Considering building camper from scratch...

[urbex]

Looking for opinions on building a new camper from the ground up, to bolt down to a flat bed. 99% of my camping is boondocking and involves going off road in the southwest desert, I haven't so much as stepped foot in a developed campground in over 30 years and have zero desire to ever do so in the future.

I have a 1980-something Lance LC980, with significant water damage rot in the structure, and I don't feel that it is worth fully repairing/rebuilding. Not quite to the point of imminent collapse, but even with the repairs I'm currently doing to fix an anchor that almost pulled out, I doubt I have more than 1 or 2 seasons left in it without major work.

I don't have nearly the budget needed to buy a brand new camper, and virtually every used camper I've looked at has some degree of water damage already, even when the owner swears it doesn't. The few that appeared to be rot free had other reasons why I ultimately decided against them.

Having been through 3 TCs with water damage including this one, and knowing what's involved in even a "minor" rot repair...I'm seriously considering just building something new from scratch with a full width floor, to take advantage of the flatbed. I'd also like to build it so it can be bolted to the flatbed as opposed to using tie downs. Flatbed is 100% steel, and is already attached to the truck with spring loaded mounts.

I realize that the wider floor isn't necessarily going to give me more real estate inside, as I'm still going to have things like kitchen appliances, counter, seating, etc raised up anyways, but it would be easier to make more enclosed storage rather than attempting to panel in the areas normally over the wheel wells...at least it makes sense in my mind, anyways, lol.

I'm thinking of welding up an aluminum tubed main structure, as it seems like that would be far easier to add bolt down mounts without potentially damaging a wood structure, and handle the rigors of off road use better?

Assuming I roughly copy the size of my current Lance and reuse most of the hardware - inside cabinets, appliances, light fixtures, sinks, holding tanks, generator, etc., but with all new plumbing pipes, electrical wiring, etc...is this even a generally sound idea?

Could something like this be done for around $5,000? I already own all the fabrication tools needed, and am very comfortable with welding aluminum/metal fabrication.

Or am I just way off my rocker here?

[Kxracer704]

Urbex, I am currently in the process of building my truck camper from scratch. I am salvaging the appliances and aluminum siding from a 1977 Sunline TC. If you proceed with a wood structure, your budget of $5000 is achievable. Going with aluminum for the structure is superior in my opinion, but I would think you will go over your budget unless you have a good connection to get AL. What also will make the budget increase is if you had to buy any appliances. My advice is to do what ever you can to get those appliances in your Lance to function correctly and reuse them. Also a big expense is the electrical system, if you plan to put a big battery bank, inverter, & solar, your price tag will go up $2000-$4000. If you only want a few 12v lights, you can build this TC within your budget. Like others have said on this thread, it all depends on what you want to build.

Time is the other obvious factor. I work on my camper after work and on most weekends (while still having a life). I’ve been working on it for 8 months and have completed the shell and only have half of the interior done. It will probably take me over a year to complete. You said you build rock crawlers so you understand how long it takes to build things (I have built mud trucks in the past). It seems like you know what your signing up for.

It seems like you want a custom TC that is built the way you want it, I say go for it and start the design and building process!

If you are interested I have a post of my build on this forum named 1977 Sunline Truck Camper Full Build. There are links to my YouTube channel. Truck Camper Build Playlist

[urbex]

mr_andyj wrote:

To save money, buy a junk camper, this already has all the components, appliances, cushions, etc. $1,000 camper will get you $6,000 worth of parts assuming it all works.

I completely do not understand why I would buy another camper for appliances when I already have one with fully functional appliances?

[hedgehopper]

My father-in-law built a truck camper from scratch. It was quite nice but too heavy for the truck he put it on. Don't know the details and he's no longer around to ask.

But to answer your question: If you have the time, the requisite skills, and will enjoy the project, go for it.

[mr_andyj]

Depends on how nice u want it inside, and how good your skills already are.
$5,000 is not much if you are having to buy all of the components and parts. This is going to be a huge project, and you might be sick of it before you get done and when you get done you are so tired of it you don't want to look at it, or even camp in it....

To save money, buy a junk camper, this already has all the components, appliances, cushions, etc. $1,000 camper will get you $6,000 worth of parts assuming it all works.

If you want a bare-bones good-enough interior then you can do it quick. Building out a camper is way harder than building a house. In a camper you cannot just throw up a 2x4 wall and plaster over it. Things are small, and you have to maximize space, and a lot of custom fitting and cutting is involved unless you want to waste huge amounts of space.

You can do it, you will like what you have, but it will be a huge project.

[Kayteg1]

My Dometic is 20 years old and keeps food frozen in 115F weather.
New compressor-driven refrigerators are tempting, but hard to justify the expense.
There is nothing wearable on old fridges. Only every few years you need to clean propane burner.

[BurbMan]

urbex wrote:
All of my appliances are still good/usable, as is the entry door, windows, sinks, furniture, cabinets, and holding tanks. Anything plastic such as roof vents or outside hatch covers, I'd just as soon install new to avoid age related plastic brittleness, along with rubber trim and any pipes/hoses etc. For what little plumbing there is in a TC, I see no reason to try to reuse any of the old stuff.

You are on the right track here, outside plastic gets UV damaged and can be replaced relatively cheaply. The only appliance issues I had were a faulty gas valve on the HW heater and I also replaced the converter with a Progressive Dynamics unit for a better charging profile.

