Camper Build | 1995 Toyota T100

[Traveling Together]

My build platform is a 1995 Toyota T100, extended cab, 4x4, 3.4L V6, 5 speed manual trans. My wife, dog, and I have already lived out of this truck with a very basic DIY camper while traveling through Mexico and Central America for 1.5 years.

We learned a lot during that trip and have decided that we want to improve our foul weather living conditions. The goals for the new build are a fixed queen size bed, indoor composting toilet, indoor kitchen, insulation, maintain enough storage for all our toys, and maintain the vehicle's on and off-road driving performance relative to our previous camper set up.
The plan is to build a hard-sided popup camper out of DIY composite panels.


The panels will be constructed of 5mm plywood, 1x2 dimensional lumber, and filled with polyurethane pour foam, then coated in 6oz fiberglass, and epoxy resin. And all joints will be reinforced with additional fiberglass tape. The camper will be mounted on the truck via a steel subframe. The subframe will be constructed of 1x2 rectangular tubing and bolt to the 6 stock bed mount locations on the truck frame.


I've removed the old truck bed and rear bumper and cleaned up the truck frame to start work on the sub frame.

I'm new to welding, but the mig and self dimming helmet have me feeling way more comfortable than when I briefly tried stick welding 15 years ago. I'm excited to get started!


People either love the T100 or think I'm an idiot for driving one. So, to help folks on the internet criticize me more accurately I'm going to share some relevant info here:

Price= $2,500 usd	length = 209.1"	width = 75.2"	height = 70.1"
max payload = 1960 lbs	curb weight = 4040 lbs	turning circle = 43.3 feet	Torque = 220 lbs-ft
Estimated fuel efficiency = 15/18 mpg	Ave. fuel efficiency with old camper = 15.5mpg	fuel capacity = 24 gal	Horse power = 190

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

I have completed the subframe!
As planned, it is constructed of 1x2 steel, rectangular tubing. A mix of 16g and 1/8 inch wall thickness.




It is bolted to the 6 stock bed mounts with grade 8, 1/2 inch bolts. The plan is to attach the camper to the subframe with ten 3/8 inch bolts and a slathering of Sikaflex 252, hopefully distributing the load nicely throughout the camper floor.

Since I work in the marine industry, I got a discount on a primer for boat trailers and decided to use it for the subframe. It's called Pettit Rustlok. It went on nicely and has good reviews in the boat world. It is a moisture cure polyurethane coating. I'm hoping that the Sikaflex 252 (also a moisture cure polyurethane) will adhere relatively well to this after a bit of sanding.

Here's the video if you want to see more of the process:

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

Well, it's been slow going, but I managed to put a little time in on the build.

I decided to reroute the exhaust while I had easy access. The old exhaust was in poor shape and I wanted to have it dump in front of the rear tire to open up more room for potential storage ideas and ground clearance in the rear of the vehicle.

I used some pre-bent tubing from amazon, cut it, and welded it together to route the exhaust the way I wanted it. I also replaced the rusted out stock muffler with a Flowmax super turbo muffler. Internet reviews said it was quite and the size/shape worked for the space I had.

I reused the stock exhaust hanger studs off the muffler and welded them on to this frame crossmember and used a bit of scrap angle iron I had around to make the lower hanger and welded it onto the new exhaust. The bushing is a Toyota exhaust bushing that would normally be used at the T100 tailpipe.

As with everything I do, it's not pretty, but it gets the job done.

Here's the video if you're curious.

 

[Mountaintrails71]

I always appreciate. Do it yourselfers. I do as much as I can myself and with todays world you have to decide if the moneys is better spend building or buying. I always liked the T100 truck and have been kicking around picking one up for a beater around the house and in the mountains. Good luck. Very interested in seeing it done.

 

[AggieOE]

Excited to see where this goes. Good luck!

 

[Traveling Together]

Are you going to put the door to the camper on the right side, thus "freeing up" the back face for mounting wheels/ fuel cans/ BBQ/ bicycle/ and ladder to the roof?

