Foamie Camper Build: Fiberglass Wrap and Aerodynamic Rear Door
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2019
- Hey UA-cam! The fiberglass wrap is officially done! Yay!
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Follow my journey as I build my first foamie camper.
• Foamie Camper Build
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Thank you so much for subscribing, sharing and liking my videos! It really means a lot to me! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below. - Наука та технологія
"Its finally done - there's always something else"🤣👍.
Cheers
I am so happy I found your videos. I am inspired to make my own. Thank you so much I appreciate all the info.
Happy to help! Thanks for watching! Feel free to share
Nice job. Around the shop when doing new things we always said, once you finish then you know how to do it. Too bad it can't be that way beforehand.
Thanks 👍
De pequeñas ideas salen grandes proyectos.. me diste una gran idea para hacer mi proyecto muchas gracias ,vi muchos videos para mi punto de vista complicados el tuyo muy sencillo pero es lo que buscaba.👍
You might consider adding a belly pan on the trailer, as that is a significant source of drag.
Thanks for stopping by. The bottom of the floor is actually a Tesla Model S battery pack. So its smooth underneath aside from a couple frame pieces.
Looking great subbed and liked Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Congrats on your first 1k! They say that the first 1k is the hardest.
Thank you!
Oh, sweet...! Thanks!
I thought those were two different builds.
Thanks
A tip : you can watch series on flixzone. I've been using them for watching loads of movies lately.
@Adrian Carl Definitely, I've been watching on flixzone for months myself :D
@Adrian Carl yup, been using flixzone for since november myself :D
@Adrian Carl Definitely, I have been watching on Flixzone for since december myself =)
I'm no expert, and have never built a camper, however, if that is a "rear kitchen", wouldn't it be better to have the door lift up? That would provide some protection if caught in the rain while camping!
Have you thought about wind blowing that back door off the trailer?
Maybe a door resistor or chain?
Yeah, I'm not sure what I am going to do yet. I was thinking a lift shock but mount it sideways but I have also seen a type of spring that locks solid when its straight but you push it with your hand and it bends. I havent searched for an option yet. If you have links feel free to send them
I'll take it !!! 😊😊
That would be illegal here in Australia due to positioning of wheels. They have to be at greater than 50% of the length of the bodywork. Builders often aim to set the axle and wheels at 60% for stability.
Nice! Have you thought about painting it? 😃
I like the rear door for aerodynamics, have you thought about something similar for the Rav. It looks to me like the front of the trailer had a similar profile to the Rav, did you allow for the air to flow inwards at the back of the Rav?
Air turbulence between the RAV4 and the T-Rex would hurt aero. So I am making sure to have the camper as close to the RAV4 as possible.
@@JamesKlafehn Just FYI there is a product here in Oz that connects the tow vehicle with the trailer (to stop stone strikes) maybe something similar could improve the aero? stonestomper.com.au/
I was under the impression that fiberglass resin elf melt the foam did you have to do anything for it to work
Watch my videos. Polyester resin will melt the foam. Epoxy resin wont. ua-cam.com/play/PLuMPs5qUmnoTlBkwedPTYQXe98uv4rsCT.html
IDK...not to critique your great job so far but that rear door will never seal up the way you have it hinged. I would have thought you would go with a Top hinge location instead that way the rain would not have a means of penetrating inside since the hinge would apply so much pressure when closed on your seal. I still dont understand the why behind the door other than some aerodynamic coefficient. Dont get me wrong im not criticizing you or your trailer. So far you have done an amazing job with what you had and your skill level. I look forward to it being finished so you can go out and use it with your son and family !
Time will tell. I have enough weatherstripping to add a second layer next to the first layer if I need to.
Excellent video, keep up the good work! Please Put me in the running for the spot welder. What are you using for the electrical system? Ed
Its available. Do you want it? Watch my review of the spot welder before you say yes. Im not a fan of it but if you want it its yours. You just need to pay for shipping.
I'm sure you had your reasons, but your back door opens to the campsite side (Passenger). Great job either way! :)
I had it open this way to match the swing of my Rav4 EV door. Its the 2006-2012 body style. Im sure you have seen them before. Why would it open to the campsite side? Because of the electrical plug?
If you don't already know why, then it probably wont matter to you.
This is one big step for man ..and one hellova jump for everybodys ... oh .. and nasa want there shuttle back .....😁
I realize it is probably deceiving due to the foam being so light, it just seams like the axle is way to far forward.
