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Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

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

  1. Jun 13, 2020 at 7:42 AM
    #3641
    Swatdude1

    Swatdude1 Well-Known Member

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    Freakin' awesome!!! Just have to pay off the Nomad first!!
     
    zhellman[QUOTED] likes this.
  2. Jun 13, 2020 at 12:13 PM
    #3642
    4wdExplorer

    4wdExplorer Well-Known Member

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    Your IG story was a bit halarious if you ask me. Sorry for laughing, but when I saw Jerry poke its head out and hide again and your reaction to everything was funny! I would of been freaking out the same, definitely you want to capture the little guy quickly before he does any damage or dies behind a panel and starts stinking up your new Drifter up!

    Glad you caught the little critter!
     
  3. Jun 13, 2020 at 3:21 PM
    #3643
    socalexpeditions

    socalexpeditions IG: @socalexpeditions

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    I just couldn’t fathom how the mouse got in and why it was making so much noise :rofl:

    Thankfully no wiring was damaged.
     
    Eazy.E likes this.
  4. Jun 13, 2020 at 7:59 PM
    #3644
    xplorn

    xplorn Well-Known Member

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    I see high temp range for LiFePO4 cells spec'd at 60C/140F. If it is a concern, you can build a simple heat shield similar to what is common around exhaust runs.

    With modern BMS it also isn't too difficult to connect a temperature probe to a pack, or just a cheap external probe, and connect to a gauge inside. Those are my kinds of projects. Decent BMS (Battery Mgmt System) circuits that balance cell charging usually have a builtin temperature cutoff as well.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2020
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  5. Jun 13, 2020 at 8:04 PM
    #3645
    xplorn

    xplorn Well-Known Member

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    Thanks. Yeah I've come across that. I actually put a deposit down on the unreleased UBCO out of New Zealand. I think the Zero is going to be the answer as it is street legal and that's a nice commuter bonus for me. We'll see when I finally commit. Or maybe I'll convert the XR250R I've already got. :D I've already got a pile of harvested/tested LIon 18650 cells in good shape.
     
    zhellman[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. Jun 15, 2020 at 9:27 AM
    #3646
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    TRD Supercharger and more.
    Bump - anyone have a solution for this before I take the Dremel to the edge to try and bevel it?
     
  7. Jun 15, 2020 at 9:33 AM
    #3647
    joeydurango

    joeydurango Nightfall Overland

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    I was gonna say "a file", but didn't want to be a smartass. :)

    In seriousness, you could potentially get some slim u-shaped plastic molding and use VHB tape on the inside of it to cover that area.

    Also - there's obviously no wrong way to get into the Drifter, but I guess I haven't ever come close to the sides like that. I just come right in the center. I suppose my interior buildout kind of makes that necessary, maybe your rig is different...
     
  8. Jun 15, 2020 at 10:04 AM
    #3648
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    When I don't have bikes on the back I get in the center and it's not an issue.
    When I do have bikes on the back, 1-up rack, no swingout, I get in from the side of the tailgate, which is why this happened.

    Thanks for the idea on some plastic molding and VHB tape. I need to order some VHB anyway.
     
  9. Jun 15, 2020 at 10:43 AM
    #3649
    SenatorBlutarsky

    SenatorBlutarsky Well-Known Member

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    Well there's your problem! You should solve this issue with the much more expensive, and much better, solution of getting a swing-out of some sort.
     
    Scontroneboy and parttimedirtbag like this.
  10. Jun 15, 2020 at 2:58 PM
    #3650
    dstefan

    dstefan Active Member

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    Been lurking on this thread for all 183 pages, LOL! Great info, but I really need feedback I haven’t found yet. My much loved 09 OR DCSB Tacoma is perfectly built out for where I love to go and only 73k miles, but I can’t stand tent camping anymore. I have an OVRLND popup camper, sadly not a Drifter(!), on order for Decemberish — I can’t wait as long as a drifter would take. Hopefully, you don’t mind me “crashing” this thread. The issues are same for me regardless of the brand.

    The complication is that I am 6’3” and have both some back/neck issues and some breathing issues for the last few years (decades of desert dust!). So, I need both some room to spread out and unkink as well as to retreat from the worst of the wind/dust at times.

    I really want to keep the Tacoma, but I’m concerned that the 5 foot bed along with even some minimal build out is just going to be too damn small (it’s just me and my wife, but even so …). I can do a Tundra, but I really do like to get to places it’ll struggle with a bit vs the Tacoma.

    Can I get some comments from folks who have 5’ bed? Has anyone regretted the purchase/effort to build on a 5’ short bed? Would you do it again? If you have a 6’ bed, or even the Tundra I saw here, could you even imagine going back to a short bed?