No, the entry door will be on the rear to allow as much storage space (weight) to be as far forward as possible. I'm not a big fan of mounting stuff on the outside of the vehicle where it can be easily seen anyway. The spare tire will remain in its stock location and I'm planning on finding space for a couple of rotopax-style fuel cans tucked under the camper as well. But there will be a ladder to the roof on the back to one side of the door.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

I started experimenting with building compost panels a while ago. originally I was going to use XPS 250 foam board. It is a common construction material that is relatively cheap and has been used to make many campers and teardrop trailer projects that can be found on the internet. But California had apparently tightened regulations on this material without announcing it to the public. As a result the XPS foam became impossible to get with in my home state, so I went looking for alternatives.

I tested polyurethane pour foam as a core material for composite panel construction. Really I was testing my ability to use it. The pour foam I used is 2 lbs density floatation foam from Totalboat: https://amzn.to/3lKDlcu
The numbers look pretty good compared to the XPS board I was planning on using.


The main challenges with the pour foam are that the working time is 15-30 seconds depending on temperature, and that it exerts enough force as it expands to easily bend the thin plywood skin. Since I am working outside, I can't do much about the temperatures. Lots of clamping and supports will hopefully combat the expansion force.
The positives of building with pour foam over the foam board are that it has good adhesive properties, so no additional adhesives are needed, and it conforms to the space that you pour it into, so no need to shape the foam or fill knots is the wood to get a tight fit and good adhesion. It's also completely cured and sandable in 15 minutes or less.


I decided to make the panels that would potentially become my wheel wells as a way to test the construction process and get used to working with the pour foam. I messed up the conversion from gallons per cubic feet to ounces per cubic inches and over filled my first couple panels, but I got it dialed in a bit better as I went on. I was also testing what the foam was like after it cured. I found that it cut easily with any saw, but I preferred a a finer toothed blade. It also sanded nicely with 80 grit paper on a sanding block, so I was able to shape and clean things up to a satisfactory level.


Chick out this video if you want to see the pour foam in action and watch me make a mess


It poses some challenges, but I found working with the pour foam manageable and since XPS was still not available to me at the start of this build, I continued construction with this technique. I still intend to join the panels together with screws and thickened epoxy and laminate everything with 6oz biaxle fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE
I've completed the camper floor!

It is a composite panel consisting of a wood frame skinned with plywood filled with polyurethane pour foam and coated in fiberglass and epoxy resin.


The plywood skin is 15/32" 5ply underlayment. It's a bit heavy, but I wanted to make sure the floor was sturdy and given my options at the local shops, this is what I went with. The framing is 1x2" Douglas fir. The frame is held together with Titebond exterior wood glue and pocket screws. And it is attached to the plywood with the same glue and countersunk deck screws. The frame creates a gap between the upper and lower skins that is approximately 5/8" wide and divides the floor into 8 sections that I will fill with pour foam.


The sections of floor in front and behind the wheel wells were skinned with the same plywood and attached with glue and deck screws. And I used a router to make a 2" lap joint in the plywood.


To fill the floor with foam I had to stand it up on it's side so that I could pour the foam vertically into each section. A section that was 24x38x.75 took about 16 fluid ounces of product to fill and I did it in 3 separate pours. The separate pours allowed me to mix the 2 parts more thoroughly in the short working time before pouring and theoretically allowed the foam to expand vertically more freely so it wouldn't push the plywood skins with as much force.


I used a flush trim router bit to trim the edges of the floor to match the subframe. Then I used a paste made from epoxy and milled glass to coat the exposed foam edges and fill cracks or knots in the plywood. Then sanded the top and edges smooth and coated them with 6oz fiberglass and epoxy resin. The resin I am using is relatively low viscosity and soaks into the wood very well.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE CONTINUED

The bottom side was a similar process but with the added difficulty of working around the mounting hardware. I really took my time filling in any gap around the mounts and letting the resin soak into the wood and filling it in again before moving onto the fiberglass.


The mounts are T-nuts with large fender washers that I glassed into the bottom sheet of plywood. They line up with tabs welded onto the subframe and will allow me to attach the wood camper to the steel subframe with ten 10mm bolts.


I attached the floor to the subframe with 4 tubes of Sikaflex 252 and compressed it in place with the mounting bolts and clamps around the outside edge. At the recommendation of people on the internet I got a cheap pneumatic caulking gun and that helped a lot in getting a consistent bead with the thick caulking and getting it done quickly so I could get the floor on within the manufacture recommended time.


