FWC Project M Project

What's the easiest way to power the interior roof LEDs and two fantastic roof fans? I just picked up my Project M today. It has a black wire and yellow wire labeled for the LED and fans. I spliced a 12v plug to the wires and then plugged it in the 12v socket on my 1000w Jackery Power Station. Jackery showed 1 watt of use but no luck with the LEDs or fans working. Any suggestions? Should I splice it to the AC outlets instead?

 

I have to plead ignorance on this one. I'm not sure about the jackery power station, and I had a mechanic I know do it, but I'll do my best to describe what he did based on looking at it with my ignorant eye. He ran a thick red (seemed like 2 or 4 gauge-ish) wire from the battery under the hood to a breaker under the hood. Then from there he ran the same type of wire under the bed/along the frame up into the little storage compartment at the rear/driver's side of the bed. In there he ran a little fuse box, and the wires from the camper ran to that. Maybe you could do something similar but from your Jackery power station. Now that I'm thinking more about it, the mechanic did say something about the fan being wired wrong or silly or something.

 

@netlseh thanks for the great write up. Sound like we had similar experiences with the fit and finish. I had one of the snaps fail after a couple times as well.

Your set up looks great.

I ended up putting heavier springs on the front. With the winch bumper, sliders etc and then the increased weight in the back, I needed a bit more up front. I’m using the 14” 700# icons. Not sure in your case on the 887 vs 886. With out any additional weight up front, the 886 might be a bit stiff. But hard to say. If you go with a ARB bumper upfront than you will want that extra weight capacity. 170lbs is a lot of weight hanging off the front of the truck.

As far as the back, having the air bags is a good option if you are changing weight or towing. Sounds like your spring set up is adequate. Having air bags just gives you some adjustability and takes some stress off your leaf pack. I don’t have a lot of of pressure in mine, maybe 10-15 on one side and 20-30 on the drivers side. My main use was leveling out the truck due to taco lean and extra weight I have on the drivers side.

The bed is a challenge. I recently cut mine and put a velcro strip to act as a “hinge.” I posted about it a couple weeks ago. We just got back from a 5 day trip. This set up worked well. Makes it easy to fold the bed over and push in the platform.

 

Did you get this resolved?

Do not splice into the AC outlet on the Jackery!

Is the socket on the Jackery working properly? What kind of jack did you wire in? Some have an internal fuse.

If I recall there are two ground wires, one for the solar hook up and the other for the rest of the wiring. I’m not sure if that would make a difference, but if I recall the solar ground goes directly to the solar panel and doesn’t tie into the other ground. Also, did you try the other colors in case they miss labeled them. You can pull off the small black panel on the ceiling, between the roof vents and check the color wire to make sure. If I recall correctly the red wire should be for the solar hookup.

Since you are using a 12v plug with the Jackery, make sure you wire in an inline fuse. I had an issue with the ceiling wiring. One of the LED feed wires grounded out in the ceiling causing a short. If you have a multimeter, you can check and see if there are any shorts between the ground wire and the ceiling wire.

 

We got out this past week and spent four nights in the snow. We camped at Lassen National Park and spent the days backcountry skiing. The Project M build was outstanding.



We were able to finally test the DIY thermal pack. My initial impression is positive. I think it helped out quite a bit making it more comfortable to be inside in the evening and mornings. Even with the heater running, before the thermal pack, there was cold air around the fabric top. The thermal pack improved this making it much more comfortable. We only ran the heater in the evenings and mornings. With the heater off overnight, the temperatures inside by morning where 33, 34, 37, and 38. The outside temperature where in the low to mid 20s overnight.

As far as condensation, there was some but only on the ceiling and top of our sleeping bags. The thermal pack and inside walls stayed dry. The condensation was limited to where the ceiling fabric touches the aluminum framing. We left the roof vent open and side window cracked each night. On the nights when the wind was calm, there was more condensation. The last night it was very windy out and we had almost no condensation. A quick wipe down with a towel took care of the condensation in the morning. We attempted to experiment with the 10 speed maxxair vent set on its lowest setting to see if that would pull enough air through overnight to eliminate the condensation. This would result in lower temps inside but in theory would help exchange the moist inside air with dry outside air. Unfortunately the vent stopped working after about 20 min. I have a repair request in with Maxxair to figure out a fix. Apparently Maxxair vents are quite sensitive to voltage fluctuations.

The diesel heater was the superstar for the trip. It made for comfortable evenings and mornings. It easily kept the inside temp around 60-65F. I kinda felt bad as there where several people that where sleeping in their minivans and Outbacks and one guy in an open truck bed. Way more hardcore than us with our heater blasting away. We ran the heater about 6-7 hours a day with about 50% of the time on low. I’d estimate we used about 1-1.5 liters of fuel per day.

