How to: DIY Wedge Camper

I will go the same route. Looks much cleaner. What do you use to cut the aluminum? Tried few cutting wheels with Dremel - no luck, had to use the hawk saw.

 

I used 1/16'' aluminum angle, so a Dremel cut it no problem. I used an angle grinder at one point, but it was too powerful and made for sloppy cuts.

 

aluminum can be cut with wood working blades. Abrasive cutting methods will get gummed up with aluminum swarf

 

Been spending a ton of time lurking in this thread and scheming, but finally pulled the trigger and put in an 8020 order today. Huge thanks to @Ripcord and everyone else in here. This is such an awesome project and it's been rad to watch everyone make it happen!

I'm still trying to decide if I want to do a removable panel in addition to the hatch in Ripcord's design. Will definitely be doing the hatch so I can get out to pee without disassembling the bed, but I'd love to also have a panel about 30in or so that could be removed and and slid under the mattress for hanging out in the truck bed.

Has anyone considered making such a panel by creating a rectangular frame from 8020 and then sheathing it with some of the ACM panel cut out of the floor? Would it be dumb to use 8020 here instead of steel?

 

8020 would probably be a lot lighter but more expensive.

 

Yeah that makes sense. I like the idea of it being light to make it easier to move around (not to mention just keeping the overall build lighter), but it's certainly more expensive. I wonder if a a 30X50in rectangle of 1020 sheathed in 3mm ACM would deflect too much. Looks like it would cost about $75 to make the frame.

 

I used 1" tube for my lifting floor and braced the area where you would climb into the bed with 1/8" angle iron welded to the 1" tube. But yeah, 80/20 will be lighter for sure, but probably 10X the cost lol.

 

Got it all locked down and aligned on the jig and now ready to get the uprights and side supports on.

 

I used 80/20 with gas struts for the lifting floor. It works really well, but felt a bit heavy with the 2 sections.

 

Almost finalized my hinge

 

That is really dope!

the one thing I was disappointed with the first time I used my wedge was the waste of usable space at my feet (size 14s don’t help). I always have to sleep with all the floor panels in place to not feel cramped. This could be a great solution.

 

If you want dimensions I’d be happy to share

 

Updates:


I have since replaced the hinges with full length 304 stainless piano hinges (#1658A16) from McMaster Carr, the hinge gap at the top is way smaller and the look is almost seamless. I'm confident it will be easier to weatherproof. The rear hatch is installed, with piano hinges and compression latches all in place. The brackets to attach the space frame to the bed rails are cut from 2" square tubing, 1/8th" wall. They are fully welded at this point.The clamps are

$25 (4 Pack) Easy Mount - Truck Tool Box Clamps - Aluminum Tie Downs

truck toolbox clamps from Amazon.

 

Does anyone have any pro (or amateur) tips for cleaning off ~30 feet of steel tubing?

I've sanded a bit of it, but it gunks up the sandpaper rather quickly.

Maybe I can chain it to the back of the truck and drive through some sand?

 

Scotch brite or a flap disk

 

I’m going to wipe it down with rags and acetone and degreaser and paint it. Never had an issue painting it like that

 

I have been thinking about doing my brackets the same way- thanks for a visual that's not between my ears!

 

Did you cut the piano hinges to size?

 

scotch brite scuff pad the whole thing and then follow up with some xylene to clean it up

 

Yeah, I cut the side panel hinges just by measuring the length. The rear hatch hinge I essentially cut out a section of the "middle" of the hinge so that the pre-drilled holes would be even at the left and right edges of the panel. If i'd measured starting at one of the ends as they were manufactured one edge would have had a bolt through the panel, like an 1/8th" from the edge and I worried that since the ends are what receive the most force(from the gas shocks) I needed more material between the hinge bolt hole and the edge of the panel. Worked out well I think. I just cut them with a grinder/cut-off wheel, and cleaned the edges with a file. Drilling to match the bolt pattern is super easy since the holes in the hinge leafs are directly in line with each other.

I'll make another post with more recent photos, soon.