While the Sikaflex cured I attached all of the little panels I made while testing the pour foam to build my wheel wells. I attached them using pocket screws and epoxy paste and then glassed the inside of each wheel well so that I wouldn't have to do any inverted glassing once they were in place. The wheel wells are attached to the floor with pocket screws and epoxy paste and all the seems are given 2 layers of 6oz fiberglass before coating the tops with fiberglass and resin.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

My build platform is a 1995 Toyota T100, extended cab, 4x4, 3.4L V6, 5 speed manual trans. My wife, dog, and I have already lived out of this truck with a very basic DIY camper while traveling through Mexico and Central America for 1.5 years.
View attachment 252473
We learned a lot during that trip and have decided that we want to improve our foul weather living conditions. The goals for the new build are a fixed queen size bed, indoor composting toilet, indoor kitchen, insulation, maintain enough storage for all our toys, and maintain the vehicle's on and off-road driving performance relative to our previous camper set up.
The plan is to build a hard-sided popup camper out of DIY composite panels.
View attachment 252474 View attachment 252475

The panels will be constructed of 5mm plywood, 1x2 dimensional lumber, and filled with polyurethane pour foam, then coated in 6oz fiberglass, and epoxy resin. And all joints will be reinforced with additional fiberglass tape. The camper will be mounted on the truck via a steel subframe. The subframe will be constructed of 1x2 rectangular tubing and bolt to the 6 stock bed mount locations on the truck frame.
View attachment 252476

I've removed the old truck bed and rear bumper and cleaned up the truck frame to start work on the sub frame.
View attachment 252477
I'm new to welding, but the mig and self dimming helmet have me feeling way more comfortable than when I briefly tried stick welding 15 years ago. I'm excited to get started!


People either love the T100 or think I'm an idiot for driving one. So, to help folks on the internet criticize me more accurately I'm going to share some relevant info here:

Price= $2,500 usd	length = 209.1"	width = 75.2"	height = 70.1"
max payload = 1960 lbs	curb weight = 4040 lbs	turning circle = 43.3 feet	Torque = 220 lbs-ft
Estimated fuel efficiency = 15/18 mpg	Ave. fuel efficiency with old camper = 15.5mpg	fuel capacity = 24 gal	Horse power = 190

Love the T100! Interested in your build!

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

I've got all of my lower walls done!

I started with the forward wall, the one right behind the cab. It is a 1x2 Douglas fir frame skinned in 5mm plywood and filled with 2# pour foam.

The excess foam was cut off and the forward edges were routed to give them a 1" radius curve.



I then glassed both sides of the panel with 6oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin and drilled pockets for pocket screws in the vertical frame members.



I pulled the subframe/floor away from the cab for access and attached the wall with epoxy/fumed silica paste and 4 pocket screws.


Once the paste cured, I could remove the clamps and glass the joint. I used a chopped glass, fumed silica, and epoxy mix to add a radius to the inner joint, then coated both sides of the joint with 2 layers of 6oz fiberglass cloth.

The rear wall was done with the same process, but in 2 sections so I could leave a gap in the middle for the door.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

The passenger side wall was also built with the same process and designed around the wheel well.



The rest of the walls will separate the internal space of the camper into different storage areas. These are made of a single sheet of 5mm plywood and minimal 1x2 framing with no insulation. I cut 45 degree angles down the length of the 1x2 framing and rounded the edge with a sander so I could glass over it without having to do as much epoxy filler work to get good joints.

Both side of each wall were coated in 6oz fiberglass. Each wall panel was attached to the structure with pocket screws, epoxy past and 2 layers of 6oz cloth on both sides of every joint.


Aside from it taking way longer than I want it to, I'm pretty happy with how things are turning out and getting more comfortable with my process.

Here is the video of this part of the build.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

The permanent structure of the camper is done!



If you remember from my last update, I am basically just building the camper from the bottom up, so the next step was to build this big sheet of 3/8ths inch plywood that was to be my countertops and the bottom of my cabover. I put it together from 3 sheets of plywood. All of the joints were routed off to make 2 inch wide lap joints and the cabover section has a frame of 1x2 Douglas fir stripping.


I coated the bottom side of this big panel in 6oz fiberglass and epoxy before heaving it up on the camper where it was attached to the top edge of the walls with wood glue and countersunk deck screws and then all the seams were done with a past of epoxy, fumed silica, and chopped strand fiberglass, then coated with 6oz fiberglass and epoxy resin.



