Build Our PanAm rig build thread

[FlyAddiction]

I had PTSD from building my last set of sliders and didnt want to build another longer set. I has a but of rust in the back of the rocker pannel so i decided to take care of both. Nothing that hasnt been done before. This will keep the weight down, have maximum clearance and be strong enough for a travel rig. A bolt on round tube outter rail will be added to the 2x4 which will be welded to the body. The removable rail will facilitate repainting as this is a major wear point on a truck. The A and B pillars will have a cap welded and will be bonded to the 2x4. Someone take my grinder away from me!

 

[FlyAddiction]

Looking for a full set of doner doors in western canada if anyone has a lead...

 

[HoustonFj80]

Progress is looking great and perfect timing. I have been planning a very similar build for a while now, the frame extension was one of the major things I had concerns about getting everything lined up and straight. The jig you built solves that issue!

Here's a snip of my initial design, very similar to yours.

 

[FlyAddiction]

Progress is looking great and perfect timing. I have been planning a very similar build for a while now, the frame extension was one of the major things I had concerns about getting everything lined up and straight. The jig you built solves that issue!

Here's a snip of my initial design, very similar to yours.
View attachment 4054676

Nice project! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Its a huge endeavor andwill probably take twice as long as you think and cost twice as much! Good luck!

 

[FlyAddiction]

There was a small part of the right rocker that was rusted out. I decided to cut it and weld in a rock slider in its place. It allowed me to support and protect the new wheel well body work at a much lighter weight than a new full lenght bolt on slider. I still need to make a bolt on outer tubing rail/step.

 

[FlyAddiction]

This new rocker took a lot of welding. I was having troubles mig welding the rectangular tubing to the trucks sheet metal without blowing thru. I ended up using my tig, which gave me more control but took me forever! I also caped off the a and b pillar and bonded it with structural body adhesive to the slider.
i also sand blasted the slider and wheel well body pannels, painted the areas that will no longer be accessible with weld thru primer and seam sealed all welded joints.

 

[FlyAddiction]

The build goes on, body work and paint done on the wheel well storage box. I also painted the the components of the rear tray that will be exposed after the camper is built on it. Looking forward to start cutting and assembling the camper shell!

 

[FlyAddiction]

This is the bracket that supports the bottom of the front fenderas it had to be cut.

 

[Jorgito]

@FlyAddiction great job, usually for frame extension longer then 300mm you should have additional cross member. For example the refab and cam fabrications do provide the frame extension with the additional cross member.

I am planning to do following:

• 450 mm frame extension: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-series-land-cruiser-chassis-extension-300mm/
• refab tray mounts: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-series-land-cruiser-chassis-tray-mounts/
• rear cross member: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-series-land-cruiser-winch-rear-crossmember/
• rear coil tower bracings: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-series-land-cruiser-rear-coil-tower-brace/
• front coil tower bracing: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-landcruiser-front-coil-tower-braces/

with additional weight there should be air bags in the rear, any plans for that?

Thanks for the lovely work.

Edit: I missed that you added the cross member in the rear portion of the frame , my fault.

 

[FlyAddiction]

@FlyAddiction great job, usually for frame extension longer then 300mm you should have additional cross member. For example the refab and cam fabrications do provide the frame extension with the additional cross member.

I am planning to do following:

• 450 mm frame extension: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-series-land-cruiser-chassis-extension-300mm/
• refab tray mounts: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-series-land-cruiser-chassis-tray-mounts/
• rear cross member: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-series-land-cruiser-winch-rear-crossmember/
• rear coil tower bracings: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-series-land-cruiser-rear-coil-tower-brace/
• front coil tower bracing: https://refab.com.au/shop/80-105-landcruiser-front-coil-tower-braces/

with additional weight there should be air bags in the rear, any plans for that?

Thanks for the lovely work.

Edit: I missed that you added the cross member in the rear portion of the frame , my fault.

Thanks for the insight. I will probably end up adding some version of a coil tower reinforcement. My goal is to stay within gvwr but its hard to say exactly where ill end up. I will finish the truck and see how it sits on OME heavy rear springs ill either go to extra heavy springs or add airbags.

 

[FlyAddiction]

First panel is cut and fitted! 9 to go...

 

[HoustonFj80]

Looking really good! Where did you purchase the sandwich panels?

 

[FlyAddiction]

Looking really good! Where did you purchase the sandwich panels?

CPT in Kelowna BC. The only panels that they will sell for a one off project are 8' wide with white gelcoated FRP. They will not cut them or install wire channels or reinforcement of any kind. Core materials available are polystyrene foam from 1" to 3", honeycomb from 1/2" to 2" and a combo foam/honeycomb 2" thick pannel.
Based on their recommendations, I purchased the following;
1" honeycomb for the floor
2" foam for the walls
2" combo (1/2"honeycomb + 1-1/2" foam) for the roof.
Total was around 8k CAD before shipping. It was considerably faster and cheaper than getting pannels from TotalComposite but less flexibility in design.
I will post detailed pics of the assembly process.

 

[FlyAddiction]

I used a track saw to cut all the panels and make some partial thickness cuts on the edges where panels will interlock with eachother.

 

[FlyAddiction]

Almost ready for the glue up. I will be using korapor 225 to assemple the panels. I will then take the camper off the truck and use fiberglass to reinforce all the joints. The outside corners will get a 1" radius and a total of 15oz of fiberglass and the inside corners will get a 1/2" radius fillet with 9 oz of glass. I made 6x 4" wide test samples of different glueup options and this one broke at 240lbs when pull tested.

 

[FlyAddiction]

More pics

 

[clrussell]

Man this is cool

 

[HoustonFj80]

Nice progress! How long is the camper floor space? What made you decide to do the radius fiberglass corner vs glued aluminum?

 

[FlyAddiction]

The floor is around 6 ft. The camper will be around 200lbs lighter by using fiberglass vs the often used aluminum angle or extrusions. The fiberglass also expands at virtually the same rate than the pannels, reducing stress. It also yielded greater strenght. Definitely more work tho...

 

[FlyAddiction]

Main body fully bonded. I used korapop 225. Most of the inside corner are getting a 45 deg strip bonded to stiffen the joint. Much faster than using fiberglass and plenty strong enough.