Guess who's back!?! Atl-atl's K5 Blazer + Four Wheel Camper "The Crawlin Cabin" documentation thread!

[Atl-atl]

Im planning to upgrade to a fridge in the future and already have the one picked out(Truck Fridge TF65) that will fit into my icebox opening, just need to spend the money. Ive included its Ah rating into my calculations and I should be fine without solar. My total draw is 13.2Ah so that calculates to 316.8Ah/24 hours. Obviously I wont be running everything at the same time, all day. In fact Ill likely never run everything at the same time. Lights, for example, are typically only on for a few seconds or minutes at a time and only one of them not all of them. Water pump only runs for a few seconds at a time. Furnace is rarely even needed etc. The fridge would be the only thing running consistently but even then its running intermittently just to keep its contents cold. I currently have a dual battery setup with a charging relay with a total of 125Ah. Eventually I will get a matching Duracell Ultra AGM starting/cycling battery to match my Duracell Ultra AGM house battery and then my total Ah will be close to 200. My Realistic draw in a 24 hour period without running the vehicle is probably in the 50-60 range with the fridge. My house battery is 90Ah. The other reality of my camping situation is I very rarely stay in the same place two nights in a row. My friends and I are much more adventure/overland type campers so I will almost always be driving the vehicle for some amount of time, multiple hours most likely, in between "deep cycles" of the battery. Could I upgrade to solar? Sure. Will I? Probably not. It will be easy to wire in a charge controller once this current round of wiring is completed though...

Furnace/T-stat 3A
Water pump 1.6A
Outside light 0.5A
Inside lights 0.5A x4
*future fridge 6A (40A/24hours)
LP/CO detector 0.1A

Total =13.2Ah, 316.8A/24 hours

 

[Atl-atl]

Still working on the wiring. It doesnt look like Ive accomplished much but it feels like I have. Wiring sure is time consuming. Im getting really close though. I picked up some rubber shielded 12/3(not romex, actual braided wire, gotta love Ace hardware) and ran it from the relay/house battery underhood to the camper, deleted the old truck to camper wiring, deleted the old fuse block, mounted the new fuse block, ran the new harness for the Furnace/T-stat/water pump/porch light, finished all the connections, deleted the old dry rotted and stapled wiring and deleted half of the ceiling light wiring.

Tomorrow Ill run new wires for the ceiling lights, at least as much as I can without removing the ceiling material which is a major undertaking for another day. A couple things Im super excited about are the fact that no wires remain inside the icebox cabinet. This means I can easily add a fridge when I get around to it, especially with the provision for it in the fuse block right around the corner. And when I eventually need to remove the camper from the truck I now simply need to undo the + and - from the fuse block, fish the 12/3 loom through one hole and the wiring is completely detached.

I used a few different wire gauge charts to determine what size wire to run from the truck to the fuse block in the camper. I have a 15 foot run of wire and an absolute max of 13.2A (which will never happen) so I decided on 12 gauge because 10 just seemed like such overkill. Realistically Ill only be using 6-8A at a time. That might change in winter if Im running the furnace and fridge and lights and doing a lot of dishes in the sink but that will be a rare occurrence. I can always bump the truck to camper wiring to 10awg or even 8awg, if needed, with relative ease. As for the rest of the wiring I went with 14awg which is plenty, calculations would have allowed for 16 if I wanted.

Currently have a 30A barrel fuse in line between the house battery and the fuse block. Per "the maths" I should have a 45A fuse so Ill probably swap to an ANL style fuse and holder when I swap out this old crappy charging relay for a Blue Sea one in the near future. For now this is fine since I wont be running the furnace anytime soon!

Fuse block mounted and harness started.

Looks like a rats nest but its just a little buttoning up away from being done. All brand new wiring and connections...:what: Also I ran quick connects for the switches and thermostat connections because, unfortunately, to access everything you have to remove the whole cabinet face. The way the factory wired it there was a couple extra feet of wire so you could pull the face back but you had to undo a bunch of stuff to actually remove the face and be able to work on anything under the counter.

 

[Atl-atl]

Alright, grab a few fingers of bourbon, we got a doozy...

ITS ALIIIIIIIVE!!!

The pump is an "on-demand" type pump where it primes itself until it hits a certain load and then shuts off. In theory it can be hot all the time and doesnt need a switch, but I ran a switch to it because I dont want it draining amperage or water if I spring a leak.