SHAWИEE HILLS WORKSHOP I hear that all the time. It’s due to the Tesla battery underneath. The battery is heavier in the front. It’s also only 8 feet long. So the last 4 feet don’t have much weight to it compared to the front
James Klafehn I assumed that was probably the case, it would probably get too tongue heavy if you moved it back, but it would definitely make it easier to back it up if the axle was back a little. My axle is about 1’ further back that would be optimal for weight but the way it handles makes up for the extra effort to lift the tongue. Can’t wait to see your build finished
SHAWИEE HILLS WORKSHOP thanks! Yeah the placement was kind of a guess. I didn’t have a scale big enough to measure the balance of the pack. I think I did ok though because I’m guessing it will be around 2000 lbs and my tongue is 260
James Klafehn 260lbs is pretty good
1) What is the weight of the whole traer, empty? I presume a 200 lbs Harbor Freight trailer, meaning the cabin part is how heavy? You said the back kitchen door was 30 lbs.
Any truckstop will weigh you, trailer only too, attached - maybe a few buck is worth it, for sure! Go for it, let us know?
2) what is the radiator for, on the front of the trailer? How does that work? HVAC? Do tell, how it operates? I'm always looking for a way to build an AC unit, which will work on solar, for camper.
I want mine to have an outer roof box, which raises to 7' or 8'...
Great Job!
Thank you! I do have a video where I took it to get it weighed. 2600 lbs. But the tesla battery is around 1400lbs.
The radiator is for cooling of the Tesla battery.
I didnt use a cheap harbor freight trailer. Watch my older videos. Its a custom trailer built around a Tesla battery pack.
4:50 color change because of the quality of hardener. Are you going to gel coat it?
It wasn’t a quality issue. The company said that different batches of their hardener come out different color is all. I had the whole thing painted.
@@JamesKlafehn not quality. Quantity can make a difference.
Show us the result painted?
@@truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793 Yup its all painted now. I show it in later videos. I havent done a proper walk around though. I need to.
You can’t use polyester gel coat over epoxy resin. Epoxy gel coat are available but is not use as final coat it is use as primer. Urethane or polyurethane paint over primer is the best choice.
Are you going to Gel coat the trailer or paint it or ????
I painted it
What weight fiberglass cloth are you using?
Do you have links to you suppliers for epoxy and fabric?
Great videos! Thanks!
I dont remember. I said it in one of the videos though. Id have to get the info if you need it. I ordered everything from Tap Plastics out of California. They were great but shipping was expensive.
Nice it´s done, but what about paint :-)
I think I mentioned that, done, except the paint. lol There is always something.
Total build cost? Also what’s the radiator for?
I have talked about the radiator in videos but it cools the Tesla 85kwh battery pack that is in the floor. Total cost, around $30k
What is the total cost of foam, fibreglass, epoxy and paint?
I have over $20k into this camper. $16k of it is the battery though. Id guess the foam, fiberglas and epoxy was around $2500. The paint was another $2000
Are you worried about people (Caleb at 5?) piling stuff or sitting inside the back door when it is open?... it looks like a tempting place to put stuff, but I would not think the hinges are strong enough.
The hinges are the strongest part. A heavy duty piano style hinge from Vintage Technologies. The weak part is the door itself. Its only fiberglass, a 1/2" layer of foam, and a 2"x2" frame. It doesnt feel strong. If Emma had jumped in she might have broken the wood. I dont think it will be an issue though. It is only meant to hold the aero shape. I might fiberglass the inside of the door and add shelves but for now its fine. I want to start using this camper and then see what I need to modify to make it more comfortable and usable for us. Finishing it then heading out seems unrealistic. I want to mod it as we discover new "needs".
@@JamesKlafehn makes sense to me... This has been a long time coming.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Ok
Shameless plug for Lowes...
I wish I made money off of it haha
How do you imagine that the front is aerodynamic in any significant way? Same for the tail. I suggest you look at the shape of Prius. Why not use poor man's fiberglass? Your project is kind of minimalist, so true fiberglass is overkill. It's not going to be submerged...
I have done a ton of research into aerodynamics. The front is aerodynamic because it is the same shape as the rear of my Rav4 EV. It is also closer to the Rav than one would normally put a trailer. The turbulence between a car and a camper is 30% of aero drag and I minimized that as much as possible. Meanwhile the design gives more headroom and more usable space than in a teardrop. As for the rear, you want to guide the air around the object a flat back is really bad for aero. The rear of a camper or trailer contributes another 30% of the aero drag. I minimized both of those. Here is a playlist you can watch if you are curious. ua-cam.com/video/TKH1DyV9vNU/v-deo.html
As for the other questions, PMF is an option for some but I dont like it. Its weak and I dont like the finish it provides. My project is minimalist? lol Sorry but I have to respectfully disagree. No one else has ever built a range extending camper. My camper also has a flat screen tv, apple tv, cabin heater, fridge, and a security system. What does wrapping fiberglass have to do with being submerged? Its a hard, strong finish and thats what I wanted. Try bunching or kicking PMF and watch it fall apart. Do the same to my camper and you will break your hand.
Too many words
LOL Some people tell me to do a text write up of all the steps and what I did. That would be a lot of words (which I dont want to do). Be happy this is what you get haha