81 FWC, 87 K5

[metalneverdies]

Well, now I am second guessing my panel bond idea lol.

3M wouldn't give me a "yes" it will work answer. Steel to aluminum was a "Well, you can test this product" answer. Being that it's going to end up around $160 dollar experiment, I may just bolt the gussets in and call it a day. The panel bond may be over kill anyways.

I was also researching the best product to attach the aluminum sheets to the plywood and I am thinking VHB tape may be my best solution. Apparently its been used for that purpose on buildings for a while and its supposed to seal out moisture as an added bonus. The butyl tape and 3M 4200 sealant should cover that though. Unfortunately, I had to try and contact the industrial side of 3M for anything related to VHB and they didn't really want to chat. So I am "testing" VHB tape on this application based on their PDF documentation. I guess worst case, if it fails, I can use some pan head screws and 4200 sealant. I just really didn't want to have fasteners on the aluminum skinned under side of the over cab and bed rails.

Now I need to find a good paint / sealant for the wood.

 

[metalneverdies]

Also, did you guys use the standard topper seals under the camper for the bed rails? I really don't like the idea of wood / aluminum panel straight onto the bed rail paint. Maybe I can track down some fairly flat / wide weather stripping an use it.

 

[snipepod]

I'm new to CK5. Wish I would have seen this thread sooner.
I've got a 76 K5, 350, TPI from a 90 Vette, 700R4, 4.11 gears, 208Transfer, TruTracs front and rear. I also picked up a FWC out of Colorado a couple of years ago for my K5. This thread is great for my plans.
I'll share some things with you. A couple of years ago I visited All Terrain Campers in Sacramento. I met with Marty. Marty branched off from FWC soon after FWC moved from Colorado to Sacramento.
Marty is a great guy and gave me lots of tips on restoring the FWC Blazer. Much I'm sure everyone already knows, but incase.
All Terrain will replace the canvas top for your FWC for $1,000-1,200. They don't use canvas anymore, it is a material similar to what a good rubber river raft is made from.
The wood under the overhead sleeping quarters is now the same material that is used for the floors in Avon Rafts. Is is 3/4 think, marine grade has has a laminated black poly surface on one side. This surface is what faces the outside. Also used on vertical riser board behind the driver/passenger heads. Call Marty and he will connect you to where you can purchase this stuff. Lowes & Home Depot definitely don't.
Also Marty has the connections for the company that still makes the shorty screen doors for the back of the camper. I think they are out of Boise. I wrote this stuff down, and am still looking for my notes.
All Terrain uses the more modern looking rounded corner windows and doors. It is a pretty easy conversion to move to these, but you have to reside the camper.
The aluminum roofing is out of Denver or Lakewood Colorado. My roof is shot, so I plan to replace it.
I have a good shape convection heater. Not sure I will use it because the newer Atwoods with a blower heat so much quicker.
Right now I'm doing a full rust restoration and paint job on my K5. Also got a Stoggin Dickey vortec TPI intake manifold to allow me to move to L31 Vortec heads. More HP and better MPG!
With the old truck heads and TPI, I get a respectable 13mpg. I hope the Vortecs get me 15-16 mpg.

 

[metalneverdies]

Made some more progress this weekend.

Finally got the side boards removed. What a pain those were. I had to remove a bunch of staples that were securing the exterior aluminum onto the frame, 2 broken screws, and fight the friction fit from the wood rotting and swelling into the frame over the years. I kind of butchered the screw holes drilling / dremeling out the broken screws.

We also made a template of the over cab wood for the bed on the 24mm Baltic Birch plywood. We test fit the template and I know its a little wavy in the pics but for the actual measurements we kept it more straight. If nothing else its a good starting point for the actual wood. The old existing wood was already replaced once by a previous owner. They were wonky at best. Hopefully a new better fitting section of wood will keep the camper stiffer to reduce the flex and reduce chances of further cracks in the frame.

Then we pulled to roof off in prep for replacing the bed and front wall sections. We are also going to start on tearing down the roof for a rebuild.

If any one has suggestions for a good aluminum safe wire wheel / surface stripper I appreciate the suggestion lol. Not going to be fun to remove all the old sealant and build up on the roof. I was looking at one of these... https://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Rust-Stripper-Brush/dp/B000BQT4UK/ref=psdc_228914_t1_B002E9IQ9M









View attachment 353515

 

[Atl-atl]

Another camper build to follow!!! Awesome work so far.

 

[GWeakland620]

I like it man!!!

 

[metalneverdies]

Got the over cab / bed and the front wall wood cut and test fit. I'm actually pretty happy with how the bed portion turned out I got a little aggressive shaping the corners but overall it fits pretty well. I need to pick up some porch paint to seal up the wood and then I will get it installed. I also picked up some gussets for the frame.

I know the side wood pieces in the top of the frame are critical. I noticed some people have a strip of wood across the front of the bed portion and some don't. I assume mine was never put back. It seems like it would really strengthen the front edge of the camper. Unfortunately that means less insulation on the front.

Once the front wall and bed are fully screwed into place I will start working on the bed side portions of the camper.

