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Please keep a build thread. You are my hero.
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Oct 20, 2016 21:28
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There was a build thread in 2011 when we started working on it. Essentially it's a military am general m35a2 with the cab, engine and trans replaced with a Hino Cabover and Hino (Toyota) 3.8L turbodiesel and trans. It still retains the military Rockwell divorced transfer case for 6x6 and low range operation. It uses Rockwell axles with a 5ton payload rating although the military regularly loaded them with 10 tons. Legally it can take about 5 tons. The tires are Michelin XML 395/95/r20 which measure around 47" tall. They have a load capacity of 9800lbs each, and the wheels are a split rim style double beadlock. It makes around 185hp and 400ish ftlb and gets about 15mpg average. That's actually an old picture if it, it's now fire engine red with black trim. All the brakes have been re plumbed as well as new shoes and drums. Had to work on one of the diffs as the pinion was sloppy. They're a toploader diff so the pinion doesn't touch the ring, instead it goes through a reducer first. Final ratio is 6.7:1.
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Oct 22, 2016 16:20
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I'm picking up a 95 Ford transit camper this weekend. Has some rust issues but not Sockington or Kevbarlas levels. Pretty cheap too at €800, even if it turns out not to be viable i can strip out the camper fittings and make the cash back. 
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Nov 1, 2016 22:07
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We've been looking for a van for camping and occasional hauling, for as cheap as I'm comfortable settling on. Between the inflation on most VW campers and $700 80s vans, I'm not sure I understand the value of these things. We just checked out this '93 Chevy G20 today.  There's one fixed seat in the back and a few benches, compartments and a platform for sleeping one. We'll need to modify the sleeper platform already in it to sleep two, and the power steering pump leaks enough to soak the bottom of the engine. There's a little rust as well, but nothing too bad. I think they're kinda nuts for wanting 2200 for it, or am I undervaluing it? We'll throw an offer of 1200 at them, but I doubt they'll go for something nearly half their asking price.
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Nov 26, 2016 07:32
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I'm also the new owner of an old camper. It's an Okanagan. Built from a 1985 Ford E250. I've already put it through quite a workout, Seattle to North Dakota and back in just . Above photo is where I got stuck in the middle of Montana, having busted the alternator belt. The auto gods smiled on me though, and we were able to get moving again in just a few hours, with no more mechanical setbacks. Here it is again, our nice cozy berth in an insane blizzard, on the way back home: 
quadpus fucked around with this message at 10:27 on Dec 14, 2016 |
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Dec 14, 2016 09:49
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Since I've never been in a van-based camper/RV - is the extra roof space open? Or is it kinda like an attic? Or... both. I'm guessing the front part is like an attic bed, while the rest is open for extra headroom?
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Dec 14, 2016 10:05
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If it's like a westfalia, there's another bed up there. Though I've seen some with "upstairs" seating, and others that are just...open, but that's generally an inefficient use of space.
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Dec 14, 2016 10:17
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Yeah, it's both. extendable single/double bed over the "cab" and high enough to stand up straight everywhere else. Inside pics from before I bought it:   Not everything works, I'm trying to get as much fixed up as possible so I can take it out again. Hot water heater is bypassed, probably a cracked tank. Shower needs to be reassembled. Fridge is currently a 110V dorm fridge, and I want to put in a 2 or 3 way instead. The power converter might be bad, an RV tech told me it wasn't putting out enough voltage to recharge the battery. Not sure how to troubleshoot it yet, maybe I should just replace it.
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Dec 14, 2016 10:24
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Also my main project for now is insulating. At least one of the rear doors has no insulation in it at all, and I bet they could all use fresh stuff. Nice heavy curtains are going to make a huge difference as well.
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Dec 14, 2016 10:31
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I'm the guy taking a huge diarrhea poo poo that burns the rear end in a top hat and i'm sweating and the rear doors fling open because we hit a bump on the freeway just as i'm trying to wipe for the 4th time and my finger tears though the rv toilet paper and my finger goes right up my poo poo smeared rear end in a top hat and i've only known the girl driving for 2 days and she's really cute but doesn't shower enough.
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Dec 19, 2016 23:15
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I haven't found a good propane fridge that will fit yet, but I did pick up a nice vintage ice box! Should serve very well for 90% of my needs:   Door opens the wrong way, but it swaps over to the other side no problem.   It's still about 3" too short for my cut-out, so I just whacked a piece of birch ply in the bottom with some silicone adhesive. Drain tube just leads out thru the vent in the access panel. The camper came with a back-up camera already installed, but the wiring was never done properly, it was powered on 24/7, causing a slow drain on the battery. There was also no display for it. I rewired it to take power from the reverse lights, and routed the video cable up to the front. I found a Nuvi 5000 for cheap, installed the necessary RAM mount in the place the rear-view mirror would normally be, and hooked it all up:  I still need to run the power to the Nuvi properly though.
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Dec 21, 2016 12:51
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Started running the eberspacher on kerosene. Road diesel carbons it up after 50 hours or so, then it takes a few start attempts. Kerosene runs clean and hot.
