The Ultimate DIY thread - Ubuilding (Pics)
Hey all, There is another, albeit smaller, side to this whole RV thing - those crazy folks who build their own for whatever reason. Whether you've scratch-built it from the ground up, assembled a kit...
Forum Discussion
Hey!
Sorry to hear your camper build didn't see the end but it looks like you're charging on in a new direction...so am I but I guess we need to catch up a bit first.
I had separated the shell into a few pieces and stowed them until I had the space to carry on. As of August and our move into a much bigger place (3000 sq ft vs 900) I was in a position to carry on, but the pieces didn't survive the move. Truth be told, by the end of it I just wanted to be done with moving and figured I could rebuild whatever I needed to while correcting all those little compromises that had been nagging at me.
One of the changes will be to use a coring foam like Divinycell or Klegecell and polyester resin in a more conventional layup. In retrospect, the savings in using XPS foam (blue/pink) as the core were more than eaten up with the cost of epoxy, the quantity of which I had underestimated. As time went on, it seemed like I was putting more money in glass onto a core which wasn't everything it could have been.
I had also had some issues with the floor delaminating so it was like the old dilemma of what to do when you're building a house and you realize there are problems with the foundation.
The one I'm building now is stick-frame and ply and I'm sheathing the outside in glass (you know there had to be glassing involved somewhere!)
I've sanded, etched and painted the jalousie window frames from the Glacier and am using the roof vent and inverter from it as well. I kept the appliances I refurbished for the Glacier for the next build, which will be a similar full-height, lightweight project...although on a wider platform. I also kept the door I made up though I don't know whether I'll use it or not. The next one will likely be built for some level of off-roading and, since the Ranger's days are likely numbered, the next truck will be a 4X4.
My primary tow vehicle for this one will still be the Ranger though it's off the road right now. It needs a clutch and, after having done the last one laying under the truck, I'm going to pull the motor and tranny out together and do it on the ground. At the same time I'll do the timing belt and head gasket since it's out.
Of course, it's crossed my mind more than once to put a 5.0 back in instead of the four-banger....
In the meantime, we bought an Escape back in March. It has the 2.0 turbo....and a tow capacity of 3500 pounds ! I could never feel comfortable towing that much weight with it, but the trailer as it sits right now is only about 500 lbs. We still need to get a hitch installed on it, but that's not a big deal.
When I started the Glacier, I was under the impression that, if I made if comfortable enough, she-who-camps-with-me might get into the whole camping thing. We've been together 20-odd years and it turns out she was just humoring me when she came camping...I almost wish she'd been having an affair instead, hehe.
Anyway, that made me look at my priorities again and I realized that all I really needed was a kitchen and bed for one person that was always ready to roll. Less time setting up camp means more time on the lake or chasing deer...
So this is what those priorities became:
The new platform gives me a bed that's 52" X 79" and still enough depth in the galley for a 24" deep counter top with a cooler stowed underneath it.
I just finished the glassing on the roof tonight (hence the work light) and started pulling wires inside to get ready to insulate and panel the interior. The hatch at the back opens to the galley and the entire inside of the cabin is a mattress. The tongue box holds two deep cycle batteries for the trailer and another for a trolling motor for the 7.5' Livingston dinghy that will be on roof racks. Also in there is a 3-bank battery charger and 1000W inverter. At this point I foresee no real need of AC power but I'm sure that if I install the outlets they'll get used... I also have no plans for an entertainment system but I'm still wiring for speakers as well as 12V and 110 for it.
There's no way I can fit the solar panels on top of this roof (I brought all of my Tetris skills to bear in trying to make it work) so they'll get save for the next one. I've been thinking about mounting them to hinged ply panels like the suitcase kits but that's a project for another day.
We have a month-long shutdown at Xmas so I want to be able to camp in it by then. I don't expect it'll be 'finished' but...are they ever ?
Sorry to hear your camper build didn't see the end but it looks like you're charging on in a new direction...so am I but I guess we need to catch up a bit first.
I had separated the shell into a few pieces and stowed them until I had the space to carry on. As of August and our move into a much bigger place (3000 sq ft vs 900) I was in a position to carry on, but the pieces didn't survive the move. Truth be told, by the end of it I just wanted to be done with moving and figured I could rebuild whatever I needed to while correcting all those little compromises that had been nagging at me.
One of the changes will be to use a coring foam like Divinycell or Klegecell and polyester resin in a more conventional layup. In retrospect, the savings in using XPS foam (blue/pink) as the core were more than eaten up with the cost of epoxy, the quantity of which I had underestimated. As time went on, it seemed like I was putting more money in glass onto a core which wasn't everything it could have been.
I had also had some issues with the floor delaminating so it was like the old dilemma of what to do when you're building a house and you realize there are problems with the foundation.
The one I'm building now is stick-frame and ply and I'm sheathing the outside in glass (you know there had to be glassing involved somewhere!)
I've sanded, etched and painted the jalousie window frames from the Glacier and am using the roof vent and inverter from it as well. I kept the appliances I refurbished for the Glacier for the next build, which will be a similar full-height, lightweight project...although on a wider platform. I also kept the door I made up though I don't know whether I'll use it or not. The next one will likely be built for some level of off-roading and, since the Ranger's days are likely numbered, the next truck will be a 4X4.
My primary tow vehicle for this one will still be the Ranger though it's off the road right now. It needs a clutch and, after having done the last one laying under the truck, I'm going to pull the motor and tranny out together and do it on the ground. At the same time I'll do the timing belt and head gasket since it's out.
Of course, it's crossed my mind more than once to put a 5.0 back in instead of the four-banger....
In the meantime, we bought an Escape back in March. It has the 2.0 turbo....and a tow capacity of 3500 pounds ! I could never feel comfortable towing that much weight with it, but the trailer as it sits right now is only about 500 lbs. We still need to get a hitch installed on it, but that's not a big deal.
When I started the Glacier, I was under the impression that, if I made if comfortable enough, she-who-camps-with-me might get into the whole camping thing. We've been together 20-odd years and it turns out she was just humoring me when she came camping...I almost wish she'd been having an affair instead, hehe.
Anyway, that made me look at my priorities again and I realized that all I really needed was a kitchen and bed for one person that was always ready to roll. Less time setting up camp means more time on the lake or chasing deer...
So this is what those priorities became:
The new platform gives me a bed that's 52" X 79" and still enough depth in the galley for a 24" deep counter top with a cooler stowed underneath it.
I just finished the glassing on the roof tonight (hence the work light) and started pulling wires inside to get ready to insulate and panel the interior. The hatch at the back opens to the galley and the entire inside of the cabin is a mattress. The tongue box holds two deep cycle batteries for the trailer and another for a trolling motor for the 7.5' Livingston dinghy that will be on roof racks. Also in there is a 3-bank battery charger and 1000W inverter. At this point I foresee no real need of AC power but I'm sure that if I install the outlets they'll get used... I also have no plans for an entertainment system but I'm still wiring for speakers as well as 12V and 110 for it.
There's no way I can fit the solar panels on top of this roof (I brought all of my Tetris skills to bear in trying to make it work) so they'll get save for the next one. I've been thinking about mounting them to hinged ply panels like the suitcase kits but that's a project for another day.
We have a month-long shutdown at Xmas so I want to be able to camp in it by then. I don't expect it'll be 'finished' but...are they ever ?
