Recent content by olshaggy

Thanks! Yeah, I've been reaching out to local shops to get a sense of what my best suspension options are. Got a recommendation from one place to do a full OME kit with Nitrocharger Sport shocks and struts, 2612 coils and Dakar leafs, but that would be almost $1800 in parts (which is only a...

I bought the RCI aluminum skids (engine, trans and transfer case, along with steel cat guards) on sale earlier this month ?. Hadn't read about issues with them breaking! I figured because I don't plan to do the kind of driving where I'll be intentionally sliding them over rocks so much as using...

I don't expect to carry much gear on the top of the cap @rruff. Will have a rack to allow me to toss a canoe or other bulky gear up there on occasion, but otherwise, I expect to install a vent fan, a solar panel, maybe an awning. I'll also have some interior storage that goes up toward the top...

Looking for advice on a suspension upgrade to support a DIY camper build on my regular cab long bed 4WD 2016 Tundra SR with the 5.7L V8. I'm getting a 36" high ARE DCU installed in a few weeks (need the height to be able to sit up straight inside), and between the interior build, skid plates and...

Introducing my regular cab long bed 4WD 2016 Tundra SR. Bought it from a dealership in Alabama last month, where it had been used as a parts truck since new, so while it has 164k miles on it already, it got regular servicing and has almost no rust. I've put down a deposit on an ARE DCU which...

I've already put down a 50% deposit on the $4300 DCU, so that part is settled. Did consider Caravan but once I added on all the options I would have wanted it would have been $4-5k more, and I decided I needed to reserve that money for the interior build, armor, and suspension.

This is my regular cab long bed 4WD 2016 Tundra SR. It spent the first six years of its life as a parts truck at a dealership in Alabama. 164k miles but serviced regularly and virtually no rust. Planning to live in and out of it for most of the year(s) ahead. Should be getting an ARE DCU...

I started this thread off thinking I'd be choosing between a wedge and a rectangular box and ended up discovering there was another option: the radius front that @Canadian Joe is running (even though he said he'd rather have a wedge!) After a lot of discussions with dealers all over the country...

Can you share any photos of your boot and/or a description of your fabrication process?

How do you like the Breezer? Is it holding up alright?

Just discovered a remedy for the bed flex concern: Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners. Anyone here use these?

Has anyone here had any issues with flex of the truck bed causing cracks along weld seams or other damage to your commercial cap? I've had a few dealers tell me it happens occasionally, and ARE's warranty explicitly excludes structural failure caused during off-road driving, among other things...

Wow, this gives me a lot to dig into. Thanks! Oh that's good to know Canadian Joe, especially given that you've got barn doors on yours. Occurs to me now that one quick way to test this is just to get one rear wheel up a foot or two higher than the other and take a look at how, if at all, the...

Need to give those questions (and lots of others) some thought. Just bought my truck on Friday, and hadn't really considered building a cap myself until you brought up the concerns about DCUs holding up under all that flex. Guess my next step is going to be digging into more research on DIY builds.

You're making a strong case for the DIY shell. I do have access to a garage with plenty of tools and some family members with far more experience using them than I've had. Is the Build - Fiberglass & Foam Truck Camper thread the best one on the topic here? Any other suggested resources? Can you...