    Thanks a lot!
     
  11. Jun 15, 2020 at 4:25 PM
    #3651
    Kclamer

    Kclamer Well-Known Member

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    I have a short bed and kind of envy the guys with a long bed for all the space they got but at the same time its probably a pain in the ass to park and get around tight places. It also must be more difficult to drive off-road, but I have never driven one so my comment is just speculation. My short bed is awesome off-road and even fully stock I ran a 250mile off-road route in OR with zero issues.
     
  12. Jun 15, 2020 at 8:43 PM
    #3652
    MapJunkie

    MapJunkie Well-Known Member

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    If you get the Access Cab, long bed, the wheelbase is the same as the short bed! I love the extra foot of living space I get with the sling Bed.
     
  13. Jun 15, 2020 at 11:26 PM
    #3653
    BZ4X4

    BZ4X4 Well-Known Member

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    I have a DCLB and I wouldn’t dream of giving it up for a short bed. Before the Tacoma I had a 2500 Silverado DCLB so I’m used to driving a long truck around town and off-road. We end up camping in the rain a lot and we enjoy the space when the sleeping platform is pushed back and we’re both hanging out below.
    Cheers
     
    Twizted likes this.
  14. Jun 15, 2020 at 11:41 PM
    #3654
    socalexpeditions

    socalexpeditions IG: @socalexpeditions

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    I would definitely do a longbed if you want an interior build. I have an ACLB and love the 6’ bed.

    Here’s just a buildout idea of a longbed. I will be redoing the interior to build it a little differently in the future.

    65CCFA3B-7BCF-4CBF-99CA-8E2498090BAE.jpg
     
  15. Jun 16, 2020 at 3:29 AM
    #3655
    BongoTheOneEyed

    BongoTheOneEyed Well-Known Member

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    @SoCalTacoTruck thats a really nice buildout. would you be willing to share your build measurements ?

    how did you construct the swingout table and the sink ?
     
    socalexpeditions likes this.
  16. Jun 16, 2020 at 5:44 AM
    #3656
    Wackyhacky

    Wackyhacky A Well Known Troublemaker

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    I second that compliment. Very nice! The plumbing pipe table looks cool. Do you have that attached to the 80/20?
     
  17. Jun 16, 2020 at 6:02 AM
    #3657
    joeydurango

    joeydurango Nightfall Overland

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    Another vote for longbed. Really love the Access Cab longbed, great combo of space in the truck, room for a decent living space in the bed, and overall wheelbase.
     
    ETAV8R likes this.
  18. Jun 16, 2020 at 7:41 AM
    #3658
    parttimedirtbag

    parttimedirtbag The Next Frontier

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    Southern Utah
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    ARB aluminum front bumper VK56 swapped engine BFG K02s 265/75/16 Topo Topper Mesa camper
    We have a 4D short bed Frontier so it’s even shorter than the short bed Taco’s by a few inches. It works for us but that’s because my husband and I are 5’7” and 5’4” respectively. We don’t have our drifter yet but our build is extremely simple. We camped super comfortably out of an ‘02 Runner for years. We live in the desert and the shorter length overall is more important to us than a foot of living space when we tend to spend most of our time camping outside anyway.
     
    rockymtnbushwacker likes this.
  19. Jun 16, 2020 at 8:25 AM
    #3659
    SenatorBlutarsky

    SenatorBlutarsky Well-Known Member

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    We have a long bed....

    I really don't think height is an issue in these campers; number of people is much more significant. We've sat out storms in ours with me, my wife, and our 10 month old daughter and it was totally comfortable. We've also sat out storms with my sister added to the mix and it started to feel cramped trying to cook, but it was still do-able for a night. We've also had 5 adults hanging in it at the ski resort for an hour and that was ok since we didn't have all of our camping gear and we were just sitting and drinking.

    The other factor here is how much you plan to actually be inside the thing. I view our Drifter mostly as a means to escape bad weather, and for that, it works great for a small family. If you're actually trying to live out of a vehicle full time, it could feel a bit cramped. I'd personally go with a 4x4 Sprinter if I were living out of a vehicle, even if you'd sacrifice off-roadability, since you can build a very comfy interior space and also keep your gear inside.

    All this said, you already ordered the camper and love your truck. All of our uses and needs seem to be pretty different on here. Why not just wait and see how it feels to you? If it's cramped, I'm sure you won't have issues selling a pop-up camper and low mileage 2nd gen Taco so that you can buy whatever you want instead.
     
  20. Jun 16, 2020 at 1:30 PM
    #3660
    Wackyhacky

    Wackyhacky A Well Known Troublemaker

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