The inner-popup walls were constructed in the same way as the lower insulated walls with 5mm plywood on a 1x2 Douglas fir frame filled with polyurethane pour foam and coated in 6oz fiberglass and epoxy resin. Then they were attached to the camper with wood glue and countersunk deck screws or pocket screws. Then all joints were done with the same epoxy past and fiberglass process. The tricky part was the windows. since the camper is a popup I had to consider clearance between moving parts and having sufficient thickness in the window frame for the window clamp rings to "clamp" properly. I ended up making the window frame out of leftover 3/8 inch plywood and routing out some of the 1x2 framing to set the window frame into the panel and sanding down the edges so I could glass over them.

Next came insulation for the cabover. Luckily we recently got some XPS products back in stock in California. Unfortunately the only 25psi compressive strength foam I could find was in 2 inch thickness, so I cut the foam to fit between the frame members then used the saw to cut the foam down to the appropriate thickness using the frame as a guide. The results were not pretty, but it got the job done.


I used epoxy thickened with fumed silica as a thin past to attach the foam to the bottom sheet of ply and to the frame. And also to attach a top sheet of 5mm plywood. Then I coated all the seems where the 5mm plywood meets the walls in epoxy, chopped strand past and covered the whole thing in a layer of 6oz fiberglass cloth.


Finally, I added these little sections of 5mm plywood coated in 6oz cloth and glassed in place. They provide some separation between our cabover(bed) and countertops. They will help hold the mattress in place and act as gussets for the popup walls.


That completes the permanent structure of the camper. It is completely incapsulated in epoxy and fiberglass and has proven strong enough for me to climb around on as I have started work on the popup roof.


Here is the YouTube video if you want to see the process in more detail.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

This update is progress on the pop-up!


I started by building each of the pop-up wall panels. 4 of the 6 walls are just basic insulated panels like you've seen me make throughout this build with 1x2 wood frames, 5mm plywood skins, polyurethane foam core, and glassed with 6oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.
The 2 walls with windows are a bit different. I'm reusing some windows from an old camper shell, so they are designed to be mounted in a 1/4" thick wall. which works out perfect for me to just cut it out of some 5mm plywood and glass both sides. The height of the window didn't leave much room in the short walls, so I ripped down some 1x2 with a 45degree angle for the framing around the window to save a little space and make it easier to glass.


I clamped the wall panels in place on the camper for assembly. The panels are joined with exterior grade wood glue and pocket screws or countersunk deck screws depending on the angle of the joint.

The edges on the rear wall were rounded off with a 1 inch radius router bit to match the lower wall sections. The corners on the front panel don't meet at a 90 degree angle so I couldn't use the router on those. Instead I roughed them out with an angle grinder, then cleaned them up with a palm sander and then a sanding block.


All the screw holes were filled with epoxy/fumed silica past and then each joint was glassed with 6oz cloth and epoxy resin.


The roof was built in 3 sections. Each section is my standard 1x2 wood frame, 5mm plywood skins, and filled with polyurethane pour foam. The sections were put in place and attached to the walls and to each other with wood glue and pocket screws.


I rounded off the top edge around the roof with a 1" router bit and glassed the roof and the roof/wall seams with 6oz fiberglass and epoxy.


Then I pulled the pop-up off of the camper so I could glass the ceiling, all the inner seams, and the bottom edge of the walls.


That concludes the construction of the pop-up structure. I shuffled it back up onto the camper and started trying to figure out how to make it go up and down...

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

I used 5 drawer slides mounted in-between the inner and outer pop-up walls to help guide the roof/outer walls as they are lifted or lowered. The slides weren't thick enough to fill the 5/8" gap between the inner and outer walls, so I used a piece of 1.5"x 1/16" aluminum flat bar as a spacer and attached them with construction adhesive and pancake head screws.


Then I installed some lift supports (gas struts) to help me lift the pop-up. I used 4. The forward pair are rated for 80 pounds of lift each and the rear pair are rated for 60 pounds of lift each. These are strong enough to hold the pop-up in an up position once raised and only require a little help to get the upward motion started.
Next I installed some handles on the ceiling so I could get the pop-up back down and some toggle latches to keep it down.


