I'm new around here (and to truck campers), but figured I'd share my new project and watch for some helpful feedback and advice as I go.
I'm no stranger to big jobs, and don't particularly always care of the logical choice would be to start with a different project. If you think I should ditch this and get a different camper.. i don't need that feedback. ๐
I race offroad, and tow a 16 foot car hauler with a jeep on it. I've been looking for an 8 foot cabover with toilet and outdoor shower for a while, I didn't really want to spend a lot.
I responded to an ad for a 1999 9.5 Coachman that had been knocked off of the jackstands, for $500. That caught my interest, so I went to check it out.
The overhang isn't very big, so I wouldn't need a hitch extension, which was a huge plus. It turned out to be a 90, not a 99, and the corner damage is more substantial than the photos originally showed..
BUT, I like the floor plan, its got the accessories I want (outdoor shower, wet bath, roof AC), so I picked it up.
I'm no stranger to big jobs, and don't particularly always care of the logical choice would be to start with a different project. If you think I should ditch this and get a different camper.. i don't need that feedback. ๐
I race offroad, and tow a 16 foot car hauler with a jeep on it. I've been looking for an 8 foot cabover with toilet and outdoor shower for a while, I didn't really want to spend a lot.
I responded to an ad for a 1999 9.5 Coachman that had been knocked off of the jackstands, for $500. That caught my interest, so I went to check it out.
The overhang isn't very big, so I wouldn't need a hitch extension, which was a huge plus. It turned out to be a 90, not a 99, and the corner damage is more substantial than the photos originally showed..
BUT, I like the floor plan, its got the accessories I want (outdoor shower, wet bath, roof AC), so I picked it up.
Well, this served me reliably from the last update until now.
Ended up having to patch a couple of roof tears in a row, and decided I'd gotten my monies worth out of it. I gave this camper to a friend and brought home a 2004 Lance Lite 915.
I haven't been out camping with it yet, but the modifications have already started. (mostly involving adding many usb and 12v outlets).
Now i need to figure out how to replace the leaky grey water valve in this thing. drip drip.
Ended up having to patch a couple of roof tears in a row, and decided I'd gotten my monies worth out of it. I gave this camper to a friend and brought home a 2004 Lance Lite 915.
I haven't been out camping with it yet, but the modifications have already started. (mostly involving adding many usb and 12v outlets).
Now i need to figure out how to replace the leaky grey water valve in this thing. drip drip.
I'm accustomed to having ready access to CNC plasma/water tables (I have very good friends) and high end welders. I recently moved from SoCal to NorCal and no longer have those resources at my finger tips. Now its a 110v flux core welder and an angle grinder..
So off to home depot I go for some angle iron and bar stock. I will not have this happen again.
Not many pictures during the work, but I'll throw a few down here:
Crude fabrication. Its like the mid 1990's all over again.
And the best Krylon has to offer.
Carefully cut out the trim on the camper with the sawzall to make room for the mounts to go in.
Everything looks so much better before Dicor goes on.. ๐
I can't say I'm 100% thrilled with the aesthetic of how it turned out, but I have more dollar value damage to my truck than I have spent on the camper, including new jacks and hot water heater.. so better cheap and right than holding out and tearing things up again.
So off to home depot I go for some angle iron and bar stock. I will not have this happen again.
Not many pictures during the work, but I'll throw a few down here:
Crude fabrication. Its like the mid 1990's all over again.
And the best Krylon has to offer.
Carefully cut out the trim on the camper with the sawzall to make room for the mounts to go in.
Everything looks so much better before Dicor goes on.. ๐
I can't say I'm 100% thrilled with the aesthetic of how it turned out, but I have more dollar value damage to my truck than I have spent on the camper, including new jacks and hot water heater.. so better cheap and right than holding out and tearing things up again.
Every since I picked this camper up, I've been unhappy with the geometry on the tie downs. I had a design in my head for them, but never made the time to sit down and draw them out for the CNC table.
A few weeks ago, I was coming home from a trip to the desert and stopped in the middle of nowhere (Boron, CA) for fuel. A few bikes pulled into the pump in front of me, so I backed out so not to wait for them, and managed to back into the most retardedly located telephone pole *IN THE WORLD*.
Pole:
Amazingly, there was almost no damage to the camper at all, so I bought a coke, took a deep breath and continued on my way.
