Long distance off-road capable moto hauler…

[neduro]

Another update on the truck.

I wasn't happy with my ghetto mounting option for the lightbar, so I decided to try a Move self-assembled bumper. I got their prerunner precision model which is a little lower profile than the standard one, and stared at the box in the garage for a few months while I screwed around in the snow.

Eventually, I decided it was time and dug in.

The worst part of the install, was removing the OE bumper. For anyone who does this in the future, I found the best approach was to unbolt the entire bumper assembly from the mounts and pull it forward, and then unbolt the intercooler and wrestle to get the bolts that run through the frame out.

The Move product was impressive in how accurate the bends and cuts are, but I felt like it left a lot to be desired in terms of finishing out the bottom. I followed their instructions on tacking things up:

And then made my own bottom plates, to close out the inner fender and complete the project. I don't see how anyone would be happy with the parts they sent.

I added tabs to the back of this plate so that I could bolt the plastic fender to it, once I trimmed to fit. I also had to expand their 30" lightbar cutout, which was not wide enough to accommodate the Baja Designs bar.

I'm not a huge fan of logos, so I cut theirs out and made a vent out of it with some expanded metal, and then added a minimized version of the bull bar they sent, mostly to give me a place to U-lock stuff when camped. I coated the inside and all hard to reach spots with POR-15 (which I learned about on this forum- cool stuff!), and my last step was a coat of Raptor liner. I'm happy with the result.

Another item on my list was tires, and I wanted to go to a smaller wheel/ taller sidewall for off-road comfort. I settled on AEV Salta Wheels, with Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT in 295/70 x 17. This way, the spare (barely) fits in the original location. Very happy with how the truck drives- it is quiet and handles well. These tires have a 60k warranty, which moved them up the list from BFG ATs that seem to be about a 20k mile tire.

I bought TPMS sensors on Amazon and, shockingly, they don't work. Swapping back to OE later today.

I got the AEV programmer as well, so that I can set TPMS thresholds wherever I want- have to run by the Dodge dealer to get them to accept the encoder so no test on that yet. The quality of the wheels is first rate, and I am sure the programmer will be too.

Next steps: under bed boxes, and driving lights in the front bumper since I can't run the lightbar most of the time.

 

[gtbensley]

Looks great!

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Looks great!! thanks for posting, and I look forward to seeing things evolve.

 

[neduro]

Phase 2 is ahead. I don't like my existing RTT on this thing- it's high enough to be hard to set up and deal with the cover, and the Rhino Rack ditch mount setup I put it on is noisy and fussy. So time to get creative!

My vision is to use the top of the box as the bottom of the bed. It's 52" x 90", so it is adequate if not super wide. I want to keep the closed height as low as possible (I think I can get it done in ~3" above existing) and put some storage in front of the mattress over the cab (but unconnected to it, for noise) where bedding and so on can be left. Here's a napkin sketch:

I think my first step will be making a rough model covered in 1/4" plywood so that I can see if there are any unintended aerodynamic consequences (buffeting/ noise/ etc). Hate to make a finished product and then be annoyed by that.

The final product will be constructed in a similar fashion to the existing bed- tubular steel frame, with aluminum sheet bonded on for the lid. What my brain is stuck on right now is how to make the mechanism of the lifting top. Electric actuators? Gas struts? Some sort of track and slider arrangement?

If anyone has seen a similar project or can recommend starting points, I am all ears!

 

[Adventurous]

Phase 2 is ahead. I don't like my existing RTT on this thing- it's high enough to be hard to set up and deal with the cover, and the Rhino Rack ditch mount setup I put it on is noisy and fussy. So time to get creative!

My vision is to use the top of the box as the bottom of the bed. It's 52" x 90", so it is adequate if not super wide. I want to keep the closed height as low as possible (I think I can get it done in ~3" above existing) and put some storage in front of the mattress over the cab (but unconnected to it, for noise) where bedding and so on can be left. Here's a napkin sketch:

I think my first step will be making a rough model covered in 1/4" plywood so that I can see if there are any unintended aerodynamic consequences (buffeting/ noise/ etc). Hate to make a finished product and then be annoyed by that.

The final product will be constructed in a similar fashion to the existing bed- tubular steel frame, with aluminum sheet bonded on for the lid. What my brain is stuck on right now is how to make the mechanism of the lifting top. Electric actuators? Gas struts? Some sort of track and slider arrangement?

