guidolyons
Addicted to Gear Oil
Good to see some progress. 
NPR 4wd conversion and camper build thread.
- Thread starter javajoe79
- Start date
javajoe79
Fabricator
So I finally got it out to play some. It did great for it's first time out. I got it stuck twice and freed on it's own with some winch help. I've also made some good progress on the box. I have it almost all dried in and I will be starting the fab work on the rear subframe soon. Here are some pics for a couple weeks ago. The flatbed shown in the pics is actually the battery enclosure off of a Tesla. I am building an electric 911 for a customer and it was leftover from that so I used it as a temporary flatbed to transport my gear.
javajoe79
Fabricator
I wanted to report on the shocks I've been using and add some info on top of that. They are pretty cheap Rancho RS9000XL adjustable shocks. I read about someone using them on here so I gave them a try. I mounted them upside down at first, as pictured above. They didn't do much that way and I thought they were just not sufficient for the weight of the truck. Supposedly it was ok to mount them like that but I couldn't get an answer from Rancho for some reason. Anyway I flipped them all over and it is much much better now. I was thinking that the front was much too soft at first but now it feels great. Maybe even too much dampening. I will do some more testing with the adjustment set lower soon.
The ride in the cab is not bad at all with the leaf pack that I am using I may add a leaf to get a bit more lift and spring rate still. We'll see. They sell these shocks as a universal fitment in several different lengths. These are the longest and offer 10" of travel if mounted straight up and down. I designed my mount points to all be the same so I am using the same shock front and rear so carrying one spare will work. They are only about $120 each.
It seems to me that these trucks are definitely over sprung for this type of use. If I had stock springs on this truck I would definitely be getting rid of them.
The ride in the cab is not bad at all with the leaf pack that I am using I may add a leaf to get a bit more lift and spring rate still. We'll see. They sell these shocks as a universal fitment in several different lengths. These are the longest and offer 10" of travel if mounted straight up and down. I designed my mount points to all be the same so I am using the same shock front and rear so carrying one spare will work. They are only about $120 each.
It seems to me that these trucks are definitely over sprung for this type of use. If I had stock springs on this truck I would definitely be getting rid of them.
C p weinberger
Active member
JJ79
Looking good!
Do you feel you have found a good solution regarding the steering conversion? I know you spent a lot of time Fabricating something durable.
Looking good!
Do you feel you have found a good solution regarding the steering conversion? I know you spent a lot of time Fabricating something durable.
javajoe79
Fabricator
Thanks man! So far I think the answer is yes. When I took it out on some trails a while back I had it in some sticky situations with ruts and was stuck at one point. I had to winch it sideways pretty hard and steer hard to get out of the ruts and avoid smashing the cab in to a downed tree. So I feel the steering got a pretty heavy workout at that point and nothing broke. On the road it drives nicely, doesn't wander and has minimal dead space in the steering.
On to another topic. I am going to purchase another cab from a local wrecker since mine was wrecked and poorly repaired in the passenger front corner. So I will be swapping cabs in the near future once I fully prep the new cab. I plan on doing a DIY lizard skin type coating inside the cab and doors plus reflectix in the roof. I also thought about sealing off the rear widow with an aluminum panel with insulation to reduce noise. I can't see out of it anyway with the box on there.
On to another topic. I am going to purchase another cab from a local wrecker since mine was wrecked and poorly repaired in the passenger front corner. So I will be swapping cabs in the near future once I fully prep the new cab. I plan on doing a DIY lizard skin type coating inside the cab and doors plus reflectix in the roof. I also thought about sealing off the rear widow with an aluminum panel with insulation to reduce noise. I can't see out of it anyway with the box on there.
javajoe79
Fabricator
Making headway with the insulation. Almost ready to go outside. I will be building a subframe for it soon and once I seal the roof, it will get mounted to the truck and clear out some valuable shop space for customer cars. Once it's mounted I will work on finishing the rest of the interior. Maybe even sleep in it this year!!
guidolyons
Addicted to Gear Oil
^^^ Very cool hardside telescoping camper box.
The other pics of the box aren't working for me though on the previous page. Not sure if it's my computer or the website.
The other pics of the box aren't working for me though on the previous page. Not sure if it's my computer or the website.
javajoe79
Fabricator
Yeah it’s because they’re Facebook links. I guess their links go dead after a while. If you click on the link in my signature, all the pics are in the album on my shop page.
. Thanks!
christopher p weinberger
Member
sorry I missed your reply about the steering. Keep up the hard work!!
javajoe79
Fabricator
I think it knows. I do feel bad about it. I often imagine vehicles having feelings. I hope it doesn’t hold a grudge or anything. I’ll try to get a weight somehow.Did you tell the old cab that it was being made redundant and that it had to hire and train its replacement?
If it isn't too much trouble, I would love to see a weight on one of those cabs off the truck.
Excellent. I painted my cab with Monstaliner early last year, and it turned out great. Highly recommended.
javajoe79
Fabricator
Good to hear. I am probably going with a tan color. Any pics of yours?