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Big Blue Sky Cougar Build

ATC Cougar Build

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#21 BlueSky

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Posted 17 August 2018 - 07:57 PM

Got to work on the kitchen.  I bought a 15 gallon water tank from plasticmart.com, Dometic sink stove combo, water fill hatch,  and Shurflo faucet.  Basic stuff, nothing fancy.  The storage areas under the sink are somewhat spread about the tank instead of being one large cavity. It is just the way things worked out with my goal of max open space and a compact kitchen. At least things will be captured and less banging and shifting around while moving.  Water tank will be better blocked in and strapped down when final...

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The tall space to the far left side will get a door and become a cabinet.  For those that bought a shell with furnace, you will find lots of un-used space around the propane tank bin if you take the cabinet apart.  Silverware drawer will go under the stove area on the far right. Canned goods, cups and things will go in the space under the tank.  A pair of doors will open in front to reveal all storage under the sink/stove, while another on the left will open the area in front of the propane tank enclosure.  You might notice the 2 oak 1x2 sandwiched together on the right vertical post.  This is where I will attach the Lagun table, so I spent a lot of time making this corner post super strong...

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Here you can see the fill hatch just above the sink.  Keeping it inside means I don't have to cut a hole in the side of the camper and it doesn't have to have a lock and key.

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12v and 120 power outlets, we're not big on having lots of glowing screens while camping so just these will do...

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Lots of plumbing, electrical, laminating, drawer making, door making to do.  I'm getting to the point of this project where I want to get it done if you know what I mean.


Edited by BlueSky, 17 August 2018 - 08:06 PM.

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#22 longhorn1

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Posted 26 August 2018 - 01:31 PM

Nice build out. I see one possible concern is the placement of your water tank. With a full tank, that is a lot of weight at or beyond the rear wheel. That is why ATC and FWC place the water tank at the front wall of the camper. This is to insure the center of gravity for the camper is in front of the rear wheels. jd

Edited by longhorn1, 26 August 2018 - 01:31 PM.

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#23 BlueSky

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Posted 26 August 2018 - 07:45 PM

Funny you should mention that longhorn, I've been thinking about weight distribution on this thing.  I've decided to move the battery into a box up front in the camper. That dang battery must weigh 50lbs.  The water tank is slightly over the wheel arch but mostly behind it.  At 15 gal max  water capacity, and at 6.2lbs per gallon, that's 93lbs.  I don't think there will be a problem structurally with the camper since everything is supported on the bed of the truck, but the truck handling may get impacted..  Time will tell.

 

 I got most of the plumbing done for the water tank.  The fittings that I originally got when I bought the tank from plasticmart.com were pretty useless.  None of the sizes matched the fitting on the other parts like the fill hatch and the pump, and there's no room for reducers. I ended up using only the access hatch, and I had my doubts about the tiny o-ring it had and sure enough it leaked like crazy...

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I can't believe they sold this as suitable for RVs. I put a bead of silicon adhesive/sealant on top and it seems to be working so far.  It was a lot of work getting all this plumbing done, and now everything works including the pump. Once the sink is in I'll hook up the supply to the faucet and the drain.  I don't have a 5 micron filter on this yet, and not sure if it is really needed...

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Notice the pump is lower than the bottom of the tank, and the drain valve is lower than the pump.  I think this will work well.

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I bought a foot switch that is intended to operate an electric trolling motor.  I'll wire the foot switch to the water pump and have hands free water operation!


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#24 BlueSky

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Posted 30 August 2018 - 08:49 PM

Put the laminate Formica on the counter top.  I also bought a new tool, a little trimmer router that made doing the corner radii and holes a breeze.  I love this thing...

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You have to order formica on-line these days and have it shipped, the big box stores and other places did not have it in stock. I roughed out a rectangle and glued it on wrong and had to peel it off, reglue and put it back on.  That was a pain, but it turned out great after trimming...

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I also built and installed the kitchen drawer.  Kept it simple, silverware on one side and all the other kitchen tools on the other side.  Glue and screws hold the plywood parts together.  Ball bearing slides with a nice detent at full close should keep things in place while moving. I'll do the face when I do the front of this cabinet...

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Hot, dry and windy, allergies killing me these days. Hard to get much done.


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#25 Happyjax

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Posted 31 August 2018 - 12:17 PM

Actually water is 8.34 lbs per gallon so you are looking at 125ish lbs on a full water tank.....

 

Love the build! Simple and functional :)


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#26 hebegebe

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Posted 31 August 2018 - 02:44 PM

The guides will not stay closed on their own! I have a couple of drawers with good guides and even the small ones open especially off road. I am using a key lock on one and a entry security lock on the larger one which sometimes fail if off road
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#27 BlueSky

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Posted 01 September 2018 - 10:05 PM

Happyjax, right your are, I don't know why I had 6 lbs stuck in my head, maybe that is fuel or something.  I'll just strap my mother-in-law to the other side of the truck as a counter-weight. :P  Did I just say that?

 

Hebegebe, thanks for the tip on the drawer slides, I'll have to come up with a positive latch or stop on it.  In a camper van if a drawer or door opens you know it, but in a truck camper you are not going to find out until you stop and then things will be all over the place and maybe a broken drawer.


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#28 billharr

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Posted 03 September 2018 - 05:47 AM

The guides will not stay closed on their own! I have a couple of drawers with good guides and even the small ones open especially off road. I am using a key lock on one and a entry security lock on the larger one which sometimes fail if off road


This I have the same slides. I used the slam latches from FWC on my build worked great on the drawers.
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#29 BlueSky

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Posted 12 September 2018 - 01:42 AM

Got the kitchen cabinet 90% finished...

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The little black mouse on the floor is the foot switch for the faucet. Still have to do the back splash and box in the electric and gas lines on the upper left.

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Took the family out on a quick 1 night shake down in northern CO (Chambers Lake)...

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Everything worked great except for one item.  The mechanical thermostat that came with the camper is a total POS.  Practically needed a set of pliers to move the on/off switch, and there was basically no temperature control at all.  Occasionally the spring inside would go "sproing" at who knows what temperature in the camper. Don't know if it is Atwood or ATC that is responsible, but clearly this needs to change. Got a simple 2-wire digital unit off Amazon for about $25. Give me a friggen break.  Ok, thermostat rant over.

 

All loaded up the camper is getting a bit heavy, so I got some SumoSprings bushings to replace the stock bumpstops on the rear suspension.  I never had great experiences with air lift kits, so I'll give these a try.

 

Next up is the table, got a really nice plan for that.


Edited by BlueSky, 12 September 2018 - 01:44 AM.

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#30 PokyBro

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Posted 12 September 2018 - 03:02 AM

Hi BlueSky,

Just wanted to compliment you on your galley build. It looks very nicely done, well thought out, and efficient use of space. Keep up the great work, and keep the photos coming! Good luck,

Poky
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