The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[ETAV8R]

I had the time for a short and easy project, so I treated the pop top fabric with a coating of 303. Love this stuff, used it for many years and it does make a big difference. (I am still trying to decide if I should coat myself in the stuff....)

Is your pop-up fabric the so called new stuff? Mine seems kinda like plastic but I knew you had put this on yours so I've been thinking about doing it too.

Getting closer to finishing my lifting struts.

I wanted to do something different than the four struts mounted on the outside, so I went about designing an interior mounting solution. And you know what? In the end, I ended up with a design almost exactly like what the factory offers. I had never understood the factory's mounting location, but now that I did the figuring and came up with the same solution, I understand it better.

Not that my mounting is going to be the same as FWC offers, I am using sailboat hardware, it is stainless steel hot forged in France.

The main function of my mounting system is that the struts are mounted using quick-realease hardware, so I can remove quickly and easily.

Here are some photos of the lower mount, still waiting on some final parts for the upper mounts.

This does need to be standard. I really like your quick release. Raise it up and get them out of the way. What could be better!?!
How difficult was mounting this? I'm afraid I'd screw something up.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Is your pop-up fabric the so called new stuff? Mine seems kinda like plastic but I knew you had put this on yours so I've been thinking about doing it too.


This does need to be standard. I really like your quick release. Raise it up and get them out of the way. What could be better!?!
How difficult was mounting this? I'm afraid I'd screw something up.

My pop top is the older material. They came out with the new new material a couple months after my camper was made. 303 is great stuff and would be good to use on the new or old material.

Mounting the plates for the lifting struts was really easy, you just have to be careful when screwing into the lightweight aluminum frame of the camper. The key is to pre drill the mounting plate with an oversize hole, and pre drill the camper frame with a small/undersized hole.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Turnbuckle Carabiner

I replaced the factory carabiner with a different style of carabiner. I wanted a carabiner that was a little longer, and a set that would fit better and be easier to take off. This is what I changed to.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Wind Fairing

Put the Thule wind fairing on.

The fit is good, for what it is. I also put a couple Yakima windjammers backwards on the load-bar, this made a big difference as my bug splatter research showed.

Not sure how much the fairing helped the mpg, but it did seem to make it easier going into a headwind. Drove the truck 400 miles over the weekend and I averaged just under 18mpg. Driving long distance at 55 to 65mph I was able average 18 to 22 mpg, not to shabby as I only got marginally better with my Subaru.

A major fairing (ala Kodachrome) that covers the whole front of the camper, from windshield to roof of camper, would be better. But I am not sure I want to go that far, not yet at least.

Load-bar note: the load bars are just in front of the camper as I do not want the cabover flexing and hitting the bar.

Bug splatter detail. Hard as it was almost dark, but you can see the additional bug splatter under the GoLite on the MaxTrax mounts, where there was not a Windjammer backwards on the loadbar.

 

[Airmonger]

I have been watching this thread for a while and love it! I just spent a weekend with a couple friends that just bought a FWC Hawk for their Tundra and I am sold. The easy set up and the cold weather protection was outstanding. Walking in their camper at 9:00 when its 40 degrees outside and its 80 degrees inside was awesome.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I have been watching this thread for a while and love it! I just spent a weekend with a couple friends that just bought a FWC Hawk for their Tundra and I am sold. The easy set up and the cold weather protection was outstanding. Walking in their camper at 9:00 when its 40 degrees outside and its 80 degrees inside was awesome.

Thanks!

Once you have been bitten by the FWC bug it is hard to stop planning for your own camper.

 

[Overland Hadley]

We spent the weekend in the camper.

First I want to thank FWC for making such good product. When I was putting the camper on the truck I by mistake lowered the camper onto the open screen door. Yikes! Not sure how much weight was on the door, but it was a lot. I thought for sure I had damaged the door if not the camper frame. But after a careful inspection I found nothing was damaged. Wow, I got lucky on that one. Thanks to FWC for building a quality camper.

I also managed to kick the lower screen of the door, again it survived undamaged. Rough trip for the poor screen door though.


While finishing packing the camper the weather was looking a little dark and there was a constant rumble in the air. Not the sort of weather you like heading out in, unless you have a nice warm camper to stay in.

The first night was spent among the tall pines. It was a small area that had not been destroyed by the big "blowdown" storm in 1999.

The second night was in the middle of a state forest, next to the closed gate of a snowmobile trail.

The weekend trip was to do some photography work at Soudan Mine State Park. While we were there we took the tour down 2,500 feet underground to the physics lab located at the bottom of the mine. The stuff they are working on in the physics lab is mind bending. Got to preview what might get a Nobel prize in ten years, another project might be the cure for leukemia in twenty years, and I now know what might just be the first "life" to be found on Mars. All being found two thousand five hundred feet underground.

There is a rather large mural painted on the rock wall where the large collector is. Thought it was odd enough to warrant sharing.

 

[Redline]

Your MPG sounds very good to me.

