^^^same here! 
CK5
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'91 K5 Four Wheel Camper
This is the build for my 1991 V1500 Blazer, AKA the K5.3. It started out life being sold to the U.S. Government with a 350 TBI/700r4/241 combo. 4 years with a 5.3/700r4 Combo and now moving to an 8.1L Vortec and NV4500 5-speed.
Great trip pictures!
The PAD thread pic you posted of your new camper brought my back to your thread here...I have missed the updates for a bit?
Love that camper! I think it looks awesome on the blazer,will be sweet to see Larys and yours together on a trip!
Cant wait to see it all fixed up...what a great score you got!
Larry's and mine will be out together soon enough. If the stuff works right it will be the next desert trip. Going to get some stuff on it this weekend hopefully.
That's what we're all waiting for!
You guys don't know how many times Larry and I have had a discussion on the subject of me finding a FWC unit for my blazer. Countless frosty beverages at multiple campsites as well as the shop over at his place found us on that subject.
After killing my back on the ground or freezing my tail off in a hammock having a warm dry place to sleep will make these runs much more enjoyable and hopefully more frequent. Once it's set up I should be able to toss in a bag, food, beer and go.
Does it have a fridge and stove?
3 way fridge, 2 burner stove and forced air heat. None of which has been operated in a few years. So it will be a crapshoot if any of it works. We'll give each a good cleaning and try them out.
I may ditch the fridge for a modern 12v unit. It will require some reconfiguring to make that fit, but it would free up storage space in the cabinet where the fridge would be. It really depends on how the 3 way works. Larry's convinced it's going to not work very well. We will find out.
Would you be better off to go with an ARB fridge, even though they are expensive?
beags86
Eastbound and Down
I know your not into the overlanding thing. But there are millions of threads about this over on the Portal.
But the end if the day. This ends up being one of the cheaper ones. I have one and it works great.
http://www.truckfridge.com/
It's just a rebadged indel b.
Zoo...
It would probably work well for your purposes.
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Expensive for sure, but there are other options I've been looking at that are similar but less expensive.
Wow, great site. Had not found that one. That was a nice trip down the rabbit hole. The portable model is nice, but a built in would fit in the cabinet and keep me from shortening the bench enough to fit a portable fridge.
How's the sleeping arrangements above the cab?
Seems to be roomy but currently unfit for anyone due to the rotted particleboard. The plan is to use 3/4" plywood to support my fat self. We may add some support if we can. The bench seat folds out too which might be more capable of holding my weight without screwing up the camper.
The plan is to start deconstruction tomorrow afternoon.
How big is the area above the cab? Queen? Twin?
It's more than a twin for sure but not as wide as a queen. Plus it's only just as long as the camper is wide.
Been busy this weekend. Completed demo on the interior of the camper and started the rebuilding. Then MAW struck and we gutted the cabinet and appliances on the drivers side.
First, to answer this question.
The cab-over area is roughly 47 inches deep front to back, 81 inches wide. Floor to roof is just about 24 inches tall. Subtract a little for a matress and it gets snug quick.
Back to the madness. A little warning. Those in love with the Four Wheel Camper setup might be upset by the pics that follow. Having ripped into this one, it really shows how cheaply they were built back in the day. Staples were everywhere. Staples even attaching the wiring to the underside of the countertop. Scotchlocks abound in the wiring and the obvious poor choice of use of particle board as stuctural components. This is a small space. A space I really don't want to be cooking in. So the stove burners got the axe. The three way fridge, one that is notoriously bad on all three modes got pulled. Finally the sink and water system got pulled. The system was nasty, only used a hand pump at the faucet and would have required winterization. I always carry water when camping, but I can carry it so it's useful where I'm cooking outside.
So now with some understanding to the method of my madness, I'll move on. That being said, again if you can't stomach gutting a vintage camper, move on.
I got off work Saturday and this is what I find when I get to John's house. He and his brother have been busy.
