slow build- 97 Ram CTD family truck/expo rig

[redthies]

That'll keep you well under your 8800 gvw. Nice!

 

[bloodyWEST]

an hour in google sketchup, and i have a rough idea.

the trick is making the gate low enough, and slim enough, to be able to remove the camper.

the only way i can see it working, is to remove the tire and everything bolted to the gate, open it 90* then drive out from under the camper.

any advice?

im keeping it a 1/2 gate, so i can still open the camper door without opening the swing. edge of door to edge of camper is about 37" so it is possibe

EDIT: i can see the flaw now, i need to move the hinge onto the "back" of the 2x2 upright
im planing for a hinge like this (cheap and stong) unless some one can tell me why its a bad idea http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3693

 

[redthies]

The way those weld on hinges work, you could make the swingout so it can be lifted straight up and off the pins for loading/unloading the camper. Just weld on a tab so it can't be lifted in the "closed" position to keep it on during baja bounces, or to foil thieves.

 

[bloodyWEST]

Thanks Red, that crossed my mind, I'm concerned about getting them aligned well enough that they will slide off. Could that be an issue? I'm a bit of a green horn when it comes this stuff. I haven't built anything big that moves before.
Good tip on the retention tab when closed. Thanks.

 

[redthies]

I'm concerned about getting them aligned well enough that they will slide off.

All out can do is test the "slide action" after you tack the hinges on, and once you are happy with that, weld up a bit at a time so you don't get heat warpage. I'm sure you know that if you tack and then run a big long bead, the heat generated will pull whatever you are welding out of true. Take your time and it should work out. If not, weld on hinges are cheap enough to try again.

 

[bloodyWEST]

its deceiving how much for-sight and planning has to go into something like this

i want to ditch the factory hitch in favor of something higher, for clearance reasons, but still needs to be able to pull 12k+ lbs

is it overkill to tie the gate upright into the hitch? But-welding it onto the top plate doesn't seem like enough.

i guess i need to go hang out on the pirate board for structural advice...but that's dangerous :ylsmoke:

 

[bloodyWEST]

time for a little update, a pic from our jeep trip to Big Bear, at 7000' and one from independence day.

we have a 3 night trip planned for Big Sir next weekend, so i started to prep the camper last week.

we did a dry run today, left Ojai, Ca at 4AM and drove to SanDiego for ComiCon (giant comic convention) my wifes deal, but its fun. we couldnt get a sitter, and there is a "no stroller" rule, so we took the kiddos.

i swear we are crazy, we take the kids places, look around then realize nobody else has the balls (or stupidity) to take the hole family, IE comicon and black diamond jeep trails.

somtimes i think i could sell this dodge and get a Westfalia, cuz it never touches the dirt. Ha Ha, just kidding of course.

having the camper on the back really is great, even for day trips with the fam, changing diapers, feeding the newborn, making lunch ect, very handy.

i have been reading about other trucks with 4.10 gears, and i think i have been driving way too fast to get good MPG, i would only get 16ish empty doing 70-75mph

so today, we left nice and early, topped off the tank perfect on flat ground, until i saw fuel in the filler neck. No traffic, i set the cruise control at 64mph(GPS) (59mph on the speedo) drove 200 miles to san diego, only hit the brakes twice! once to get off at Jack in the box for coffee, then again on the exit ramp in SD.

64/59= 1.08 so my speedo is 8% off

turned around and filled up in Carlsbad 213miles(odo) X 1.08 = 230 miles.

only took 11.7 gal untill it was sitting in the filler neck. the parking spot was pretty darn level,

230mi/11.7gal = 19.6mpg :Wow1:

yea right? with the camper on? so lets say i coulda fit another gallon in, 230/12.7=18.1 still damn good, considering the camper.

i obviously cant always drive like an angel, but its nice to know what the truck can do.

can anyone find a flaw in my math? or give advice on how to calc it?

 

[bloodyWEST]

from today, and one pic of the jeep in BigBear, just for fun

a pic of the only "nerdy" thing i got at ComiCon

a "stark industries" sticker, because IronMan is a bad ***** capitalist, and everybody likes capitalism.

 

[bloodyWEST]

more pics

 

[bloodyWEST]

just browsed back over this thread, i never posted any pictures from my 1800 mile Baja trip.

i'll have to scrounge some up just to show it has been in the dirt and isn't a pavement queen :sombrero:


EDIT: now i remember, I typed up a big trip report, then had my computer shut down before i posted it, and was too lazy to re-create it.

these are from last november

cliffs notes,

best trip of my life, race car crossed the finish line in LaPaz after 1100 miles, my dad and i drove well over 2000 miles in 6 days, had lots of fun with good friends

 

[bloodyWEST]

a few more

 

[bloodyWEST]

took a fam trip up highway 1 to Big Sur last weekend. spent 3 nights in a campground, while the rest of my family rented a cabin. it allowed us to park my dodge and drive my dads 2010 f150 for a few days.

