Otis24's Otisbound Outdoors Bodonkadonk Supercharged Twin Locked Micro Camper Build (OOBSTLMC)

This camper build is epic. Following for the excellent work.

 

Thanks!
It’s going a bit slow at the moment. It keeps raining. We need the rain pretty badly so it’s not all bad.

 

Covered my factory service manual with contact paper.

 

Rebuilding my frame ends where the bumper mounts to the truck has been in the queue for awhile.
I might have to move it up the list.

 

Nice rig, keep up the great work on your build.

 

I finished mounting and installing the transmission cooler. I bought this thing about a year ago. I made a last minute change to where the brackets attach to the truck so it’s a little crooked but that doesn’t really matter.
Another benefit to having extra wheels and tires. I didn’t have to put the bumper on the ground. I just slid it onto the tires and moved the truck back a little.



Also did a drain and fill on the transmission fluid. No more 12,000 miles trans fluid changes wit the cooler.
The fluid I drained was thick and black after 12k miles from running hot.

 

Almost forgot about the mud. Back in November when I went to Baja. It got a little muddy.
The middle skid had 35 pounds of dried mud. Between all three skids I was able to fill a small hole in the yard.

 

Started the on board air project yesterday. I used the existing wiring, fuse, relay and switch for the fridge. I had over sized wiring for the fridge due to the length of the run and voltage drop. The compressor is much closer to where the fridge used to be.
I just need to get a new switch cover.

 

Did some things to the interior.
I got some redwood panels. I sanded them to 320 grit on the front.
I did not sand the back.
I applied 2 coats of water based satin polyurethane to the back.


While that was drying I painted some stuff. This wasn’t the color I picked. There was some kind of mistake. This is called Mega Blue. They weren’t messing around. It’s really blue. It’s grown on me.


Next I attached the redwood with the same double sided tape most the camper is built with and loctite PL300 where the wood needed to be attached to foam.



I also painted some things white. Like that 4” piece of tube at the top.

 

I know this was a while ago but did you get any pictures of the process? I am planning on doing something similar with a smaller overhead console and it is rare to find people doing it. Feel free to pm me. Thanks regardless!

 

Unfortunately I didn’t. But I can tell you what I did.
I made cardboard templates so I could trim the console to match the roof line. Then I taped the template to the console and drew a line on the console. Then I cut the console with a utility knife too big. Then test fit. Cut a little. Test fit. Cut a little. Test fit. Cut a little. Sneak up on it nice and slow. Test fit until it looked pretty good.

Then I found existing bolt holes and fenangled the thing until it worked.

For wiring I abandoned the stock light wiring and ran new stuff, along with the ham radio power wiring, from my aux battery to the console up through the passenger A pillar.

 

Awesome, let’s see how bad I fuck my truck up. Thanks for your help!

 

Keep me posted!
Also just saw you’re in Gainesville.
I go there to visit a friend every couple years. That’s a good spot.

 

Nice! Yeah, finishing up my PhD and then I’ll be off somewhere else. Wouldn’t mind ending back up in FL in the future. Awesome build man and thanks for your help!

 

Ive been working on a few things at once on the camper so I decided to hold off posting until I have something competed.

Since I built the main the main entry door I’ve been using a small step ladder. It’s a pain in the ass and doesn’t work all that well.

I built some stairs into the door.

A while ago I made a mock up set of stairs out of foam core board.




I used the mock up foam core stairs to cut some pieces out of scrap OSB and used those as a pattern on some really nice plywood.



I made the base for the vertical supports and cut some shallow dados into them with my router.




I attached the main back piece with the the dados to the door with more 3M CV62F.


I glued the vertical supports into the dados with loctite PL8X



after the PL8X cured I added filets with epoxy thickened with System Three fumed silica. This stuff SUCKS! It’s super lumpy and makes a crappy filet. I got some Cab-O-Sil fumed silica later. Sooo much better! I’ll have some comparison pics later.
I also added a sealer coat of thinned epoxy to the rest if the wood and sealed all the joints between wood and aluminum.



One the thickened epoxy cured it was time to glue in the steps. Once the glue cured I masked off the steps where I’d add more epoxy filets.



You can see the System three fumed silica thickened epoxy in the vertical supports compared to the Cab-O-Sil.




I’d like to suspend the stairs with a 1/8” cable anchored to a step with swageless anchors.
For now a foam block will do just fine.

Here’s a video of the stairs in action. I’m pretty happy with them. I wish I’d made them earlier. The step ladder I had was going to try to kill me at some point. It was only a matter of time. The stairs are much better.

https://youtu.be/Y1EGGtfK5K0

 

I got the last door about 80% finished.

It feels good to have the last door mostly done.

I’m going to use the space under the couch and this access door to store recovery gear, my ax, shovel and access to the on board air system I built.

The ax and shovel are gonna have quick fists to secure them to the top or below the couch. I had a pair of quick fists on hand for the shovel.


view of the shovel from inside the camper with the couch cushion and plywood removed.

 

I thought about putting a slide out mini bar in that space but the driver side of the truck is already pretty heavy.

A slide out mini bar would be pretty sweet though.

 

Just a regular mini bar, then, to save weight. Sounds good.

 

Know this is an old post but damn if this isnt exactly what i've been wanting to do. initially i was going to purchase a new production aux fuel tank but this idea is so much better... and economical too. i like the idea of transfering fuel... but i also like the idea of a nice simple switch... maybe i'll wire up a flashing light to mine so i don't forget it's on. ideally i'd figure out how to put in a fuel tank switching system similar to what the old ford trucks had... but that might be a bit too advanced for my relatively simple wiring skills.

 

It’s really nice when I got to remote places like Baja where gas can be far away. Fuel is never a source of stress.

I think the main thing with switchable tanks would be just having the same fuel pump and sending unit as the stock tank.

I’ve thought about rigging up an arduino chip and an on/off/on switch.
One on turns the pump on regardless of fuel level in either tank. Basically manual mode.

The other on uses the arduino chip. When the main tank is 1/2 full and the aux tank has fuel in it the chip turns the aux tank pump on and transfers fuel. When the main tank fills to say 7/8 full it turns off. If the aux tank is empty it turns off. Basically automate it.

Dorman makes new tanks that are pretty reasonable. Probably a better source than a salvage yard.

Keep me posted with what you end up doing of you don’t mind.