brightbluejim
Active member
I mentioned this project on the Newcomers page, and people wanted to see pictures, so some of this is old news, but I didn't want to continue the thread forever on the Newcomers page.
The vehicle is a 1993 Toyota cab/chassis truck (basically a 1-ton pickup without a bed) with a 10x6 cargo box made by Superior. Having full-timed before in another box truck ('72 Chevy 3/4 ton with a box I made myself) that was fully self-contained, and also in a minivan ('93 Dodge Grand Caravan) with no amenities at all (think sleeping bag on the floor and sponge baths), I decided that I want something between these extremes:
1) Full electrical, both 12V (independent of the vehicle system) for LED lighting and devices that can plug into cigar lighter sockets, and 120V for everything else.
2) Solar electric (to charge the batteries and eliminate the generator).
3) No pressurized water system - use jugs for fresh and gray water.
4) Tall enough that I can stand up inside.
5) Good stealth ability - no windows, no interior light visible from outside, no condensation on the cab windows when I'm sleeping in it. It should appear to be a commercial vehicle.
6) Propane cooking and heating, and maybe microwave if the electrical system can take it.
7) Relatively small engine - no V-8s!!!
This vehicle met points 4, 5, and 7 right off the lot, and the other features can be added one at a time, which is what I'll be doing.
Here's the truck as I bought it:
And here's what I plan to do with it:
The big work table is for everything. I do on-location video productions (sports events, concerts), and the table has to be big enough for three people to sit at, along with a video switcher, two large monitors, a laptop, and an audio mixer board. That dictated the minimum size for the table. In the past we've done this from a 12x7 cargo trailer, which was great, but it was a pain to take anywhere, and was really overkill. When not producing videos, the table is for cooking, hobbies, and like I said, everything. I once built a model airplane with a 6' wingspan in a camper, which was part of my coping mechanism ("I can do anything in my camper I could have done in my apartment"). Under the table are all of the miscellaneous machinery, including the propane tank and battery as shown, but also the other electrical stuff, out of the way. For now, the couch IS the bed, but later if I decide I've had enough of sleeping on the couch, I may put a pull-down bed above it. Probably not - it's a pretty comfortable couch. The filing cabinet isn't so much for filing as it is a storage cabinet with four drawers that latch automatically when you close them, and the storage unit behind that is a wood rack to stack two 18-gallon Sterilite bins and some closet space for shirts above that. Jackets hang on the outside of that, and the folding chairs also stow in that space.
Having put some of these items in the box already, I'm finding that it's a lot more roomy than it looks in the drawing. The "shower" isn't shown here, but that consists of a rectangular plastic bin big enough to stand in, and a shower curtain ring that attaches to the ceiling, over the area between the table, couch, and file cabinet. I kind of like the idea of using a garden sprayer for the water, so that's what I'll probably try first.
There's just one glaring problem: the roll-up door. The paint is peeled on one panel and the plywood under that is waterlogged, it makes a horrendous racket on opening or closing, and worst of all, it can only be locked from the outside.
I'm sure there are many possible solutions to these problems, but here's mine:
That was today's project. The roll-up door was surprisingly easy to remove, and last weekend I had built and painted the replacement wall, so all I had to do was install it. Easier said than done. I had made the replacement wall perfectly square, but as it turns out, the cargo box is NOT perfectly square. But after a few hours of shimming, adjusting, chiseling off corners, and muttering to myself, it's now done. I don't think I've lost more than one "stealth" point with the new door - it still looks pretty commercial to me. The door is 60" high, and you might think that would be a problem for someone 69" tall, but it actually isn't - since you have to step up onto the bumper and then up to the floor, the natural motion is to lean forward while doing so when entering. Likewise when exiting, since there are two steps down, it is completely natural to look down, and I haven't hit my head yet. Anybody taller than me would probably not be happy in this rig, though - the ceiling is barely 69" tall where the roof ribs are.
By the way, there's plenty of ventilation above the new wall - there's about a 1/2" horizontal (front-to-back) gap between the upper box frame member and the wall, all the way across. I'll be adding an exhaust fan and some mosquito netting to this at some point. For insulation, the side walls are fiberglass-clad-plywood, and the floor is plywood, but the ceiling is just a sheet of aluminum, with a couple of ribs for stiffening. Since we're going into Summer, I will probably put 1/2" EPS foam between the ribs, and rely on the vent fan for flushing out the heat that does get in. For Winter, I'll worry about that when Autumn comes around!
Here it was when I was building the new back wall, showing the table, filing cabinet, and you can almost see the couch amidst the construction clutter:
Not the prettiest example of an urban boondocker, but I think I'm going to be pretty comfortable. I plan on going full-time at the end of next month, which gives me plenty of time for the most critical upgrades.
