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Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Discussion in 'Bay Area Metal Fabrication' started by MTNHABITOVERLAND, Mar 27, 2018.

  1. Nov 8, 2021 at 10:11 PM
    #5941
    MJonaGS32

    MJonaGS32 MJ on a GS

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    SF Bay Area (East)
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    Drifter wedge camper, Dual battery, OBA, ARB locker, 4.56 gears
    Cool video :thumbsup:
     
    OG_BajaTaco[QUOTED] likes this.
  2. Nov 9, 2021 at 11:55 AM
    #5942
    OG_BajaTaco

    OG_BajaTaco Well-Known Member

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    24 years of accumulated mods
    Thank you!
     
  3. Nov 9, 2021 at 7:27 PM
    #5943
    2ski4life7

    2ski4life7 Well-Known Member

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    For those of u with reserve fuel jugs, what did you go with? Looking for alternatives to rotopax. I only need a 1 or 2 gallon setup
     
  4. Nov 9, 2021 at 8:55 PM
    #5944
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    Q322+3C Denver, Colorado
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    TRD Supercharger and more.
    Giant Loop (motorcycle gear) makes a fuel bag. Not CARB approved.
     
    socalexpeditions likes this.
  5. Nov 10, 2021 at 5:39 AM
    #5945
    huruta

    huruta Well-Known Member

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    Seattle
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    2015 DCLB TRD Sport
    Drifter....ARRIVED!
    Good morning (not really). Husband got up at 4am for his morning work shift and found our Taco/Drifter was broken into and our Dometic fridge was stolen...even though it was locked down. Okay, well we had it tethered with a lock to one of the side rungs and the a-hole figured out how to remove the side rung (not sure the name of this thing) and took the whole thing (tether, lock, fridge). Stole our bear spray too. Left his knife behind (yeah, I'm sexist thinking it was a guy). F**ker. The back was super easy to get into - just leverage the sides of the back window and he was in. FWIW, we live in Sunset Hill, Ballard, Seattle which has taken a major nose dive since we moved here 10 years ago.

    Anyway, do any of you have an alarm/security system for the back of your truck? Have you added any additional security making it more difficult to get into the back bed? Any recommendations? I suspect we'll be getting a home security system as well given the state of things and the fact the crime rates are rising in the city, so any recs there too (but obviously not the focus here).
     
  6. Nov 10, 2021 at 6:07 AM
    #5946
    splashflash

    splashflash Vagabonding

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    Timnath, CO
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    Sorry that happened to you two! I like to believe my swing out bumper helps deter people without knowledge from opening the back; tight areas prevents them from getting in also since the swing out can't fully open. I also recently bought a house with a big enough garage to store my red angel inside instead of leaving her in the street for wandering eyes to take a peek. Best of luck in finding a solution for your rig!
     
  7. Nov 10, 2021 at 6:24 AM
    #5947
    Wackyhacky

    Wackyhacky A Well Known Troublemaker

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    Keith
    Berthoud, CO
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    Sorry to hear that! Yeah, this is super sh*tty and going to become way more common, at least that's my fear. Thankfully I don't live near a lot of prying eyes, but I was just telling the wife that we need to start thinking about getting an antitheft system like the Ravelco for the rig itself. I have heard way more first hand stories than I would liked over the past two years about trucks disappearing from trailheads. And if that happens, good luck getting everything you invested back even if you have taken the necessary steps through insurance. I haven't thought about taking extra precautions to protect these kinds of smaller thefts though, which are a lot harder to protect from. Most camper locks are probably pretty easily defeated through brute force.
     
    socalexpeditions likes this.
  8. Nov 10, 2021 at 6:34 AM
    #5948
    TomHGZ

    TomHGZ Well-Known Member

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    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2014 TRD Frankensport 4x4 AC AT
    Partial list: Vagabond Drifter OR rear axle 4.10 gears Bilstein 6112s and B110s. Dakars with OL leafs replaced by Deaver 3-leaf AALs 265/75/16 Ultraterrains eBay front bumper (I hit a deer and needed a fast cheap replacement) 3rd Gen TRD Pro clone skid
    Fellow Seattleite here. Very sorry to hear that, but not surprised. My storage unit with exterior access has been burglarized several times in recent months, even with CCTV, which we used to catch and arrest the guy on one of his return trips.

    I live in my Drifter full-time so I imagine no one being stupid enough to try to break in with the top popped, but nothing would surprise me now. Being en route to Mexico in a few weeks, I’ll be interested to hear other’s solutions too.
     
    socalexpeditions and Wackyhacky like this.
  9. Nov 10, 2021 at 11:31 AM
    #5949
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    Q322+3C Denver, Colorado
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    TRD Supercharger and more.
    SECURITY

    Lock the lid closed with a puck. Mounts welded to the aluminum (or bolted I guess).

    [​IMG]

    Then for the rear window, you'll have to make some type of metal cage that fully covers the rear window & frame and locks down to the 1/8" aluminum Drifter/Nomad body. Secure that with more hockey puck locks.
     
    Wackyhacky likes this.
  10. Nov 10, 2021 at 12:20 PM
    #5950
    huruta

    huruta Well-Known Member

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    Drifter....ARRIVED!
    Thanks for the condolences and the suggestions. I'll look into Ravelco (Wacky) and those puck locks (Jason) look very useful. They bent the back window levers of the drifter and so the back doesn't lock anymore. Not sure how to get that fixed. Any Seattleites got a rec for a good shop that does custom work? We'll have used The Mule, but not sure this would be in their wheelhouse. Any other vehicle security system or related recs?
     
