Atl-atl's Dodge Ram 2500 Regular Cab Long Bed "documentation" thread.
- Thread starter Atl-atl
- Start date
Atl-atl
Adventurer
Thanks, I have been in there and cant wait to start fixin her up.
Picked up the camper last night and opened here up to air out at work all day today. Needs a cleaning but I think Im good to go camping this weekend so Im going to give it a whirl! I do need to figure out a permanent tie down solution and clean up the one spot in the front corner where there is water damage. Other than that it doesn't "need" anything.
Atl-atl
Adventurer
They "pop up" around here pretty often but you literally have to buy one the day its listed or someone else will.
Atl-atl
Adventurer
Took the lady and the pup to the front range this weekend to test out the Hawk. We camped at the trailhead of Grays and Torreys Peaks which is at roughly 11,300 feet. There is a small creek that rolls by and is quite nice. Nobody realizes you can drive just past the trailhead and there are some nice camping spots right on the headwaters of Quayle creek with Grays Peak just over the hill to the west. It was quite nice. The Hawk got tested for sure, it rained and hailed almost non stop all night. There are a couple leaks in the canvas unfortunately. One was bad enough we had to sleep on the couch bed down below because water was coming in pretty steadily from the front passenger side corner of the canvas. We rigged up a way to soak the water and were plenty comfy down below on the prop-up bed. Our views were incredible, our hike up to 14,270 was also incredible and the weekend went well all things considered. We were WAY better off than everyone around us trying to sleep in tents!
I will say, the 3 mile bumpy road up and down did a number on the Hawk. Im going to need a way to mount it and also support it in a much more substantial way than just four tie downs. The crappy ratchet straps were plenty strong but the way the mounts attach to the wooden structure of the camper is not good enough and the sides of the camper need support. I need to fill the small gap between the camper bump-out sides and the top of the bedsides to add support so its not just the bottom of the camper on the bed of the truck holding the entire thing up. With the kind of remote trails I go on to find camping the "normal" way of attaching is not going to be good enough. I think Im going to start by bolting the camper to the bed of the truck and filling the gap between the bedsides and the underside of the bump-out.
The small rounded peak you can just see through the trees, over the top/front of the camper, is Grays Peak where we hiked. It doesn't look like much but the truck is parked about 4 miles away.
I haven't quite figured out how to embed vids on expedition portal. Im thinking I have to host somewhere other than flickr, maybe youtube or something.
[video]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/20449554820_f0ff3a8624_z.jpg[/video]
[video]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/20018970384_b12fb86e58_z.jpg[/video]
I will say, the 3 mile bumpy road up and down did a number on the Hawk. Im going to need a way to mount it and also support it in a much more substantial way than just four tie downs. The crappy ratchet straps were plenty strong but the way the mounts attach to the wooden structure of the camper is not good enough and the sides of the camper need support. I need to fill the small gap between the camper bump-out sides and the top of the bedsides to add support so its not just the bottom of the camper on the bed of the truck holding the entire thing up. With the kind of remote trails I go on to find camping the "normal" way of attaching is not going to be good enough. I think Im going to start by bolting the camper to the bed of the truck and filling the gap between the bedsides and the underside of the bump-out.
The small rounded peak you can just see through the trees, over the top/front of the camper, is Grays Peak where we hiked. It doesn't look like much but the truck is parked about 4 miles away.
I haven't quite figured out how to embed vids on expedition portal. Im thinking I have to host somewhere other than flickr, maybe youtube or something.
[video]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/20449554820_f0ff3a8624_z.jpg[/video]
[video]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/20018970384_b12fb86e58_z.jpg[/video]
leelikesbikes
Adventurer
the chrome ones are
Regcabguy
Oil eater.
True. Not stock on a ST.
I've seen the chrome steel 17 x 8's stripped and powdercoated. Pretty nice.
Atl-atl
Adventurer
Thanks me too!
I've been running 37x12.50 pro comp extreme at's for about a year now on the stock steelies. Gone on some decent wheeling trips, aired down to 10psi and haven't had any issues. They hold up just fine on the road as well. I think my steelies are 7.5" and I doubt that .5" would make any noticeable difference. Id love to go up to 40s but I think at that point Id want to bump to a larger diameter(not width) wheel but nothing exists in an offset anywhere near stock. I might still try 40s some day on the steelies and see what happens. The only thing really holding me back is notching the frame to fit a full size spare in the stock spare location, especially now that I don't have room in the bed.
Atl-atl
Adventurer
I posted about this over in the pop up truck camper forum also. I need new seals for my Hawk. If anyone could help I appreciate it.
After camping this weekend and realizing my Hawk has a couple leaks I want to go through and start replacing all the seals. Hopefully someone in the know can chime in and tell me where to get them. Basically every seal on the thing is in 35 year old Colorado sunshine beat down shape. The door seal, window rubber seals and pop-up black rubber seal all need replacing. Also it looks like the camper has a channel installed that maybe a canopy used to attach to. Is that what this is and can I still get one or has anyone fabbed one up themselves?
The corners of the black rubber seal around the pop up are all chewed up and falling out.
The black rubber pop-up seal shrunk a number of inches laterally.
The black rubber pop-up seal also isn't nearly "thick" enough to fill the gap between the top and bottom. The gap is around 1/2" to 3/4" all the way around. When you drive in the rain the canvas is all exposed like this from underneath.
The window seals are all dry rotting and shrinking like this.
The door seal is dry rotting and falling apart.
After camping this weekend and realizing my Hawk has a couple leaks I want to go through and start replacing all the seals. Hopefully someone in the know can chime in and tell me where to get them. Basically every seal on the thing is in 35 year old Colorado sunshine beat down shape. The door seal, window rubber seals and pop-up black rubber seal all need replacing. Also it looks like the camper has a channel installed that maybe a canopy used to attach to. Is that what this is and can I still get one or has anyone fabbed one up themselves?
The corners of the black rubber seal around the pop up are all chewed up and falling out.
The black rubber pop-up seal shrunk a number of inches laterally.
The black rubber pop-up seal also isn't nearly "thick" enough to fill the gap between the top and bottom. The gap is around 1/2" to 3/4" all the way around. When you drive in the rain the canvas is all exposed like this from underneath.
The window seals are all dry rotting and shrinking like this.
The door seal is dry rotting and falling apart.
kayak15
Observer
I love this truck! And nice find on the camper! I will post a pic of mine in the next couple of weeks. Pretty similar excepts its a 1994 with 317,000 and sits on 35's..... We are planning a trip to Chattahoochee National Forest after Labor day, and I will have the rig all dressed out.
Again nice truck! The regular cabs do hold a soft spot in my heart as well!!
Kevin
Again nice truck! The regular cabs do hold a soft spot in my heart as well!!
Kevin