then we ditched the rest of the fam with no agenda except that i wasnt ready to go back to work. we headed south, and as soon as both kiddos were getting restless, we pulled out a map and found "Cerro Alto" campground, about 8 miles up highway 41 between Morrow Bay and Atascadaro. Pretty place, but riddled with poison oak made it tricky for the kiddos. there was also some gnarly "NO FIRES OR BBQs!!!" policy, so we couldn't even roast marsh mellows outside

i put in a pic of my custom holding tank :snorkel:

and all the crap piled in there for the trip. turned out to be a decent place for the spare. and the big storage tote is full of tools/recovery gear

 

[Wh1t3nukle]

Console of Win

I wanted to revisit your excellent addition with this. Great execution and thanks for sharing it. I've been putting together my version and I'm so stuck b/c my infamous cup holders are the down low, fold down ones. I still use and love it! Especially the better half, you know? So part of my struggle was having it sized back to allow access still. Still mulling it over.

I wanted to ask how yours is still holding up with the time that's passed and the great trips done with it? Any hindsight 20/20 things or just updates you'd like to do, but their not deal breakers? I will have CB, HAM, power center, GPS, and switches as well. I currently have a 800w inverter on the floor and large mag light on the floor.

Any concern with how your comes up to the dash? Movement ok? Are you mounted directly to the seat structure and then resting on the tranny tunnel?

Thanks in advance for any input.

the 94-97 rams had the cup holders mounted high, above the radio. it was awkward and was a blind spot when you stuck a big-gulp up there, and mine were broken when i got the truck.

i needed something better, and a place for radios and switches ect. i had this console in my mind, i wasnt sure how to build it. what to make it out of, where to tie into ect. i finally just started building it, with the expectation i may re-do the who thing later, i just needed to start some where. i started by looking to see what material was in stock, 10' of light weight 3/4" steel box tubing. then it started to take shape.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. its not a work of art, but it is very sturdy, has room for all my stuff, and isnt a complete eyesore.

View attachment 129951
i used "blind nuts" or "riv-nuts" to hold on the face plate NOTE-pay the extra money for the aluminum ones, the set/crush much easier than the brass ones
View attachment 129952
the down tubes are 3/4" tube, kinda thick wall. the base plates are about 2"x7" 3/16 plate and bolt through the existing bolts under the center seat

i bought a piece of 3'x3'x1/4" ABS from a local plastic place for about $30. i used a heat gun to bend it. it took alot of heat, but eventually bend pretty good. the cup holders are big enough for big cups and i got at WestMarine, the boat place
View attachment 129953

i got a cool "push on, push off" button from a military surplus store. it turns on an LED license plate light pointed at my wifes feet.

the panel does not go all the way to the floor, and there is no panel on the drivers side, so i can easily reach the transfer case, and i can reach all the wiring.

you can also see where i mounted my trans temp gauge in the old cup holder location

View attachment 129956

 

[bloodyWEST]

I wanted to revisit your excellent addition with this. Great execution and thanks for sharing it. I've been putting together my version and I'm so stuck b/c my infamous cup holders are the down low, fold down ones. I still use and love it! Especially the better half, you know? So part of my struggle was having it sized back to allow access still. Still mulling it over.

I wanted to ask how yours is still holding up with the time that's passed and the great trips done with it? Any hindsight 20/20 things or just updates you'd like to do, but their not deal breakers? I will have CB, HAM, power center, GPS, and switches as well. I currently have a 800w inverter on the floor and large mag light on the floor.

Any concern with how your comes up to the dash? Movement ok? Are you mounted directly to the seat structure and then resting on the tranny tunnel?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Honestly its the most functional thing i have done to the truck. I did kind of "slap it together" but i havn't found enough flaws with it to rebuild it.

It does mount using only those 2 middle seat bolts. It does not move. yes it touches the dash, but i have never heard a noise come from there. its a rattly old truck with 198k on the odometer, so if it makes noise, it blends in with all the other noises. it does not touch the trans tunnel. It touches the dash but doesnt "lean" on it.

the only real flaw, is that i put too much space between the CB and VHF. i would have liked more room for another piece of equipment. i wanted to put a 5 or 7' back up camera screen there. i had to "lay" the CB down in order to be able to see and read the face. so i lost some room there. there is no side skirt on the drivers side, so i can reach the TC shifter, so all the wiring is exposed.

i have spent time in 98 and 01 rams with the lower cup holders. they work fine, but i wouldn't hesitate to ditch them for this set up. there is still room on the floor for an inverter and other equip.

sorry for the delayed response. I will try to snap another pic of it soon.

 

[bloodyWEST]

my favorite thing about the console is having my light switches, literally, at my finger tips. (don't tell anybody) but i use my offroad lights frequently on the highway. there is nothing like the instant on/off of LEDs without having to lean forward and reach around on the dash for a switch.

here it is all dirty.

the little cubby organizer thing on my wifes side is from WestMarine