SLO's FWC Hawk Refurb/Build...

[uscg2008]

This thing turned out so freaking sweet man good Job!!! Makes me jelly

 

[SLO_F-250]

This thing turned out so freaking sweet man good Job!!! Makes me jelly

Thanks! It was lots of work, but fun all the way around! :sombrero:

 

[Laramieskibum]

You've inspired my build. Hope to share the results soon. You helped me alot, thanks.

Did you have any cracks in your siding? Your front siding or rear siding did not have any hair line cracks stemming from the 90deg cuts at the corners?

I found 4 broken welds and a split in my front section of frame today. Appears it allowed the aluminum to work against itself and split. Early 90s hawk.

 

[SLO_F-250]

You've inspired my build. Hope to share the results soon. You helped me alot, thanks.

Did you have any cracks in your siding? Your front siding or rear siding did not have any hair line cracks stemming from the 90deg cuts at the corners?

I found 4 broken welds and a split in my front section of frame today. Appears it allowed the aluminum to work against itself and split. Early 90s hawk.

Thanks for the kind works Laramie!! I look forward to seeing what you do with your camper.

I have 2 small cracks in the corners of the aluminum siding at the front window. That is all. I would assume a few of my welds are broken. I probably should have dug into it a bit more before I painted, but didnt have time time. Im hoping I can get plenty of years out of it still. :elkgrin:

 

[Laramieskibum]

Thanks for the kind works Laramie!! I look forward to seeing what you do with your camper.

I have 2 small cracks in the corners of the aluminum siding at the front window. That is all. I would assume a few of my welds are broken. I probably should have dug into it a bit more before I painted, but didnt have time time. Im hoping I can get plenty of years out of it still. :elkgrin:

I shouldn't have gone looking. All welds under the window were broken, including the main 1" stock that forms the tub. Just found two broken welds above the door way as well. Only indicator on those was the small crack way down at the heater. Total of 9 welds.

Hope to paint mine a similar ford silver. waiting on new siding to be made now. after i get it put together i'll post on WW with a link over here

 

[psdfrank]

Looks great! I plan to gut my camper out sometime soon too, how does the paint hold up?

 

[SLO_F-250]

Looks great! I plan to gut my camper out sometime soon too, how does the paint hold up?

Thank you! Good luck on the project. It will be well worth it though. So far my paint is holding up great! I am very happy. No chips, peeling etc. I went to great lengths though to prep it correctly.

Man I wish I had some pictures from recent trips to throw up, but lately the rig has been protecting my driveway. haha :snorkel:

 

[SLO_F-250]

Went for a ride this evening and drove the rig. Poor thing had been sitting way to much this spring. After my ride I was enjoying the view and thought I would snap a pict. Shes terribly dirty, but pretty darn happy the way it all came out. Time to go camping!

Pictures are always good!

 

[ETAV8R]

Skimmed through this build but my hat is off to you. Quite the undertaking.

 

[WASURF63]

Hey Paul,

The whole thing is lookin' functional and really sharp as well. Glad to see you're out and about, and using it !
Have some questions about your Engel front opening / built-in fridge.
What model is it (SB70, SR70) ?
What are your initial impressions to date ? Any issues offroad, etc ?
I'm wondering how it compares to the top opening models ?
Owned the MT45 for several years and it was bulletproof. Trying to decide which one to put in my just ordered Grandby shell.

Thanks, Walt

 

[Redline]

Went for a ride this evening and drove the rig. Poor thing had been sitting way to much this spring. After my ride I was enjoying the view and thought I would snap a pict. Shes terribly dirty, but pretty darn happy the way it all came out. Time to go camping!
snip...

Looks fantastic!

 

[SLO_F-250]

Skimmed through this build but my hat is off to you. Quite the undertaking.

Thanks a ton! VERY fun project and the best thing is using it!

Hey Paul,

The whole thing is lookin' functional and really sharp as well. Glad to see you're out and about, and using it !
Have some questions about your Engel front opening / built-in fridge.
What model is it (SB70, SR70) ?
What are your initial impressions to date ? Any issues offroad, etc ?
I'm wondering how it compares to the top opening models ?
Owned the MT45 for several years and it was bulletproof. Trying to decide which one to put in my just ordered Grandby shell.

Thanks, Walt

Thanks Walt! I got the SB I think. It was the 12V only one. With being on solar 100% of the time I figured I would save a few $$. I really like it. You do hear it from time to time. More white noise. But you can hear it cycle on and off. That would be my only negative comment. No problems off road, small draw on batteries, keeps food ice cold in hot weather. Personally I like it a lot. No complaints.

Cant wait to see the shell build up! Congrats on ordering one!

Looks fantastic!

Thanks! :elkgrin:

 

[WASURF63]

>>>>>Thanks Walt! I got the SB I think. It was the 12V only one. With being on solar 100% of the time I figured I would save a few $$. I really like it. You do hear it from time to time. More white noise. But you can hear it cycle on and off. That would be my only negative comment. No problems off road, small draw on batteries, keeps food ice cold in hot weather. Personally I like it a lot. No complaints.

Cant wait to see the shell build up! Congrats on ordering one!<<<<<








Cool. Good to hear. I think this will be the route I go, since I don't have the need for a portable fridge anymore.
Once I get the camper back home (early August?) I will build a multi-pupose cabinet and put a built-in front opening fridge in it. They seem to be priced a bit lower than the portable models too. Thanks for the feedback, Walt

 

[bphang10]

you're camper is looking awesome and looks like it's being put to good use. i'm interested in a little more detail on your solar system. i see you're using 140w panel, how many amp hour capacity is your batteries? how long have you camped without running the truck and relied on the solar? and finally, what else are you powering in addition to the fridge?

 

[SLO_F-250]

you're camper is looking awesome and looks like it's being put to good use. i'm interested in a little more detail on your solar system. i see you're using 140w panel, how many amp hour capacity is your batteries? how long have you camped without running the truck and relied on the solar? and finally, what else are you powering in addition to the fridge?

Thanks! Its been sitting a bit more than I like this year, but I hope to change that this fall when the weather is prime for adventuring! Yup, rocking the 140W. Works great, and most likely way more than I need. I have dual deep cycle batteries from Wal-Mart. I think they are 67 or 70 amp hours each. Since installing solar I have disconnected the isolator setup. Just no need. So far my longest trip on just solar was 10 days. Even on overcast or foggy days the panel sucks up more than enough to fully charge the batteries after the night. Actually I can even get the batteries to really drop below 12+ volts. Other than the fridge I power the heater fan, vent fan, and LED lights. I also have integrated a charging station for iPods, iPads, camera gear, laptops, etc.

Overall I am VERY happy with my setup. I haven't been able to drain the batteries and never worry about it. :elkgrin: