Building A 4x4 Truck Camper | The Floor
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Watch me build my new truck camper floor and mount it to the subframe on our 4x4 truck. Our new DIY overland camper will have an insulated living space thanks to the composite panel building technique. A big upgrade from our last overland camper setup!
Tools and products I used in this video:
Pocket Hole Jig Kit = amzn.to/2X4uqJa
Cordless Impact Driver = amzn.to/3DsKQul
Pneumatic Caulking Gun = amzn.to/3apreL9
Sikaflex 252 = amzn.to/3iQsDPk
Totalboat Pour Foam = amzn.to/3fjXzWp
Exterior Wood Glue = amzn.to/30fjZUf
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So far, this thing is way over engineered. But you're a lot like me in that regard. Failure is not an option. I'm now committed to finishing this series! On to the next vid...
Haha. I am obviously not an engineer. This makes me think of a saying, "if you can't tie a knot, tie a lot" 😂
this is going to be an heavy beast.
I don't know how much it weighs, but it's not light. haha
How much would you guess it's going to weigh?
Awesome
Ótimo trabalho 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 parabéns
Love your attention to detail and the fact that you are ok sharing your mistakes. Looking forward to seeing more videos of this build.
I didn’t share all the mistakes 😅 it would have been too long of a video 😂 glad you’re enjoying it
I like this series !! Keep it up excited to see the progress
I thought I liked to overbuild things… your camper will be around long after the truck succumbs to rust…
Then I’ll unbolt it and load it on the next truck 😁
Looking good. If anything it's overbuilt, but nothing wrong with that.
thanks. If only I could make it overbuilt and light 😅
@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Weight down low is ok, even good.
Looks good! The epoxy is degraded by UV. should paint any exposed epoxy!
Definitely will as soon as possible. In the mean time I’m keeping it under a tarp
Fun to watch how people with different trade experience solve problems. Ever made a surfboard before? ;-) Looking forward to more episodes.
I’ve tried shaping a surfboard once and have done a bit of glassing on boats. Can’t say any of it looked great but it always got the job done
Hey Matt, digging your build and planning- the tinkercad suggestion is going to help mine immensely.
If you have a minute to answer this I'd appreciate it; the wheel-wells seem to be a week point that will make things more complex down the road, I'm wondering why not just a 100% flat floor?
By having wheel wells I can keep the floor lower. This gives me more room inside the camper. If you are building a canvas(or other fabric) pop-up, the flatbed with storage underneath may make more sense, but since I am doing a hard sided pop-up I would have to increase the collapsed-height to gain additional head room.
Looks great Matt.
Looking fwd to more.
Howdy! Curious to as if adding multiple thin layers of aluminum to add more strength (if any) to the wall - within the foamed area.
Great job so far!
Sorry. I'm not sure what you are suggesting/asking
You talked about epoxy “paste” what is the difference? Also was the 6oz fiberglass tape self adhesive?
The epoxy paste is the same epoxy and catalyst that I used thought the video, but with an added powder that makes it thicker. There are many powders you can get to make paste with different characteristics. I used a "milled glass" powder. It creates a strong finished product and has good sag-resistant properties while you are working with it.
The tape is not self adhesive. It is just fiberglass, like the cloth I used, but it comes in a narrow roll. 2-8 inches wide are normal widths that I've seen. It has a stitch on either edge that holds the weave in place so it doesn't fray and is easier to work with than cutting strips of cloth.
@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal thanks for all the info, I appreciate the insight especially about the tape being easier with the edge than cutting strips from cloth.
@@mrad4234 I do still cut strips from my off cuts sometimes just because $
Holy smokes. Nice work. Look forward to seeing this evolve
I really like your design. I'm thinking about doing the same thing I have an 89 Ford f350 heavy duty dully. Which I want to turn it into a 4 by 4
Thanks. That sounds like a cool project
Matt, would it not be more cost effective to just buy GPR?
I'm not familiar with GRP. What is it?
I love the fact that you had the foresight to make your pour foam test pieces the appropriate size to use on the wheel wells! That's thinking ahead! So much better than wasting material on test pieces that get tossed. You ain't lyin' about the pour foam working window...once A meets B, you are ON THE CLOCK!!!
Thanks Ed.
Definitely trying not to wast any materials or time if i can help it. Of course one of the tough things about a custom DIY project vs a production build is things like materials testing or specialty tools tend to kill a budget pretty quick when you are only building one camper. I continue to learn and get better at wood work, pour foam, and glassing with each new panel I build.
@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Well, you're definitely making me want to start another one! I built a diy camper back in 2017; nowhere near as well done as yours, and I definitely learned alot, but it served its purpose. Your build is definitely inspiring me to start another build and incorporate the lessons I learned. One of the big ones was just how strong and light foam laminated between two layers of thin ply can be! I used a modified steel ladder rack as the basis for mine, with xps foam insulation and ply inside and out, with the exterior sheathed in fiberglass. It was definitely strong (too strong even...I probably could have rolled the truck and it would have just sat there upside down on the camper like a turtle), but the weight was more than it needed to be, and dealing with the steel frame inside the skin ended up being a real headache anytime I needed to make even a minor correction.
@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal By the way, what's your plan for wiring? I may have missed it, but I didn't see any wires run prior to the pours. Is your plan to keep it all external (inside the camper, but not inside the walls)?
@@Edhooey Yeah. thats the plan.
when its done i'm sure I will wish I would have had the fore thought to run at least a few wires inside the walls, but honestly I still don't know exactly where I'm going to put all the lights or outlets.😅
@@Edhooey Sounds like a pretty ambitious first attempt. My first camper didn't have any insulation. It was a lot lighter, but not nearly as comfortable as this one will be.
