FWC Project M Project

Attached:

 

Clean install. Looks great!

 

A quick update. I installed 8020 half rails on the side of the camper to attach spare fuel tanks. I had been putting the fuelpax tank in the roof. The tank started to split. Rotopax warranted the tank and allowed me to upgrade to a Rotopax 2gal. I also got a 2gal tank for diesel to carry extra fuel for the heater. Having the tanks on the side will allow for burping the tank more frequently on hot days and not having to take the tank off the roof to do it.

Turned out super clean. I used 1050 profile which is half of the normal 1” 8020 profile.

 

Water leak update:

I started getting leaking water in the back corners when it rained. Took some time to figure out but I eventually discovered the bottom black trim on the outside was no longer sealing right. FWC only used double stick tape to seal the trim and no caulk across the top. All the other trim pieces are caulked so not sure if they forgot. Water was getting in between the trim and side wall. It worked its way under the bottom plastic and got in between the bedrail and shell.

I pulled off the side and back bottom trim, removed the tape and replaced with 1” butyl tape. I also added some black caulk to the back for a better seal. It no longer is leaking.

 

My god! That's where the water is coming from! My corners also get wet when it rains. Same deal, no sealant. As soon as this bomb cyclone is done I know what I'm doing next.

 

This is what I used.

LLPT Butyl Seal Putty Tape Black...

$17 LLPT Butyl Tape Black 1" x 33Ft Tight Seal for Leak Proof EPDM RV Repair Window Glass Boat Sealing Roof Pipe Patching(BST233)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0822FNHFQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Looks like you might get a window around the 20th to do it.

I did mine during the brief breaks in weather we’ve had the past two weeks.

 

It has been over a week and multiple “atmospheric rivers” since I sealed up the trim. I check the inside rear corners this evening, in the rain no less, and I am happy to report it is dry on the inside. Butyl tape is your friend!!

 

Does anyone happen to know what tracks FWC use for their mounting on the roof? I only had the 160W solar installed on the top (no rack or otherwise) from the factory and the tracks they mounted are only the length of the solar panel. I'm looking to add more panels for a bigger battery (looking at the GC3 from Battleborn) as 160W is just not enough to do the charging required for this setup and want to install on lengthened tracks for convenience.

 

If I'm not mistaken they're using Yakima.

 

They're Yakima. Did you see my post earlier in this thread? I have 300w mounted to the tracks using 8020. Maybe you can extend past the rails with it?

 

After investigating the trim and corners of my own PM, it looks like I'm having two problems contributing to my leaks.

The first one is the same problem as AGT. No sealant on the bottom trim. You can see the water lines going right into the trim piece. Funny thing about going to the Black Rock Desert is that it makes all my water leaks super visible!



The other part of the problem appears to be due to the weatherstripping job. In the upper two corners closest to the truck cab there is a gap where weatherstripping ends and the bed rails begin.
My theory (as annotated by my excellent MS Paint skills) is that the water is creeping in through the channel the weatherstripping creates on top, as well as to the side where the gap is.



Unfortunately I think the only solution here is to squirt a bunch of Sikaflex in the gap :/ This is an especially crappy place for the camper to leak as all my electrical components are in the drivers side corner.

 

TMS if you want a cheaper battery (with a fancy shmancy BMS) my friend in Salinas, CA builds lithium cells with really high quality parts. It would be at least half the cost of that BattleBorn. DM if interested and I can send you his number.

 

Oh my god you guys. There's so much water in my camper right now. Rained again today and water is dumping through the back door and in the rear corners. AGT I might need to get one of those gutter things you made... I just ordered that neoprene foam tape for the top hinge area, hopefully that will help.



Major design flaw of the rear door. The water runs down the channel and has only one place to go, right into the camper. I think my only option here is to take out my half-assed weatherstripping job and mold some kind of triangle shape out of epoxy putty and wedge that in there. That way when the rain runs down the channel, it will continue down the triangle, away from the camper.

