The TARDIS - A Four Wheel Camper Build

[Overland Hadley]

More work on Tardis today!


Spring has finally arrived to the north woods. Today was a near perfect day with temps in the low 50's and the sun shining bright and warm. The lakes are still covered with ice, but it is going to be melting fast now that the snow is gone and it is "black" ice. With the nice spring weather comes a rush of work, I put in 80 hours in the last week installing cedar siding on somebody's dream home, soon the air will be thick with bugs so it is best to get it done now. I am also working though my own todo list before tourist season starts and things get really crazy busy around here. So it was nice to put in quality time with some projects on the Tardis.




Opened up the camper and let the spring air in. Over the winter I have tried to open and air it out when I had the chance and the weather was nice.






First project was to add wood strips to the bottom of the camper. I am doing this because I did not want to use the factory supplied bed mat because it was so heavy. And I also discovered that the runners on the bottom of the camper did not match up well with the grooves in the truck bed, as both ran north-south, so the camper was only sitting on the truck bed in a couple small areas. So some runners going east-west were in order.




At some point in the future I plan on putting another coat of stain on the bottom plywood of the camper. I feel that with all the holes I have drilled it would not be a bad idea, and the factory stain is a little thin in places.




Next project was to secure the MaxTrax in their mount. They are now secured and locked in place.






Then it was on to the new fun stuff. The first parts mounted should look familiar.






So these parts are for...... a shower and toilet shelter. It could also easily be made into an awing, I will have to look into that in the future.


Here is testing the aluminum pole flex. Everything looks good, but I do not have the room to test the fabric sides, so that will have to wait.






It was a good day working on Tardis.

[Super Doody]

Hi Nathanael,

Apologizes if you already addressed this but how do you deal with the 1/2 gap difference between slid out and cabover?

Thanks,

Jim

Sorry, I found the answer

http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...48#post1217448

[pods8]

FYI, Glidden Oil Floor and Porch is a pretty good coating/well wearing paint that I recoated my old FWC with.

[Overland Hadley]

FYI, Glidden Oil Floor and Porch is a pretty good coating/well wearing paint that I recoated my old FWC with.

Thanks for the recommendation. I do have some Cabot leftover from another project that I might use.

[Overland Hadley]

Hi Nathanael,

Apologizes if you already addressed this but how do you deal with the 1/2 gap difference between slid out and cabover?

Thanks,

Jim

I have looked at a few fancy options, including this one you linked to. (link) But because of cost I am going to try just using some RidgeRest pads to make up the difference and provide insulation. The air circulation will not be as good, but the R-value is very good. The RidgeRest was a simple solution with no cost because I have a few extra pads laying around.

Sorry, I have another question

Is this the handle you have? http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?...486&id=2094294

The old link is no longer active.

The plastic door handle is looking pretty worn on my Eagle. I already replaced the original screw with larger diameter bolt but after a few months of use, the bolt is coming loose again. Its probably due to the thin walls of the aluminum tubing. I'm thinking about getting a handle simliar to the one you have but bolting it all the way through with some acorn caps on the interior. I just don't want the handle to come loose when my pregnant wife is getting in or out of the camper.

Thanks man!

I have the metal handle that came with my camper, if you want to cover shipping you can have it. Just send me a PM.

It looks like they have slightly changed the design of the SeaDog handle that I have. But the one you linked to is the same size and kind as I have.

I was just noting yesterday when I was working on the camper, that I seldom use my handle, most of the time I just put a hand on the edge of the door opening. I was trying to train myself to use the nice handle I installed.

[Super Doody]

I have looked at a few fancy options, including this one you linked to. (link) But because of cost I am going to try just using some RidgeRest pads to make up the difference and provide insulation. The air circulation will not be as good, but the R-value is very good. The RidgeRest was a simple solution with no cost because I have a few extra pads laying around.




I have the metal handle that came with my camper, if you want to cover shipping you can have it. Just send me a PM.

It looks like they have slightly changed the design of the SeaDog handle that I have. But the one you linked to is the same size and kind as I have.

I was just noting yesterday when I was working on the camper, that I seldom use my handle, most of the time I just put a hand on the edge of the door opening. I was trying to train myself to use the nice handle I installed.

Thanks man. A ridge rest is exactly what I used last night testing the neoair dreamtime without the factory cushions. I also tested the close position of the camper with the neoair dreamtime most deflated. It worked fine the fit was actually a little loose. The panel handle could flop around and do some damage. Normally with the factory cushion makes a pretty snug fit with the handle on the panel.

[Overland Hadley]

Thanks man. A ridge rest is exactly what I used last night testing the neoair dreamtime without the factory cushions. I also tested the close position of the camper with the neoair dreamtime most deflated. It worked fine the fit was actually a little loose. The panel handle could flop around and do some damage. Normally with the factory cushion makes a pretty snug fit with the handle on the panel.

I am jealous of your NeoAir Dream! I think this new mattress is a much better option than my old model of DreamTime, as it deflates much flatter and could easily be folded in half in the cabover during transit.

I am looking into replacing the internal self inflating mattress of my DreamTime with a NeoAir mattress.

[Overland Hadley]

The camper is on the truck! Sadly no amazing trip report is forthcoming, just using the camper during a week of work away from home. I do hope to slip away a couple nights and find a nice place to camp, so I might have a couple photos to share.

[SLO_F-250]

Glad to see the Tardis back on the truck Overland! Looking good!