40 Camper Build
- Thread starter 77TLCFJ40
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
wct49 said:
Dam man!!!....can't quit laughing!.....You've been on a roll lately!
Sorry to hear that. Glad you are okay though!
I was wondering the same thing.
Oh Yeah, He got metal in his eye at ND football metal shop.
Rudy....Lash......
Rudy....try try try....never give up no matter what
Lash....try try try....never give up no matter what
Not near as funny when you have to 'splain it.
Rudy....try try try....never give up no matter what
Lash....try try try....never give up no matter what
Not near as funny when you have to 'splain it.
ok. got it. I didn't follow since it seems lash is way better welder than Rudy was a football player.
- Thread starter
- #72
Well the 40 Camper AKA Backwoods Bellagio (named by Bossman) did pretty well considering.
Got lots of help from the big boy who loved learning how to center punch, drill, and pop rivet. He was shocked when I handed him the drill, and he did a GREAT job. I pulled an all-nighter on Tuesday night to get it Crawl ready and roll some OD green paint on. There are lots of things left to do, but I had to prioritize. I did not get either the spare tire or cooler/jerry can carriers attached to the rear. I put the spare in the storage compartment under the front tub. As it turns out, the carriers would have taken up a lot of space inside the tent had they been there. I'll have to make them easily removable once in camp or leave them off. I was hoping they would help with the heavy tongue weight bias by adding around 150 lbs well behind the axle. The queen size inflatable matress was a tall version (24" +) which made the space between the top of the matress and the roof pretty tight. A nice 6 - 8" matress will work much better.
It pulled straight and smooth up to 80 mph. The 200 barely knew it was back there. We cruised between 64 and 74 most of the way up to Hot Springs. I hope the 40 can handle it for short trips like Sicily.
The tent is a Texsport SUV tent. It is 10' x 10' x 7'2" and has a sleeve to attach to the rear of the camper. It was a little over $150 shipped and well worth it.
I used straps front to back and side to side to keep the fiberglass cap from catching air and ripping off. The drip rails were bolted to the top sides, but there still was an uneven gap where the two halves met. I have some decisions to make on the top. One of my fiberglass pieces is well out of OEM shape on one side. I may have to source another cap.
I'm planning on painting the front "windows" (riveted in 22ga galvanized sheet metal) flat black so it looks better. The long side windows may be changed to glass if I can find some with gaskets real cheap. The front hatch glass and curved front corners will remain metal to resist rocks thrown by the tow rig.
Pics:
Got lots of help from the big boy who loved learning how to center punch, drill, and pop rivet. He was shocked when I handed him the drill, and he did a GREAT job. I pulled an all-nighter on Tuesday night to get it Crawl ready and roll some OD green paint on. There are lots of things left to do, but I had to prioritize. I did not get either the spare tire or cooler/jerry can carriers attached to the rear. I put the spare in the storage compartment under the front tub. As it turns out, the carriers would have taken up a lot of space inside the tent had they been there. I'll have to make them easily removable once in camp or leave them off. I was hoping they would help with the heavy tongue weight bias by adding around 150 lbs well behind the axle. The queen size inflatable matress was a tall version (24" +) which made the space between the top of the matress and the roof pretty tight. A nice 6 - 8" matress will work much better.
It pulled straight and smooth up to 80 mph. The 200 barely knew it was back there. We cruised between 64 and 74 most of the way up to Hot Springs. I hope the 40 can handle it for short trips like Sicily.
The tent is a Texsport SUV tent. It is 10' x 10' x 7'2" and has a sleeve to attach to the rear of the camper. It was a little over $150 shipped and well worth it.
I used straps front to back and side to side to keep the fiberglass cap from catching air and ripping off. The drip rails were bolted to the top sides, but there still was an uneven gap where the two halves met. I have some decisions to make on the top. One of my fiberglass pieces is well out of OEM shape on one side. I may have to source another cap.
I'm planning on painting the front "windows" (riveted in 22ga galvanized sheet metal) flat black so it looks better. The long side windows may be changed to glass if I can find some with gaskets real cheap. The front hatch glass and curved front corners will remain metal to resist rocks thrown by the tow rig.
Pics:
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #74
Special thanks to JRob for all his help with the galvanized 22 ga sheet metal and the AC ducting. Also to Chris for swapping tires and all those buggered lug studs and nuts.
Jace walked into the garage and said "how can I help, Dad?" when I was very doubtful and down. He was a riveting machine!
I could not have made it without you guys!!
Amanda gave it a big thumbs up. She was warm at night and cool in the sunny afternoons. This is exactly why I built it, so I guess its a success!
Jace walked into the garage and said "how can I help, Dad?" when I was very doubtful and down. He was a riveting machine!
I could not have made it without you guys!!
Amanda gave it a big thumbs up. She was warm at night and cool in the sunny afternoons. This is exactly why I built it, so I guess its a success!
Last edited:
Sofa King awesome!
Very Nice Indeed!!! Great Job.
once again another example of what Cotton land is about. (family and then cruisers)
Lash likes the crawl, the wife likes to be comfy
Lash makes wife comfy the CLC way......awesomeness
Lash likes the crawl, the wife likes to be comfy
Lash makes wife comfy the CLC way......awesomeness