Tossing Ideas

Guest · Sep 20, 2011

Firstly, thanks Bob on the helpful site. I have some added ideas and an opinion below.   M2C: My gut feeling is that the DIY groups will eventually be legislated out of existence. This is due mostly to loop hole plugging by the authorities, but the true reason will be disguised by the "safety" reason. Also the MFG group will be happy to provide another reason why we shouldn't build things ourselves. Permits and drawn out plans will be expected from us and this will be the screening method. These will be implemented as usual without any statistics to show the public that they are indeed needed has the situation is of course..... Ahemmmm "out of control".   Those of us who build shoddily and without carefully thought out plans will eventually be the bain of the rest of us. This is because these will make the news and once again serve to show the public for the need of yet once again protect us from ourselves. Camper parts strewn on the highway from a recent trajedy where the guy had no sense of the effects of gravity,weight dispersion and overload six sense will be portrayed has typical of our kind needing close monitoring by the stated methods which serve another purpose, ...empire building. Municipalities will need an extension to their departments hiring secretaries to take care of the paper work for this new group of renegades running rampant on our highways who have the audacity to attempt to side step the social norms and go it alone . New revenues will be gained with an inevitable tax increase of course. Why am I saying this? Because I see this pattern emerging in our times. We DIY are ghosts of the old 40's, 50's Popular Mechanic days where we were the norm. When we are suddenly given a "gift horse in the mouth", ie: a liberty to be creative and be different, a minority blows it for the rest. This pattern always plays out. So I consider it a freedom for now, because one day it will be a dream. Sorry for the pessimism. On Compact Trucks: The compact truck of the past, ie: car with a box, is gone. My 2006 Ranger has the option Payload Package 2, 1400lbs. I installed Monroe air shocks and for five years it's hauled 2 cords at a time, 16 cords in all per year, without problems. My ford mechanic tells me shock mounts,tranny and 3ltr engine are in great shape. I also have the trans cooler and trailer package. I agree with the high center of gravity concern with such a camper, and that is real. But if kept at 50mph, and watch for slippery then dry pavement. I don't think it's a concern. camper: 1/You can make a pretty decent roof sealing skin by the old method of using canvas and oil base paint in your choice of color. Use 1/4 ply for the roof, then paint it with a very heavy coat, dripping even, of the paint. Paint the underside of the tarp and mate the surfaces stretching it tightly and tacking it to the sides temporarily until it dries. Take a roller and go over it once to drive in the paint better. Roll on 3 extra coats allowing for the standard drying time. The result will be a lighter stiff skin. Cover this with a coat of white RV sealer tar. The canvas/paint over a semi-circular twig frame idea was used in the past to build small paddling craft.   2/I'm going to 1X1 steel frame the camper only has a foundation to give structural strength over the camper box sides, for the door, and up over the truck cab has a fulcrum for the overhang. The rest I'll use 1 X 2.5 oak w/3 coats of sealer preservative to prevent dry rot in the event of leaks(this is the worst cause of structural failure in RV's) 3/ I'm going to try to use a raise/lower sectional top so the cabover doesn't look out of proportion with truck and still give me the headroom. I'll use threaded rod in some way to achieve this. 12inches I figure will be about the extent of the lift. 4/Floor underlay Luan, 3/16 has a remarkable grain pattern, and I can get this stuff in 1/8 too. So my inside panels will be varnished luan, my outer panels 1/4 ply  covered in aluminum siding (I'm not comfortable with aluminum being structurally dependable on it's own).    5/Stove will be my trusty coleman naptha w/fan over to outside. Cooler a walmart bottom drain to outside drink cooler. 6/Heater, (new one 400$+!!!), I was thinking of making a fanless propane heater vented to outside. Basically the standard BBQ arrangement but without the tin burners, but instead two 1 1/4 parallel iron pipes capped on each end with a single row of 1/16 holes on their tops. So the use will be similar to having the left side of a BBQ burner on and adjustable. Same knobs for adjustment. Lotsa ROXUL for exterior insulated chimney, as well has a box within a box setup for the main furnace. A peep hole lighting access for matches. I'm not comfortable with it I admit, so I'll run it on it's own a couple of weeks to see how the engeneering works on this contraption, and build the enclosure to suit. 7/The dining table instead of one piece, I'll halve it lengthwise, and hang each half on the face of the seats on each side. So this is my stuff and my thoughts for now. See ya later. Andy

dragonflyinthesky · Sep 20, 2011

Welcome to the tribe Andy. Dragonfly

Guest · Sep 20, 2011

Thanks for the posts!   While scrounging around the builders supplies today for alum siding, I learned most shops don't carry it has inventory but needs to be ordered, and probably you couldn't get it for small quantities. I discovered that non perforated aluminum soffit would work well has siding and it comes in white and sold in single sheets as well has available in the box. This stuff is 15-16inches wide by 10 feet, and is readily available in all building construction suppliers. 16inches wide covers a lot of camper real estate and it wouldn't take many for the whole job. I think there were 3 grooves in it (or 2 can't remember) which ideally doesn't give too much of a "house plank" like pattern and is 3/8in deep. For horizontal placement, the joints slide into each other and looks like the seal is good for our purpose, if not just lap the joint. One could paint a stripe of a different color for effect and it would look good. Cooler still is to find some pin stripping and lay that on for effect. I gotta thank my wife for the next, and it shows she has improviser blood in her like us, or worse, maybe she's making a territory statement!!?. I mentioned that the nails would show on the finished white panels on the inside. She thought a moment and said "why don't you use ordinary two hole clothes buttons has washers". These are cheap used or new. "All you need to do is to drill a little hole in the center for the nail". (Thinks she's smart,yeah sure). "It comes in all shapes floral and what have you". (Yeah sure, maybe bear and moose?). Well, I guess I could put a dab of paint on the head of ringed flooring nails to match the button. (Ok guys, when I start to think things would look "cute", then it's time for me to get into the boondocks quick! <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/redface.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0">) Next time. Andy

dragonflyinthesky · Sep 20, 2011

<IMG border=0 align=absMiddle src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif">to Ms Andy, Pretty or just functional? Both if the opportunity arises! Dragonfly