I also started stripping the roof down. It smells just like it looks lol. The 2nd half of the vinyl looked even worse. Definitely had various roof leaks for a while. I was surprised to see rust on the round tube supports. I guess that's galvanized.

My neighbor has the hook up some RV parts. I was looking at possibly replacing the factory heater with one he can source. I am a little worried about install. I don't think it can be setup to use the same exhaust vent and I really don't want to cutup the rear frame too much. I am also looking at adding a 4 gal water heater. I would have to slightly modify the frame for it unfortunately. The red lines are the required 12 3/4" opening. I was thinking of sistering an aluminum 1" square tube to the existing frame and then running a piece of frame to finish framing out the opening like the blue lines show. Think it's a bad idea to have the heater right next to the LPG storage? Is there some safety rule of thumb for distance?

 

[ZooMad75]

I'm not sure of any rule of thumb for the proximity of the heater to the propane storage. But the stock setup has the furnace directly underneath the propane cabinet. However, you do have the propane inside it's own metal box and then the layer of plywood for the bottom side of the camper as a barrier.

 

[metalneverdies]

I'm not sure of any rule of thumb for the proximity of the heater to the propane storage. But the stock setup has the furnace directly underneath the propane cabinet. However, you do have the propane inside it's own metal box and then the layer of plywood for the bottom side of the camper as a barrier.

The vents are also perpendicular instead of pointing right out to the same location which was my other concern. Surprisingly the OEM heater isn't truly a 0" clearance from combustible material on all sides like the replacement heater would be (excluding vent location obviously). The water heater is also rated for 0" clearance. I may still go ahead and put the 3/4" or 1" plywood panel between the water heater and LPG metal box to help keep the propane tank from bending the box really badly and also as an added layer of safety.

I found some of the original part install and service manuals. If your OEM fan is driving you crazy I think I found replacements that don't need lubrication. They don't specifically say that on the part but I don't think any newer motors use the style bearings where they need occasional lube. https://pdxrvwholesale.com/products/atwood-hydroflame-furnace-model-7912-ii-tune-up-kit

If I can't figure out how to mount the new heater without a lot of modification to the rear of the camper, then I will call the retailer and ask about the motor specs. Unfortunately, it looks like the venting kit is going to be hard to track down if I keep the OEM heater. Mine is rusted in place and if its that rusty I really need to look over the heat exchanger.

 

[metalneverdies]

Its been a tedious few weeks since I last posted lol.

I have a few of the frame braces installed. I plan to put a few more in the main 4 corners and around the door opening. I got the front wall installed. I kind of wish I had layered some more butyl tape between the frame and the wood, but I think the main seal should really all be done by the outside trim pieces and aluminum skin I plan to face the front wall with.

I have cut out pretty much all the replacement wood at this point. For the under camper sections I still need to do some specific cuts / trimming but I figured its easiest to rough cut it all, get it sealed up with a roller then just touch up the paint as I need to.

The goal this weekend is to get the primered over cab portion dropped into place. Do some spray can and roll on rustoleum paint near all the areas that will require butyl sealant. Once paint is cured, then I will lift the bed up , apply butyl sealant and secure the over cab bed wood into place with all the screws. I am really not sure what I should do about sealing the over cab wood to the frame.

Concerns about the above plan:

• I guess the best option would be butyl tape between the aluminum frame and aluminum skin that is currently wrapped and VHB taped to the wood?

• I thought about using 3M 4200 or similar because I really want to it to be a good water proof bond, but I wonder if that would be a mistake to use such a product if I did discover issues or have leaks later on to repair. (Lets be honest, its my first major camper rebuild and its going off road. I may end up with a roof leak sooner than I expect lol) It sounds like anything other than using layered butyl tape would potentially be a nightmare to remove / cause damage upon disassembly.

 

[metalneverdies]

We also sketched a rough layout for the kitchenette. Its top view, interior / mechanical view, cabinet face.

 

[ZooMad75]

We also sketched a rough layout for the kitchenette. Its top view, interior / mechanical view, cabinet face.

View attachment 355932

Wow. Great progress. You've exceeded the level of teardown that either myself or CaptRon did on ours. I've never gone through one before mine so I was flying by the seat of my pants as far as sealing the wood panels to the aluminum frame. If I remember right we didn't use anything where the wood nestled into the aluminum frame for the cab over section. The front wall was screwed right to the frame and then the trim cap went over the edge. I'm a little concerned at my lack of knowledge on the use of the butyl tape that we might not have mine sealed up good. But I have no signs of leakage in the front corners and there was no sealing tape on the original particle board to frame when we took the camper apart. Had I found some there I probably would have replicated it. We pretty much did it the way FWC did.

So you've got an added layer of confidence to sealing it up over mine. Kudos.

Looks great so far!

 

[Capt Ron]

Wow. Great progress. You've exceeded the level of teardown that either myself or CaptRon did on ours. I've never gone through one before mine so I was flying by the seat of my pants as far as sealing the wood panels to the aluminum frame. If I remember right we didn't use anything where the wood nestled into the aluminum frame for the cab over section. The front wall was screwed right to the frame and then the trim cap went over the edge. I'm a little concerned at my lack of knowledge on the use of the butyl tape that we might not have mine sealed up good. But I have no signs of leakage in the front corners and there was no sealing tape on the original particle board to frame when we took the camper apart. Had I found some there I probably would have replicated it. We pretty much did it the way FWC did.

