83 Fleet Rebuild on a 2010 Tundra
#1
Posted 21 November 2019 - 05:47 AM
Because I spent a little too much on the Fleet, my goal was to recycle as much of the original equipment as possible and keep remodel costs as low as possible. The only things I bought new were sealants, fasteners, a gallon of paint, two pieces of plywood, a sheet of blue board insulation, a door handle, and a roof vent cap. Everything else was recycled from the camper, my own scrap piles, and scrap piles of friends. The total cost into the camper to date is $2000.
We used the camper a few times as it was when we bought it then slowly started making repairs as needed and remodeling to suit us. The first thing I did was strip out the cabinets, stove, sink, water tank, and fridge. It all just looked like a lot of wasted space so a Coleman stove, a cooler, and a couple 5 gallon water jugs took its place. The only thing we kept was the lower bed/couch/storage setup. I put pink foam board insulation in the holes left by the refrigerator and left the outer vent covers in place. A little duct tape is keeping the foam board in place inside and the gaps sealed up until I'm ready to replace the interior paneling.
The next step was to build new lifters front and back, the conduit idea from Living The Dream's post worked out great. I ended up putting a small spacer between the new lift bars where they swivel to eliminate pinching of the vinyl.
We used the camper this way for a few weeks until it rained and things got a little wet along the vinyl and roof line. I figured out with the help of this forum that the screws needed to be removed and resealed, no leaks since resealing.
After another year of really using the stripped down camper I had a better idea of how I wanted to set it up and what was important to me. My priorities were:
1. Rebuild the door
2. Rebuild the floor pack for a full 48 inches between the wheel wells and to accommodate the extra bedrail height of a Tundra.
3. Make a bed for two that could be used with the top down, that would leave enough aisle space to cook or stand up and get dressed while the bed was still made, and that could also be converted to a couch if we just wanted to hang out inside due to bad weather.
4. Set up the stove, sink, and cabinets so that I can cook with the top down if necessary.
5. Maximize storage space so the most important and most used items can be easily accessed with the bed made and the top down.
6. Make minor repairs to the propane box and door.
7. Do something about the loose windows.
8. Add a grab bar outside the door for ease of entry.
9. Replace roof vent cover.
I will make separate posts with photos for each of the 9 priorities. I lost all of my photos of the original camper, of the interior after strip down, of the first few repairs, and of the first camping trips. For now a couple photo of the most current version.
#4
Posted 21 November 2019 - 03:44 PM
Looking good man! Glad you found my stuff helpful. It was all just rework of others on this site too.
If you want to learn more about my camper, check the link to my website in my signature.
Congrats on diving into the rebuild more and have fun with it. - Tim
My youtube channel about my Four Wheel Camper - https://www.youtube.com/c/timmorrissey
All about my camper - https://www.tgmorrissey.com/camper
Item I used in my build- http://bit.ly/TGMorrisseyParts
#5
Posted 21 November 2019 - 05:40 PM
Nice! I like your ideas and widening the base was brilliant. We started in a Fleet and felt it was too narrow so bought a $500 Grandby and redid the whole thing. Very similar to your need, basic..
FYI -- I will add my build link, but also not my Fleet was similar to yours.. I actually painted the exterior, cost was about $50 and it came out great, people were shocked it was an 83.. (will try to find a pic)
http://www.wanderthe...ect-90s-granby/
#6
Posted 21 November 2019 - 05:50 PM
Fresh paint, just made it look newer, mine was really yellowed out.. left the stripes original.. a bunch of cans of spray paint and over a weekend did a little sanding and then 3-4 light coats of paint.. super easy..
#7
Posted 22 November 2019 - 05:53 PM
Yeah, a little new paint goes a long way towards dressing up most anything. Painting the outside has crossed my mind more than once, but I live at almost 7000 feet in the Rockies and it seems like I am working anytime it is warm enough to paint outside. I get lots of free time over the winter, it's been below freezing for a few weeks now, but I don't have my own shop. I have a friend that let's me use his place, but time is limited there. So for now, budget and function will take priority over looking good. Besides, there are advantages to looking kind of poor and homeless. For one, nobody bothers to try and steal your stuff.
I'm the minimalist backpacking type and a Fleet is luxurious by my standards. I specifically chose a Fleet over a Hawk because I wanted as narrow a profile as possible from side to side on the Tundra and I want to stay as light weight as possible. Some of the forest roads around here are pretty tight with brush, trees, and low hanging branches. I dont want to hang over the sides more than necessary and I don't mind sticking out a little over part of the tailgate. The two of us are fairly small and short at 5'8" and 5'4", so I figured we'd be fine. I want to stay simple and light weight because I already have a perfectly good Tundra that is paid for and I just can't see buying a new truck anytime soon at today's prices to haul anything much bigger than a Fleet or a Hawk. I've upgraded with E rated tires and air bags and am quite happy with how the truck drives and handles.
I did manage to get a week and a half of shop time this fall and was able to make a lot of progress on my list plus a few other little things that came up.
Priority number one was the door. We lived out of the camper for almost 4 months in the desert southwest last winter. By the time April rolled around I was sick of the dust that worked it's way inside every time we drove off pavement, and I was starting to think the door wouldn't last much longer.
I lost most of my door photos when I got a new phone. All I can share are a couple of before and after shots. I basically used the old door as a template and rebuilt it to match with a new door latch. I recycled the window and replaced the screen. It was easier and cheaper to paint the new stuff to match the old yellowed color than to take the time to mask and paint the whole camper. At least for now. This coat of paint will serve as a primer and I will eventually get around to a complete paint job.
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