Camper:
Got home. Unloaded. A few days later I went to have my truck washed and noticed something strange..
DOH!
Swung by the body shop to get a better look at the damage yesterday.
With the poor geometry of my tie downs, the camper just slammed into the back of my cab and my truck took the damage. I was wondering why it had sounded so loud but been so minor..
Nothing major to the front of the camper.
A few weeks ago, I was coming home from a trip to the desert and stopped in the middle of nowhere (Boron, CA) for fuel. A few bikes pulled into the pump in front of me, so I backed out so not to wait for them, and managed to back into the most retardedly located telephone pole *IN THE WORLD*.
Pole:
Amazingly, there was almost no damage to the camper at all, so I bought a coke, took a deep breath and continued on my way.
Camper:
Got home. Unloaded. A few days later I went to have my truck washed and noticed something strange..
DOH!
Swung by the body shop to get a better look at the damage yesterday.
With the poor geometry of my tie downs, the camper just slammed into the back of my cab and my truck took the damage. I was wondering why it had sounded so loud but been so minor..
Nothing major to the front of the camper.
Since I have owned the camper, the freezer door has fallen open every time I have opened the fridge. I searched for a while but couldnt find a replacement for the spring. A friend suggested magnets to me. brilliant!
I've had this roll of magnetic tape sitting around for a long time. I bought it for use in my toolbox, but it isnt a very strong magnet nor does the sticky back stick very well.
A weak magnet is perfect here, but I have to deal with making it stay. I recently did some weatherstripping on my truck..
And now it stays closed! Its the little things in life..
I've had this roll of magnetic tape sitting around for a long time. I bought it for use in my toolbox, but it isnt a very strong magnet nor does the sticky back stick very well.
A weak magnet is perfect here, but I have to deal with making it stay. I recently did some weatherstripping on my truck..
And now it stays closed! Its the little things in life..
Finally my switches arrived this morning. Picked a spot easy to wire to, and where I can see the indicator light from anywhere in the camper.
Flipped the switch and heard the heater fire right up. I like when things work the first time..
I do feel like I should have gone with a bigger panel, though.
Flipped the switch and heard the heater fire right up. I like when things work the first time..
I do feel like I should have gone with a bigger panel, though.
Well, back at it.
Looking at the wiring for the hot water heater, I was going to need a 12v power supply. The camper didnt really have an excess of available 12v, and I have a lot of future plans..
I found there was 1 12v plug in the camper, that for some reason had 10 gauge wire strait to the battery with no fuse. Pulled those, fused the hot, and while I was at it re-ran both those and the camper's 12v feed so that hot came through one hole in the battery box and ground in another - if they ever chafe, they won't short. I do need to add some grommets here, but didnt have them handy, so later..
After digging around in the camper for a while, I found some good usable space behind the dresser drawers. Mounted up a 6 port ATC fuse panel fed direct from the battery.
My switches for the water heater havent arrived yet, but since I'm this far along I had some other 12v I wanted to add. To start with, 2 dual port power centers, each offering a 12v lighter outlet and 2 USB ports.
One over the counter:
Another by the step up to the bed.
Looking at the wiring for the hot water heater, I was going to need a 12v power supply. The camper didnt really have an excess of available 12v, and I have a lot of future plans..
I found there was 1 12v plug in the camper, that for some reason had 10 gauge wire strait to the battery with no fuse. Pulled those, fused the hot, and while I was at it re-ran both those and the camper's 12v feed so that hot came through one hole in the battery box and ground in another - if they ever chafe, they won't short. I do need to add some grommets here, but didnt have them handy, so later..
After digging around in the camper for a while, I found some good usable space behind the dresser drawers. Mounted up a 6 port ATC fuse panel fed direct from the battery.
My switches for the water heater havent arrived yet, but since I'm this far along I had some other 12v I wanted to add. To start with, 2 dual port power centers, each offering a 12v lighter outlet and 2 USB ports.
One over the counter:
Another by the step up to the bed.
Make sure you caulk all of the little slots around the edge bend of the Atwood water heater before it rains hard. Also, those 4 brackets that hang like Christmas ornaments from the T&P valve were actually meant to go in the corner as reinforcements, but that probably doesn't matter as much as the caulking does.
