Poor man's 1999 F450 Truck Camper Build

[ByeBye]

Just curious on the heater...what made you decide for the propane vs one of the diesel bunk heaters???
You have a 7.3 diesel, right?

Yeah, I got a 7.3. Hmm...When I first began looking at heating I had already decided that I didn't want a diesel cook stove or water heater so I would probably be carrying two fuels, diesel and propane. So it was a choice between bunk heater or propane. It's been long enough now that I don't remember the specifics that swayed me. I prefer the cleanliness of propane burn, and, iirc, the maintenance of a Dickinson propane seemed to be less than the diesel. Non-technical preferences are the flame window, the resell value and the versatility of the Dickinson, i.e. it can be used in a boat, rv/van or small cabin. All of which have the potential of being in my future. I also like the way it looks, ha!

Can't remember how it stacks up to the diesels but Dickinson is pretty efficient, propane and DC, does well at higher elevations and has direct venting. The installation looks simpler but has a fairly high initial cost, especially compared to the cheaper diesel units.

Idk, sometimes I just do things because it seems to be the thing to do even though all the research may give a slight edge the other way.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

I did not realize it was one of the nice propane units...
Boat or cabin or Swedish Sauna in the northern woods.
Impressive looking unit man.

Looking forward to your reports on the wifi/radio wave gear.
(and the pictures of the project)

R U Putting in quality audio?
Is that important to you at all?

Have you ever listened to short wave or are you a talk radio guy?

 

[ByeBye]

Whew...put in a 9 hr day today. Too beat for anything but post this pic of some of doing the fiberglass work. Made my own panels w/ fiberglass mat and resin to fill in the old heater vent hole and another to make the old refrig vent hole the right size for the fantastic fan. Those streaks on the lower panel are where I still have was paper to get off. It was the first one I did and I waited too long and the wax paper was a little hard to get off. The second one I took out of the mold while it was still warm and the paper peel right off.

Still thinking about options for a wind block for the fan since it's on a vertical plane on the side.

@ JD, CB/Ham is something I'm interested in but no experience. When I was a kid I used to listen to shortwave on some old, old tube radio consoles my dad would pick up and repair. Audio is sweet but right now I got bigger fish to fry. 

 

[bullfrog]

Hurry up and get all these big projects done so you can start on the little ones! Pencill and paper are my friends as I get older or I forget things. Looking good as they say "We're all pulling for ya!".

 

[maki2]

Been there done that on filling in the old refrigerator and furnace holes on a Fiberglass Sunrader RV.

Looks good so far!

 

[ByeBye]

@bullfrog....haha! Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[ByeBye]

Bathroom vent gonna get filled in as well. As you can tell from the black tank vent on the right this guy was a big believer in silicone. Copious amounts were used on this camper. Stuff is terrible for fiberglass work, have to scrape it off. Been told to NOT try to grind it off.

Here's a link to a thread with some really great info for newbies on fiberglass rv repair.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f55/you-can-repair-fiberglass-52498.html

 

[ByeBye]

For a guy that had never slept in a camper, much less owned and worked on one, this refurb job was pretty ambitious in retrospect!
I'm fairly handy and have a decent place to do the work but I've been working everyday, 7 days a week for over month now.
around 6-7 hrs a day. Granted, having to accommodate the rain by covering openings and such has added to the work.

I haven't done a step by step but I do have some photos of the tear out, which I thought I'd never get done with as I only started out wanting to make the entry door watertight but the old "well, you might as well..." got to rolling and it ended up pretty much gutted down to insulation.

 

[ByeBye]

Tried to put this in chronological order but it didn't work, they are numbered in order

 

[highdesertranger]

very nice work. thanks for posting the pictures. highdesertranger

 

[ByeBye]

Actually, in that last pic it is the heater mounting boards being glued up and held in place as it cures. Used 5/4 treated lumber for mounting boards

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Impressive stuff.
(Except for the lack of a good diesel bunk heater, that is...but to each his own.)



Coming to VA to wire up the whole roof in panels and put a UFO landing pad on top??

 

[Doubleone]

Hey MaTaLa, a suggestion, I was thinking maybe some 1"-1.5" aluminum angle mounted vertically near the lead edge of the side vent might help divert air around and over the lid, to keep the air flow from lifting or vibrating it at highway speeds.

 

[ByeBye]

Hey MaTaLa,  a suggestion, I was thinking maybe some 1"-1.5" aluminum angle mounted vertically near the lead edge of the side vent might help divert air around and over the lid, to keep the air flow from lifting or vibrating it at highway speeds.

Thanks for the input, I was thinking the same thing. I know air is going to try to get under there.
I was thinking about shortening and using the rain diverter that was over door but I think I'll keep it there and use something else for the vent fan. Wish I had access to a 3D printer to make something a little more pleasing to the eye than the straight lines of a piece of angle.

I did just find this on Amazon
Grace 301600 16" Mill-Finish Aluminum Drip Cap
https://www.amazon.com/Grace-301600-Mill-Finish-Aluminum-Drip/dp/B00K24C59I

 

[Doubleone]

That could work... mounted vertically. And the price is extremely right!

 

[ByeBye]

Alas the rain diverter is only 1-3/8" tall. Need 3". I could build it up with a base but I'm still looking.

Got some body work done...well, done enough for right now. Passenger front window & corner were cracked up pretty good by not one but two crashes into tree limbs. For never having done fiberglass repair or bodywork, per se, I'm happy with my learning curve although the hardest part has been getting my big old butt up and down the ladder about a brazilian times.

I was already to mount my Dickinson Propane heater P9000, had the chimney and mounting plate inside attached. As I was toting the heater out to the camper I heard a rattle...loose screw....which while in the process of retrieving it a manufacturing defect became obvious. The hinge for the door was spot welded on crooked. Amazon seller said they wouldn't do anything since it had been over 30 days.

I contact Dickinson w/ detailed explanation and photos. They responded in less than 3 hrs and said they'd have another shipped out tomorrow and when it arrived I could use that box for packaging and they'd give me a shipping label to return the old one. 

What great customer service!!!

 

[highdesertranger]

hey, your heater has feet. highdesertranger

 

[ByeBye]

Got my heater replacement in and mounted, no pics on that yet, but don't have the gas line plumbed yet.
I replaced the 22x22 escape hatch with a new one and repurpose the frame of the old to make an air dam/diverter for my Fantastic Fan vent that's mounted vertically on passenger side. 

Came out pretty good. I cut out a section to resize it after I removed a flange. Then used 1/8" x 1"x 8" aluminum flat stock and pop rivets to piece it back together. 

Have NO idea how to get pics to upload in order. I've tried every way I can think of.

 

[highdesertranger]

nice. love your build and documentation. highdesertranger

 

[ByeBye]

Got my order from genuinedealz for wire and cable to finish wiring the camper today. Also FINALLY got toilet and heater positioned and vented. Just need to wire the fans on both now. 

Got 4 Facon 3 Inch LED RV Puck Lights and 2 Ulincos Touch Switch UT19T1 Stepless Dimming Switches for lighting needs and Super More 3 Meters Bendable Curtain Track Ceiling Mounted for toilet/shower privacy curtain.