K5 Camper. My offroad home away from home.

[nitro_rat]

You and Larry have motivated me to drag out my old '84 Suburban. It's been down for almost a year. A major case of cancer around the bottom of the windshield has kept me from having the motivation to make any more repairs. This truck was my daily driver for years and was owned by a close friend prior to my purchasing it, I've known it for a long time.

Anyway, body work isn't really in my wheel house but I knew I couldn't afford to pay someone to fix this. I figured I would get it done or scrap the truck. With that I broke out the cut off wheel...





I also attacked a parts truck I bought a few years ago...



There are about 3 layers of metal there, I had to separate the top layer of my "patches."



A little Bondo to fair it in...



The other side.





Primer and time for new glass!



I got a new chrome lace but used the original seal...



And no, I'm not a glass guy either! The 3rd time is the charm though...



I also took the opportunity to fix some other damage to the front end and both battery trays. It's been a long time since this stuff was solid.

Sorry for the hijack but I'm back on track to getting my old Suburban back on the road!

 

[zoomad75]

No issue with the hijack if it gets another squarebody back on the road. Glad we could provide some motivation to get the burb back in action.

I still think there's no better picture window than looking out the windshield of a Squarebody in a desert or mountain environment. Glad you got one installed right the third time. I'm in need of a new one myself. It got nailed and cracked while driving, but it's the price to pay if you want to enjoy it vs sitting in the driveway.

Keep at it dude!

 

[nitro_rat]

No issue with the hijack if it gets another squarebody back on the road. Glad we could provide some motivation to get the burb back in action.

I still think there's no better picture window than looking out the windshield of a Squarebody in a desert or mountain environment. Glad you got one installed right the third time. I'm in need of a new one myself. It got nailed and cracked while driving, but it's the price to pay if you want to enjoy it vs sitting in the driveway.

Keep at it dude!

Thanks. A transmission cooler line blew off last year and cooked my transmission. I wasn't ready to make the commitment to rebuild it with all the rust issues. There are still a few cancer spots but nothing anywhere near as severe as the windshield corners.

My little Harbor Freight MIG welder has proven to be a useful tool and I'm confident I'll be able to get the other rust handled at my leisure.

I'm planning on getting a new set of wheels and tires soon (I stole the good rubber off of the 'Burb for my Excursion project). The transmission will be coming out and I'll have to decide weather I'll tackle the overhaul myself or have it benched at a shop.

Hopefully it will be back on the road in a month or so!

 

[zoomad75]

Shoot compared to some poor suckers back east that's nothing for rust. You got it easy right there.

It's got a 700r4 in there right? They aren't impossible to do at home but there is some peace of mind when a good trans guy does it right with all the right upgrades. Just remember to flush the trans oil cooler and lines prior to install.

At that point it's just dealing with tires. It's all downhill from there.

 

[nitro_rat]

Shoot compared to some poor suckers back east that's nothing for rust. You got it easy right there.

It's got a 700r4 in there right? They aren't impossible to do at home but there is some peace of mind when a good trans guy does it right with all the right upgrades. Just remember to flush the trans oil cooler and lines prior to install.

At that point it's just dealing with tires. It's all downhill from there.

Yeah, it's a 700R4. It already has all the right upgrades, it had 350k+ miles on it and it was shifting great until the cooler line blew and dumped the fluid. Due to the line blowing off it looks like most of the debris went overboard.

The night the cooler line blew off I coasted into a convenience store just before they closed. I bought all the fluid they had and a screwdriver. I put the line back on and made it down the road about two blocks before it blew off again. I had it towed home and after a real repair on the line I refilled it again. The fluid is clean but 3rd and OD are gone.

I want to put it back just like it was, the last guy that built it did it right. He's since retired and may have even passed on now. Yeah, I think I may just open it up myself...

 

[zoomad75]

Sounds like you might not have any hardware damage, but just clutches and steels. Not to hard to pull off. Hell, if I was closer and the nv4500 swap underway I'd offer up mine to you. But I kinda need it to drive it right now!

