Yup, another 5th gen 4Runner...but pulling a DIY expedition camper

[reaver]

Got through our fireworks shindig with all my fingers and got some time put towards the camper. The top rack, awning brackets and awning, roof vent, and a couple pieces of trim are installed.

@reaver, that seam tape is awesome! Thanks for the referral.

No problem! I've not used it (as it's not necessary when doing PMF), but have heard good things.

 

[Ebbs]

Looks AWESOME!

 

[WYWander]

We're in the home stretch, at least to the point of taking it out. There's some random stuff that can be put off for now.

I wish I had bought premade storage doors though. The premade cabin doors made that a heck of a lot easier. The ones I made will work but are going to take quite a lot of fiddling with to get right. Those doors need trim as well as trim along the bottom. There are quite a few shiny silver pieces that need black paint. That can wait too.

Just need to get some of the wiring cleaned up, the brake controller in the 4Runner, and I think we can roll with it. Going to shoot for this weekend.

 

[reaver]

We're in the home stretch, at least to the point of taking it out. There's some random stuff that can be put off for now.

I wish I had bought premade storage doors though. The premade cabin doors made that a heck of a lot easier. The ones I made will work but are going to take quite a lot of fiddling with to get right. Those doors need trim as well as trim along the bottom. There are quite a few shiny silver pieces that need black paint. That can wait too.

Just need to get some of the wiring cleaned up, the brake controller in the 4Runner, and I think we can roll with it. Going to shoot for this weekend.

Dude, it looks fantastic! I feel you with the Pre-made doors though. I'm really glad I chose to go that route with mine. It really did make life SO much easier.

Also, your fenders look amazing. Wanna build me some? And no, I'm not joking. At some point, we'll need to meet up in Eastern Idaho or something, and compare trailers. I really like some of the design choices you made.

 

[WYWander]

Dude, it looks fantastic! I feel you with the Pre-made doors though. I'm really glad I chose to go that route with mine. It really did make life SO much easier.

Also, your fenders look amazing. Wanna build me some? And no, I'm not joking. At some point, we'll need to meet up in Eastern Idaho or something, and compare trailers. I really like some of the design choices you made.

Thanks!

I really do like the fenders too. I had planned on making them differently but I came across just enough diamond plate in a scrap bin to do those. I get lucky sometimes. Kinda hard to see but the steps are expanded metal on angle iron, the fenders are diamond plate, and the light boxes are premade, off of Amazon. I recall a YT video where they had pulled their camper through a bunch of mud. They made a kind of funny part of the video, cleaning off the steps under the doors, which is exactly what I never want to do, hence the open expanded metal steps. Let it dry and then kick it off. And the whole thing is more than durable enough to work as a step, giving easy access to the rack. They are bolted to the frame. Chose not to weld them on in case they get damaged and need removing for repair.

 

[Ebbs]

Definitely like how this is turning out! Looks phenomenal! I'd love to see more!

 

[reaver]

@WYWander I really wished you lived closer to me. You could teach me how to use the welder that I have. It was given to me, but I have no idea how to use it.

 

[WYWander]

@WYWander I really wished you lived closer to me. You could teach me how to use the welder that I have. It was given to me, but I have no idea how to use it.

It's only an 11 hour drive! We recently vacationed on the big Bear Lake (on the Utah side though.) That is an awesome lake. And there was almost no one there.

My bro-in-law recently asked something similar, that he had never welded but it looks like fun. He asked how easy it would be to pick it up on his own. I suggested it's not too bad, but you'd better know what you're doing if you're going to haul it down the road at 65 mph. I learned welding as a heavy equipment mechanic in a former life. I showed him the Titanium mig welder I have (Harbor Freight, good machine) and said that while the machine itself is pretty much point and shoot and it's good at giving you all the necessary settings for what you are welding, it does take some know-how to know when something's going wrong. Like what it does when it runs out of gas, what a good vs bad weld looks like, stuff like that.

It really boils down to knowing what a good weld should look like and then practice. Nice smooth motions, confirm it's penetrating, and just stack them dimes. There are a lot of welder channels on YT that are good at showing how to fit things and weld thin stuff, which is handy. I think welding is really fun. Except for overhead/upside down welding. That kinda sucks.

I had wanted to find a short-term or hobby welding class at a local community college for my kids, but they only offer full trade programs. My knowledge base is old and very narrow.

What's not on the camper yet is the little 110V flux-core welder I have. If I ever get into long-term off-roading/overlanding, it might come in handy. (Don't use flux-core if you don't have to. It's finicky.)

Sorry for the wall of text...

 

[Ebbs]

@WYWander I really wished you lived closer to me. You could teach me how to use the welder that I have. It was given to me, but I have no idea how to use it.