  11. Nov 10, 2021 at 12:43 PM
    #5951
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    Q322+3C Denver, Colorado
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    TRD Supercharger and more.
    The handles and what I think you're calling "levers" are standard issue topper/"canopy"/"camper" locking handles. Stop by your local ARE/Leer/JASON/etc shell/tonneau dealer and see if they have them in stock.
     
    TomHGZ and huruta[QUOTED] like this.
  12. Nov 10, 2021 at 4:52 PM
    #5952
    MJonaGS32

    MJonaGS32 MJ on a GS

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    SF Bay Area (East)
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    07 LT 4x4 DCSB 6spd Vagabond
    Drifter wedge camper, Dual battery, OBA, ARB locker, 4.56 gears
    x2. My truck is backed up to my garage. Without being able to fully open the swingout, the rear hatch on the Drifter can’t open up
     
  13. Nov 10, 2021 at 7:28 PM
    #5953
    huruta

    huruta Well-Known Member

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    Drifter....ARRIVED!
    Yeah, that is an option, but the effort to get the other car out of the garage then kind of sucks...and I can't park the truck in downtown Seattle work garage as it's too tall...another sign it's time to leave Seattle?!
     
  14. Nov 10, 2021 at 9:40 PM
    #5954
    Haven Overland

    Haven Overland Well-Known Member

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    Has anyone removed the ceiling panel of the drifter? I’m trying to figure out if it would be feasible to remove the panel as I’d like to upholster it. Not a fan of the dry-erase board look. Any info on how it’s attached would be helpful.
     
  15. Nov 11, 2021 at 5:58 AM
    #5955
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    TRD Supercharger and more.
    It’s a big project.
    It is attached to the 1x1 aluminum square tube frame structure with 3M VHB tape. Go to their site and read about removal, but the summary is saturate it with isopropyl alcohol and use an oscillating tool to separate the panel very slowly without bending it.
    You’ll probably want to disassemble the drifter by removing the tent, then removing the lid and flipping it upside down to work on.
     
  16. Nov 11, 2021 at 7:35 AM
    #5956
    Haven Overland

    Haven Overland Well-Known Member

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    Sounds doable! I’ll have to look into it more when I get my drifter. I wonder if VO would offer the option since my drifter is still being built.

    Question: what is the width of that ceiling panel. Wonder if material would cover the full width we or I’d have to have a seam somewhere.
     
  17. Nov 11, 2021 at 9:17 AM
    #5957
    joeydurango

    joeydurango Nightfall Overland

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    A standard 55" width roll of fabric will easily cover the Drifter ceiling panel, which is 4' wide more or less.

    Otherwise, regarding break-ins, I had an aluminum panel laser-cut to fit over the glass on my hatch, which I then installed with 3M VHB (the amount VHB in my build is somewhat ridiculous). Won't prevent a prying attack but at least cuts out the "smash and grab" possibility. Fortunate to live in a remote place that doesn't have much crime, and to do most of my traveling in those areas too. That said I'm here on Long Island at the moment and I've been hyper aware of truck-parking situations.
     
  18. Nov 11, 2021 at 10:07 PM
    #5958
    the_life_and_times

    the_life_and_times Well-Known Member

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    Yes, leave Seattle. I moved there a decade ago and bailed summer 2020. It's a same as it was a cool city but it's just gone full degen. No cultural standard to which people are held and expected to be prosocial members of society and if you point it out people get mad. best to get out now while you still can.
     
  19. Nov 12, 2021 at 10:22 AM
    #5959
    TomHGZ

    TomHGZ Well-Known Member

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    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2014 TRD Frankensport 4x4 AC AT
    Partial list: Vagabond Drifter OR rear axle 4.10 gears Bilstein 6112s and B110s. Dakars with OL leafs replaced by Deaver 3-leaf AALs 265/75/16 Ultraterrains eBay front bumper (I hit a deer and needed a fast cheap replacement) 3rd Gen TRD Pro clone skid
    This is the Yakima 52” universal wind faring on the [some Amazon brand of] suction cup mounted rack. I will be replacing the Yakima with a Thule faring, which is taller.

    Still have a pair of suction cup towers and a crossbar for sale, $45 + shipping.

    @JasonLee here are also the gutters you suggested (different brand but same concept). It redirects about 75% of the water, with 25% channeled down the corner weld line. I ordered more trim to redo it without leaving a gap for the weld. It looks funny, but dry seats are dry seats.


     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Nov 12, 2021
    JasonLee, splashflash and Twizted like this.
  20. Nov 12, 2021 at 11:15 AM
    #5960
    TomHGZ

    TomHGZ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2011
    Member:
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    Messages:
    437
    First Name:
    Tom
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2014 TRD Frankensport 4x4 AC AT
    Partial list: Vagabond Drifter OR rear axle 4.10 gears Bilstein 6112s and B110s. Dakars with OL leafs replaced by Deaver 3-leaf AALs 265/75/16 Ultraterrains eBay front bumper (I hit a deer and needed a fast cheap replacement) 3rd Gen TRD Pro clone skid
    Update: I pushed the bar back and it eliminates 85% of the camper’s wind noise at 70mph. I’ll be keeping the Yakima faring instead of switching to the taller Thule, but would still do the Thule if doing it over again.
    4AEE482C-F8CF-4773-A789-EDCF25A8770C.jpg
     

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