 

[nitro_rat]

I saw you guys were talking about a Death Valley trip this year. Don't know how this virus crap will affect that but it's a little far for me. Pueblo is roughly a 1,600 mile round trip for me. I would like to get up that way one of these days for a run with you guys!

 

[zoomad75]

I saw you guys were talking about a Death Valley trip this year. Don't know how this virus crap will affect that but it's a little far for me. Pueblo is roughly a 1,600 mile round trip for me. I would like to get up that way one of these days for a run with you guys!

The group did Death Valley last year when I missed it. It was a plan "B" to our first choice of the Black Rock Desert in NW Nevada. But Black Rock was still pretty wet from a rough winter and most locals we talked with said it was a bad idea to try before it dried up some.

This year the plan is the San Raphael Swell in Utah in June. However, the whole thing is up in the air due to the Kung-flu shutdowns going on. The Easter Jeep Safari got canceled in Moab that was coming up and those in the area have shut down access to the trails in the county Moab is in, the county to the west and one to the north of that one. That's pretty much the entire target zone we are shooting for.

We are monitoring the situation for sure and are still working to that goal, but may have to change as info becomes available.

Let me know when you are going to be in the area. With some planning ahead I'm sure we could line up a run. I'm always game that's for sure.

 

[NevadaLover]

The group did Death Valley last year when I missed it. It was a plan "B" to our first choice of the Black Rock Desert in NW Nevada. But Black Rock was still pretty wet from a rough winter and most locals we talked with said it was a bad idea to try before it dried up some.

If you guys have a chance to hit the black rock this year it will be dry, pretty crappy dry winter up here so once the late spring gets here it should be plenty doable.

 

[zoomad75]

If you guys have a chance to hit the black rock this year it will be dry, pretty crappy dry winter up here so once the late spring gets here it should be plenty doable.

We've still got all the tracks we intended to take last year saved. So it's a possible backup plan. Only problem is the distance from home. We can keep it as a backup for sure.

I did end up getting a long put off project knocked out today on the camper. The front lift panel on my camper was wasted from water damage when I got it. I tried to replicate it but that attempt failed. So I used a section of 1/4" plywood and the lower hinge to make a temporary lift panel. Not as elegant as the original, but it always worked.

So I took a cue from the many on the Wander the West forum that have switched to using electrical conduit for a lift mechanism. The concept is the same they both pivot in the middle and hold the roof up. I didn't take any pics as I went along, but did take one of the final product.

The system works well and is strong. It snaps into position once you get it upright.

 

[zoomad75]

Not much in updates lately. I tinted the windows in the camper a couple of weeks ago to add privacy and help limit the UV exposure to the inside. It's bleaching out the curtains my sisters made for it a while back.

Case in point. The bottom pane is 35% tint and the upper has not been done yet.

But from the outside it seems a bit darker.

Went out for a little exploring not to far from the house.

I've had a side project for the last couple of weekends to help one of my Jeep buddies rebuild the engine in his '94 YJ. Got it back in last weekend and got it running today. The 2.5L 4 banger was in dire need of a rebuild as it was lacking compression to the point I could turn the flywheel by hand prior to teardown. It's a sweet little runner now.

It's a month out to our desert trip and really all I have to do is change the oil and top off fluids. I'll do that next weekend and we'll be doing a validation run to one of our local haunts the following weekend.

 

[Oilbrnr]

Looks stealthy Rob! Your girlfriend at Warm Creek will like that touch. ?

 

[zoomad75]

Looks stealthy Rob! Your girlfriend at Warm Creek will like that touch. ?

I was thinking more along the lines for my wife, but ok. Funny guy.

 

[Atl-atl]

Tint looks great. Not sure why I never thought to do that for my campers in the past. I will definitely tint the camper and truck windows too. AZ sun and heat is a **********.

 

[zoomad75]

Finally got around to installing the step plate to the bumper. My buddy Bill burned it in. I still need to paint it, but it's nice and strong and fills the void between the bumper and the body.

It closed off the area just as I wanted it to. No chance of getting my foot stuck in between the bumper.

I need to get some paint and get it covered tomorrow. Going up for an overnighter next weekend to recheck systems and make sure it's ready for the big trip.