Honestly I can help... I'm more of a grinder than a welder... but if you have 0 idea, I can at least get you started. I'm in Spokane
Shoot, nm you're all the way down by Boise... I thought there was a Caldwell in north Idaho...

 

[reaver]

It's only an 11 hour drive! We recently vacationed on the big Bear Lake (on the Utah side though.) That is an awesome lake. And there was almost no one there.

My bro-in-law recently asked something similar, that he had never welded but it looks like fun. He asked how easy it would be to pick it up on his own. I suggested it's not too bad, but you'd better know what you're doing if you're going to haul it down the road at 65 mph. I learned welding as a heavy equipment mechanic in a former life. I showed him the Titanium mig welder I have (Harbor Freight, good machine) and said that while the machine itself is pretty much point and shoot and it's good at giving you all the necessary settings for what you are welding, it does take some know-how to know when something's going wrong. Like what it does when it runs out of gas, what a good vs bad weld looks like, stuff like that.

It really boils down to knowing what a good weld should look like and then practice. Nice smooth motions, confirm it's penetrating, and just stack them dimes. There are a lot of welder channels on YT that are good at showing how to fit things and weld thin stuff, which is handy. I think welding is really fun. Except for overhead/upside down welding. That kinda sucks.

I had wanted to find a short-term or hobby welding class at a local community college for my kids, but they only offer full trade programs. My knowledge base is old and very narrow.

What's not on the camper yet is the little 110V flux-core welder I have. If I ever get into long-term off-roading/overlanding, it might come in handy. (Don't use flux-core if you don't have to. It's finicky.)

Sorry for the wall of text...

No worries! I actually have a Lincoln multi-process. It does flux core, might and Tig, along with 110 and 220v. He also gave me both gas bottles (though they're empty). I just don't have anywhere to plug it in. My house only has a single exterior outlet, and it's on the front of the house. I need to run a new outlet in the back, but 110v scares me, which is funny, cause 12v, while simpler, is actually more dangerous. At least, that's my understanding.

 

[OG_Zuninja]

No worries! I actually have a Lincoln multi-process. It does flux core, might and Tig, along with 110 and 220v. He also gave me both gas bottles (though they're empty). I just don't have anywhere to plug it in. My house only has a single exterior outlet, and it's on the front of the house. I need to run a new outlet in the back, but 110v scares me, which is funny, cause 12v, while simpler, is actually more dangerous. At least, that's my understanding.

The voltage isn't the issue. It's the amperage that'll kill you. When talking about AC or DC, just kill the circuit you're going to work on, test with a DMM and you're good to go.

 

[WYWander]

Forgot to take a picture of it on the scale, but I have to go back anyway. Their #'s don't jive.

I really need to black out those wheels... Don't tell Toyota I'm appropriating their brand for my camper. :)

And some close ups of stuff. Just don't look too close. It's what I get for making it up as I go.

 

[reaver]

Well, in regards to making it up as you go, I'd say it came out pretty sweet!! I'd love to see some pics of the interior of the cabin as well. Have you added storage in there yet? I still need to make the cabinet doors for mine. I've just not gotten to it yet, as I have other things I need to work on first.

 

[WYWander]

Aaaaaand I forgot to take a pic on the scale. Dangit. Final weight is 1,760 lbs (give or take 20 lbs.) That's including the mattress and awning, but nothing else. (Those 2 things are 110 lbs, so ~1,650 real dry weight.) Just about what I anticipated, maybe even a little lower. Still need to go home and measure the tongue weight. The scale I was at had an issue with the truck being on the steer scale and the trailer being on the drive scale. Either that or the operator didn't know what she was doing... I dunno. Much confusion.

I'm hesitant to share pics of the inside. Maybe if I make them blurry... :) I installed cheap paneling and I had forgotten how much I hate that shit. Tough to cut without making it look crappy. And with the frame being recycled, nothing was square or symmetrical.

I decided to stay away from cabinet doors and drawers. Instead, I'll be either buying or making containers that fit into spaces and then using bungie netting to keep them in place, but only where I need to. Same for the inside. It's just 2 shelves, one deeper up high and one shallow low. Stuff will be in duffle bags on the top, bungied in. The bottom will be mostly clear, as a catch all for when we're actually in it. That's the plan anyway. If it doesn't work out, I can always put cabinet doors in.

I also decided to stay away from the bright white interiors that most modern square/teardrops have. I get that they're brighter and therefore need less lighting but that largish panel light I found draws almost nothing, is dimmable, and makes it plenty bright.

The wife pointed out we don't have curtains yet. What? Don't wanna give the neighbors a show? Or the kids life-long scars? Ha!

