13 replies to this topic

[erod]

impressive work...its been fun following this build...i am sure your attention to detail now will pay off down the road. thanks for posting!

[jsonptrs]

Well, I'm back. My wife and I went on our first trip with the camper last weekend to Santa Cruz and points north and I was really hustling to get things done, or at least done enough to get on the road so I couldn't post my progress along the way. Here is the camper at Butano State Park.



We camped there and surfed Waddell Creek and various spots around Santa Cruz. Every day we would break camp and search for surf then return at night, staying either at Butano or Big Basin. The camper made it really convenient -- we could set up in 20 minutes or less, put dinner on the stove, have a beer and relax. I learned how fast running the 'fridge on 12v would sap the batteries -- about 6 hours on 12v sucked my starting batteries down to the point where I needed a jump. We got in late and I forgot to switch to propane. Thankfully the camp host also had a diesel truck as two sets of cables were necessary, one to each battery. Live and learn I guess. I want to equip the camper with it's own batteries and a solar panel to keep them charged. I'll do that down the road.

Here are some interior shots. It is mostly finished, but I still have a bit of work to do.






We had really nice weather in Santa Cruz so the furnace wasn't needed. I used it today when I took the camper and the dogs fishing on the Little Truckee and it worked great. The stove boiled water fast and it was nice to do the "clean" cooking indoors -- anything that splatters I still do outdoors. We could make coffee inside and stay a bit warmer until the brew kicked in. I switched a couple of the gas lines out to stainless steel flex instead of the bent copper. A couple aggressive bends in the original gas lines were pretty narrow at best, almost kinked. My "Fantastic Fan" worked in Reno but was dead by the time we got to the coast. It has juice, just doesn't want to go. No leaks with the water tank, but the water did end up having a rather "plasticy" taste even after a couple cycles of bleach and vinegar. I do wish I had re-installed the electric water pump as pumping the faucet by hand got old fast. Basically I've decided to use the tank water for doing dishes and stuff and cook or drink out of jugs if the taste doesn't improve.

In the interest of time I decided to put things back basically as before -- if it isn't broken, don't fix it kind of logic. I built the cabinets out of a hardwood veneered "12mm" plywood and I still need to apply the finish. I'm going to make the opening to get under the sink bigger than original -- make it easier getting things in and out. I extended the box making up the passenger wall bench seat to fit a couple long items we have. I also eliminated the little closet it had opting for coat hooks and simple plastic crates in it's place. Otherwise it is the same.

I either have a roof leak in the drivers front corner of the cabover or rain water is getting driven in when I drive. I've got it drying now and will try to find out where it is coming from later. Tips and tricks would be helpful. It is also clear that I need to replace the front lift mechanism -- has anyone thought to use aluminum for the parts rather than 1/8" or 3/16" paneling? Not sure about cost, but even if it was three or four times the materials cost it would probably be worth it to not have the rivets pull through.

I still need to mount my hydraulic jacks, but that can wait a bit as well. I opted to bolt the camper to the bed and I have it secured with 3/8" bolts backed with some 3/16 plate steel. The camper never moved even when driving on some pretty rough dirt roads around Reno/Truckee. I figure I'll finish the cabinets and stuff then tackle the front lift mechanism. Again, if you have any advice on the leaks let me know. Until next time....

[craig333]

I"m sure you could use aluminum but they seem to last really well if treated with some tlc. Contact the fantastic fan people. They seem to have excellent customer service from all reports. Might check with with a place like camping world and see what they have for the water tank, that can't be all that uncommon.

Sounds like its really coming along well.

[John D]

The old Granby is about a foot shorter than the original Keystone but they are otherwise quite similar. Those old campers were the pinnacle of their type, 8 foot bed, extended cab truck, short overhang, two couches, and made in Colorado by the original genius.

I wish someone who knows would tell the real story about why Four Wheel Camper moved from Colorado to California. What happened? The truth?

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