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As you can probably tell, the wiring is done HA. I got it 99% done and quickly realized the fuse block was too high to clear the drawer so I had to lower it about 6 inches. Thankfully I was able to scrounge enough slack to do so. Everything cleaned up really well with a little more loom and some electrical tape. I was able to shorten a bunch of wires and it really came together. I ran new wires for the ceiling lights up to where it enters the ceiling at the front lift panel. Unfortunately the front panel is deteriorating pretty badly and in need of replacement. I think the factory wiring was in such bad shape because of this, in addition to just being really old and dry rotted. Im quite happy to have 90% of the wiring in the camper be brand new. The only thing left thats original is from the porch-light switch to the light (inside the back wall) and whats inside the ceiling. Luckily those are two areas that should be relatively undisturbed.

Some incredible patchwork under the mattress in the front drivers corner.

New wires going to the ceiling lights.

I lied, there are wires in the fridge cabinet again.

Done

"tidy"

Initially I had run new soft propane lines to the furnace and stove but I wasnt happy with a rubber line so close to the burners so I ran hard line to the stove and kept the soft line to the furnace.

The countertop is in terrible shape. The old faucet was also much larger than the new one so there is a big hole that needs to be patched until I replace the whole counter. Ill probably just cut a 4"x4" piece of 3/4 ply and screw it into place for now.

LIGHTS!

This flashlight behind the water tank makes me think I need a light underneath the counter...

Smelled a little propane when I fired up the stove so I tightened all the fittings and it seems to have gone away. Ill check again tomorrow but I think its good to go. Just need to put the cabinet face back on and mount the faucet.

 

[nitro_rat]

Nice progress! Make a round plastic or stainless ring to trim out around the faucet and it will probably be good enough to delay the countertop replacement!

Zoomad75 has some good info on replacing the rotten structure. I would definitely be looking for a donor fiberglass top to kill for the front flange!

 

[Atl-atl]

Nice progress! Make a round plastic or stainless ring to trim out around the faucet and it will probably be good enough to delay the countertop replacement!

Zoomad75 has some good info on replacing the rotten structure. I would definitely be looking for a donor fiberglass top to kill for the front flange!

Thanks, yeah I thought about a trim ring but its so close to the sink and also large enough that nothing round will work and put the faucet close enough to the sink. Im just going to use a piece of ply for now.

As for the cabover area. Ive replaced a couple before but tips are always welcome because it is a **********!

 

[zoomad75]

Best tips for the rotting particleboard replacement are to get the camper off the Blazer. You need the room to work to get that main cabover section in. Plus you'd never get access to the front wall section when it's butted up to the cab without getting the camper off the truck. Try to remove them each as complete parts for templates.

 

[Atl-atl]

Best tips for the rotting particleboard replacement are to get the camper off the Blazer. You need the room to work to get that main cabover section in. Plus you'd never get access to the front wall section when it's butted up to the cab without getting the camper off the truck. Try to remove them each as complete parts for templates.

Yeah, I knew taking the camper off the truck was going to be in the cards, that probably wont happen for a while because I close on my house sale on July 8th and I wont have a garage for a while. When I do though, Ill replace the front wall, install a cut-up piece of stock fiberglass top to fill the gap and install a new cabover floor all at once. In the mean time Im hoping to drop the truck off for a motor/trans/t-case swap during my transition into a new house. Speaking of that, I PM'd you over on ck5 about your 5.3.

 

[Adventurous]

Thanks, yeah I thought about a trim ring but its so close to the sink and also large enough that nothing round will work and put the faucet close enough to the sink. Im just going to use a piece of ply for now.

As for the cabover area. Ive replaced a couple before but tips are always welcome because it is a **********!

Get a gooseneck faucet! That was $100 well worth it, and made a ton of difference in the functionality of our camper sink. Those faucets are just too short to adequately fill and wash dishes.

I've got good memories of swapping ours out in the parking lot of the Walmart in Anchorage.

 

[zoomad75]

Yeah, I knew taking the camper off the truck was going to be in the cards, that probably wont happen for a while because I close on my house sale on July 8th and I wont have a garage for a while. When I do though, Ill replace the front wall, install a cut-up piece of stock fiberglass top to fill the gap and install a new cabover floor all at once. In the mean time Im hoping to drop the truck off for a motor/trans/t-case swap during my transition into a new house. Speaking of that, I PM'd you over on ck5 about your 5.3.

Yeah it's best to do those things to the camper at one time. I don't like taking it off and on too many times.

I got your PM over there and shot one back.

 

[Atl-atl]

Get a gooseneck faucet! That was $100 well worth it, and made a ton of difference in the functionality of our camper sink. Those faucets are just too short to adequately fill and wash dishes.

