Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I have 255/80r17s which are slightly shorter and run 4.56 gears. They put it close to stock ratios and hold hills well enough to not have to downshift as often (my main goal as I'll drive 1000s of miles on trips). Helps with load carrying too.

stock tires and ratio are around
70mph 2070
75mph 2219
80mph 2367

 

What ratio are you running?

 

As far as buildouts, build a cheap one first. You will inevitably have a V2 (and probably V3) save the extruded aluminum for that one.

The only recommendation I have would be to make a good base plate and install it prior to getting the drifter installed. It is not easy getting one in/out once the drifter is on. You only really need to use the bed bolts if you have slide outs. I tried to avoid using them and found my base plate became a triangle when I used my fridge slide. I ended up using just 1 bed bolt under the slide and that was plenty.

 

I was wondering exactly this. Can I even get the 2 pieces of plywood in once the campers on?

I feel like I'm going to need to take it out because I need to access the underside of it to attach my build to

 

Did a little project over the weekend, finally wired up my lithium battery heater. Had it installed since last summer but never bothered to hook it up. It has a temperature sensor that turns on the heater when temperature falls below 32F and turns off at 45F. I also added a manual ON/OFF switch and a fuse. Total draw is about 2Ah when the heater is on.

 

Nice install @Kclamer. Do you have a link to the battery heater you used? I have searched the interwebs far and wide for a good solution, but I have not found one.

 

I used the one that Battleborn sells. Its a bit pricey and was not a perfect fit for my battery size but I couldnt find anything better. A cold rated battery with an internal heater would probably be the best option.

https://battlebornbatteries.com/product/heat-pad-for-bbgc2/

 

+1 for 4.56

I went with 4.88 and moved up to 35s so its perfect at slower speeds / offroad but i hate having the RPMs high on the freeway. For what you're describing, I'd go with 4.56

 

I have 4.56s with 34” tires, albeit with 6-spd manual.

I did have 33s up until recently and it was pretty loud on the freeway, but I appreciated it on the trail and up steep grades.

 

It isn't hard to slide a baseplate in or out with a camper on. You just lift up one side and slide it at an angle. What would be hard (likely impossible) to do is slide it in or out with a cabinet or build bolted onto it. So you want it to be modular so you can just bolt the entire build down as a unit with the baseplate in place. Don't make it too hard to remove or you've just guaranteed that you'll have to do that at some point : )

I think the L-brackets you linked on the last page would work great. Baseplate is probably too thin to use screws. I'd run a bolt thru the baseplate and L-bracket. That's how I attached my fridge shelf to the extrusion using this bracket: https://www.tnutz.com/product/cb-010-b/ . I was going to use the same one to bolt the cabinet to the baseplate before I decided to go with just the bed mat. Assemble it outside the truck, then unbolt the cabinet with the L-brackets still mounted to the baseplate, slide the baseplate into the bed, and then bolt the cabinet to the L-brackets.

 

Double check your torque settings… inch pounds are what you should be at.

GCI G-133 clamp specs

 

This ^^ and then you'll be fine getting it in and out with the camper on.
Also, the baseplate may stay put without being bolted down, but I'd still suggest bolting it down for the sake of safety and keeping everything in place if you ever flop or roll the truck.

 

rehab-ed my frontrunner gullwing doors as the bolt heads were showing signs of rust, (clearly because of the couple months the truck spent in the PNW) i removed them all and sprayed them with rustoleum rust reformer. I also added a gasket along the inside top of the door to help (its worked) with a very small amount of water ingress i had. Then i figured out why my latches on the passenger side were so tricky to open, the bolt securing them was a touch loose, whamo. back in action!




then after realising the spot i installed my vrnclr sewn storage 'top shelf' (way up in the wedge) was not so convenient - having moved it a while ago the leftover VHB tape had to go. i tried several things - none of them working i invested in this vinyl remover kit. worried that the roof of the drifter would be able to handle it, it all worked out great. some isopropyl alcohol to remove the last bit of glue, back to looking 'sweet as' again

FONSWEA 24Pcs Eraser Wheel Decal Remover, 2Pcs 4" Adhesive Sticker and Vinyl Remover with Plastic and Metal Razor Blades, Drill Adapter and 1Pcs, Rubber Wheel Removal Tool for Cars

https://www.amazon.com/FONSWEA-Remo...hdWls&pd_rd_i=B094PRQBQS&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_1_t


https://vrnclrsewnstorage.com/collections/camper-and-tent-products/products/the-top-shelf

 

I wouldn’t go 4.88s if you have no plans on going to 35s. Your rpms would be screaming while on the highway with your tires.
I had 4.88s in my last truck and it was ok but i felt the rpms were high on the highway.
I have 4.56s now with this truck and I love it. Supercharger makes me like it even more

 

Thanks. Plenty of people with 4.56 have 35’s as well and are perfectly happy.

 

Been struggling to figure out exactly how to build shit out and how much extrusion to buy, so finally just sat down and tried to model it as close as I could.
This should let me get the fridge as close to the wall as possible and and clear the wheelwell.

 

Looks cool! I hand drew plans for mine and had to manually calculate piece lengths and joint/T-nut/bolt quantities. Ended up with a couple extrusion sections that were off by an inch, fortunately I was able to cut them down or use a corner cube to fix.

I had to make a few other minor changes after fitting the cabinet in the bed, where various parts of the box or camper stuck out in ways I hadn't noticed. For example, shortening the right side cabinet due to conflict with a canopy lock mechanism. The bed rail and bottom of the bed wall on my 3rd Gen are also not vertically in line which threw off a couple measurements. I probably could have gotten my fridge closer to the bed wall otherwise, but it has worked well enough positioned where it is. I don't recall if this was the same on my Gen1 taco, something to take a look at.

My original plan was to build around the wheel wells like you show, but I ultimately found it easier just to use two straight pieces instead. You can loosen the bolts and easily slide them to get the perfect fit. I designed my cabinet to be a stealth sleeping platform in case I can't deploy the wedge so I had a 4th vertical support around the fridge as well. The extrusion is impressively solid. I'd say the 3rd support on the left side is not needed. The only issue I've had is the bolts can come loose if you don't loctite them, especially on the corners. I recently pulled mine out and checked everything.

My only other advice is buy more of everything than you think you'll need: angles/joints, T-nuts and bolts. Get a bunch of drop in T-nuts as well as those are easier to use if you need to make changes on the fly. When I had to cut a couple pieces shorter it changed the types of joining pieces I needed, so I was glad I had a few extras.

A view of mine without the panels:

 

Good to know, appreciate the insight about strength. I might do what you did with the wheelwell.

I hate that I cant really finalize any build until I get the camper on. Curious about the angle of the hatch and strut placement which affects how much I try to get the fridge to the side and still be able to open it fully.

What mounting hardware do people use with the drawer slides? Trying to figure out what fits all those tight tolerances.

 

Just put down money on a 4.56 regear(auto trans, 31" tires) and some alcans and am swapping out for tundra brakes next week. So as far as upgrades to accommodate the camper I think I'm set. Also about $4400 over my initial budget when I first ordered the camper

 

Don’t forget the transmission cooler!