Post build ..uh.. build thread.

ericvs

Active member
Earlier in the thread and in the video linked at some point you mentioned that the material is 3/8" aluminum. That seems insanely thick even for not having an internal structure. Did you ever figure out what the tray canopy weighs? I assume the flatbed is steel? Is all the material of the canopy that thick or just the walls?

I messed up! It is 3/16" aluminum for the camper and the flatbed is steel. I have still not weighed it, however, but I keep telling myself I will one day.
 

ericvs

Active member
Tofino, BC.
Took a journey to Tofino over the May long weekend. Friends of mine are moving to Colorado, so this was their last hurrah on the west coast. We stayed at a VRBO, so I didn't camp out of the truck, but I did drive it out there as we took bikes and I took all my kiting gear along with surf boards. All the fun things! Limited photos as well, but it was an excellent trip.

Long journey to get out there, 2 ferries and about 8 hours total driving time each way. Only one ferry on the way home, however.

Left on a Thursday after work, ferry from downtown Seattle to the Olympic Penninsula:

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Then friday am, jumped on the blackball ferry from Port Angeles, Wa to Victoria, BC:

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This picture is horrible, haha, but it says Victoria!
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Fun ferry, about 90 minutes and it was rolling a bit due to the seas.

After landing in Victoria and clearing customs, it was another 3+ hours to Tofino. Relatively easy drive except the last couple miles on Hwy 4 are pretty twisty and slower speeds, glad I did this during the day. We stopped in Nanaimo to ride bikes too, which was incredible, highly recommended.

Tofino is nice, surf was perfect for amateur surfers such as ourselves, and not too busy:

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I even got some kiting in. This was at North Chesterman beach.

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Post kiting/surfing food at the Sea Monster Noodle bar
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Then it was time to leave. We took the Nanaimo to Tsawwassen ferry home, just to complete the loop. This one was 2 hours and more stunning views

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overall fun and glad I made it out to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Will def be returning.
 

ericvs

Active member
Well after long last, I have found the appropriate front bumper. I struggled with this decision, since the OEM bumper works just fine, but this rig deserved a facelift. Found a guy in Reno who makes 3rd gen diesel bumpers and they look just about perfect. Non-winch compatible since the coolers are in the way if you don't want the bumper to stick out super far. I wanted a nice clean look while still being very burly. Front receiver allows for a hitch mounted winch and there is a power plug up there to run the winch.

I went from this (also some in progress photos)
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To this glorious new face!

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Awesome! The bumper was from 775 Fabrication:
775Fab

Tim was awesome to work with, answered all my questions, used parts that I sent him without complaint. Showed up and fit on the truck without any extra modifications. Great stuff!
 

chet6.7

Explorer
You have one of my favorite trucks on this site,nice bumper.
I don't know if I posted this video before ,or just thought about doing it,so,what the heck.:)
 

ericvs

Active member
oh man! that video is from a 'few' years ago. Truck def looks different today than it did back then. Awesome!
 
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ericvs

Active member
Thanksgiving in the San Juan islands. A friend lives up there and I got the opportunity to spend a few days away from it all (not the truck tho!). Got some kiting and paddleboarding in also good food and great friends.

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Good stuff! Hope you all had a great thanksgiving!
 

wfv56

Active member
Just read the entire thread. Great job on documentation, the build and travels. Congrats! I run a Dodge 3500 Cummings how are the ******** Cepek tires? Decent in mud/snow? Hold up well on a heavy truck?
 

ericvs

Active member
Just read the entire thread. Great job on documentation, the build and travels. Congrats! I run a Dodge 3500 Cummings how are the ******** Cepek tires? Decent in mud/snow? Hold up well on a heavy truck?

Great! Thanks!

The ******** Cepek are 315/70/R17. I have actually been very happy with them. I rotated them often and got alignments every other oil change and they outlasted my expectations by a lot. They seemed to balance very easily as well, no complaints from the wheel techs. I would get them again for my rig for sure.
 
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ericvs

Active member
Long time since last update, but now Utah bike trip.

St George, Utah and Hurricane, Utah hosted us and our bikes on a long weekend epic adventure. Some killer views and some killer biking.

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This was our campsite the final night. It was tough to drag ourselves away for the 20+ hour drive home for work monday.
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ericvs

Active member
It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that my rig is for sale.
Life choices and circumstances have lead to this decision. It was not an easy one to make.
I hope that the next person can continue on with the fun that I had with this rig.

 

givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
Good luck selling it; I'm bummed to hear you decided to move on. i hope everything is ok.
Do you have a plan for something to replace it?
 

ericvs

Active member
Yeah, I am bummed too. Lots of fun with this rig, it will be missed.

Everything is good, just some life changes (for the better) and this rig isn't in the updated plan, unfortunately.
 

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