If anyone has seen a similar project or can recommend starting points, I am all ears!

Check out Go Fast Campers (https://gofastcampers.com/collections/campers/products/gfc-platform-standard) if you haven’t already. I do believe their campers are similar to what your napkin sketch depicts.

 

[neduro]

Check out Go Fast Campers (https://gofastcampers.com/collections/campers/products/gfc-platform-standard) if you haven’t already. I do believe their campers are similar to what your napkin sketch depicts.

Good thought! I have seen those (and like the concept!) and there's something for me to think about there.

I had been trying to avoid a simple pivot at the front to make the storage space more useful and the interior feel more open. But simple pivots are easy to fab and tough...

 

[Adventurous]

Good thought! I have seen those (and like the concept!) and there's something for me to think about there.

I had been trying to avoid a simple pivot at the front to make the storage space more useful and the interior feel more open. But simple pivots are easy to fab and tough...

Hell, if you want to open the space up, do a 180* pivot like the Flippacs of old. That would give you gobs of space. With the right setup you could even get rid of the fragile torsion spring that plagued their design.

Also, good choice on the Coopers. Swapped out the stock Firestone’s on my truck a few weeks after purchase and have been very happy with the AT3. They’ve performed in all weather conditions, on and off-road, across the US and Canada. Only time I’ve ever actually needed 4wd was to get out of an icy ditch and get out of a wet, grassy ditch. They’ve provided adequate traction in all other situations.

 

[neduro]

Once again, with an idea bouncing around in my head, I couldn't resist getting to work on it.

As I thought about it, I was concerned about adding a bunch of weight up high, so I decided that making the thing entirely out of aluminum was a good idea. This dovetailed perfectly with my desire to justify a new tool to myself, so the decision was made. I started looking for the aluminum spool attachment for my Lincoln, and realized I could buy a complete welder with pretty good reviews on Amazon for about $100 more than just the spool gun, and then I wouldn't have to set up and take down. That arrived and I made a few test passes, which taught me that I have a lot to learn about aluminum welding. I got to where I felt like my welds were usable if not pretty and it was time to start.

Next step was a delivery of .063 sheet and 1 and 1.5" square tubing. As usual, as soon as it got here I started fabbing, on sort of a ready-fire-aim trajectory.

Here's the starting point:

Drilling the pivot:

Sort of a rough-draft of shocks:

In the midst of all this, I snuck out for a night ride, and was reminded why I like this truck so much. It's so convenient for hauling stuff and makes doing things such a no brainer. If I had the tent done, I would have camped that night, such a beautiful spring evening.

Sikaflex 252 mastic to mount everything:

For the joints across the top (it's wider than 48" so not possible to run sheet the long way), I tacked every ~2" and then covered with HVAC aluminum tape, which seemed to work pretty well. More welding seemed to just twist the crap out of everything from the heat. I'm sure someone with more skills could get around that.

At the front, I made the nose cone go under the top, and then laid a strip of hypalon raft material down with Sikaflex. I have learned such faith in Sika that I didn't test first, and I think this is going to be the first thing to revisit- looks like they don't adhere particularly well. Whoops.

Here it is with a coat of Raptor Liner:

And here it is on the truck- adds only 3" to height and a trip across the scales shows ~150 lbs.

It's held down with 6 8mm bolts through the frame of the box. I laid down 1" wide foam first so that I'd have something to suck down into and absorb any imperfections on the top.

Happy to report the truck is quieter with it installed! The space over the cab is going to be great for storing bedding when not in use.

Next up- canvas. Went down to the springs where a buddy and I laid out a plan, will be a couple weeks to get that done.

 

[IdaSHO]

No sanding prep or primer for the Sika 252?

And how about primer for the Raptor? It cannot go direct to aluminum without acid#8

 

[neduro]

No sanding prep or primer for the Sika 252?

And how about primer for the Raptor? It cannot go direct to aluminum without acid#8

Didn't use the Sika primer this time- I thought I had some but it was gone. Used 120 grit and starter fluid to clean the aluminum before applying.

Did use acid etching primer under the Raptor.

 

[neduro]

Finally have canvas in and went camping over the weekend. Pretty happy with the setup.

Have some work to do on elastic to make it close easier (less tucking), and going to get a custom Paco Pad made for the mattress... but overall, it is a super comfortable place to sleep and is getting close to my vision of what I wanted.

I bought the truck a year ago tomorrow, so I guess good things don't come quick!