97 F-350 CCLB build:
- Thread starter Seabass
- Start date
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Front base mounted under the overhang facing to the side. It lined up just front of center of the rear door on the truck.
Notice the proper technique for a truck camper. huge glob of sealer oozing out into a silicon stalactite.
Seabass
Idiot
Sorry I don't. I've been buying the square lights at Power Trane. They sell big truck parts and are a big outfit with stores all over the place. The round lights I've been buying at Tractor Supply. They are pricey- but I believe worth it. I have never seen lights that bright. The rounds blind me even in broad day light.
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Seabass
Idiot
I'm ignorant to many things "camper"- but I know water behind that tin is a big no no. So I glooped the crap out of every screw and hole I put in that thing. That stuff isn't silicone- it's something WAY stickier. The tube says it will even bond to wet surfaces. Next time I'm out at the truck I'll grab a pic of the tube and post it. I also learned that it sucks big time to get it on your fingers! I'm never gonna wear this stuff off!
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redthies
Renaissance Redneck
Coat your finger tips up thoroughly and you're all set for your next jewel heist!
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
I had a potential buyer for my hardside say he didn't like all the sealer on it. I told him you won't like owning a camper.
Seabass
Idiot
Ok- we have a spare tire carrier!!!! It's not all the way done because it lacks finish. I still need to grind some welds down and I want to change the hinge to a round pipe instead of tube. But it works well and it gets me a spare on my truck before my upcoming trip! So here's some pics. I look forward to your critiques!
Started out with some new box tubing and a grade 8 1"x8" bolt. The bolt had the hex head cut off and then I welded it to the end of the bumper.
this is what I don't like. I just couldn't find any tubing that was 1" I.D. But I could find some fairly heavy box tube. I figured good start.
shaping up a handle.
So you get the gist....it's just another tire carrier. But I made it and I'm kinda proud and it works and it was really cheap. A good return for a few hours work and a few bucks worth of metal. I also finished taking the 90's crappy striping off today. Looks better plain white- actually it's kinda dingy white. Looks like old worn dirty sock white. I'm gonna try to brighten it up this weekend. Simple Green? Purple Power? Clorox? Maybe all of em'. I got a favor coming Monday- custom Shadow Grass striping job and new matching Jayco logos! Pics to come! Oh - and pay no attention to my license plate. Just pretend I blurred it out. As always- FORWARD HO!
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Seabass
Idiot
Time for an update. After a lot of figuring and contemplating we finally decided on how to stripe the camper. I'm really pleased with the overall look. I don't particularly care for the black stripe that extends from the front over the truck cab- but you could tell where the original stripes had been. So the black stripe covers that up. I'll probably change that at some point-- but this will do for now. And the diamond plate on the front corners- yep. You guessed it- camper cancer! Drove it about an hour and half north of home last weekend and when I got where I was going I hopped out and instantly noticed that the canvas was hanging out on the passenger side. After some examination I realized that the latch had pulled out if the camper and was gone! This caused the driver side latch to carry all the load and had nearly pulled it out as well. This also ripped the skin off about a foot back on the driver side. Suck! After a lot of study a patch seemed to be the best fix. The driver side was still solid- but the skin was all mangled up. Since it's a one piece skin I couldn't see replacing the entire side. So I covered it with some heavy aluminum. The passenger side just got built up a little and covered to match the other side. Several stainless steel screws and a tube of caulk later as well as some big rivets- it's repaired and seems really solid. It's not what I prefer- but I can't see spending a fortune to fix it up factory. But it's fixed strong. I found where water had gotten in and repaired that. The camper is good again. I ordered 4 new latches from amazon. I figured a couple extra wasn't gonna hurt anything so on they went on too. Now the top will stay latched in a hurricane! Since I'm hoping to buy a FWC in the future -this one just needs to be maintained. In the mean time I'm ready to go! My trip is fast approaching and I'll update when it has come and gone. And if anyone is even close to KY my stripe guy is the best! He letters all our businesses big trucks and I've never been disappointed. Check him out at cassonsign.com And now the pics....
As always- Forward Ho!
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As always- Forward Ho!
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pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Looks Great! That repair should last forever; that's a vulnerable spot anyways. Now it's reinforced.
Seabass
Idiot
Thanks for the compliment Pappa! It seems solid after the patch. I like diamond tread. It makes most anything look better! And camo- when is it ever wrong to add camo to anything?!
Seabass
Idiot
Dang, guys. The trip was amazing! But that had nothing to do with the truck. I am affiliated with a church camp and we took 25 campers to lake Barkley in west Ky. The food and lake and ministry were awesome. The truck- well it sucks. I loaded up Saturday morning with enough gear for a four day trip. Not that long- and at a campground to boot- but a great opportunity to spend some time in the camper. I volunteered to tow a sixteen foot toy hauler that was loaded down with camp gear and food. It might have weighed six thousand pounds gross. I figured the camper loaded might have gone a ton. So the truck was working but not nearly as hard as it could. We tore out down the bluegrass parkway with no problems. There's a fair hill to pull as it approaches Elizabethtown and the truck absolutely ate it up. I was so pleased- I hadn't thought it was very powerful but it sailed up the grade very good for a 17 year old truck with only a superchip and I was impressed. We hammered on to the West Ky Parkway- a convoy of us five vehicles in all. When we got about 100 miles away from the lake- disaster struck. I pulled into the passing lane going about 70 mph and was almost around the semi that couldn't pick a cruising speed when I heard a loud bang under the truck and felt a massive vibration through the shifter. I quickly got to the shoulder and this is the first thing I saw when I got under the truck-
I figured no problem. I have a u-joint. I'll put it in. Then I noticed this-
The tail shaft broke completely off the transmission! GRRRR!!! Next came this-
And so that's how it is. I left the truck after many phone calls to a friend in the area. It currently sits at a highly recommended tranny shop in west Ky, and I sit in my house typing this. The owner of the shop couldn't have been nicer and said it would be next week before he could touch it. But, he had the back half of a tranny and said it really wasn't the end of the world. The tranny has to come out and basically be disassembled and re-assembled to put a new rear section on, but it's not necessary to replace the whole thing. That's a relief. That was the biggest load the truck has ever pulled. So the guts of the tranny should be in good shape. So it's gonna get a new clutch and flywheel while we are at it ( no more DMF ) ! I hope it's good when I get it back. As for why this happened- I've had three people that do tranny work tell me that the u-joint failing caused the trans to break. It's actually not uncommon if the vibration is severe enough. I hadn't really noticed it. It was probably there when I bought the truck 8 months ago I just hadn't drove it without the vibration to know the difference. So the load coupled with the vibration of the drive shaft broke it off. On a different note I'd like to add that a tent on the ground by the lake is good- but not in August in south west KY when it's hot and humid! Maybe next time I'll get to use the camper. But it wasn't in the cards this time. As always - FORWARD HO!
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pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Fook! What caused that? Was it cracked when you bought it and didn't notice?