A new addition to this trip was a cabinet and countertop. I have been working on this since November and finally got it installed before the trip. This is a game changer for space management and for cooking inside. The whole unit is fairly light weight and easily removable. The cabinet is 3/8 ply and counter top is 1/2”. To save weight I made custom cargo nets to hold plastic containers on the shelves. I also added cargo nets to the lower spaces under the bench. The cabinet helped free up space in the drawer for more storage of bags and personal items.
I installed three switches, USB charger and 120v outlet in the cabinet. The switches are for the USB chargers and under countertop lights. The third switch is for future use.


Custom cargo nets
https://www.organizedobie.com/20--Black-Stretch-Net

Another item I tested out was the SnowJoe roof rake. After our last trip where is snowed over a foot, I needed to find a way to remove the snow from the roof to prevent damaging the roof and me killing myself trying to put the roof down. I customized the rake head to make it easily removable from the telescoping poll. The pole telescopes out to 21ft. We store the pole on the ski rack on the roof. Just have to remember to pull it down before it snows. We got several inches of snow one evening. It needs a bit more of a bend at the head but otherwise it worked well. I ordered mine from Home Depot for about $30. It weighs 4lbs.
https://www.snowjoe.com/products/sn...wist-n-lock-telescoping-snow-shovel-roof-rake

Another issue was what to do with the skis at night. We didn’t want them inside with us at night. I installed a yakima ski rack on the roof. This worked great. Since we where stationary for five days, I would lower the front of the roof in the mornings and evenings to put up or take down the skis. Although, having steps, sliders or a small ladder is a must to reach.

The Project M is a people magnet. We couldn’t sit outside without random people walking up asking about the build. Some where just curious and some where glad to see a Project M in the wild. It is definitely a conversation starter.

 

was that pretty easy to sew up? i got my fabric in a few days ago and need to start measuring and sewing mine as we definitely noticed some cold temps on the head or at least my girlfriend did (have an ovrlnd so very similar build and issue).

 

The sewing part was fairly easy. The hard part was cutting the fabric. It is a bit stretchy. Plus cutting over 11ft straight is challenging.

 

I saw this guy in Maryland today. Looked pretty slick

 

Looking good. I like the color choice.

 

Just a quick update. I have been having a problem with the Maxxair fan shutting down on the lower fan speeds. I contacted the company and they sent me a new control board. That seems to have taken care of the problem. They where easy to deal with. I still recommend the 10 speed Maxxair. It is super quiet on the lower settings. Great for moving air at night but not keeping you awake.

I purchased a Iceco JP40 fridge over the holidays and have had a chance to test it out a bit. I will do a preliminary review in the future. Really wont know for sure on how well it works until summer. I am impressed with it so far especially considering it was about 1/2 the price of the Dometics. I will be installing a slide out under the new counter top to hold the fridge.

I also purchased a small glass top sink that will be installed in the counter top. It is flush mount and will allow use of the counter top when the lid is down. The positioning on the counter top will allow access when the bed is pulled out. My plan is to drain the sink into a 2.5 gal jug. I haven’t decided if I will do a water system. It will be nice for winter camping. Currently we wash dishes in a plastic bin which is a pain inside and sucks to do outside when it is 20F out. It will be nice to do inside. Not sure how much use it will get in the summer. I will post more when I get these projects done.

 

Awesome build!!

Thinking about purchasing the Project M in the future.

How much did the Project M affect your MPG?

 

Same fan, same problem, same fix.

I have an ovrlnd, so similar aerodynamics. on my f150, mileage dropped from around 20 to around 16. I see lot's of people say only 1 mpg, this was not my experience. i threw a yakima wind fairing up front that helped by maybe .5-1 mpg but i think that could be better with a bigger fairing that i need to fabricate soon.

 

Please report back when you do this. I am curious to know how much it helps.

Looking at my mileage records, I average high 14mpg to low 15 mpg. In the last year since installing, my lowest was 12 and highest was 17. Prior to the install for three fill ups, with the bed empty after removing my previous build, I got 17, 16,16 mpg.

 

https://youtu.be/d2sfFc7A4I0

FWC has posted a new vid on the 2021 Project M. Biggest change is a redesigned back door. They reworked the rear door latches and got rid of the exterior door lifters. The lifters are now inside like a traditional rear door on an SUV or minivan. There are now two door latches, one on either side. This is similar to other toppers. This provides a much cleaner look on the inside and out. Looks like they also are putting lifters on the side doors.

They have more options with the electrical system, offering a battery box, think Jackery but their own version. Although it comes with an AGM battery and not a lithium which is a huge negative.
L-Track is available for the interior walls. I’ve also heard they are offering the MaxxAir powered fan now.