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Dec 21, 2016 20:58
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Got fed up with the single kitchen drawer, not very useful cause it instantly becomes a disorganized mess. So I built a quick, janky organizer out of pegboard:  Fits the drawer precisely  And lifts out for more storage 
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Jan 2, 2017 01:22
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I really like that. Any chance you'll coat it in something like Thompson Water Seal or Plastidip or something to waterproof it? Pegboard warps horribly with moisture changes. In other news, spent the first two days sleeping in the bus, once on a campout and once the day between work and drill (get off at 1 AM, drill at 6 AM). Heater works nicely, but is a bit loud with the *CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK*. Maybe I'll build a soundproof box for the fuel pump clicking.
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Jan 2, 2017 01:35
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Probably not. I guess I should have considered that beforehand. If it does warp I'll just rebuild it out of something else. All the cross-pieces make it incredibly strong, so something like corrugated plastic would probably work great.
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Jan 2, 2017 02:54
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Is this a good deal assuming everything works perfectly? What would you say to ask the guy about in an email to get the best idea of how it runs, functions, etc? Like, I want this. Realistically I'm 99.9% NOT going to buy it, but say I was planning on it, what should I look out for? Like a buying guide for idiots? http://houston.craigslist.org/rvs/5944406156.html http://imgur.com/a/MCgIN Here's an album of the pictures just in case the post gets taken down I just wnt to have it for future reference.  7 RING SHRIMP fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Jan 10, 2017 |
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Jan 10, 2017 15:29
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4 RING SHRIMP posted:Is this a good deal assuming everything works perfectly? What would you say to ask the guy about in an email to get the best idea of how it runs, functions, etc? You're going to want a mechanic to look at the engine and someone who knows what they're doing to check for leaks/mold. Any RV in good working order could be worth that much, but this person wants to be rid of it for a reason. I'd give everything the twice over and still try to haggle them down anyway.
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Jan 10, 2017 16:05
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Zero VGS posted:You're going to want a mechanic to look at the engine and someone who knows what they're doing to check for leaks/mold. Any RV in good working order could be worth that much, but this person wants to be rid of it for a reason. I'd give everything the twice over and still try to haggle them down anyway. Thanks! I hope people don't mind me asking questions. I'm still at the absolute very minimum a few months from pulling the trigger on something if I do. Does anyone have any experience with the GMC Glacier? I just stumbled on one from 1973 that is probably the coolest looking/idealish size for me - at least what I imagine it would be. http://houston.craigslist.org/rvs/5953619460.html 
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Jan 11, 2017 16:48
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4 RING SHRIMP posted:Thanks! I don't have any personal experience, but be aware those have a pretty large following, and good examples are expensive. Cheap ones will probably be a basket case. The number pulled out of a butt I heard is "they all cost $25k whether up front, or in repairs."
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Jan 11, 2017 16:51
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It is also the motor home from stripes so get one painted like that one so you have that going for you. Really they are the only motor homes designed to be motor homes and not just a box bolted down to a truck frame.
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Jan 11, 2017 18:17
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Elephanthead posted:It is also the motor home from stripes so get one painted like that one so you have that going for you. Really they are the only motor homes designed to be motor homes and not just a box bolted down to a truck frame. Ah yes, the Urban Assault Vehicle: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EM-50_Urban_Assault_Vehicle
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Jan 11, 2017 18:24
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4 RING SHRIMP posted:Thanks! Yeah, its front wheel drive using the rivera/eldorado/toronado TH425 transmission. its strong as gently caress. The engine doesnt matter a whole lot but its a BOP bell housing. The rear is on air suspension and they'll cruise at 80 forever as long as you can afford to feed it.. they handle fairly well too for what they are. (low COG). E: Definitely not a truck frame either. 
cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Jan 11, 2017 |
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Jan 11, 2017 20:01
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Can anybody tell me what the heck this thing is? something is supposed to mount on here, but what?
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Jan 14, 2017 23:45
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Central Vacuum cleaner ?
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Jan 15, 2017 01:01
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I don't think so. It's just a plastic mounting thingy, no wiring or hoses or anything present. That diagram there is not of the camper, if you can't tell. it's of the mounting thing itself, and whatever is supposed to go inside it.
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Jan 15, 2017 01:19
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Fire extinguisher?
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Jan 16, 2017 04:06
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ah, hyup, it's definitely for a vacuum. the piece of plastic with the diagram pops out, its an adapter just like the one here: the mysterious diagram is how you're supposed to stow the cord, with its cigarette lighter adapter clipping in below there quadpus fucked around with this message at 10:50 on Jan 16, 2017 |
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Jan 16, 2017 10:48
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quadpus posted:I don't think so. It's just a plastic mounting thingy, no wiring or hoses or anything present. That diagram there is not of the camper, if you can't tell. it's of the mounting thing itself, and whatever is supposed to go inside it. I meant that's the wall mount for the vacuum, with the arrows being the hose routing maybe. edit: doh someone beat
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Jan 16, 2017 22:04
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I made a front curtain bar, for more privacy while camping.  
