DIY Composite Flatbed Camper Build

[Terra Ops]

yep, i wish i could find some FRP locally to try what you did. So far, only aluminum here at acceptable price.

do you remember how many tube of sikaflex 252 total did you used for your build?

Not sure but probably close to 50. This place had the best price at the time Sikaflex 252, White, One Component, Elastic Adhesive, 300ml Cartridge [SIKA-90915] : Silicones & Caulks - $11.49 EMI Supply, Inc

The place I purchased from will ship to you, but It will cost. FRP panels and sheets - Vetroresina LLC
You may want to check out other hardware stores for test purposes; Frp panels at Lowes.com: Search Results
Panels can be made from various materials like aluminum, tin, plywood, frp, etc. For camper builds, you obviously want light weight and thermal neutral.

 

[Jonnyo]

Not sure but probably close to 50. This place had the best price at the time Sikaflex 252, White, One Component, Elastic Adhesive, 300ml Cartridge [SIKA-90915] : Silicones & Caulks - $11.49 EMI Supply, Inc

The place I purchased from will ship to you, but It will cost. FRP panels and sheets - Vetroresina LLC
You may want to check out other hardware stores for test purposes; Frp panels at Lowes.com: Search Results
Panels can be made from various materials like aluminum, tin, plywood, frp, etc. For camper builds, you obviously want light weight and thermal neutral.

thanks i appreciate all the info. I wish we were this lucky and could get this kind of pricing. i m in canada and any kind of shipping form the usa is conterproductive with the pandelmic. Shipping 20 tubes if sikaflex, 130$ us plus custom/brokage and fees. More in shipping then it would cost for you to by those tubes!!! same with panels that big box store dont carrie etc. That is why aluminum is so much easier to source here, we produce so much of it, it s cheap!

keep the good work, so much fun to see all those fun build!

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

thanks i appreciate all the info. I wish we were this lucky and could get this kind of pricing. i m in canada and any kind of shipping form the usa is conterproductive with the pandelmic. Shipping 20 tubes if sikaflex, 130$ us plus custom/brokage and fees. More in shipping then it would cost for you to by those tubes!!! same with panels that big box store dont carrie etc. That is why aluminum is so much easier to source here, we produce so much of it, it s cheap!

keep the good work, so much fun to see all those fun build!

Nothing wrong with aluminum skins, gotta go with what's available.
Here is a source for an adhesive to test in Canada, https://expeditionupfitter.com/collections/adhesives
Edit: Canadian link, https://www.expeditionupfitter.ca/collections/adhesives

 

[Terra Ops]

thanks i appreciate all the info. I wish we were this lucky and could get this kind of pricing. i m in canada and any kind of shipping form the usa is conterproductive with the pandelmic. Shipping 20 tubes if sikaflex, 130$ us plus custom/brokage and fees. More in shipping then it would cost for you to by those tubes!!! same with panels that big box store dont carrie etc. That is why aluminum is so much easier to source here, we produce so much of it, it s cheap!

keep the good work, so much fun to see all those fun build!

Here are some other sources to look at; Teroson 939 as mentioned in Sawtooth Unlimited build, also used by Stryromax;
TEROSON MS 939 - Silane modified polymer sealant/adhesive - Henkel Adhesives (henkel-adhesives.com)
Sawtooth Unlimited - Off Road Pop Top Camper Trailer | Page 6 | Expedition Portal
Upper front wall & roof panel assembly with Teroson MS939 by Henkel - Bing video

This couple built panels using aluminum skin and plywood, very interesting and informative.
Building Our Expedition Vehicle: Subframe - Bing video

 

[Jonnyo]

Here are some other sources to look at; Teroson 939 as mentioned in Sawtooth Unlimited build, also used by Stryromax;
TEROSON MS 939 - Silane modified polymer sealant/adhesive - Henkel Adhesives (henkel-adhesives.com)
Sawtooth Unlimited - Off Road Pop Top Camper Trailer | Page 6 | Expedition Portal
Upper front wall & roof panel assembly with Teroson MS939 by Henkel - Bing video

This couple built panels using aluminum skin and plywood, very interesting and informative.
Building Our Expedition Vehicle: Subframe - Bing video

thank you

2 days ago, i did another PL premium Aluminum/ 1'' foam/plywood panel (1/8) and was really blow away by the rigidity and strength of the panel. I think i will be doing the same as courtney and Ryan did building a exoframe, and putting panel around it. I can weld aluminum so that is within my reach to build this! Thanks for all the threads... it s such good source of info for tackling this. Starting the build on wednesday... building 24 X 4x8 composite panels!!!!

 

[ITTOG]

thank you

2 days ago, i did another PL premium Aluminum/ 1'' foam/plywood panel (1/8) and was really blow away by the rigidity and strength of the panel. I think i will be doing the same as courtney and Ryan did building a exoframe, and putting panel around it. I can weld aluminum so that is within my reach to build this! Thanks for all the threads... it s such good source of info for tackling this. Starting the build on wednesday... building 24 X 4x8 composite panels!!!!

Are you going to create a build thread? I would love to watch it and learn more about the panels you are making.