So you've got an added layer of confidence to sealing it up over mine. Kudos.

Looks great so far!

Yeah, what he said! Great work.

 

[metalneverdies]

Thanks Zoomad75 and Capt Ron. I am pretty much flying by the seat of my pants too, but I gained a lot of confidence checking out your builds and Tim Morresy on youtube / wanderthewest.

As I was tearing down, I just tried to make note of everything that looked poorly constructed or contributed to leaks, cracks, damage.

One thing I wasn't really prepared for, was increasing the height of the bed wood to 1" thickness. It caused some fit-up issues with the 3 longer skinny pieces used for the over cab support. I had to trim them down to 3 1/4" tall from the OEM ~3 7/8". There was just no way to get the parts all put back and and have the sealant placed under the bed wood. I got them trimmed down and test fit by the end of last night. I wasn't super happy with how much that changes the number of screws sunk into the aluminum and wood vs, just holding onto the super thin aluminum frame. By the end of the ordeal, I was starting to think FWC must have put the bed wood in, then slid in the two long wood support pieces into the frame channel, then installed the rear wall.

We also got the doors and windows pulled in prep to give the camper a scrub down and some rustoleum. I wasn't going to mess with painting it originally, but with as far as we had to tear it down, it seems pretty trivial at this point lol. Since there are not a lot of color options on the rustoleumn paint, we are just going with gloss white.

I am still trying to track down a product that will work for the door trim. Mine is pretty hammered.

 

[metalneverdies]

Made a little more progress! Got the bed wood sealed up with some butyl and screwed into place. Installed the side supports and braced them all together. I also copied Zoomad75 and counter sunk some wood screws into the original angle aluminum.

I also got the driver's side support removed from the camper. Those screws were virtually worthless lol. I had trouble getting several out. Funny enough, I just pushed and the wood came right off leaving the screws.

 

[metalneverdies]

Not completely on topic, but...

Had fun exploring the Ouachita National Forest yesterday with Tasha and our Boxer Stitch.

We drove the Talimena Scenic Highway, took some forrest service roads up to Cedar Lake, drove down some more forrest service roads to Cedar Creek, then took a short hike on Old Military Road trail. Unfortunately, Cedar Creek was pretty much dry.

Stitch did really well on the trail riding, even when things got pretty rough and narrow. Definitely glad we had the extra ground clearance and bigger tires lol.

When we got back on the highway Stitch passed out for pretty much all the way back home lol.

I did some reading and I believe the old run down cabin is related to the 1920's logging roads in the area.

The truck did pretty great. I did a quick and dirty fix on both exhaust manifold flanges because they developed a major leak on our trip to pickup the camper. My LTFT was running at +20. When we left the morning of the trip it was holding 0 to -5 LTFT. Running 75-80 mph held over drive on the whole trip out. No issues, 12.7 MPG. Unfortunately, my repair didn't hold. On the way back home running 65-73ish I maintained 14.2 MPG and my LTFT was creeping from +12 to +14.5 and the truck was starting to kick down from OD for slight grades again. I really need to get this figured out. I think that is most of my MPG issue. Might just have to break down and buy headers or something.

I have not had good luck finding flanges to build my exhaust with that connect to F body manifolds. I made a set of flanges and built the exhaust myself. The flanges were just not thick enough. I think they keep warping under heat.

Edit: lol forgot pics. Uploading now.

 

[centexk5]

I spent a lot of summers in the Ouachita forest. All of my dads family is in Idabel so we’d rent a cabin up there and camp and have a good time. I miss those days.

 

[metalneverdies]

I spent a lot of summers in the Ouachita forest. All of my dads family is in Idabel so we’d rent a cabin up there and camp and have a good time. I miss those days.

Nice! It's definitely an interesting area and it's pretty rough. Back before I had to stop riding dirt bikes and MC I rode with a group out there. We did 75 miles of single track that day. Stopped at a BBQ joint that was heated using a wood fired stove and sold gas to us out of bleach bottles LOL. The restaurant was an old camper pushed up against a cinder block building.

I was pleased to see a few random (established) campsites out in the woods. I have been looking into dispersed camping locations and it seemed like it wasn't done in OK other than actual backpacking camp sites.

 

[ZooMad75]

Trail rides and puppers go together like peanut butter and jelly. Glad to see you are dialing in the engine and getting it out and about.

 

[metalneverdies]

I feel like I finally hit a milestone today!

Got both of the bedside portions replaced. I'm not completely happy with the fitup on the passenger side. The driver's side bottom of the bedside portion sits flush with the bottom of the front wall. Hopefully once I replace the screws currently installed the passenger side will sit closer to flush. I screwed up and bought too short of screws. So only like the 1st two threads on the pointed screws are holding the panels in currently.

I know I still have a ton of work ahead of me but it's exciting to get most of the structure installed!