$150 Flip Pac Build (sort of)

red87

Adventurer
Hey all,

As some of you might be aware, I recently scored a Flip Pac for $150. Granted, it needs some work, but hey, it was $150. You can't argue with that price. Anyway, I'll be making it livable again on a very tight budget by this site's standards. My deadline is the 18th of this month when I go up to Monterey for a class field trip. So far I've only succeeded in getting the shell mounted to the truck and fixing the door knob and getting the doors mostly right but I've only had one real day to work on it last Wednesday. Big thanks to Camper Center in Ventura for helping me out with the mounting. Their forklift made things way easier. In case anyone was looking, the guy that helped me showed me a Wildernest they have for a longbed Toyota. I can get you contact info if you want it. Plans include removing the roof rack to facilitate parking garage use, patching the holes in the tent, adding a couple of ammo cans in the bed to make up for the loss of my toolbox, some carpet (and hopefully padding) for the bed, cleaning it and making it smell less bad and replacing the things that need it. Now, on to the pictures!

The first picture when I got home and opened it up to air out and see how awesome it is:

DSCF0578.jpg



The support bracket for one end of one of the hammock poles has come off and the holes are all stripped out in the fiberglass so my plan here is to make a metal plate to replace the two holes the bracket used to mount to. I'll be attaching that with three screws.

DSCF0589.jpg



One of the support poles has a broken end where it attaches to the top:

DSCF0592.jpg



As you can see the inside of the shell needs a good cleaning:

DSCF0591.jpg

DSCF0590.jpg



The front window also needs to be replaced:

DSCF0586.jpg



This is when I was test fitting the bottom half of the door frame and making sure the doors would still work:

DSCF0583.jpg



I had to remove an inch from the bottom of the door frame to work with the bumper CYi5 and I made recently. Dremels cut though fiberglass like butter btw :p

DSCF0588.jpg



One of the door hinges only had one bolt holding it on so I went and bought three new ones to make sure it stays secure:

DSCF0587.jpg
 

red87

Adventurer
Hit the image limit on my first post so here's my last two pictures for now.

This is my truck as it sits now:

DSCF0584.jpg



I also picked up a set of Scrubblades because of this site so we'll see how they work out:

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Who knew 80s Toyotas had a different way to mount windshield wipers than every other car EVER? That one took a couple trips to my local auto parts store to work out. Also, my truck rides soooo nice with that 250ish lbs sitting on the bed now. I'll post more updates as I get more stuff done.
 

Harp

Adventurer
Flippac

Nice project for $150. I like the door access in the back. as for the broken pole end check marine bimini canopy stores on line. They have all that hardware cheap. I did a bedrug for padding and carpet in the bed, it fits and it works great.
 
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Bella PSD

Explorer
I love the rear doors. More pictures please!! The rear door was one of the main reason I build my Flip Pac the way I did. I have never seen a Flip with the rear doors, very cool. Yours has the Clamp downs to hold it shut on the back. That was the old way they did it. So yours is pretty old. Love the hardware for the pole supports too. The new ones are now plastic.

Louie

Hey all,

This is when I was test fitting the bottom half of the door frame and making sure the doors would still work:

DSCF0583.jpg
 

Dave Bennett

Adventurist
Great find, looks to be the same vintage as Vince's due to the rear mounted cam-buckle closures. I really like those rear doors - they look to be factory original from FRP too :drool:

Awesome build, and I highly recommend making a trip to FRP and talking to Diane - they really like to see older models and are glad to help keep them on the road. They have excellent customer service :)
 

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
sweet man...great score! I am jealous!! :drool:

Really like the rear doors....

Congrats! :victory:
 

dustboy

Explorer
If that's the one that popped up here a week ago near San Diego, I had my eye on it.. any closer and it would have been mine! mine!!!

Glad you nabbed it though, can't wait to see how you rehab it.
 

suntinez

Explorer
This is when I was test fitting the bottom half of the door frame and making sure the doors would still work:

DSCF0583.jpg

Great score! Congrats.

I'm really digging the rear doors too, the shape of the opening at the rear of the flippac looks to be more square than others I've seen. Is the "box" below the FP (where the lower hinges attach on the outside) part of the unit, or is that piece separate?

And what is that rack/ load bars about on the top? Where do they attach? They don't get in the way when you have it opened?

x2 on contacting Diane, very helpful. Some of those canopy brackets are custom made for FRP, but they are happy to provide them to you for their cost, or close to it.

Like Doc said, it does like the pre-FRP version of the flippac - when it was still part of six-pac.
 

red87

Adventurer
The bottom of the door frame is a seperate piece from the rest of the shell. The roof rack will be coming off very soon as it puts my truck well over 7' tall and I'd like to still park in garages.

Oooo. I see a couple more options for license plate mounting now.

Don't you worry, I've got some sweet plans for my rear plate now...
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
Those the lanes in Vta or Hollywood/Silverstrand?

The broken part looks like it could be std boat bimini (sp?) top hardware. Coast Chandelry, maybe Mares Marine, West Marine, etc.?
 

red87

Adventurer
Good call, those were taken in Oxnard Shores. I think I'll hit up West Marine and see if they have anything for me.
 

happytraveler

New member
Doors

What is known about when those doors were available on Flippacs?

It seems they would be sooo much easier to use than climbing over the tailgate & ducking under the rear window on the current ones.
 

Bella PSD

Explorer
It seems they would be sooo much easier to use than climbing over the tailgate & ducking under the rear window on the current ones.

That's one of the big reasons I built a rear door for mine. Just did not want the hassle of a tailgate and glass every time I want to go in or out of the camper (heat lose, bugs too). And turns out I could have just got it from Flip Pac, if they could still do it!!

This is the first rear door I have ever seen.

Louie
 

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