A word of advice...the average life span of an RV fridge is 15 years, and they DO NOT fit though the entrance door. The only way to get a new fridge in my Lance is to remove the slideout. If you are investing in a rebuild, you should strongly consider replacing the fridge as part of the construction, or rebuilding with a new cooling unit.

I only went filon on the exterior to match the walls that we weren't replacing. I laminated it to 1/4" luann so it's more puncture-resistant than aluminum siding, but could be made stronger if you used something like sheet aluminum. Good sealing around the seams is more important than what you use for siding.

[Siri_Keatom]

I'm not building mine from scratch, I bought a long unknown brand camper that had been rear ended. The damaged back was cut off and a wall and door put in place. This allowed me to build out the inside to my standards and it's simple but I'm pleased with my work so far. It's simple, I get tons of sheet material and aluminum from my job.

Sounds like you have the experience to do something pretty cool. I'm a little proud of how it looks nothing like any other I've seen. I have no water tanks and will cook outside mostly. I've probably put $1000 into it, including the cost of the camper. Fits snug in my k2500 and weighs less than a thousand pounds. I wouldn't recommend this for someone with no experience, I enjoy wiring lights and building multipurpose furniture in my free time so that helps. Good luck!

[urbex]

BigfootBill wrote:
If you are doing a full build with metal and are planning on hard mounting, why use a flatbed? If you can use the deck that sits on the frame rails and structural supports for the "truck camper" you would be able to shave cost and weight. Consider doing a frame mount build - think hook lift truck but you dont necessarily need to use that style of system to install and remove it.

You can install a separate flatbed or dump body, etc when you want to use the truck for other purposes.

Because the camper can be put on/taken back off in minutes, and taking off/putting the bed back on is a considerably longer and much more involved process? That's a lot more than just one electrical plug and a handful of bolts that would be easily accessed while standing next to it.

[BigfootBill]

If you are doing a full build with metal and are planning on hard mounting, why use a flatbed? If you can use the deck that sits on the frame rails and structural supports for the "truck camper" you would be able to shave cost and weight. Consider doing a frame mount build - think hook lift truck but you dont necessarily need to use that style of system to install and remove it.

You can install a separate flatbed or dump body, etc when you want to use the truck for other purposes.

[Kayteg1]

Frankly, it is hard to beat aluminum exterior. Only stainless steel can be better.
I observe Avion restoration topics and having experience with Airstream TT I don't have to wonder why owners go long way to gutter whole interior and reuse exterior.
I was actually considering such project when the fiberglass siding on my TC start showing the age, but Avions come too small for my needs.
Still over the years I have seen Airstreams TT converted to campers and classC on few occasions.
That brings another question what you want to build?
TC with jacks, or
expedition camper, or
ClassC

[urbex]

BurbMan wrote:
Yup, the luann was only the substrate for the filon. Laminating the filon back on was not that hard and makes for a nice finished look, or you can do aluminum. There are a bunch of surplus/salvage places around the RV manufacturing hubs in IN and OR, you can find a lot of what you need for cheap. That's what we did...

I had thought about going with the filon, as I was thinking it would likely allow for a better seal against water intrusion, but was also thinking that any damage would be far easier to repair with the aluminum. Much more so considering my campers get drug through the desert brush, and low hanging trees, so siding damage is almost a guarantee at some point.

I even thought about going way off book here, and using something like 18 or 20 gauge aluminum sheet as siding...kind of like a cross between the typical slatted aluminum siding and filon. But then heat expansion, and weight, does become potential issues as well as having a lot more holes to seal when mounting the stuff.

I honestly don't think I'd need much, if anything, from salvage/surplus. As I'll most likely be changing locations of access doors/compartments, along with removing/adding some external components (such as ditching that god forsaken front cabover window that seems to be a major source of leaks on **** near every camper), I wouldn't likely be able to use salvage siding either.

All of my appliances are still good/usable, as is the entry door, windows, sinks, furniture, cabinets, and holding tanks. Anything plastic such as roof vents or outside hatch covers, I'd just as soon install new to avoid age related plastic brittleness, along with rubber trim and any pipes/hoses etc. For what little plumbing there is in a TC, I see no reason to try to reuse any of the old stuff.

[reddrum]

Cruise over to expedition portal or other sites where there are discussions of building campers. There are lots of people that do build some incredible rigs out of all kinds of material. If you can weld aluminum you have a huge advantage. Building your own is certainly doable. It will take time. But, it can be better than a prebuilt one too! Do a lot of research before starting, get a plan, and go for it!

[Kayteg1]

urbex wrote:
My Lance doesn't even have outside luan ply... Aluminum siding stapled right to the frame, and the frame was just stapled together as well. Pulling one of these things apart does make for a heck of a lot easier to understand how a "little" water leak can cause some very significant damage though.

You have older Lance model.
I parted 2002 model and the single sheet roof was holding pretty well.
But the construction lack engineering and 3/4 x 1.5 piece o wood was not enough frame to hold the slide and I had to redo the frame.
But PO of my Lance redid all the trims with additional butyl tape.
I bough my Lance in Glendale btw at Tom's
Point is that nobody would offer me $6k for my Lance and that prompted me to part it for Sprinter conversion.
So here is new life of Lance interior.

[BurbMan]

Yup, the luann was only the substrate for the filon. Laminating the filon back on was not that hard and makes for a nice finished look, or you can do aluminum. There are a bunch of surplus/salvage places around the RV manufacturing hubs in IN and OR, you can find a lot of what you need for cheap. That's what we did...