 

[Terra Ops]

thank you

2 days ago, i did another PL premium Aluminum/ 1'' foam/plywood panel (1/8) and was really blow away by the rigidity and strength of the panel. I think i will be doing the same as courtney and Ryan did building a exoframe, and putting panel around it. I can weld aluminum so that is within my reach to build this! Thanks for all the threads... it s such good source of info for tackling this. Starting the build on wednesday... building 24 X 4x8 composite panels!!!!

Glad you found your direction! 24 panels @ 4x8? Sounds like a house

 

[shirk]

Another process used by a couple of small builders in France is Dibond-XPS-Dibond and make the panels themselves inhouse.

http://cartech4x4.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/img_0353-scaled.jpg

Fabrication de cellule & équipements 4×4 – Depuis 2011

His facebook has lots of info buried in the image comments.

Cartech | Béligneux

Cartech, Béligneux. 2,009 likes · 1 talking about this · 4 were here. Constructeur de cellule fixe, amovible et de hard top à toit relevable en aluminium. Aménagement s

www.facebook.com

 

[Terra Ops]

Travel Pics

 

[Terra Ops]

Decided to splurge a little on shocks and oil. Most probably already knew this, but the ICON shocks and the AMSOIL really
made a noticeable difference. Just bought the rear initially, but now I'm looking for the front. Seems ICON, FOX, and KING are
in large demand. Most places are back ordered weeks and months.
Next project is to make a urine diverter for the C Head. ACCESSORIES | C-Head

 

[DzlToy]

Caveat Emptor on all three of those brands. They are not as good as they used to be and customer service has declined, according to some friends in the industry. The backlog comes from production being shut down due to the planned-demic, not necessarily high demand. Another friend tried to order off-the-shelf Kings about six months ago and could not even get a salesman to return his calls. I don't chase people to give them my money, so hopefully you will have good luck with your ICONs.

If you are inclined to make a change, consider ADS, Reiger, ELKA, Radflo, Sachs, Ohlins, Penske or even ORI.

Is the C-Head not already a urine diverting or separating toilet? I thought it was.

 

[Terra Ops]

Yes the C-Head is already a diverting toilet, guess I should have put "external" diverter.
Thanks for the caution on ICON and AMSOIL. I like the adjustability of the shocks for when the camper is off. They are a big
improvement over the Bistein 5100's that I have used for years. The stiffer dampening is exactly what I've been looking for.
I'll have to check out the other brands you listed. Adjustability is what I'm looking for.
I have about 90k on the truck. The AMSOIL seemed to smooth out the engine. I'll give it a try for now, perhaps other synthetics work
just as well.

 

[DiploStrat]

Jeff,

FWIW, Nimbl routed the urine line to the grey tank. The logic being that:

-- Diluted urine is a lot more palatable than concentrated. (I don't want to think of dealing with a dedicated "Yellow Water" tank.)

-- In most cases, you are required to dump grey water into a sanitary sewer anyway, so adding urine changes nothing.

I confess that I like the idea of not having to dump urine every day. Keep me posted.

In my case, things are a bit harder as all of my grey water goes through a shower sump and pump.

 

[DzlToy]

Correction: no issues with AMSOIL, just the dampers. Apologies.

 

[Terra Ops]

Correction: no issues with AMSOIL, just the dampers. Apologies.

Found this interesting for rebuild; Curious as to where overland rigs fall.

2.5 VS SERIES SHOCK & COILOVER TECHNICAL INFORMATION

MAINTENANCE
ICON shock absorbers are a high quality rebuildable race style shock absorber designed for optimal performance. With a unit of this caliber on your vehicle, routine
maintenance is required to keep them looking and operating in like new condition. Residual oil and assembly lube may be present at all seal paths from the factory out of the
box and is considered normal. Pooling of oil however is not acceptable at any time and one should contact the iCON dealer where purchased.

BELOW ARE GUIDELINES BASED ON HOW YOU USE YOUR VEHICLE BUT YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY:

STREET USE: • Send in for factory servicing every 40,000 miles or if a leak develops, ride quality decreases, or they begin to make excessive noise.
• Remove any buildup of road salt, mud, or debris from shocks anytime accrued
• Clean with mild soap and water with each oil change or anytime you notice build up.
• Wax the cylinders yearly with automotive wax to prevent corrosion.
• Check nitrogen pressure yearly. (252004 charge needle assembly available at any ICON distributor)
• Check bearings for excessive wear yearly.
• DO NOT apply any type of lube to the upper and lower bearings.

STREET/DIRT: • Send in for factory servicing every 15,000 miles or if a leak develops, ride quality decreases, or they begin to make excessive noise.
• Clean with mild soap and water with each oil change, offroad trip, or anytime you notice build up.
• Wax the cylinders yearly with automotive wax to prevent corrosion.
• Check nitrogen pressure each dirt outing. (252004 charge needle assembly available at any ICON distributor)
• Check bearings for excessive wear yearly.
• DO NOT apply any type of lube to the upper and lower bearings.

DIRT USE: • Send in for factory servicing every 1,000 miles.
• Check nitrogen pressure each outing. (252004 charge needle assembly available at any ICON distributor)
• Remove any buildup of mud or debris from shocks after every outing.

SELF-SERVICE: • Contact ICON for service kits & tools at (951) 689-4266