Great White: A Chevy K10 Build

[Ouiwee]

It seemed a slight bend on the edge would stiffen up the bottom.



I forced some progress...still waiting for material.





I cannot stop thinking of this thing as a rib cage.



I welded on some tie-off points...for what I don't yet know. In retrospect, I should have just moved on given what a pain in the neck these things were to weld on there. It is clear to me that I still have lots to learn about welding aluminum.



At least they will not yank off right away. I am no longer worried about weight up top.

 

[bknudtsen]

Where are those sections with the tie off points going

 

[Ouiwee]

Where are those sections with the tie off points going

They go up top. I figure the loops would work for securing things on the top as well as tarps/etc. on the side of the truck.



I am thinking through a side mounted shower enclosure for the passenger side. It would mount similar to the 270 degree awning on the driver side, I guess.

 

[Ouiwee]

I finally got the rest of the tubing.







I'm not convinced that the two additional longitudinal pieces (like the ones over the shelf) are necessary. I should have some lights today.

There is some welding yet to do, but I ought to have this thing mostly completed this weekend.

 

[Ouiwee]

I got some parts made today and fitted the tanks on the side.



I might keep that third brake light in the middle. Below are the rock lights I intend to install on the rack itself to light the bed under the tent.



And the lights that go on the corners of the rack. These guys sure are bright.



I'll have to make sure everything fits once the tent is here.

I intend to finish the welding tomorrow, including the antenna mounts and some bracing. I picked it up today and I'd wager it's around 100 lbs or so.

 

[Ouiwee]

These need to be hefty since I could have tanks on the inside and outside. Here is the mounting.



I found some 2024 AL at the local scrap yard for a song. I'm looking to reduce weight by removing as below with a water jet.



The welding is done. What a pain in the neck.



Here are the antenna mounts.



I decided to bolt them on...so I can remove them if required.

 

[Ouiwee]

Rock lights used to illuminate the bed area. I really like these lights.



I think the side and rear lights ought to be work lights/flood type. I might have the wrong ones, but they are bright and small.



This thing is light enough for a person to pick it up and move it around. Though it is somewhat cumbersome, given the size and shape. It is more than stout enough for what I have in mind. It holds my weight on any individual rail like I could have, in fact, had that third triple cheeseburger.

Given the amount of work and material costs, I don't entirely understand how the commercially available racks similar to this cost what they do. Sure, if you buy volume the material costs change and making many is more efficient than one. Nonetheless, I don't see how they do it.

 

[Ouiwee]

I managed to knock out the fold down work surface that will attach to the rear driver side swing out.



Tiresome welding, but at least it wasn't aluminum. F.T.W.



I bought the SS hinges and stainless cable to hold it flat. It needs to go off to paint and I'll need to figure out a way to secure it in the upright position.

It should be handy.

 

[Ouiwee]

I made some fasteners for the tent out of stainless steel and aluminum. I had to turn down the bolt head.



The bolt goes straight down through the rib itself rather than clamping around it.

 

[Ouiwee]

I got the parts back from the water jet guy.



They look better. The rotopax container can be rotated depending on circumstances. I also bored and tapped additional holes on the inside so that the bracket can be moved up or down. I'll have to check if a rotopax container could be mounted on the inside.





I guess it is time for paint.

 

[Ouiwee]

I finally got the gas struts installed on the bumper.



One can see the back up lights there too.



Back up lights.



I still need to wire the backup lights, but intended to take care of the backup camera at the same time. The camera will turn on when I put it in reverse and be displayed on the Garmin Overlander. I intend to add a camera to the front as well so I can see when cresting a hill and going down a steep incline--that's a long hood to see over.

 

[Ouiwee]

I got the rack back from paint already and it looks fantastic.

 

[Ouiwee]

I had them put bedliner on the shelf and they added some sand for grip--very nice.



Storage boxes do not move.



I intended to make a custom fabricated box for all this, but am running out of time. Instead, I went to Harbor Freight and got a sealed box.



The plug on the bottom is for the refrigerator. I still have work to do on the electrics.

 

[Ouiwee]

Rock lights and RotoPax from the inside. I'm going to mount at least a med kit in the inside on a RotoPax mount.



The side rails will get some aluminum VersaTie tracks from Mac's. The same will happen with the bottom side of the bed.

Things are coming together. I have to sort out the storage next.

 

[Ouiwee]

Tent out.



A silly picture of the backup camera. I can remove those stupid lines. I installed a brand new rear wiring harness and wired in the backup LEDs and they seem to work fine.



Here is the controller/switch panel. I think it turned out okay. The bolt at the bottom of the cleat there holding the rack to the bed has a delrin puck on top to distribute the load across a broader area (so as not to leave a dimple in the top of the bedside rail).



Tie downs.





The tie down rails will terminate with caps once they get here. The track will be at the bottom of the bed side as well unless someone has a better idea.