Jim
The vehicle is a 1993 Toyota cab/chassis truck (basically a 1-ton pickup without a bed) with a 10x6 cargo box made by Superior. Having full-timed before in another box truck ('72 Chevy 3/4 ton with a box I made myself) that was fully self-contained, and also in a minivan ('93 Dodge Grand Caravan) with no amenities at all (think sleeping bag on the floor and sponge baths), I decided that I want something between these extremes:
1) Full electrical, both 12V (independent of the vehicle system) for LED lighting and devices that can plug into cigar lighter sockets, and 120V for everything else.
2) Solar electric (to charge the batteries and eliminate the generator).
3) No pressurized water system - use jugs for fresh and gray water.
4) Tall enough that I can stand up inside.
5) Good stealth ability - no windows, no interior light visible from outside, no condensation on the cab windows when I'm sleeping in it. It should appear to be a commercial vehicle.
6) Propane cooking and heating, and maybe microwave if the electrical system can take it.
7) Relatively small engine - no V-8s!!!
This vehicle met points 4, 5, and 7 right off the lot, and the other features can be added one at a time, which is what I'll be doing.
Here's the truck as I bought it:
And here's what I plan to do with it:
The big work table is for everything. I do on-location video productions (sports events, concerts), and the table has to be big enough for three people to sit at, along with a video switcher, two large monitors, a laptop, and an audio mixer board. That dictated the minimum size for the table. In the past we've done this from a 12x7 cargo trailer, which was great, but it was a pain to take anywhere, and was really overkill. When not producing videos, the table is for cooking, hobbies, and like I said, everything. I once built a model airplane with a 6' wingspan in a camper, which was part of my coping mechanism ("I can do anything in my camper I could have done in my apartment"). Under the table are all of the miscellaneous machinery, including the propane tank and battery as shown, but also the other electrical stuff, out of the way. For now, the couch IS the bed, but later if I decide I've had enough of sleeping on the couch, I may put a pull-down bed above it. Probably not - it's a pretty comfortable couch. The filing cabinet isn't so much for filing as it is a storage cabinet with four drawers that latch automatically when you close them, and the storage unit behind that is a wood rack to stack two 18-gallon Sterilite bins and some closet space for shirts above that. Jackets hang on the outside of that, and the folding chairs also stow in that space.
Having put some of these items in the box already, I'm finding that it's a lot more roomy than it looks in the drawing. The "shower" isn't shown here, but that consists of a rectangular plastic bin big enough to stand in, and a shower curtain ring that attaches to the ceiling, over the area between the table, couch, and file cabinet. I kind of like the idea of using a garden sprayer for the water, so that's what I'll probably try first.
There's just one glaring problem: the roll-up door. The paint is peeled on one panel and the plywood under that is waterlogged, it makes a horrendous racket on opening or closing, and worst of all, it can only be locked from the outside.
I'm sure there are many possible solutions to these problems, but here's mine:
That was today's project. The roll-up door was surprisingly easy to remove, and last weekend I had built and painted the replacement wall, so all I had to do was install it. Easier said than done. I had made the replacement wall perfectly square, but as it turns out, the cargo box is NOT perfectly square. But after a few hours of shimming, adjusting, chiseling off corners, and muttering to myself, it's now done. I don't think I've lost more than one "stealth" point with the new door - it still looks pretty commercial to me. The door is 60" high, and you might think that would be a problem for someone 69" tall, but it actually isn't - since you have to step up onto the bumper and then up to the floor, the natural motion is to lean forward while doing so when entering. Likewise when exiting, since there are two steps down, it is completely natural to look down, and I haven't hit my head yet. Anybody taller than me would probably not be happy in this rig, though - the ceiling is barely 69" tall where the roof ribs are.
By the way, there's plenty of ventilation above the new wall - there's about a 1/2" horizontal (front-to-back) gap between the upper box frame member and the wall, all the way across. I'll be adding an exhaust fan and some mosquito netting to this at some point. For insulation, the side walls are fiberglass-clad-plywood, and the floor is plywood, but the ceiling is just a sheet of aluminum, with a couple of ribs for stiffening. Since we're going into Summer, I will probably put 1/2" EPS foam between the ribs, and rely on the vent fan for flushing out the heat that does get in. For Winter, I'll worry about that when Autumn comes around!
Here it was when I was building the new back wall, showing the table, filing cabinet, and you can almost see the couch amidst the construction clutter:
Not the prettiest example of an urban boondocker, but I think I'm going to be pretty comfortable. I plan on going full-time at the end of next month, which gives me plenty of time for the most critical upgrades.
Jim
