Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I haven’t done my bed rail caps yet b/c I don’t want to remove my topper till right before I get the call, but I used RTV silicone on a lot of those smaller bed cracks like that so far & my dust intrusion has been minimal.

 

I called KB Voodoo, and they recommended no caulk. They included a foam Layer with double sided adhesive. I taped all the big holes with aluminum tape. This installation has worked great for me. No water or dust intrusion.

 

Very important mod

Gained +5 Wind Deflection

 

I did a waterproof tape all along the top and has done well. I've only seen a very small amount of water bleeding thru the rails where everything gets bolted together. When I get a chance I want to pull the rear fender liners and see what I can access from below and maybe go to town with some flex-seal.

 

Rubber butyl is your bestfriend when it comes to sealing those holes. I cannot tell you how much butyl I have shoved into gaps. Seals, doesn’t harden, and works dang well (also cleans up well).

 

reminds me of Basil Lynch’s ford camper he had. “Slow truck, Fast House”

 

Going to go to Home Depot and see what they have.

 

foil mastic/flashing tape and black silicone normally does the trick for a lot of folks here.

Butyl is great when compressed, I’ve had butyl in the corners on my regular camper shell and in the heat it’s ‘melted’ and loosened enough to allow some intrusion.

 

https://vrnclrsewnstorage.com/products/the-top-shelf


so to help solve some storage in the drifter i got one of these - its a vrnclrsewnstorage “top shelf” which can be placed anywhere on the “ceiling” of the drifter. i placed mine pretty far forward - partly because i like to sleep with my head in the wedge (the view is better) - its super well made using sturdy materials - vrnclr makes sweet bike frame bags and stuff - bags - gfc things etc - he is a one man band out of oakland - and as much as i know there are possibly cheaper mass produced ‘similar’ items - i enjoy supporting when people handcraft things

- it has a couple net open pockets and a large zippered pocket (which he lined with a bright color so its easier to see inside)and spot’s to attach and hang things - i have crap shoulders from rugby and years of working in skydiving so this is making my life easier to be organized - for sure

happy fourth

 

Yeah I tried sleeping with my head in the wedge and thought I broke the roof panel and my head when I got up foggy eyed...

I'll never be doing that again

 

Super late reply, but I'll be doing it this way for the roof racks.

Installing 72" long pieces of L-track. Bought the stud fittings. Will need to create my own riser to space out the roof rack from the solar panel. I'll then add 1x3 bars and I'm done!

 

How easy would it be to remove the backing so that nothing gets damaged or marked up in the event you don't want it in that location anymore?

 

I use this between surfaces I want to make air tight but don't want the trouble of breaking a caulk seal when removing. If you've ever removed a Toyota door panel, this is the same gum like substance holding the clear plastic cover on the hole in the door. Rated from -20 to 350 degrees and never hardens. Clay like in application- I just roll it between my hands to make a long bead. Need very little for a small gap. Comes off pretty easy by just using a wad of it to dab it like gum or with Goo-off.

Also put a blob of this on my Fire Extinguisher pin to keep it from falling out.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gardner-Bender-16-oz-Duct-Seal/4595233

 

not 100% - it uses vhb and interlocking “dual lock” so moving it slightly would be easy - i did think about using something else first - just to check placement - but after a couple nights sleeping in there and thinking about it i decided on where - im stoked on it - and the placement

edit -
did a quick search - vhb can be removed

https://www.hunker.com/13415419/how-to-remove-a-vhb-tape

 

So, for those of you who have constructed your own baseplate (I am using 1/2" baltic birch) & storage/fridge slides etc., does everyone feel these threaded inserts below are the best solution for adding tapped holes to your base plate for the mounting of a fridge slide or other stuff?

$26 E-Z LOK 400-4 Threaded Insert, Brass, Knife Thread, 1/4"-20 Internal Threads, 0.500" Length (Pack of 25)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00207NF6...olid=1A14TC8VYLB4T&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It seems like these would be more secure than the only other alternative I can find, which would be the hammer in style Tee Nut Inserts. McMaster has other options than brass, (steel or stainless) which I think are most likely a better choice than brass which I worry about being too soft.

 

Tee nuts will be much stronger than the threaded insert and much easier to install. Those brass inserts are really easy to break and pullout strength will be pretty weak relying only on the threads. The tee nut has a large flange that will result in a much stronger connection.

 

Thanks, that makes sense to me now that I understand how they work. Tee Nuts it is.

 

I used tee nuts, but the kind without teeth. If I remember right, I tried the teeth version on my 1/2" baltic birch, and it was super tough to get them set down into it. I just used an under-sized drill bit so the core fits really snug.

Also keep in mind that it's best to have them flush to the underside of the baseplate if they're sitting on top of a bed rib. It was easy to use a spade/forstner bit to get them sitting flush in those spots.

Edit: Found the link for what I used. They also have small holes so you can use a little brad nail or something to keep it from spinning, if you want.
https://www.mcmaster.com/90611A400/

Edit again: Quoted the wrong post, haha

 

Holy wow it’s been a minute!!! Just catching up and checking in...
Glad to see the thread lives on

I’m still here doing @mountainhabit things, keeping the OG in the wild!!

 

We’re trying to keep everything streamlined here for Vagabond/Drifter-specific topics. I’ve seen threads lose focus far too quickly so I’ve been running it this way since the beginning (being respectful of official rules as well). That being said, I haven’t been in here much lately to guide the thread away from such things so if it’s happened, my apologies. I think by you posting that you have them, allows folks to dm you for the link if needed.