IMG_20170826_135322625_HDR by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
With the front wall and cab-over floor removed you can see the aged fridge and useless to me cabinet.
IMG_20170826_135341609 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Looking forward you see the missing cab-over floor and the area it is supposed to be in.
IMG_20170826_135353249_HDR by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
IMG_20170826_135357066_HDR by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Here's the area where the original fridge goes. This section of plywood is also the support structure where the camper is bolted to the truck. It's not rotted out but lacks support. We will be beefing this area up.
IMG_20170826_135401086_HDR by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
The water tank, stove and sink removed in this pic. Got some holes to cover up on the outside from some of this.
IMG_20170827_122533857 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Shane did his magic on the plywood getting the second of 2 layers installed. We doubled up 5/8" and 1/2" plywood to end up with an overall thickness of 1/8" over the stock 1" particle board. Glued together with construction adhesive and 3/4" zinc plated drywall screws it should support a bunch of wieght. Also seen in this pic is the modification to the forward lifting panel from the stock design. The stock design is a very complicated and delicate chunk of folding origami that was falling apart. We made a perfect replica of the two individual boards out of 1/4" maple plywood. Spent an hour drilling out rivets from 3 separate hinges, cleaning and lubing those hinges and then started to rivet them together. We started with the middle hinge paying close attention to put the head of the rivets to one side for clearance when folded flat. Once we went to attach the second board we found a major flaw in our plan. The factory setup used rivets with flush heads on both sides to allow the system to fold flat with the top down and sit flush together when they are up. Regular pop rivets can't do that. So our folding panels won't fold flat down, or sit flush together with the top up. We scrapped the plan and tested out an idea that one board hinged at the bottom with the handle on it from the stock setup would do the same thing without the complexity. It does. Just need to fine tune it.
IMG_20170827_122542713 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Since we were reconfigureing the cabinet, we figured on pulling the inside paneling off of the wall to replace it. I had to make my 2nd run of the weekend to Lowes for more 1/4" ply. Funny, I wasn't the only guy in a Blazer in the drive thru lumber yard.
IMG_20170827_145253519 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Some of the waste we pulled from the camper. I do like how they marked the underside of the countertop..
IMG_20170827_153850750 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
More of the carnage. Sorry FWC purists but most of this stuff was garbage we pulled out so we didn't kill a pristine example.
IMG_20170827_153854990 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
The blank slate. Plan here is to add another layer of 5/8" plywood to support the floor and wall. Then the fridge will sit in a spot we create in front of the propane tank enclosure. We will create a small cabinet around the propane enclosure with a small countertop and another storage area in front of the fridge, behind my seat. Inside that area I'll setup the camper fuse panel and wiring distribution. We will keep the shore power input but we will only have one set of outlets vs the three we had before.
IMG_20170827_154418120_HDR by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Starting the rebuild. 1/4" plywood cut to fit the wall. This will get stained.
IMG_20170827_162619748 by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
I need to order some stuff to handle the wiring, light fixtures, and small items. All in all a lot got done.
First, to answer this question.
The cab-over area is roughly 47 inches deep front to back, 81 inches wide. Floor to roof is just about 24 inches tall. Subtract a little for a matress and it gets snug quick.
Back to the madness. A little warning. Those in love with the Four Wheel Camper setup might be upset by the pics that follow. Having ripped into this one, it really shows how cheaply they were built back in the day. Staples were everywhere. Staples even attaching the wiring to the underside of the countertop. Scotchlocks abound in the wiring and the obvious poor choice of use of particle board as stuctural components. This is a small space. A space I really don't want to be cooking in. So the stove burners got the axe. The three way fridge, one that is notoriously bad on all three modes got pulled. Finally the sink and water system got pulled. The system was nasty, only used a hand pump at the faucet and would have required winterization. I always carry water when camping, but I can carry it so it's useful where I'm cooking outside.