 

Here's what I have so far. I made a triangle-ish shape out of JB Weld epoxy putty and molded it to take up as much space in the gap as I could get. Then I made a retaining wall out of a remaining piece to further coax the water out. I actually think it might work. Tomorrow I'm ripping trim pieces off!

 

Mo' rain, mo' problems.

Adding Sikaflex to the bottom trim pieces and the JB Weld "ramp" on the PM door helped cut down the water by a LOT. It rained again today so I got to check out how I did on sealing. Looks to be like there's only 1 spot left leaking -- the rear passenger-side corner.

The weatherstripping FWC used in-between the camper and the bed rails appears to have ballooned out in this corner. This significantly reduces the compression on the weatherstripping, and therefore its water-sealing ability. Since this piece of weatherstripping goes in to the camper itself, the water is running down this uncompressed portion and into the interior.


Unfortunately I think the only solution for this problem is to attach my jacks to the camper, lift it a bit, tuck this corner back in, lower the camper, and seal in-between the truck and the camper with Sikaflex for good measure. I'll keep you all updated.

 

Dang 831, I haven't had any problems (yet) with water intrusion but that seems pretty nasty. I have had some weird slippage on the topper, it looks like it's slid ~1/4 inch back on the truck rails. I need to get it resettled because I'm worried about water.

In other news, I've mostly finished my build for now! Thanks for all the help everyone! Pics below:


Notably, I added the storage above the left bench which will eventually have drawers in-built, affixed my water can against the back right that connects to the new Dometic pump, and installed that piano door on the left floor to provide "infrequently used" access. It's starting to feel a lot more like home!

Still on the list for future improvements is:

1. A new battery system & solar upgrade
   
2. Awning on the outside, probably will do the moveable system like you did AGT
3. Better bedding/mattress to make everything work better with the bed collapsed
4. Removable mount for my Insty Connect internet setup

 

So far so good on my water intrusion problems. It’s been a crazy winter with rain and snow. Hopefully you can get your issues resolved 831.

tacoms your set up is looking great!

I agree on a better mattress. Our DIY mattress is super comfortable. Way better than what was offered by FWC. We don’t use the awning much, but it is nice to have it for the few times a year it is needed. Being able to mount it in both the side and back is a great option. If money and weight were not an issues, a 270 awning would be good.

 

Finally ripped the bandaid off and decided to pop the PM off the truck and reseal the entire camper. Honestly, it was the best decision I could have made. Even if it took me an entire weekend.



The bulb sealing on the bedrails was completely flattened in some areas, and the sealing on the front rail had lost all compression and was letting in a ton of water.

After reading some Alucab forums, I found some guys talking about the same front rail sealing problem I was having on the gen 2 Tacoma. The front rail sits lower down than the sides so you have you really bulk up that area.

This is what they recommended for the front:

$28 ESI Front Rail Seal XL 5 1/2' EPDM Rubber for Truck Caps—Fills a Height Gap from .488" to 1"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07147Y43J

And for the sides:

$36 ESI Ultra Cap Seal 1 1/2" Width x 5/8" Height 20' Length, EPDM Rubber for Caps over 200 lbs

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NCCDXJ8

These seals are much more heavy duty than the ones that came on my PM. Since the bed rails on the gen 2 Tacomas are curved I cut the front seal as best I could to match curvature, then filled the joint with butyl putty.

Ended up putting more butyl tape on the bed rail to match up with the butyl tape on the sealing (not pictured).

After applying both front and side weather sealing I am happy to report there are no more water leaks!

There's still a considerable light leak/gap near the tailgate due to the curved bed rail, but that's a problem for another time.



Started working on the passenger side 8020 shelves, probably going to get the same bungee nets AGT got. Since the distance to the PM shelf is so much less on this side, I had to use the same process as AGT. Bore out a 1.5" piece of 8020 such that a 1/4-20" bolt can fit through it and attach to the PM shelf with rivnuts.




Splurged on a Dometic cooler with an ice maker B)

 

How easy is it to remove/install on your own? I assume if you have the jacks you can just lift it right off. I would want to store it in my barn/garage until I needed it, mostly during hunting season. These have really caught my eye recently.