addicted56
Adventurer
I have been having a very difficult time deciding on which direction I want to go regarding my expidition vehicle. I currently have a 1997 LX450 faily built up (and for sale) but I haven't yet had a chance to use it on an extended trip with my wife. Am currently in flight school and don't have the ability to just leave for more than 3 days. I've used old 4-runners for a few days and just slept in the back with my dog and that was fine for me so I know this would be great. But the wife likes a few more ammenites and I'm a big fan of my full size F-250 that I DD. Since I'll be moving to some unknown location in September (military and could be overseas) my wife won't let me step on out into a new project. She wants me to wait until I get back from the next deployment (gauranteed) and will have time to use it. She is the level headed one in the group. So I figured I would work with what I have for awhile.
I was thinking of building my 1997 F-250 7.3L 4x4 auto CC with short bed. I also have a 50 gallon tank/toolbox combo in the back. So that leaves me with approx 5' of usable space in the bed. I also have a matching snugtop hard top for the bed. Depending on driving conditions I have a safe usable fuel range of over 1000k miles. Along comes the idea fairy.
I need many more measurements but I was thinking of buying an old small popup trailer and grafting it into my current hardtop. This way we would have walking/sitting room in the back of the truck. If I could turn it sideways I could have two sleeping ends going out the side of the truck. when tucked down it would look nice and snug just like a SMB top. I figure in that 5 feet. I could fit a small bench seat in on one side over top of my fresh water supply/pump or a small slide out drawer system. Then on the other side I would place the prebuilt stove/sink/fridge/cabinets from the pop up.
Besides the mechanicals and measurements of which I haven't figured out yet I forsee my slightly sloping in hard top limiting room. Not to mention most pop up trailers are pretty large. I really just want the fabric and pop up mechanism.
Anyone seen anything like this or have any ideas on how to get this done relatively cheap to get me by until I build my full time future rig? I'm trying to stay away from the larger bulky units mainly becuase I already have a short bed and with the fuel tank in the back it is not useable. I could learn to sew if there are good ideas of how to craft one of these tops.
I'm horrible at describing things so hopefully you get what I'm saying. I not computer freindly but am not an artist by any means but am going to try and come up with some drawings.
EDIT: You have to be kidding me. I go to sleep and someone must have been reading my mind. Just a few posts below mine here. And after searching all night I hadn't found anything. At least I'm not the only one with this idea.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56645
EDIT#2: Would it be easier to lift the hard top portion up and have the soft sides on the bottom? I was just thinking of ease of securing the current hard top down but it might leave more room and be easier just to lift the entire top up and have the soft sides on the bottom. But then it wouldn't leave room above the bed sides to fold out the beds?
I was thinking of building my 1997 F-250 7.3L 4x4 auto CC with short bed. I also have a 50 gallon tank/toolbox combo in the back. So that leaves me with approx 5' of usable space in the bed. I also have a matching snugtop hard top for the bed. Depending on driving conditions I have a safe usable fuel range of over 1000k miles. Along comes the idea fairy.
I need many more measurements but I was thinking of buying an old small popup trailer and grafting it into my current hardtop. This way we would have walking/sitting room in the back of the truck. If I could turn it sideways I could have two sleeping ends going out the side of the truck. when tucked down it would look nice and snug just like a SMB top. I figure in that 5 feet. I could fit a small bench seat in on one side over top of my fresh water supply/pump or a small slide out drawer system. Then on the other side I would place the prebuilt stove/sink/fridge/cabinets from the pop up.
Besides the mechanicals and measurements of which I haven't figured out yet I forsee my slightly sloping in hard top limiting room. Not to mention most pop up trailers are pretty large. I really just want the fabric and pop up mechanism.
Anyone seen anything like this or have any ideas on how to get this done relatively cheap to get me by until I build my full time future rig? I'm trying to stay away from the larger bulky units mainly becuase I already have a short bed and with the fuel tank in the back it is not useable. I could learn to sew if there are good ideas of how to craft one of these tops.
I'm horrible at describing things so hopefully you get what I'm saying. I not computer freindly but am not an artist by any means but am going to try and come up with some drawings.
EDIT: You have to be kidding me. I go to sleep and someone must have been reading my mind. Just a few posts below mine here. And after searching all night I hadn't found anything. At least I'm not the only one with this idea.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56645
EDIT#2: Would it be easier to lift the hard top portion up and have the soft sides on the bottom? I was just thinking of ease of securing the current hard top down but it might leave more room and be easier just to lift the entire top up and have the soft sides on the bottom. But then it wouldn't leave room above the bed sides to fold out the beds?
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