DIY Truck Camper For short bed Tacoma

[GomerPile]

This summer I built a truck cap for camping in my Tacoma. Maybe I'm getting old but the comfort level was just not right for me. Its also possible that I am just a serial tiny house, camper, van builder and cant stop myself.

After looking for a truck camper suitable for a 5ft Toyota Tacoma I decided that my best bet was to DIY one (no options pretty much). I'm shooting video of every weekends work and posting them on my channel. Hopefully it offers ideas for others. The Tacoma does not have a great payload capacity so the goal of this project is to make the thing less than 500 pounds which means it will land around 600 pounds

Will give credit to this channel ENDGAME: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIbbIrBu2iTTD3HlFZHQhDA he has been building truck campers for some time now and has 5 of them. Watching his builds let me skip over a bunch of ideas that I had.

 

[bullfrog]

We have had some really good builders here in the past. Ship and boat builders tend to get some with really nice wood working. Tnttt.com a great resource and has almost too much information but it is what got me started. I was able to build a gypsy style topper for a J10 Jeep truck 7’ x 7’ x 6’ high with 2 bed platforms down the sides and one across the front above them that I approximate was less than 800 pounds. Using modern materials like metal encased foam board or even cheap foam board covered with Poor Man’s Fiberglass (PMF) with minimum wood and 1/4” plywood for weight bearing areas you shouldn’t have any problems keeping your builds under 500 pounds. The problem becomes the amount of weight of required items you need to live in it full time that get carried inside! My budget requires I try to use really cheap materials so most of my projects use cheap damaged interior hollow core doors and PMF with very little wood. As long as you can totally water proof and use spray foam to fill voids putting a layer of 1/4” plywood on top gives you a super strong load bearing surface. With wood framing cedar is a much better choice.

 

[Zoomyn]

I've been pondering a aluminum skinned truck camper to build in/over a Jeep pickup - Looking at your framing now I'm thinking .032" bowed roof & over-the-cab front then 1/4" plywood to drape the sides and wrap the back...

I'd like to see details on those three main ribs - is there any give allowed for chassis flex?

Now put slides on the shower pan and some nice redwood comb decking as a half-circle porch : )

Edit: a good source of foam filled metal planks are refrigerator doors - I'd cruise the local Sears appliance repair depot and nab nice stainless doors they'd changed, some cutting wheel action to skin the interior molded plastics off and instant countertop / table...

 

[GomerPile]

This was the prototype of the main "hoops". Made from douglas fir which has a very high stiffness factor. Held together with 4 inch structural fasteners and glue.


This is the detail drawing for that piece.


As for chassis flex...unsure of the Jeep configuration...in the Tacoma the bed and cab can flex independantly. I planned it with 1/2 inch of clearance between my roof rack and the camper. If needed I can add spacers under the camper to raise it a bit and provide more clearance.

 

[bullfrog]

My experience is anywhere you put a metal screw over time it attracts moisture and weakens the wood around the screw allowing the screw to work out as it vibrates down the road. I started using screws to hold the glue joint till the glue dries and then remove the screw and drill the hole out for a wooden dowel which is then glued in its place. The wooden dowel doesn’t have any of the issues of different expansion rates or condensation/moisture that a metal screw has and the joint will last many years longer.

 

[GomerPile]

My experience is anywhere you put a metal screw over time it attracts moisture and weakens the wood around the screw allowing the screw to work out as it vibrates down the road. I started using screws to hold the glue joint till the glue dries and then remove the screw and drill the hole out for a wooden dowel which is then glued in its place. The wooden dowel doesn’t have any of the issues of different expansion rates or condensation/moisture that a metal screw has and the joint will last many years longer.

Seems like a lot of work for a benefit that is hard for me to quantify. I agree that dowels would be pretty strong in this situation.

Modern structural fasteners are really strong and tend to stay put if more than 2/3rd of the length stays in solid wood. The joints used in these frames use titebond3 and long structural fasteners to keep the pieces together. I built a prototype frame and did some destructive testing to see where it might fail.

My conclusion was that the glue joints with fasteners removed are very strong enough without fasteners. Because the fasteners were inserted during gluing some (not all) were stuck in there and my impact driver could not remove them. When I tried to make it break the joints with the fasteners would not allow enough deflection to snap the glue joint (a hardwood dowel of sufficient size would do the same I expect). I figured it was "good enough" and suitable for my build. I don't have a ton of time so ease of build is important for me.

 

[bullfrog]

^^^Lol!!! That is a lot better than most commercially built truck campers that don’t even use a high quality glue or any glue at all! My grandkids will probably have a heck of a time getting rid of my ugly old camper! I came to my conclusions after having to rebuilt the wooden boxes I hauled tire chains around in in my Jeep every couple of years, dowels made all the difference.

 

[GomerPile]

 

[GomerPile]

More coming this weekend....will be mounting flexible solar panels on the roof.

