268 replies to this topic

[EDR]

Nice looking and STOUT bumper. Great work. It will be an asset out on the trail.

[Zoomad]

How cold was it in Larry’s garage? 😂 👍

Not bad at all, as long as the door is shut!  His heater keeps it nice.

 

Nice looking and STOUT bumper. Great work. It will be an asset out on the trail.

Thanks!  It should be an asset.  We have a couple more items planned to add to it for more functionality.  

[Zoomad]

We got a lot accomplished this week.  Final cleanup on the bumper with primer and paint.  Got it installed today.  It all went together as we planned.  We got it all mounted up with 5 grade 8 bolts per side so I'm pretty sure it's not going anywhere.  

 

After blending in a couple of welds we shot some self etching primer on it.

 

 

 

We then shot the parts with our favorite semi-gloss tractor paint.

 

 

We let the paint dry since Friday and installed it this morning.  Bill packed the bearings and installed a new hub seal I picked up the other day at work.  

 

The workbench was rolled into position so we didn't have to carry it across the garage. 

 

It's on and swingarm installed.

 

Closed and locked in place.

 

Thankfully our measurements were on the mark for the tire location.  Left light is not obscured by the tire and as a bonus the tire does not block the window in the door at all.  Just a couple of inches in where the tire is widest.  Much better than the tire dead center like it was.  

 

The hub and lock side of the swing arm. 

 

Light is very visible.  It will still be when I put the same size tire on the wheel that I have on the ground.  

 

I had to take the truck out to test the action on the latch on crappy washboard roads.   So I went 9 miles back into the wildlife area the west of our local reservoir. The Banks sticker was a joke by my buddy Bill.  He said it "needed" something right there. It's coming off. 

 

 

 

Side view from the right.

 

The latch detail.  

 

The driver's side.  

 

Had to take the obligatory poser shot at the bank of the Arkansas River.  

 

We still need to build the basket for the fuel cans, table, step and close out panel between the bumper and body.  Much smaller projects we can knock out indivdually.  

 

Super happy with the results so far.  

[CougarCouple]

Looks nice but I always thought the Arkansas river was pretty.

Oh and bumper looking good as well.

Russ

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Whoa...really nice work.

[Zoomad]

Thanks Guys!   I'm happy it came out so well.  

[Zoomad]

Less than 3 months from the desert trip and I've yanked out the lower bench.  It was a rush to do it last time, but I sure found the weak points.  #1 the original bench built off of a skirt stapled to the edge of the bottom board on top of the bed rail.  We copied this and on the desert trip last year it started pulling away at the front.  This caused the whole setup to twist.  Not good.  

 

 

So I yanked out after removing my temporary repairs of multiple L brackets to hold them together.  

 

This means I'm starting over.  Cleaned it all out.  Even got all the Mojave dust out of it. 

 

 

With help from a co-worker who is way more skilled in cabinetry than I am we came up with a plan.   The new bench is going to be a freestanding box.  No attachment to the sidewall.  Unlike before, it will be built with a bottom and complete back panel.  The top will be hinged for access inside.  To fix the issue with the too narrow sleeping space, we are going to add an extra section to fold out into the walkway with a couple of supports.  Cushions will be no longer stapled to the lids.  I've got to make some covers for the 4" memory foam I have socked away for this.   

 

My guy has made some templates to fit around the wheel tub for a nice snug fit.  So it should fit nice.  

 

I also took some time to correct the issue of dust getting in between the tailgate opening and the back wall of the camper.  This is just an area that the camper does not fit quite right.  I was able to take some pipe insulation and wedge it in the sides and across the bottom.  What driving I have done since doing it, there is no further dust getting in.  Thank goodness.  

[Zoomad]

My co-worker got the bench done this week.   It's built really stout out of 3/4" plywood.   It's a ton of enclosed storage too.  

 

 

I can keep most of my heavy gear in here and keep it out of the cabinet on the left side to help shift some weight over to the right.

 

The need for a wider sleeping space is why there is added stuff on the lid.  There are 3 of these (two in the pic) that fold out when the added section is folded open.  See the hinge on the edge?  

 

He used some basic door hinges to allow these legs to get into position.

 

 

Basically, as the flap is folded open, the support legs will fold open on their own and fall into position.  The added space is awesome.  

 

 

As before, the overall height is even with the camper side.  I'll be making cushions for this space out of 4" memory foam.  

 

 

I've driven around with it a litte this weekend and so far it's rock steady.  The added support legs can and will bang/rattle on rough pavement or dirt roads.   I'll be adding a latch to hold the lid tight and look into some lock or way to secure the legs while in travel mode.   The cushions will sit on top and would also quiet it down some, but I would like to lock them in when in travel mode.  That's one big difference from this FWC unit to all the others.  I can hear all the noise going on in the camper since it's open right behind my seat.  In the bed of a truck with no opening into the interior of the truck it may not be obnoxious like it is in this case.  

 

I'm torn on covering it in carpet used for speaker boxes or staining and making easy wipe cleanup.  

[ntsqd]

I think that I'd router in a small recess in each leg for a magnet and create a small pocket in the other piece for some small steel plates. If you get it right the magnets will stop the rattling and not be strong enough to hold the legs horizontally so they'll still fold down with gravity.

Edited by ntsqd, 07 April 2019 - 05:26 PM.

[CougarCouple]

Looking like a nice storage, bench, bed design.
I’ll second the magnet or what about the thin rubber mats they put in tool drawers. Combined with the foam cushion might do the trick.


Russ