😎👍
Such an ambitious build compared with the last one. Great job!
Great idea fiberglass water would distroy the wood floors.
I love watching your channel. Thanks for sharing your traveling experience with us.
Nice!
I envy your handiwork. It’s going to be awesome!!
Why did you use such thick plywood?
I based it off of what I was seeing being used in professional camper construction and kinda just guessing what will be strong enough. I wanted to feel confident that the mounts holding the camper to the subframe wouldn't pull through the bottom layer of plywood/fiberglass and that the top layer of plywood fiberglass would be ridged enough not to flex and compress the foam core.
Like your work Matt. Just wondering if it will be cheaper, stronger and less weight if built with Aluminium or steel instead of wood?
I think it could be cheaper, lighter, and stronger with aluminum, steel, or wood if you know what you are doing 😅
I was originally thinking of doing a steel frame, but was talked out of it because of its high heat conduction. In retrospect I'm not sure if I should have been so concerned with this 🤷♂️
Really interesting build. Can't wait for the next video.
Did you ever make UA-cam vids or any videos before starting this channel? It just seems from the start you were awesome and got better and better of course, I've watched your channel from start to finish at least 15 times and like I said even your first videos are awesome, well done to both of you. P.S; Il buy you some more beers at Christmas time if the beer button is still working
Thanks Cory!!!! We had no previous experience making videos. Back when we started our Panama trip there was only one or two other "overland" travelers that we could find on UA-cam that were producing edited stories of their trips. It was content that we wanted, but couldn't find. That was the whole motivation for starting the channel.
I'm glad you've enjoyed our videos so much. It makes me smile. I hope I have more TRAVEL content to share soon 😁
Dont know what the tensile load is on those tnuts. If it was mine would want something that is Grade5 or better.
This is a good point. I thought they were grade 5 for some reason, but went back to confirm that after your comment and can't seem to find the info. No response form the manufacturer of course.
Build looks great. Looks like you've got the right space for fiberglass grinding and smells haha I transformed an old rotten chinook camper into a slide in wedge camper on the side of the road...very messy.... the neighbors weren't pleased. Great Job! Sub'd
haha. some folks just don't appreciate a good project. Darn neighbors 😂
I’m very impressed with your attention to detail. Nice job!
Great up date. Remain focused and I look forward to see you two back on the road .
Testing
The whole project is an experiment 😂
I am rooting for you - hope the build comes out like you want it to - looks like a good start
Love it.. Any big travel plans with the camper in the future?
There will be some local trips and Baja trips to get it dialed in. Then, hopefully Alaska 👍
Impressive! Can't wait for the next one
QUESTION: is the silver on your new frame paint or something else? It looks nice.
It is a primer that is advertised as being designed for boats and boat trailers. It is by a company called Pettit. I got it at West Marine because im in the marine industry so I get a deal there, but they have it on amazon too: amzn.to/3oOAXDb
@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal Thanks for the info Matt.
Wow - well done dude , and the vid quality - great job !!
That looks great!
thanks!
Excellent procedures and build!
Pretty sure that will float
I wish it was that light 😂
How heavy get the camper , only , after finishing , please?
Looking good. Great work
Been thinking about doing the same thing, thank you for documenting your journey!
Good luck!
Awesome video series Matt, very detailed and good instructions. Interested in your answers to a couple of questions please.
How did the weight of your panels compare to commercially available panels?
And if you were to make similar panels again, what would you do or try differently please.
Thanks again great videos.
Thanks Terry
I didn't weigh any of my panels. They would each have a different weight depending on the amount of framing I used. I would calculate a 4'x8' panel with 20 linear feet of framing would weigh about 46 pounds.
How does that compare to the commercial panels you are looking at?
If I were to do it again... I probably wouldn't choose this build technique without having my own shop space to work on it. It is a very time consuming process and I can only work on it a few days a month, so it is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Always waiting for glue, foam, or resin to cure before moving on to the next step, but not having the space/tools to work on more than one or two panels at a time.
If I had the shop space, tools, and time to really get after it, I think this process is pretty good and I would do it again.
I am particularly taken with your outstanding craftsmanship and meticulously precise attention to detail in your build.
And whist you do all this, and film it, you are giving your viewers a superb explanation of everything that you do, and why you are doing it that way.
This fantastic construction is an outstanding contribution to the knowledge base of the self build community, many of whom (myself included) have often thought about making our own ultralight/super strong/durable/waterproof panels!.
It was great to see how little wastage you were able to achieve.
I would think that your compartmentalised panels are significantly stronger than any commercially available.
Thank you for sharing your excellent ideas and construction tips, this jyst gets better and better.
Thanks Felix. I try my best. I'm glad you've enjoyed it
Awesome work Matt👍👍👍
Will you be doing something like an undercarriage spray like with bedliner spray to protect the bottom besides fiberglass?
Great job BTW & looking forward to your progress.
🤙🤙🤙
Yeah either Bedliner or deck paint for boats. Gotta do my research still
Just don't forget about cure/set up time. Some take a few weeks @@TheTravelingTogetherJournal . Really looking forward to seeing your process. Have you seen any of the Overland Expo & gotten any ideas you might incorporate into your build?
@@tpseeker3367 Thanks
We went to Expo west a couple years ago and went inside of the various campers and expedition vehicles and that helped with some of the spacing/layout ideas, but most of it has just come from using our previous set up and talking about what we like or don't like and talking to other travelers about what they would like to change in their rigs.
Its really going to be a one of a kind camper built around weird priorities like surfboard storage 😂
Ah yes I know what you mean on weird priorities@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal
Muy chingon amigo 👍🏾, saludos from utah.
Thanks
Air gap probably would’ve been better insulator than foam
Strength
@@alexiswilliams4769
Good point