Les H · Sep 20, 2011

On Compact Trucks: The compact truck of the past, ie: car with a box, is gone. My 2006 Ranger has the option Payload Package 2, 1400lbs. I installed Monroe air shocks and for five years it's hauled 2 cords at a time, 16 cords in all per year, without problems. My ford mechanic tells me shock mounts,tranny and 3ltr engine are in great shape. I also have the trans cooler and trailer package. I agree with the high center of gravity concern with such a camper, and that is real. But if kept at 50mph, and watch for slippery then dry pavement. I don't think it's a concern.

Hey andy welcome.
I think you have a typo here. You wrote 2 ( two) cords of wood in the bed of a Ranger. Did you mean 1/2 ( half ) a cord? A full cord is 4x4x8. Even a long bed
ranger is only 7' long. One cord would be a full bed filled 5' high, or about a foot and some over the roof of the cab, solid stacked with sideboards. ( do able, but lmaxing out your 1400 lb payload for sure) 2 full cords was a fairly full load on my f450 super duty diesel with 12' dump bed. So Mabye you ment 2 FACE cords? 2x4x8'? I'll also point out that while Mabye a vehicle CAN do something, , even for a while, that of you excess it's capacities fconstantly, it will break. A guy I know pulls a tandem dually lowboy trailer ( eager beaver) with a Cat D450 sizer on it with a silverado 2500 hd. Or at least he did until the dozer broke free and joined him in the bed of the truck at a stop sign.
Other than that, welcome again !

wishingriver · Sep 20, 2011

I have to disagree with andy yes the older generation is made up of diy but there is still diy kids like me and even my son (5 yrs old) is into building things with me and I'm considered the new generation and yes certain things I will buy (b/c theirs look better then mine lol) but for the most part give me wood I can mold it into anything. lol. I suck with doing metal but I still keep trying lol so yes there is less but we are still out here. the main problem I see is not diy but innovators b/c everything is on the internet on how to do it but no one really comes up with new ones. they buy store crap or make it themselves but not actually think of new ideas. but there's also no place to run them over like I have one with solar panels on a mountable pole to angle the panels towards the sun. hey bob maybe we can get a channel ideas like that b/c being a vandweller its a requirement to come up with new ideas and products to make it better. a place to bounce ideas off of.

Guest · Sep 20, 2011

Hi Les: Your quite right. I meant cut and split firewood 16" X 8ft X 4ft, sorry. The cord is recognized has this in my area of the woods, and the real cord sorta lost it's meaning through the years. The stack is to the cab height and slightly rounded at center. I usually point the top logs so they don't roll off. The truck takes it good and I found the trick was to let the engine progress at it's working speed which burns up some people behind me at stop signs cause I creep up in speed. They need to be patient and most are when they see the load. The tranny is more introduced into the load than abruptly made to work. The trick is to gauge rpm to no more than 60-100 rpm at acceleration. I actually drive with a load by my rpm gauge and OD off. I avoid roads with frequent stops. This makes only has much torque is allowed to progress to a gradual increase in speed for that gear. I use downhill to up speed to no more than 75KM, and keep accelerator fixed. It climbs the other side slowing, and shifts accordingly. Usually the rpm gauge drops by a thou, but picks up when it levels out. The concern is really the axle bearings and these have a life span but have never experienced a failed bearing here too. Even in my previous 81 Comanche I did the same and the bearings held out. With the heavier axle oil, and Synth in the trans I think it's a good arrangement. I wouldn't do it in mountain country though, too much for a small truck. I thought the rear trans bearing may take punishment but i check it for play every year and it seems tight. Remarkably, even with a bumpy road, the springs never bottom out. I don't know if other truck MFG have kept up, but the Ranger with the right options can take it. I'm hoping to split the payload when boondocking. That is I'm targeting 700 each for the camper and Dory/trailer. (Yup, boondocker luxury, Halibut steak fish and chips on odd days, lobster on even. The place will smell like a Brooklyn fish market. Ha!) Andy

Guest · Sep 21, 2011

Hi Wish:  I think you can get great ideas from 40-50's do it yourself mags like Mechanics Illustrated. I have a sixteen volume set that you can find at flea markets and such places. There's even a camper without the cab-over that is fitted onto a 50's flareside truck. The reason why I focus on these rather than the later mags is that the early ones go to bare bones raw materials. Pistons are used to make a lathe or drill press for instance, cement mixers made from model A tranny and 50 gallon drum,etc  On keeping DIY alive in your generation I think there will be a need eventually to band together into a lobby group to fight off the empire builders ready to make a buck on permits and forcing standards and minimum requirements probably geared to some MFG's ability to do a procedure only capable in a factory.    Your gonna need to keep your eyes open to the sneaky stuff they'll try to implement.   Andy