But the real shitty thing... We installed the filon skin when it was still relatively cool. Today hit 93, much hotter than it has been. Apparently that's a recipe for filon bubbles. There are ways to fix it but I don't wanna!!

 

[reaver]

I think it looks pretty good. The rough edges and gaps aren't anything that can't be hidden with some trim pieces. As far as the shelves go, it's simple, and I like it. Might I suggest taking a look at the front runner flat boxes. I can provide you with dimensions but I believe they're about 17" L x 12.2" W x 8" H. If they'd fit, that would make a great storage solution. You could add a lip made from 1x3 to the front of the shelf, which would keep them from sliding off. Plus, they're soft boxes, so if they do fall, they won't damage anything.

**EDIT**

Here's what I'm talking about:

https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/flat-pack.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb60BhClARIsABGGtw8EtIV8s74hwaX78M5evx3hToP_ylRKU8VtsbLHSEtE9mcy8mWbLiEaAgP1EALw_wcB

 

[reaver]

Also, can you possibly heat the filon with a heat gun, and push it back down? That's something that people do with PMF. Apparently the glue gets soft enough to re-adhere. I don't know if it'll work with yours, but it's worth a shot.

 

[WYWander]

Shakedown cruise is done.

The 4Runner tows like a pig compared to my other vehicles, but it did good enough that I would tow with it again. But it did only get 8 mpg for the continuous climb on the trip up.

The camper did good on the rough terrain. We towed it along a woopdee forest road that was fun to drive and the camper didn't skip a beat. I think we hit the hitch once but could have taken a different line and not. We had our camber angle measurer out and got the truck to 25 degrees. I wish I could have measured the opposing camber between the truck and trailer. I wonder if it got close to 40 degrees. Airing down truck and trailer made a huge difference in how pleasant that drive was.

It slept pretty good. I forgot the level so eyeballed it and think it was tilted head down just a little. Couldn't tell when I was laying down but woke up with a headache both mornings. We made quite a list of things we forgot.

On the way back, the trailer brakes started grabbing and made a short chattering sound a couple of times. I haven't torn them down yet but looking at the diagrams, I bet I installed them upside down. Noob mistake.


I did not do good at taking pictures. It was a hectic time getting out of town and my brain wasn't handling it very well.

Damn sexy hat, thank you very much...

Classy TP storage... No, I did not leave the shovel like that. I can't keep up with my boys. That's it... No, I wasn't waiting for one of them to step on it like a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Durrrr.... We have more work to do to get the galley and all in order. A place for everything and everything in it's place has not been achieved yet. A few more times and it will be dialed in. Looks like a shit-show though.

Mmmmm...flank steak for sammiches. Part of the first real successful meal I've ever cooked on a fire. Still think dealing with the heat of it is miserable, but it tasted great.

There are a couple of concrete bunkers that were part of an Army Target and Maneuver Range in the early-to-mid 1900's.

 

[reaver]

Looks great!

I also don't have levels on mine either. I'm planning on using the simarine inclinometer that pairs with my monitoring system. I can then pull it up on the display, and my phone.

The galley and organization will come in due time. My goal was having a prep and cook surface that didn't require any actual setup.

I'm not sure what your end goal was for your galley. Whatever it was, did you accomplish it? If so, it's a success! Personally, I like it. Seems very functional, and lots of bits are easy to access.

 

[WYWander]

My newest contraption for washing. Stole the concept from a YT video, but used what my local home center had for materials and "improved" it to hold a little more water. Volume is ~6.5 gallons. I'm hoping the larger amount of black tube surface area will help it heat faster and more, but I don't have a temp to compare to. The sprayer is just a $10 quick connect thing.

They will all be interconnected with smaller tubes epoxied in, a fill cap on top, and the sprayer connection at the bottom. And the 2 secondary tanks slope to the bottom tank just the thickness of the end caps, hence the different lengths. Will have to put a cleaner in it every once in a while, but oh well. The are also cut to fit the space at the very back of the camper storage rack. Just need to figure out a mount.

It will also working as a counterbalance to the bit too-heavy tongue weight.


Pardon the mess...

 

[WYWander]

The shower contraption was a bust. After a complicated assembly and gluing process, one of the joints came apart when trying to put the end caps on. The last end cap, of course. I gave up and ordered a Trailwash.

I ripped the zipper out of the awning cover on the last trip. They're supposed to be sending a new one. Don't know for sure yet without the new cover, but I suspect folding and flattening the canvas (instead of rolling) produces a tighter package to zip the cover around.

I did a test fit of the bike carrier on the back. It's actually a good tongue weight with it on there, but won't happen when the chilluns' come camping with us.

Added more lighting to the galley with some multicolor 12V LED strips. If we want to light up the party, they'll even flash to the beat of music.

Spent some time tooling around the hills near Estes Park, CO.