So now with some understanding to the method of my madness, I'll move on. That being said, again if you can't stomach gutting a vintage camper, move on.
I got off work Saturday and this is what I find when I get to John's house. He and his brother have been busy.
IMG_20170826_135322625_HDR by Rob Zulian, on FlickrWith the front wall and cab-over floor removed you can see the aged fridge and useless to me cabinet.
IMG_20170826_135341609 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrLooking forward you see the missing cab-over floor and the area it is supposed to be in.
IMG_20170826_135353249_HDR by Rob Zulian, on FlickrIMG_20170826_135357066_HDR by Rob Zulian, on FlickrHere's the area where the original fridge goes. This section of plywood is also the support structure where the camper is bolted to the truck. It's not rotted out but lacks support. We will be beefing this area up.
IMG_20170826_135401086_HDR by Rob Zulian, on FlickrThe water tank, stove and sink removed in this pic. Got some holes to cover up on the outside from some of this.
IMG_20170827_122533857 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrShane did his magic on the plywood getting the second of 2 layers installed. We doubled up 5/8" and 1/2" plywood to end up with an overall thickness of 1/8" over the stock 1" particle board. Glued together with construction adhesive and 3/4" zinc plated drywall screws it should support a bunch of wieght. Also seen in this pic is the modification to the forward lifting panel from the stock design. The stock design is a very complicated and delicate chunk of folding origami that was falling apart. We made a perfect replica of the two individual boards out of 1/4" maple plywood. Spent an hour drilling out rivets from 3 separate hinges, cleaning and lubing those hinges and then started to rivet them together. We started with the middle hinge paying close attention to put the head of the rivets to one side for clearance when folded flat. Once we went to attach the second board we found a major flaw in our plan. The factory setup used rivets with flush heads on both sides to allow the system to fold flat with the top down and sit flush together when they are up. Regular pop rivets can't do that. So our folding panels won't fold flat down, or sit flush together with the top up. We scrapped the plan and tested out an idea that one board hinged at the bottom with the handle on it from the stock setup would do the same thing without the complexity. It does. Just need to fine tune it.
IMG_20170827_122542713 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSince we were reconfigureing the cabinet, we figured on pulling the inside paneling off of the wall to replace it. I had to make my 2nd run of the weekend to Lowes for more 1/4" ply. Funny, I wasn't the only guy in a Blazer in the drive thru lumber yard.
IMG_20170827_145253519 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSome of the waste we pulled from the camper. I do like how they marked the underside of the countertop..
IMG_20170827_153850750 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrMore of the carnage. Sorry FWC purists but most of this stuff was garbage we pulled out so we didn't kill a pristine example.
IMG_20170827_153854990 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrThe blank slate. Plan here is to add another layer of 5/8" plywood to support the floor and wall. Then the fridge will sit in a spot we create in front of the propane tank enclosure. We will create a small cabinet around the propane enclosure with a small countertop and another storage area in front of the fridge, behind my seat. Inside that area I'll setup the camper fuse panel and wiring distribution. We will keep the shore power input but we will only have one set of outlets vs the three we had before.
IMG_20170827_154418120_HDR by Rob Zulian, on FlickrStarting the rebuild. 1/4" plywood cut to fit the wall. This will get stained.
IMG_20170827_162619748 by Rob Zulian, on FlickrI need to order some stuff to handle the wiring, light fixtures, and small items. All in all a lot got done.
Tony Vickers
1/2 ton status
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Saweet!
I don't see why you'd feel bad about fixing up a rotten camper. It's going to be much better off with the rotten wood gone.
I don't see why you'd feel bad about fixing up a rotten camper. It's going to be much better off with the rotten wood gone.
Looks excellent! I need to follow your lead on my camper. That bed space may get a bit tight but it sure beats the lumpy ground
This is epic..
Very cool! This is the stuff that dreams are made of.