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Jan 16, 2017 23:14
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Time to (temporarily?) check out of the thread. We decided that Hausbus was too clapped out to keep living in without some big rehab (fuckin wall delamination) so we sold it to a homeless family for $1 currently living in a popup camper. Big step up for them, and a big monkey off my back. The Denver parks are closing left and right, some even being bulldozed for ~high density apartments~, so it was a dimming light anyways. And we found a great brick-and-mortar place to stay in for a year or two at a good price and location. If we get back in the game, it'll probably be on our own property and will definitely have slides. But really at that point we may go for a cabin and then have a small tow-behind for weekends down the mountain.
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Jan 17, 2017 23:26
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Jonny 290 posted:we sold it to a homeless family for $1 currently living in a popup camper. That was a really awesome thing to do.
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Jan 18, 2017 07:32
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Jonny 290 posted:Time to (temporarily?) check out of the thread. Congrats on making someone's life immensely better, enjoy that feeling while you plan your next go.
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Jan 18, 2017 11:06
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Jonny 290 posted:
You are, once again, proven to be good people. That's loving awesome.
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Jan 18, 2017 12:57
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So I started looking for a nice vintage 70's GMC RV and... the folks tagged along and we wound up off the rails.. The folks and I just pooled some money into this...    It's a 2000 Country Coach. From my research it was basically a one owner RV out of Oregon [where the coach was built] that's relatively high mileage [100k] compared to others because it was operated by a retired couple who were fulltiming for the last 16 years. The logic here is... that a RV that is constantly used is being constantly maintained and upgraded, because this was in better shape than some of the RV's I've seen that only had 10k on the clock. The house and chassis is in great shape, and has had all sorts of upgrades and maintenance done [Updated Webasto diesel furnace, LED external/internal lighting, newer water heater, old tube tv's swapped out for HD setup, A/V taps running front to back for extra cameras. Silverleaf diesel management/monitoring system]. The running gear is on a dynomax CC chassis, basically a wider box section and tube frame chassis than a typical truck chassis with oversized airbags and IFS front end. Engine is a Cat C10 /w Alison 4000 rated at 385 hp / 1400 ft lbs of torque. Onan 7500W generator on the front end. Had an inspection done so there's a few things that we're getting fixed. House side, its all solid wood and tile floors, the bathroom is split into 2 sections with pocket door slideouts to close/open. Showers pretty big. It's a total retiree setup. Sleeping is rear room only, with the pull out sofa being the only extra sleeping option on the front. THe living room has a slide, so that's one. Folks will be using it during the spring/summer and I can use it during fall/winter for US southwest trips [it'll pull my Hummer and I can take the thing out to desert races ]. We looked at a bunch, Dad is a retired trucker so we were looking at a few used Super C's but most of them were generally out of our budget, but he gravitated to this one because he's familiar with the engine [he had a C10 on his rig for a long time before he was forced to sell it due to CA emissions rule changes]. Now I'm curious how the thing is going to run on grades... ie. the I5 Grapevine or going out of LA to Vegas at Cajon Pass or the Baker Grade. Planning to do a few upgrades for the folks. Install some form of media center pc to run movies for them, and install a few extra external cameras and wire it into the existing system. Going to label the poo poo out of everything and figure out a sensible way to organize and store poo poo in the basement compartments. Big K of Justice fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Jan 26, 2017 |
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Jan 26, 2017 19:13
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Big K of Justice posted:Engine is a Cat C10 /w Alison 4000 rated at 385 hp / 1400 ft lbs of torque.  I think it'll be fine.
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Jan 26, 2017 19:41
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cakesmith handyman posted:
yeah no poo poo. thats more than double the torques of my bus.
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Jan 26, 2017 19:52
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I need to do a post on my budget campervan/motohauler build now that it's mostly complete... 
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Jan 26, 2017 20:21
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Looks like a slice 'o heaven!
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Jan 26, 2017 23:13
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Both of those are absolutely awesome. The GMC motorhome I posted about earlier has not left my mind since I discovered them. I emailed the New England GMC motorhome chapter to see if they know if anyone in the Boston area with one (not necessarily for sale) that I could check out just to see one in person and talk to someone familiar in person. Still haven't heard back. I really want to get my hands on one. Just...money and not knowing fully what I want to do with my life. Desolately want to do some serious road tripping this coming summer/fall. And being able to park that thing in a ski town would be amazing. I feel like I should just find something as cheap as possible for the experience factor (of both getting to know Campers, working on them, etc but more importantly for the Life Experience). 26 right now without any big responsibilities and will have the work flexibility.
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Jan 26, 2017 23:31
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| # ? May 16, 2024 07:53 |
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Man_of_Teflon posted:I need to do a post on my budget campervan/motohauler build now that it's mostly complete... Have you tried to stealth camp in that yet? Though from the pictures it looks like you're in an area where no one really cares. I wanna use something like that in the city. I own two apartments but that just looks like so much more fun.
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Jan 27, 2017 00:02
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