My next puzzle was to create a seal between the inner and outer walls. I attached a piece of 1.5"x1/16" aluminum flat bar to the bottom edge of the outer pop-up wall with countersunk flat head screws and construction adhesive. The walls are 1 inch thick and the aluminum is mounted flush to the outer edge so that it left a 1/2" overhang off the inner edge of the wall. Then I applied a D-shaped foam rubber seal to the top of this aluminum overhang.


Then I attached a piece of 1.5"x 1/16" aluminum flat bar to the top edge of the inner wall so that it is flush along the inner edge and left a 1/2" overhang off of the outer edge of this wall. I wouldn't have access to the underside of the aluminum after it was attached, so I wouldn't be able to clean up the excess adhesive, so I opted to use 3M VHB tape. I've never used VHB tape before, but it was super easy and seems to be working well so far.


The result is a foam rubber seal that gets compressed between the two aluminum flat bars when the pop-up is in it's full up position. Its a bit tough to explain, but I feel like I was able to illustrate it pretty well in the video.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE

I built doors for the camper using the same process as I used for the insulated panels in the camper body. (5mm plywood and Douglas fir frame filled with polyurethane pour foam)
but I wanted to have a wood edge all the way around instead of leaving one edge as exposed foam, so I cut one of the plywood sheets short and cleaned up the excess pour foam so I could glue in a 1x2 piece of framing on the open edge and then a strip of 5mm plywood to level it out.



For the storage compartment doors I used some 1x3s in the framing where I planned on mounting the latches. This created a strong tie from the hinge to the latch and gave me a big enough area of wood core to mount the latches, so I wouldn't have to worry about compressing the foam core within the panel.



The entry door was a little trickier because I wanted to use a standard RV entry door latch. I framed the mounting area in 1x2s and added a 1/2"plywood spacer to the inside of the door since I couldn't find a latch that was designed to be mounted in a door of less than 1.5" thick.



All the doors were completely covered in 6oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.

 

[Traveling Together]

UPDATE CONTINUED

The entry door was given an aluminum trim on the non-hinge edges in the form of T-section with countersunk mounting holes about every 6.5 inches. This trim was attached with #6 flat head screws and adhesive sealant.


The large storage area door on the driver side was hung across the top edge with a hurricane hinge. The hinge was cut .25" long and notched to fit. This will reduce water flowing into the storage area when the door is open. The upper part of the hinge is mounted on the camper with adhesive sealant and #8 pan head screws. The lower section is mounted on the door with adhesive sealant and #8 pancake head screws.



A series of .5" aluminum angle pieces were attached to the inside of the storage hatches to provide a surface for the doors to seal against and for the compression latches to pull against. These pieces of aluminum are attached with adhesive sealant and #6 pan head screws.


At this point I decided to paint the camper. I faired out all the exterior surfaces with a mix of epoxy and glass bubbles to smooth out the worst of the imperfections. Then I used Benjamin Moore Fresh Start 04604 primer and Regal Select Exterior Paint. This is definitely not the nicest or best option, but I new I wasn't going to put in the effort to get a really nice finish, so I opted for something cheaper. The main purpose of the paint is just to protect the epoxy resin for UV damage anyway.

 

[Traveling Together]

The bottom of the camper and the floor inside the storage compartments got 2 coats of Hurculiner Bedliner with an extra 2 coats in the wheel wells. And I added a brown stripe for fun.


Back to the doors. The storage door on the passenger side and the entry door are mounted on aluminum piano hinges and an EPDM D-seal is applied all the way around to create (so far) watertight seals.

I built a striker plate for the entry door latch using some scrap 1/16" aluminum flat bar and glassed it in place.


Finally, I installed some gas struts to hold open the Driver side storage door. This is a much more common use for gas struts, so I was able to find some equations on line to guide me in choosing the right struts and mounting location, but I did still end up adjusting the mounting location a bit to dial in how they performed.


Overall Im happy with how my doors have turned out. They are all functioning as planned so far.


And here is the YouTube video for those that are still interested

 

[AggieOE]

What a build! I'm trying to play catch-up on this.

Your videos are really well-detailed. Thanks for taking the time to put them together!

Any rough idea how much weight your at with it all?

 

[Traveling Together]

What a build! I'm trying to play catch-up on this.

Your videos are really well-detailed. Thanks for taking the time to put them together!

Any rough idea how much weight your at with it all?

Thanks.
I haven't been able to weigh it, but adding up the various material weights, I'm guessing around 1200 pounds.