Lightweight Homebuilt Camper for my Tacoma

[riveroceanandmountain]

thanks for the info everyone..... I love the details you provided Moe.... AWESOME!

As I think more about the floor.... perhaps simply using a nice plywood for the floor and coating with a polyurethane floor finish.... then it will be structural and finish floor in one.... and save weight. I have started checking all the plywood links ... wouldn't it look cool with a dark veneer in stripes... like a boat floor. I have never inserted thin veneer strips either.... I love a challenge.

I love the idea of epoxy fillets for the cabinet/drawer boxes... I was trying to figure out how to build it out of super thin material given that edge fastening would not work.... you must have been reading my mind. Perhaps a thicker front back with thin sides/bottom and epoxy fillets.... hmmm.... really the whole drawer box could be out of 1/8 ply with epoxy fillets... now that would be light!

Now to find more info on epoxy fillets.... I remember a build of an aussi/kiwi camping box using ply and epoxy fillets a couple years back... must find it.... I have never used that type of construction technique but I see its advantage

 

[pods8]

West system has some quick use guides and also you can download the entire boat building manual here: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/

Heifer boy's box is what you are referencing above: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/56146-New-and-Improved-Camper-Box-Build-Ver-2-0

I use fillet work on my build as well and will be using it on the interior too. Generally speaking you just add fillers to your mixed epoxy and use a stick or sqeege with various radius to get the size fillet you want. Tongue depressors are a commonly used item. Fillers vary, west system makes blends but those see expensive to me. Microballons aren't very structural. The structural stuff would be cabosil, wood flour, milled glass, cotton flock. My ideal for doing fillets on plywood would be a blend of wood flour with some cabosil, the cabosil is antisag and also smoothes them out some more. The wood floor give it a brown look so you don't HAVE to paint it you didn't want to and you won't have a white fillet that you'd otherwise have with most of those other ones. I used to have a good/cheap source for wood flour before I moved but I'm running out and online pricing I haven't liked so we'll see going toward.

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Great info... thnks pods

my camper has been temporarily relegated to yard ornament status..... it has actually been a few weeks since I have had a chance to work on it... and I am away all next week.

so here are the last few photos I have of anything new... from a few weeks ago actually.

lots of bracing odds and ends


more bracing


bracing in the corners for jack brackets


flip it over for backing plates for the fridge mount and fold out counter mount






and the campers current home... as a yard ornament


Of course there are things going on in the background..... sourcing stuff... off to the border tomorrow to pick up a load of cool parts for the build!

It currently weighs in at less than 150 lbs .... I keep thinking light..... fancy tent on back of truck light!

Hope to pick up a few parts in Calgary while I am there next week... edge trim and 1/2 inch EPS

 

[AeroNautiCal]

Make the frame airtight, fit a Schrader valve and pump in helium for added lightness! (o:

Humour apart, that's a nice, light frame.

 

[Rbertalotto]

Make the frame airtight, fit a Schrader valve and pump in helium for added lightness! (o:

They do this on race car chassis, not for lightness, but they pressurize it and install a pressure gauge. If the pressure drops, you have a broken weld or a broken piece of tubing. Many motorcycles use the frame for oil storage and at least one used the frame as a fuel tank.

This frame could hold an awful lot of water for flushing the toilet.....:snorkel:

 

[AeroNautiCal]

Yep, and on some airframes too.

That's where I first saw the technique used.

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Well I have been busy sealing up my frame so I can install the Schrader valves... I love that idea!

Just kidding......Finally got a chance to work on the camper today. Started on the roof.

curving the roof supports for good drainage.


My $200 Harbour Freight tubing roller... it works great!


North american prices are amazing..... $200 for the roller, $50 for the square dies... and $150 to get the 3 slots machined deeper to accommodate 1x1.5 rectangular tubing...yeesh


playing with design ideas... I ended up bending the roof member.... but then decided I didn't like all the extra height, which is 6 inches extra at this stage.... so I cut it down... now it is not long enough width wise... luckily this is my one extra piece.


I was able to get 10 of the 12 roof supports curved.... good workout!


What do you think.... roof edge idea #1 .... bend the roof members to curve down on the edge... gives something to fasten to on the inside of the roof... could finish with easy to purchase aluminum pieces.... this design makes the roof about 2.5 to 3 inches taller than the second design.... also creates its own problems..... flat front or very cool curved front.... which of course would be challenging too.... to finish the corners of the roof sheeting


Roof edge idea 2..... forget about bending and fold roof sheeting over square corner as done by FWC and other manufacturers..... I think FWC uses some special aluminum pieces to attach fabric and then flash over the bottom portion when closed..... both pieces are hard to get...

 

[pods8]

Maybe a deeper box tube on the side with option 2 to give you a vertical flat spot on the inside under the room to do you trim work? Get some of the best of bot there? Option 1 the deformation of the roof member concerns me about attaching the roof to it since its not a flat/uniform surface to screw against (or tape against, not sure what you're using for fastening).

 

[Rbertalotto]

I would go with version #2, but I'd make the cross piece longer and notch it so it purchased on top of the side walls as well as on the inside of the sidewalls as you show in the picture. This would give you a lot more contact to weld.

Nice work with the tubing bender.......Gotta get me one of them!

 

[Overland Hadley]

Off the top of my head I like the idea of #2 better.

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Well I started building today.... And I agree with you all, the extra work and challenges of idea #1 just are not worth it....so going with the simpler design #2

Thanks for the feedback everyone

Back to the shop

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Maybe a deeper box tube on the side with option 2 to give you a vertical flat spot on the inside under the room to do you trim work?

great idea but ordering different materials takes time.... and I am on a deadline now!

I would go with version #2, but I'd make the cross piece longer and notch it so it purchased on top of the side walls

great idea…. but I am not concerned that the welds are not going to hold… after repeated destructive tests… the welds are stronger than the tubing on the .06 tubing! As well, I have made the outer frame hang over the walls by 1/4 inch to simplify the finish trimming.... so the roof cross pieces actually sit on the wall frame when the roof is down.

Nice work with the tubing bender.......Gotta get me one of them!

Thanks, I have a tubing roller for making long curves…. and a Harbour freight bender that I bought a few years ago…. and just made a square tubing die for it…. it does great bends to 90 degrees….. I love bending metal! that is why I was thinking of bending all the roof pieces…. but more work for not much gain… just looks I suppose.

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

A few more photos from today

Trying the frame on the truck to check a few details


Laying up the roof and tacking it together


trying it on for size..... I already knew it would fit as I double check everything and already test fit the frame before tacking in the cross members


Tomorrow I will have a chance to weld the roof completely.... and perhaps start putting in the backing angle where needed in the frame.

 

[pods8]

Coming along great!

 

[Billhilly]

X 2!
So is there a place here for filling the RHS tube's with polyurethane foam (aerosol can type)? I've been trying to think of how to fill the main camper body structure without riddling it with holes, but that roof structure could be done with a few (3?) small holes on the top side of each spar. I completely understand that the aluminium itself will be a massive heat (cold) sink, but if you filled the void at least...? The other thing that crossed my mind is that in the automotive arena there is a big range of structural foams etc. Maybe you could be adding rigidity as well. (I love Pods idea of running another complete layer of foam through on the inside of the frame) Just thinkin is all.