 

We got out this weekend to test out some new upgrades to the Project M. We spent the weekend out near the Pine Grove Ghost Town.


Friday night we woke up at 3:30am to the strongest winds we have ever experienced so far with the Project M. We decided to drop the top and go find a more protected spot. Getting the top down was difficult and required both of us. The wind caused the side fabric to pooch out on one side. Needless to say, it wasn’t a fun experience getting the top down. I don’t think the top would have been damaged if we stayed, but we definitely would not have gotten anymore sleep. We ended up driving around for about an hour to find a quiet location. You can put high winds as a con for a pop up camper. In retrospect it didn’t seem wise to be monkeying around with the top in high winds.

The upgrades we tested were a new sink and water system, fridge and slide out, a new side table for the drawer and new window covers.

I recently installed a Dometic knockoff sink in the countertop. The water system is made up of two 2.5 gal Reliance water containers. One is for water supply and the other is for the drain. The water pump is a small sump pump in the water tank. The faucet has a switch in the handle to turn on the pump when the faucet is turned on. I also have a master switch for the pump to prevent accidental turn ons.



The next upgrade is the addition of a Iceco JP40 fridge. Over the holidays Iceco was offering a huge discount. The fridge was $430 with tax and shipping. There are many reviews out there on this fridge. I am happy with it so far. It seems to hold temp and evenly cools so far. The real test will happen this summer when it is hot out. I built a slide out under the counter with L-track to hold the fridge down.



I redesigned the side table for the drawer over the past couple weeks. It utilizes butler tray hinges so it folds up. The arms under the table hinge against the side of the drawer.




Lastly I started sewing up some insulated window covers. I am still working on them and will post more about them when I am finished. You can see one behind the fridge and one over the back window in the last picture. The back door shade is held on by magnets sewn into the shade.

 

Thanks for sharing your build. I am planning a similar water install in a Vagabond Drifter. Was it pretty easy to find the fitting to adapt the Reliance threads to connect the tubing?

I originally planned to install a 15 gal RV tank, but have changed my mind and now plan two Reliance 7gal jugs. I like the flexibility of removing the tanks in the winter and using the space for other things.

 

The reliance cap uses a 3/4 NPT thread for the the center hole. A 3/4” threaded PVC plug will fit and is easily found in the plumbing section of most hardware stores. I drilled a hole in the plug and fitted this CPC quick disconnect fitting. I drilled the hole so it was a fairly tight fit and added a little silicon to prevent leaks.
https://www.freshwatersystems.com/p...nel-mount-hose-barb-coupling-body-3-8-id-barb

The other end of the quick disconnect I used was this fitting.
https://www.freshwatersystems.com/p...e-elbow-hose-barb-coupling-insert-3-8-id-barb

They make a straight version if that works better for you.

I used 3/8” ID tubing for the water line.

Fresh water systems is a good source for cpc parts. This particular model, APC, is a lower end version of the ones you see on Amazon. Much cheaper than the other models and work just fine.

Since the reliance caps are interchangeable, I left extra wire on my pump. I can swap out for longer tubing so it can work with the 7gal tanks if I ever want to set it up that way.

I always carry a 7gal tank so it is fairly easy to fill up the 2.5 gal tank from it. We use the sink for hand washing and dishes etc. The 2.5 gal tank actually holds close to 3 gal when full. That lasts us almost 3 days. We fill up water bottles etc from the 7 gal tank.

One of the great things about this system is winter use. When the master pump switch is off, if you turn on the faucet valve, the water drains back into the tank. This will help prevent the pipes and faucet from freezing in the winter. As long as you keep a bit of water in the tank, it should keep from freezing to quickly. We generally travel in winter with temps in the high teens at night at the lowest. With the insulation of the topper the worst we’ve seen is a little ice in our water tank overnight. When we are not traveling, I remove our water tank. Will see how the smaller 2.5 gal tank performs. So far so good.

The drain tank uses a 3/4 pvc threaded elbow and a garden hose adapter. The tubing is 3/4” ID.

 

Had a question about your cabinets that mount to the wall closest to the cab of the truck. Is there a stud there? If so, how did you find it? Picking up my Project M in May and I'm brainstorming how to build out some cabinets.

 

Assuming they are using the same wall material, you can press you hand against the wall while moving it up and down the wall. You can feel the aluminum frame. They use 1.5”- 2” aluminum tubing for the frame. Then you can either screw into it with machine screws or I used rivnuts. The picture is for a prototype full size project M. It will give you a rough idea of what the frame looks like.

 

Just got my 8020 in the mail! Looking forward to building out the left side of my camper to hold my battery, controller and inverter. TacoGuy, could you share some details and more pics about how the two circled areas in my attached pic are mounted to the camper? I don't see any bolts poking out in your pic, looks totally flush. Thanks for the help.