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Big Blue Sky Cougar Build

ATC Cougar Build

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#1 BlueSky

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Posted 29 July 2018 - 11:02 PM

Hello everyone,

 

New guy here with my Cougar I picked up a few weeks ago.  It is a shell with furnace and roof fan on my mostly stock 2008 Tundra DC 4x4.  My goal with this is to build it out to sleep 4 (wife, me and 2 kids) and have enough space for all of us to eat inside in bad weather.  I also want to preserve the existing floor area, or most of it, and make it as spacious as possible while keeping it very simple.  My last expedition machine was a 1986 Westfalia that took us on lots of great adventures, and I am looking forward to more capability with this rig, and fewer problems of course.  I have never actually built an RV interior, so this is going to be interesting. Here's the rig in Bodega Bay right after I picked it up...

i-NjKrSsC-XL.jpg

 

and on the road...

i-rtDdtsq-XL.jpg

 

At home in CO, starting with this...

i-nx4kbk7-XL.jpg

 

Looking forward to sharing this build as I go along.


Edited by BlueSky, 29 July 2018 - 11:02 PM.

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#2 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 30 July 2018 - 12:15 AM

Welcome to the site.Another ATC owner.Great campers.

Sounds like you have some great ideas for your camper.

Frank


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2002 Tundra AC TRD 4WD Limited 2009 ATC Bobcat loaded http://sharychic.blogspot.com/


#3 ski3pin

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Posted 30 July 2018 - 12:44 AM

Welcome to Wander the West and congrats on your new ATC! :)


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2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II 2013 ATC Bobcat SE "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln  http://ski3pin.blogspot.com/


#4 CougarCouple

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Posted 30 July 2018 - 02:21 AM

Hello BlueSky welcome to WtW. Your gunna love that Cougar, and enjoy the build out.

Russ
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F250 extended cab, Cougar from ATC. You guys rock thank you!

#5 BlueSky

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Posted 30 July 2018 - 01:50 PM

Thanks for the welcome. BTW - I slept like a rock in the cab over, that 4 inches of foam is perfect up there. First thing is to find a place for the 120AH deep cycle battery I got for about $90 at Walmart. I have not had great experiences with AGM batteries, so going old school lead acid this time around. I found that there is just enough room in the truck bed behind the wheel arch and I can still get the camper on and off the truck with no issues...i-vM6J2wK-M.jpg

This puts the battery outside the camper which is good for regular lead acid, but the drawback is you can't access the positive terminal unless you take the camper off the truck. We'll see how this works for a while. I take the camper off the truck in winter, so it should be fine. I have it strapped to plywood with rubber bumpers screwed to the bottom so it is stable in there. While doing this I discovered there is a lot of room above the wheel arch and that first step from the bed could have been a few inches lower than the way ATC normally builds these. That would have given me a lot more storage area, but at least I can take advantage of the room behind the wheel arch on both sides. Only using one battery for now, so on the other side I have something different planned.


Edited by BlueSky, 30 July 2018 - 01:55 PM.

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#6 Tuff Guy 62

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Posted 30 July 2018 - 07:29 PM

Welcome aboard BlueSky! :)


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#7 longhorn1

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Posted 30 July 2018 - 10:57 PM

Welcome. Your pictures didn't open
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#8 BlueSky

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Posted 31 July 2018 - 02:20 PM

Fixed the photo issue I believe, thanks for the heads up.  Started working on the rear passenger side cabinet.  This is where we'll put things that we need to access quick from the outside, such as our folding camp chairs, without having to climb into the camper.  It is also going to support the cooler. I thought a lot about whether to get a fridge like an ARB, or just stick with a cooler.  Since our camping trips tend to last only 3-4 days, I decided to keep it simple with a new 70qt Coleman extreme cooler that will keep ice for about 5 days. It only costs $40 compared to $850 for the ARB, and doesn't run at night while sleeping, and doesn't produce heat, and doesn't require another battery or solar panel.  That's a lot of simplifying!  I also found these "Cooler Shock" bags on Amazon that replace ice and got decent reviews.  So no buying ice or dealing with water in the cooler. I like that the cooler is elevated off the floor so it is easy to get things in and out.  I'll add tie-downs to keep it in place while driving.  In the future if I take extended trips I can always add the ARB fridge in the same spot.  BTW - I am using 1/2" birch plywood from Home Depot and 1"x1" or 1"x2" inner braces and various screws.

i-d6wRw5K-M.jpg


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#9 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 31 July 2018 - 07:03 PM

Coming along nicely.

Good way to go simple.

 

Thanks for posting the pictures.

Frank


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#10 BlueSky

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Posted 04 August 2018 - 01:04 AM

Finished up the rear cabinet and then some.

i-fbjGFzd-M.jpg

 

i-fwZnDQB-M.jpg

 

It was a little tricky cutting out the door from a sheet of birch plywood with a jig saw.  I understand there is a way to plunge a jig saw into plywood, but I needed accuracy.  I drilled several small (maybe 3/16") holes along my cut line, and then cross drilled those to create a slot that I could put the jig saw blade down into.  The result is flush door with matched grain to the outer frame that helps create the feeling of more space. I used some self closing surface mount hinges that required no large bore or holes other than for screws.  We'll see how these hold up, so far so good. I also looked endlessly for a low profile pull knob or handle.  I did not want a regular cabinet knob or handle that stuck out and caught the straps of backpacks and other things.  Marine style slam latches required a lot of careful drilling and were expensive.  I then realized the good old stainless steel Footman Loops that I use for 1" strap tie downs (like for the cooler) are also available in larger 2" sizes.  Works great, cost is minimal, doesn't grab straps, and easy to install. Finally I installed the plywood section that makes up the side of the storage bin and will support the bench seat/bed.

i-kfddrn2-M.jpg

 

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Working with getting a nice smooth finish on this birch plywood I discovered that this wood has a sort of tiny hair that sticks up even after sanding with 220 grit.  As I ran the palm of my hand one direction with the grain i can feel these tiny hairs stand up, and then going back the other direction they would lay down and make a more smooth surface.  I made note of this when applying poly so that I used a one-direction brush stroke that laid these little hairs down.  That's all for now, have to attend my brother's wedding so it will be a few days before I can get back to it.


Edited by BlueSky, 04 August 2018 - 01:08 AM.

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