to a local aluminum siding manufacturer here in Albuquerque and he can make any style of siding I want. His price is $2.77 a square foot for .030 thick aluminum. This is almost double the price of the e-panel.

I am really leaning towards the E-Panel right now. The sample I have seems to be extremely durable and also has an "R" value for insulation. The composite aluminum will also strengthen the camper. I feel this material is the right choice for my project.

Hopefully I can place the order soon.

 

[wannaby]

Hi yes close ups or the roof , top,side,inside ,inside ,how the canvas is attached.what is used for the corners.......is it an aluminum framework like the rest...is the top aluminum covered plywood or or alum framing...thx

 

[scheefdog]

Aluminum

I tried to find fiberglass siding for my camper but couldn't find anyplace close that would sell it for a decent price(shipping is expensive on a 4x8 sheet). In the end I found a really good price on aluminum from a steel supply yard that is pretty close (I think most steel yards also sell aluminum).

The sheets I bought were 4x10 ft (3003 aluminum)-
I used .063 for the siding and it is bomber(stiffened the frame up as well), it was $87 a sheet (2.19/sf)
I used .040 for the roof(about twice as thick as the original) and it was $63 a sheet (1.58/sf)

After working with the aluminum and seeing the end result I would use it again. I'll be curious to see what you go with.

 

[teleturns]

Hi yes close ups or the roof , top,side,inside ,inside ,how the canvas is attached.what is used for the corners.......is it an aluminum framework like the rest...is the top aluminum covered plywood or or alum framing...thx

wannaby

Check out scheefdog's build It will give you a better understanding how the FWC campers are built.

The roof is an aluminum frame with an aluminum skin. The canvas is attached by being pinched between a aluminum rail and the frame. Here are some pics...they don't show much though

 

[wannaby]

THx...gives me a better idea....of how its done just that they are pretty rare up here on the west coast so may be better to build one from scratch....Den

 

[pods8]

pods8

You always pull through with great suggestions. Do you have any experience with Dibond? If so, what do you think?

Thanks

Mainly because I'm working on my own camper and have pondered out various things for it. No experience with the dibond since I'm doing core construction.

I used FRP but I didn’t like the look of the Home Depot/Lowes product so I bought sheets from a sign supply business. It is flat, not pebbled, dull on one side and shiny on the other and you can see fibers under the surface of the shiny side - looks like regular fiberglass camper siding that I have seen on other campers.

Yeah the stuff they stock I wouldn't want to use with dimpled finish but those same manufacturers make sheets that are smooth and in various thicknesses. Likely the same stuff you ended up using. There is the possibility since homedepot/lowes has accounts with them that you could possibly special order some and have it shipped to the store with their normal supply chain.

 

[teleturns]

3a Composites E-Panel

I ordered 5 4x8 sheets of E-Panel today from Montroy Sign Supplies. Hopefully the shipment will be here next week.

 

[teleturns]

Sunday Update

E-Panels arrived on Friday and when the delivery driver opened the back door to the semi my panels were scattered across the floor of the trailer. I was extremely bummed because all of the panels had some type of damage. The company (Montroy) I purchased the panels from did an excellent job packing them on a flat pallet with mdf boards protecting the top and also cardboard corner protectors, but the carrier (Conway) did a horrible job shipping them. Several bands had been destroyed by the forklift causing all of the sheets to slide off of the pallet.

I called Montroy while the truck was at my house and they said they would replace any damaged panels and file a claim with Conway. So hopefully I'll have undamaged panels here this week.

I also continued to work on the frame....


Slug in place for the corner post

Removed the old frame and stuck a piece in the middle for support.

I have decided to reuse several of my old windows. They are in great shape and I like the crank out feature. The original passenger side window is too long for the back of the camper so I removed the emergency exit portion of the window and then cut it down to fit. I am going to weld it back together and hopefully it will turn out great.

I also need the final dimensions of this window to complete the frame of the back wall.

 

[Dave Bennett]

 

[Overland Hadley]

Bad news about the shipping carrier. Glad that the company was good to work with.

Do you know what a sheet of E Panel weights?

 

[teleturns]

Do you know what a sheet of E Panel weights?

Hadley

I actually do not know how much a 3mm 4x8 sheet weighs, but I am guessing in the 20lb-30lb range. I will weigh one soon and get back to you.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I will weigh one soon and get back to you.

Thanks.

 

[teleturns]

I failed to meet my date of July 4th for a usable shell.

I have been real busy working, due to all of the wildfires in New Mexico. Hopefully the rains will come and then I can start working on the camper again.

Hadley

The E-Panel weighs 29lbs per sheet.

 

[krj]

Great thread and awesome build; I've often wished for the time to do something similar. Flatbed is the way to go, much more usable space.
Something I always wanted to do, if I did the frame strip down, was to utilize the new space available below the cabover of the camper and the truck cab. Maybe exterior accessible storage for a camp table or old-school flat folding lawn chairs. Just a thought...
Good luck with both the project and the fires. Look forward to more updates when you get there.
Kevin

 

[teleturns]

Finally an update!

Well I am back at it and I got some work done today on the camper. I finished welding the custom window together and I built the frame for the window.