Serious bug splatter, but even without a deflector I seem to collect plenty of bugs on the front flat surfaces of my FWC.

 

[ETAV8R]

Great to see the wind fairing on finally. This is definitely one of the first mods I want to do. We just got back from a quick trip up Owens Valley here in California. We got a few bugs which were added to the ones from the previous owner which I hadn't got cleaned up yet. You sir have a ton of BUGS!!! Wow. So did the fairing help reduce or add to your bug collection? We loved the first trip in our FWC!

Does your camper loosen up on the turnbuckles after some time traveling off road? I had to tighten mine twice but I was on a very rocky road. One which I will not be going back to anytime soon. How strong are the carabiners you're using? Is there a pro/con to using one style over the other? I also don't see the mat under the bolt down bracket which the turnbuckles connect to. I faintly remember needing some support under the forward bracket which the previous owner didn't have. This is another question I have for the guys at FWC.

Neat pic of the mural. I'd like to know more about this place you ventured to.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Great to see the wind fairing on finally. This is definitely one of the first mods I want to do. We just got back from a quick trip up Owens Valley here in California. We got a few bugs which were added to the ones from the previous owner which I hadn't got cleaned up yet. You sir have a ton of BUGS!!! Wow. So did the fairing help reduce or add to your bug collection? We loved the first trip in our FWC!

Funny thing about the bugs, I was really happy to get out before the bugs got bad. Seriously. Another week or two and things will start to get thick.

The fairing kept bugs from hitting the camper wall under the cabover, and that showed that the air was not pushing into that flat surface like it did before. (The bug splatter acted as my poor mans Flo-Viz, allowing me to see the airflow.)

The wind fairing is a compromise, as a camper mounted fairing would help more with getting air over the front of the camper. But I like the truck mounted fairing as I can have it in contact with the truck, not leaving a gap for air to pass under as would be needed with a camper mounted fairing. (Due to the flex from the camper and the truck frame.)

A trip up the Owens Valley is the stuff of dreams for me. I have been there a couple times, beautiful place. Do you have any photos to share?

Does your camper loosen up on the turnbuckles after some time traveling off road? I had to tighten mine twice but I was on a very rocky road. One which I will not be going back to anytime soon. How strong are the carabiners you're using? Is there a pro/con to using one style over the other? I also don't see the mat under the bolt down bracket which the turnbuckles connect to. I faintly remember needing some support under the forward bracket which the previous owner didn't have. This is another question I have for the guys at FWC.

Yes, the turnbuckles can and will vibrate loose. Best thing is to put a wing nut on the normal threaded side. This will help, but is not a fail safe. You will still need to check the turnbuckles periodically.

The carabiners I chose clip on and off, instead of screwing, as I wanted it to be a little easier to get them on and off. I find they do not get jammed up like the other ones I had. They are plenty strong.

IIRC there is a plastic spacer under the bracket bolted to the bed. I am sure the guys at FWC can get a set to you.

Neat pic of the mural. I'd like to know more about this place you ventured to.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/soudan_underground_mine/physicslab.html

 

[ETAV8R]

LOL great analogy about visualizing air flow. I will start with the Yakima version and go from there. Can always go Kodachrome big in the future.

Owens Valley is my favorite location to visit. From Owens you can essentially travel to so many places. It is a springboard to adventure and scenery. I'm uploading some photos as I type. A report is in the works.

Interesting you mentioned the wingnuts. While discussing the turnbuckles loosening he suggested wingnuts as you did. Even in the short time I've had the camper I can relate to the jamming issue with the factory carabiners.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Can always go Kodachrome big in the future.

For reference, here is what we are talking about.

Yep, that's my handy wind deflector, I made it out of some scrap 3/16th sheet aluminum and some small airframe-like use of small sparring for rigidity.

It is attached to a Thule front rack. The camper is on the truck full time, so I think over the course of some 50,000 miles, it has probably saved me a few bucks in gas not to mention kept about 100 pounds of bugs and crap off of the front of the camper. Right away I noticed a dramatic decrease in wind noise and buffeting at highway speeds, especially in head winds or with semis coming the opposite direction on a two lane road.

It also helps to keep crap off of the solar panel that slides out from underneath the cab and I can store lightweight things behind it via lashing points. There is plenty of clearance for bed flex too and it comes off in less than a minute for cleaning / maintenance purposes.

It truly makes for a smooth and quiet ride.......frankly, it just plain works.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Even in the short time I've had the camper I can relate to the jamming issue with the factory carabiners.

That is nice to hear, as I thought I was just being anal about it.

If I put the camper on the truck, most likely it will need to be taken off as soon as the trip is done, even if I am planning on going out again soon. So having the on/off process streamlined is important to me.

 

[Redline]

For reference, here is what we are talking about.
snip...

Whoa, that is a serious wind deflector wing...

I bet that would help my MPG and reduce wind noise at speed, not sure I would want to hassle with the mount?

 

[Carlyle]

All I hear on my truck are the tires.