My 550 build The "Ford Escape"

Fatboyz

Observer
Thanks for the info. I have a call in for a quote from a professional spraying company and see how it goes. The 600 kit is $800.00 so if I need 2 might be easier and close on price to get them to do it. I'm thinking if I had 16" centers it wouldn't be any dif than paneling on a house wall, they're 16" centers?
 

Fatboyz

Observer
The cold (-37) winter days have me thinking and planning, waiting for spring to get back to the truck. My plans are to remove the box and temporarily put it on a flat bed trailer so I can work on the Chassis and box. My chassis plans are some suspension repairs/upgrades, painting frame and cab, and pulling the engine for some new gaskets and an overhaul. For the camper I have looked at spray foam and its very expensive locally. I'm thinking of lining the ceiling and interior walls with 1"rigid foam and then a wall covering. This will only reduce my interior width by 1/2" from the spray foam. I will still spray foam the entire underfloor and under the overhang on the cab. I plan to glue the rigid to the corrugated wall and glue/screw my wall covering to it. I'm planning and acquiring parts and windows and what not throughout the winter as I can find them. I even have a potential deal going with a local oilfield construction company that has a paint booth in their shop to let me use it to paint the truck and the box.
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
My doors don't seal so well right now so permanently closing them seems best. I originally wanted it to be a toy hauler but there isn't too much room, and a previous attempt with a holiday trailer had incredible dust issues. This thing has so much weight capacity having a 500 pound four wheeler hanging off the back won't be an issue. With the spray foam inside I'll have a 100% seal on the back!

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Fatboyz

Observer
Although winter is hardly over here, another 6" of snow yesterday, and still 2 feet on the ground, I'm itching to get working on the truck. This winter has been spent planning to plan!, to plan. I finally have my layout finalized and have sourced the majority of my major inside items. Still having a little trouble with sourcing my combo toilet shower pan with tank under toilet from the states. I'm trying to source a Duo Form, or Ameri Kart. Several RV supliers in Canada carry products from those brands but can't seem to, or won't get something in they don't normally stock? This free trade BS is getting old as most supliers won't ship direct either, plus they f... you at the border with additional fees and shipping to canada is as much as the item is worth! Oh ya and add 30%dollar exchange in! I think my last orders will be to a Montana shipping outlet and I'll make the 5 hour drive to the border to get everything. That being said I've got my Dometic 2 door fridge, 4 burner range, windows and doors (still need 1 window). My Cubic mini stove and all the hardware arrived today. I decided to go with a permanent fixed propane tank after reading a few threads here, and sourced one from a van at the local wrecker. Sink taps, lights and what not are easily available here. As soon as the ice age is over and I can get the truck out the box is coming off. I have all new springs and u bolts ready to go on. Truck cab will be painted, frame too. The front of the box behind the cab will get rock guard liner and the underside of the overhang will be insulated and boxed in aluminum. Box goes back on and inside work will commence. Man it's been a long winter, I sure would have loved to have the truck done and spent a month or 2 in Yuma/Mexico!
 

Fatboyz

Observer
Got a little done. Bumped the thread up for Papawheely. Got the door in and have done lots of planning, and acquired all my goodies. Even got a nice ASME propane tank. Working on a few repairs to the inside. Going to cut in two windows then getting ready to take the box off.
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Fatboyz

Observer
Got some body work done in preparation for the box coming off. The black is spray bed liner. It will hold up better in the areas where it gets the most rock chips. The rest of the cab will be painted tan. Box will be tan with black trim.
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Fatboyz

Observer
More structural stuff done this weekend. The stuff no one can see! I replaced over 200 broken rivets on the inside and outside. Replaced the reinforcing corners and repaired both lower inner corners with Uhaul replacement parts. Previous owner let the back get pretty floppy and resulted in stress cracks to the floor and rear corners. Repaired some holes in the skin, dents to the upper caps were filled with Bondo and sanded down. Resealed the roof joints with white Dicor and the side joints with tan. Hope to get the Hengs rubber roof coating spread on one night this week. Also got some wiring done on rear lights. Getting ready to seal the rear doors closed soon. Also got a new orbital sander for fathers day and that makes the body work a lot easier. Hope to get the box off in a week or so, replace the rear suspension, then paint the frame and cab.
 

Fatboyz

Observer
I Applied the Hengs Roof coating this afternoon. It's aluminum colored fiber reinforced brush on rubber coating. You brush or trowel it on 1/8" thick. Its kind of self leveling. Boy did it seal off the roof. Found a better window for along the bed in a parted out new holiday trailer. Came with inside blinds and is a openable one with screen too! Also got a bunch of interior lights and water lines all for $25.00!
 

Coachgeo

Explorer
yeah you definitely need to raise that box. If you actually use this off road.... your frame twist will have the cab smacking into the box over it. How are you going to mount the box??? Your liable to twist it to pieces and break your cabinets off the walls (or at least crack them) if you solid mount it to the chassis in typical fashion.
 

Fatboyz

Observer
Coach my plans were to rigid mount the rear and spring mount the front with vertical plates to keep the front from moving side to side. This truck was used to haul groceries to oilfield camps in Northern Alberta on rough gravel and mud roads. The box is rigid mounted so that's probably why I had to replace over 200 rivets.
Here's a pick of the coated roof.
 

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Fatboyz

Observer
A little more structural today. Patched a small tear in the outer skin. Added the window by the bed, and put bed liner on all the rounded extrusions and the front.
 

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Fatboyz

Observer
Got a little more done on the weekend. More structural repairs underneath. Cut the rusted mounting bolts off the box to frame. I see I will need to replace a couple angle iron supports on the frame underneath. I talked to a local aluminum fab shop and they're going to weld some 1" aluminum tube in the rear instead of trying to seal up the two beat up doors. The aluminum will then get skinned in. Also got the big Dinette window in.
 

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pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
Got a little more done on the weekend. More structural repairs underneath. Cut the rusted mounting bolts off the box to frame. I see I will need to replace a couple angle iron supports on the frame underneath. I talked to a local aluminum fab shop and they're going to weld some 1" aluminum tube in the rear instead of trying to seal up the two beat up doors. The aluminum will then get skinned in. Also got the big Dinette window in.

Can't wait to see what you come up with for those doors. I have some bolts that just refuse to come out. Not sure if uhaul used some type of impervious locking compound. I must have dropped 40lbs. of dirt, and rust when I removed my box.
 

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