I've got good memories of swapping ours out in the parking lot of the Walmart in Anchorage.

Yeah its definitely short, learned that this weekend. It was $25 bucks though and it works so Im not complaining. Ill get something fancier some day. I miss Anchorage, only been there one time but it was a blast and Id love to get back.

Yeah it's best to do those things to the camper at one time. I don't like taking it off and on too many times.

I got your PM over there and shot one back.

Thanks, Ill get back to you as soon as I can!

 

[Atl-atl]

Well I busted my ****** Thursday and Friday night to get the camper put back together so I could hit Flagstaff and I actually got it done hahahaha. Almost looks like nothing has changed.

It was a little bit of a struggle getting up the hill Saturday morning but we made it with only one unplanned stop and with enough time to go for an amazing ride. Also got to use the shower for the first time, I cant express my happiness about the shower. Sorry boys, no pics/vids of that.

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Campsite right in the middle of the mountain bike trails.

Relaxing after the ride.

Dinner

And good morning

Rode some more bikes and then STRUGGLED to get home. Left Flagstaff at 2:30pm, immediately vaporlocked 1 mile onto the highway. Stopped to top off the tank and it was strugglebus all the way to Camp Verde. I got off the highway, told my buddy he could split so he didnt have to wait for me and I headed to the most unfortunate of places...WalMart. Picked up some wooden clothes pins(supposedly a secret cure for vaporlock) and a second fire extinguisher because well, things catch on fire easily round these parts.

So I get the idea that since my fan shroud is the incorrect one, maybe its blocking air from getting to the engine to cool it, even though it keeps the coolant cool. So in the parking lot I take off the fan/clutch, remove the shroud, replace the fan/clutch and install my newly purchased wooden clothespins

aaannnddd drumroll........I make it less than two miles :banghead:

At this point its like 5pm and Im literally dying of heat exhaustion. I decide to hit a brewery to cool off and wait for sunset so I walk into "THAT Brewery" in Cottonwood and IT HAS NO AIR CONDITIONING!!!!! How could a brewery in AZ not have AC? This cant be good for the beer. THINK OF THE POOR BEER! So I cruise back to Camp Verde and pull into a picnic site on the shore of the Verde River and literally sit with a bag of ice on my lap for 15 minutes. I walk down by the river and its a solid 20 degrees cooler and humid and it feels amazing. Yes at this moment in time, 83 and humid feels amazing.

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Ok, that was a nice cool off, now the sun is behind the mountains and its cooled off a bunch. Time to hit the road.

Made it another two miles ?

So I think Ive realized my problem might not actually be vaporlock, at least not entirely. When I bought the truck someone had recently put some money/time/parts into making it run. I dont know what carburetor is on it but it was brand new and I think its a pretty ******tty one. There is a vacuum controlled solenoid of some sort that seems to control fuel flowing into the carburetor. Well this solenoid sticks when you cruise at highway speeds for more than a mile or two. It has been getting worse but at least Ive figured out that wiggling this solenoid back and forth a few times lets the engine fire right back up after it dies. The problem is you cant cruise at all. If you hold the throttle steady for more than 30 seconds it gets stuck. If you try to vary the throttle input it backfires and bucks and tries to stall. So I limped it home arriving at 1030pm. Yes, it took me 8 hours to go 150 miles. I cant do this anymore, there are some big changes to come.

 

[nitro_rat]

pics of the offending carb?

 

[SDDiver5]

Man I sure do miss northern AZ! Looking forward to your progress!

 

[Atl-atl]

pics of the offending carb?

The part that seams to be sticking is the round brass colored valve. When the truck dies this valve is stock in the position you see right now. After it cools off/gets wiggled, I am able to push it in and it slowly retracts. It seems as though its filling with fuel or something. This could be completely wrong but it seems to allow the truck to fire right up when I was able to push the lever/spring into the valve once or twice.

Also something that was happening this time that didnt happen before is backfiring. Id be cruising along, it would start to stumble if I gave it too much throttle, let off and get back on the throttle and it would shoot a flame out the tailpipe. If I pushed the throttle to the floor eventually it would stall out.

 

[nitro_rat]

That's a reman carb, they're usually junk. The way they reman process works the carb is typically junk after. They do goofy stuff like drilling out the threads for the needle and seat and pressing in an oversize replacement. Pure trash.

Get a good used carb or one from a reputable outfit (JET).

That thing on the side is the choke pull off. It should extend slowly after you manually retract it. It should not bind or get "stuck."