1 Bored Clerk's Garage Built Camper

I’ll pop into that other tread so I don’t hijack my own thread much more.

I had a 2009 KTM 690r and it was awesome! This is just a new and improved (and white) version of that same bike. It’s also awesome so far!

 

So, looking at the time of year and the fact I’m going to be gone for the entire last reliably dry month of this year, I’m switching gears to try to get all the camper to bed mounting stuff done ASAP. Before the end of July. That’s a tall order but I’m going to shoot for it. I don’t want to be trying to get that all dialed in while it’s raining. I can get all the other camper stuff done in the garage while it’s raining then mount it to the truck whenever. So many little things to do that take tons of time. Oh well, one piece at a time.

 

The camper will bolt to the flatbed using four OEM Toyota Tacoma body mounts

 

I think I’ll like it but who knows until I actually use it! I’ve got a backup plan to use a short compression spring in the mix on the two front mounts if necessary for more chassis flex.

 

There’s a Haynes book on this topic!? I’ve searched and searched and searched for every drop of info I could find and Haynes has a freaking book about it. Of course. Care to share the exact title?

 

No frigging kidding. There's info for everything now a days.

 

Getting to work on the mock-up camper mount.


Cut and glued some of my leftover 1/2” marine grade plywood. This is the base plate for the body mount. Due to the geometry under the bed and the flange that runs the length of the top of the bed (which I don’t want to cut off), the camper will sit up off the floor of the flatbed by a decent amount. No big deal, i’ll Cut down my Toyota bed mat to fit between these mounts and keep it under the camper. It’ll be handy for putting on the ground if it’s muddy or whatever. Lemons to lemonade, son!


Ta-da! Done!

Stay tuned...

 

Here’s the final idea.


The plywood block is 1.375” thick. I need that height. The footprint is 7” x 7.5” I want the big footprint to spread the load out a bit. I’m not worried about the weight pushing down, I’m worried about pulling up on it. The bed is made of thin wall aluminum extrusions with a ton of ribs underneath. I need to sneak between all of the ribs. I figure I’ll either put big heavy washers under each corner bolt under the bed or put a 1/4” thick strip of aluminum that bridges the front bolts and another to bridge the rear bolts. That should give me plenty of strength and avoid the need for a complicated bracket underneath.

The big wood block will be machines out of aluminum. I’ll be carrying extra weight with a block that big but it’ll be negligible. Plus, pocketing it out will get expensive with machine time in a hurry. I’m going to take the weight penalty instead of the money penalty. I could potentially just use half of this mount: the body mount then just the bolt in front of and behind. With all four mounts tied together with a camper, it should be pretty solid. I’ll talk it over with my dad. He’s got a good sense for these things.

 

If weight is an issue, you could just drill a few extra holes.

 

I got the CAD done and sent these parts out to my buddy for quote. 1.5” x 4” aluminum bar stock is a standard size so I’m proposong to use that. So, just over half this wide. My dad and I talked about, squinted at it while rubbing our chins (our own chins, not each other’s), and poked at various sides of the wood block and determined 1.5” x 4” x 7.5” would be perfect. And cheaper.

 

My old Ryobi palm sander base finally gave up. Apparently, I have one of the two models they decided to try a different hole pattern on and they no longer make parts for it. Bums me out as it still had some life in it! So, I bought a new Bosch sander and tried it out tonight. The filter is no joke! It’s pretty much dustless as long as the entire base is in or near contact with the sanding surface. So far so good!


I sanded and routed the two little walls that go inside the camper. Not major work but any progress is progress.

 

Well, I’m sure a 6” sander would be better but a little 5” sander seems to get the job done.

 

Oh, yeah, no harbor freight for anything you want to keep around for a while and use the crap out of! Light duty or one-time, harsh-use scenarios, though...Harbor Freight can be awesome.

 

Just got notice that my windows are done and ready to be picked up! That’s exciting...even though I’m a long ways from needing them. Planning to pick them up tomorrow.

 

Windows! Not that you can tell.



It’s way too hot to epoxy with my fast cure resin so I’ll be working on other camper stuff. I can cut the holefor the back window, get the door latch figured out, start working on mounting the various L track. Plus, there’s always sanding. There’s plenty to do. I’d just like it to cool down a bit

 

The "professionals" says it should be in the 80's by Friday, but then be back in the 90's Sunday. If you need help, just pm me.

 

Look at that, a local guy! I appreciate the offer and I will keep it in mind. I’m starting to think I’m not getting much done until I get back at the end of August. Oh well.

Also, my camper mount blocks won’t be done until late August. My buddy is fully booked for four weeks at his shop! That’s awesome for him!

 

Got some camper-adjacent work done today. Something that’s been sitting, ready for install for months!


Finally replaced the flimsy P clamp that was holding my fuel filler with this lovely machined aluminum piece. Fit perfectly...because I’m totally awesome.

On a side note: I’m about ready to throw this LRA gas tank in the freakin’ trash. I CANNOT get it to stop overfilling. I have more theories but how much more effort do I dump into it before I just put back in my factory tank? I think maybe it needs better/more venting. And more vending in a different place than where they currently vent it. But, doing that pretty much means draining and pulling the tank. Why is this so hard!? It’s a very simple system. Put fluid in, vent air out.

 

Glad you’re still at it

 

Just started my month long cross country motorcycle ride. See you all again in September!! I’ll be back on the camper when I get back, I promise!