Hi all, after Callen failed to build me a shell (story here:http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=252570#post252570), I went with a BelAir.
I walked into their shop at noon on Labour Day Sunday, and was able to work out a deal in less than an hour and left with a promised delivery date of 21 days.
I dealt with the new guy (been there 16 years) Jeff, he called his fabricator about the rack, who answered the call on a Sunday, so we could get a price on that too.
Here are my custom specs: 44" sidewall, 24"overhang, entry door to the right side, 1 extra roof vent with both vents installed to the left (leaving room up top for a wide kayak without interfering with venting).
These are standard: wood frame, aluminum skin, front slider window, tinted side sliding windows, interior&running lights, rear cargo door and the rack has a movable center bar.
Shell $1560, rack $760, install $150, OTD was just over $2600.
They finished the work a couple of days early, install took a couple of hours, here is the finished product:
I'm pretty happy with the shell, fit & finish are not of Prevost quality, but for 1600 bucks I like it. I didn't really want the cargo door but they only build them that way, so it is what it is.
I don't like the hardware for the cargo door, there is a certaim flimsiness at the bottom of the whole door, if I pull on it I can flex it quite a bit.
The installer suggested through bolting it if I don't want to use the cargo door, so I plan on doing just that.
The rack is beefy. I like it a lot. The base is 5/16ths plate steel that runs between the legs, so the weight is support by the entire 8' bed length, instead of just the corners (like Cargomaster racks are), and the rack and shell are both bolted to the bed railes, 4 per side.
This shows the vents to the left, the dome lighting is tied into the running lights, BelAir will only do it that way (liabilty reasons), I will change it when I add coach batteries.
The hardware for the slider can only be reached from the truck side which is kind of odd, I'd rather have access from the shell, but it looks like the hardware can be flipped to the other side for an easy fix.
Theres a lot of space for storage in that overhang.
All in all, I'm a happy camper, even though my milage dropped from the 16s (19s if babied, 15s driving it like a demon, average 16s) to the 13s, I don't know if it's the extra 800lbs or wind drag, some of both I suspect.
Next: I need to build a rear bumper, with a ladder tying the bumper to the rack. Bumper will have tow points, gas can holder or two, flip out step for shell access, and maybe some lighting, but I may put the lighting on the rack instead of the bumper (my budget likes the idea of using cheap tractor lights, flood beams, all around the rack, 2 per side. 8 tractor lights cost about as much as one PIAA).
Future projects for the shell:
Flip up bed.
Gun safe.
Water tank.
Two coach batteries, solar panels, charge controller, Engel type fridge/freezer.
Backup camera.
Future projects for truck:
5" exhaust.
Front winch bumper, I'm looking at a Buckstop model.
Roof rack over the cab.
Alternator upgrade (Leece-Neville), another battery under the hood.
On board air.
Wish list:
Air lockers.
Engine brake.
I walked into their shop at noon on Labour Day Sunday, and was able to work out a deal in less than an hour and left with a promised delivery date of 21 days.
I dealt with the new guy (been there 16 years) Jeff, he called his fabricator about the rack, who answered the call on a Sunday, so we could get a price on that too.
Here are my custom specs: 44" sidewall, 24"overhang, entry door to the right side, 1 extra roof vent with both vents installed to the left (leaving room up top for a wide kayak without interfering with venting).
These are standard: wood frame, aluminum skin, front slider window, tinted side sliding windows, interior&running lights, rear cargo door and the rack has a movable center bar.
Shell $1560, rack $760, install $150, OTD was just over $2600.
They finished the work a couple of days early, install took a couple of hours, here is the finished product:
I'm pretty happy with the shell, fit & finish are not of Prevost quality, but for 1600 bucks I like it. I didn't really want the cargo door but they only build them that way, so it is what it is.
I don't like the hardware for the cargo door, there is a certaim flimsiness at the bottom of the whole door, if I pull on it I can flex it quite a bit.
The installer suggested through bolting it if I don't want to use the cargo door, so I plan on doing just that.
The rack is beefy. I like it a lot. The base is 5/16ths plate steel that runs between the legs, so the weight is support by the entire 8' bed length, instead of just the corners (like Cargomaster racks are), and the rack and shell are both bolted to the bed railes, 4 per side.
This shows the vents to the left, the dome lighting is tied into the running lights, BelAir will only do it that way (liabilty reasons), I will change it when I add coach batteries.
The hardware for the slider can only be reached from the truck side which is kind of odd, I'd rather have access from the shell, but it looks like the hardware can be flipped to the other side for an easy fix.
Theres a lot of space for storage in that overhang.
All in all, I'm a happy camper, even though my milage dropped from the 16s (19s if babied, 15s driving it like a demon, average 16s) to the 13s, I don't know if it's the extra 800lbs or wind drag, some of both I suspect.
Next: I need to build a rear bumper, with a ladder tying the bumper to the rack. Bumper will have tow points, gas can holder or two, flip out step for shell access, and maybe some lighting, but I may put the lighting on the rack instead of the bumper (my budget likes the idea of using cheap tractor lights, flood beams, all around the rack, 2 per side. 8 tractor lights cost about as much as one PIAA).
Future projects for the shell:
Flip up bed.
Gun safe.
Water tank.
Two coach batteries, solar panels, charge controller, Engel type fridge/freezer.
Backup camera.
Future projects for truck:
5" exhaust.
Front winch bumper, I'm looking at a Buckstop model.
Roof rack over the cab.
Alternator upgrade (Leece-Neville), another battery under the hood.
On board air.
Wish list:
Air lockers.
Engine brake.