 

[BelgianPup]

My experience is anywhere you put a metal screw over time it attracts moisture and weakens the wood around the screw allowing the screw to work out as it vibrates down the road.

I think that's why steel washers were invented.

 

[rruff]

This is super cool! Thanks for posting.

If you want to build a light camper, it's hard to beat wood. Similar to one I made 22 years ago on a '84 Toyota. I used 2.7mm luan on both sides and covered it with fiberglass, and mounted it direct to the frame. Tough enough to knock big branches out of the way all day long!

The one I'm making now (for a Tundra) has no wood; all PVC foam, fiberglass and carbon. It's a PITA and very dirty sanding that stuff... and I'm not even trying to make it pretty. Kinda wish I'd used wood. Wood may or may not last as long, but long enough.

What are those windows? They look similar to the Dometic knockoffs from China, but those have trim rings, shades, and screens.

 

[GomerPile]

This is super cool! Thanks for posting.

If you want to build a light camper, it's hard to beat wood. Similar to one I made 22 years ago on a '84 Toyota. I used 2.7mm luan on both sides and covered it with fiberglass, and mounted it direct to the frame. Tough enough to knock big branches out of the way all day long!

The one I'm making now (for a Tundra) has no wood; all PVC foam, fiberglass and carbon. It's a PITA and very dirty sanding that stuff... and I'm not even trying to make it pretty. Kinda wish I'd used wood. Wood may or may not last as long, but long enough.

What are those windows? They look similar to the Dometic knockoffs from China, but those have trim rings, shades, and screens.

they were some cheap surplus windows I got off ebay.

I thought about doing the fiberglass covered foam thing but I really hate working with epoxy. The cloth is not much fun either.

 

[LargeMarge]

... I built a truck cap for camp...Tacoma does not have a great payload...

.
Nidacore.
Glass over.
My old neighbors 'Turtle Expedition' used this system for their 'Turtle Five' RTW build.
The two of them could lift the walk-in cab-over shell.
.
www.turtleexpedition.com/adventures/mexico/baja-california/baja-testing-the-turtle-v-visiting-whales-caves-old-ranches/

 

[LargeMarge]

I think that's [the reason] steel washers were invented.

.
re -- screw it?
.
Wood and screwing?
In my experience, your wood inevitably swells and shrinks dependant on warmth and moisture -- inside the 'structure' and floating around in the air outside.
.
Accordingly, I would bolt through, placing the nut in an inspectable area.
If I should witness the nut loosening or a gap between my worshers and the clamped surface, I can investigate the cause before it goes catastrophic.
.
Irregardless, I would expect the moisture in the wood and in the atmo to eat and eventually consume the fastener.
Accordingly, I consider fasteners to be sacrificial.
Spares are probably a good idea.
.
Or use different materials.
My preference is steel, rusty crusty warped twisted disgusting steel.
With an attitude.

 

[rruff]

I thought about doing the fiberglass covered foam thing but I really hate working with epoxy. The cloth is not much fun either.

A layer of ~6oz cloth over the outer layer isn't bad, and would get rid any worries about the ply checking or deteriorating. Your bed liner will probably be fine though.

 

[bullfrog]

I don’t like fiberglass much either as long as Poor Man’s Fiberglass (PMF) is cheaper, cleans up in most cases with water, is easy to repair and maintain and has lasted several years now on my camper. Plus it is pretty ugly anyway (no one will want to steal it) but paint it white and it looks like an ice machine so stealth! Lol!!!

 

[GomerPile]

 

[GomerPile]

insulation all done....woohoo!

 

[bullfrog]

Looks good! Take it easy and get well soon. I’m just getting over Covid as well, sinuses are slow to heal it seems.

 

[Zoomyn]

Looking forward to mo' bettah uncovid Sir - please? okay? Soonest!

Doors'n Windows foam - just went through five cans, key to it doing void filling is layers over time, gun in 1/2 to 3/4" serpentine coils and move on to next part and switch back once its toughened up... got to love the aerosol acetone gun cleaner, nice terry cloth towel with a spritz of cleaner and most oops are reversed!

If* you'll excuse hindsight comment - I use 3m Hi-Strength 90 Spray Adhesive AND the windows'n doors foam together, spray both sides to be bonded and while the spray adhesive dries to finger drag without grab do the gunned foam ribbon around the perimeter etc. then hold the EPS or polyiso board in place - the 3m 90 crackles as the bond loosens so it is massage the piece into place until the snap crackle and pop hushes - on full cure to remove its like chipping out rock plaster

I've thought better of Jeep products, looked at Tacoma then... up in the air, ideally i'd like to pass through from cab to camper (in emergency?) without leaving the vehicle,,, standing in a tshirt & jeans looking up at a 9' Brownie near Willow AK FROM EIGHT FOOT AWAY has that forever etched in my wish list -