out with the old in with the new

[westyss]

Hi all , starting a thread on my new camper. I had a 91 westy with lots of mods; suby, engine, propex furnace , dual propane tanks etc, and we slowly have grown out of it. So after lots of looking around with not alot of options, I chose to go with the FG. My main needs or wants were , bigger, able to haul more, and 4x4. I had a pretty good idea of the issues with the FG and thought I could work around them. I have just completed my first big trip with it and am very happy with it except improving the ability to dampen big bumps. This first pic is when I bought the truck and got it home. It was new but was on a lot for a while. Its a 2007 that I purchased in 2009.
01.jpg

The first thing needed was a deck, so I mocked one up out of wood. My neighbors thought it was to be built out of wood, ha.

02.jpg

this is in its semi complete state, still need to complete the interior and heat/ water system storage areas, and an out door kitchen. I needed to use it so am taking a break from working on it. It has some temporary cabinets, a queen size bed, and a 6.8 cu/ft nova cool 12 volt fridge with freezer. I do alot of highway so the bulk of my driving is with that in mind, but needed to be able to get into those hard to get into places. I have gotten stuck several times with my 2 wheel drive westy. Our trip was a good distance, 8,225 km with some 4x4 ing , I like the FG for its size and great turning radius, we got our selves onto an ATV track that dwindled down to nothing and did a reverse turn in very little space, Once off the track I had to remove some foliage that we took with us.
I will try to post some pics of the on going construction. Yves

03.JPG

[westyss]

After finalizing the plans for the deck I had some one make it, I left the top off the deck to finish the mounts easier

04.jpg

Then a little testing, without any weight the frame flexes alot, but gave me a good idea how much movement it had.


This next pic was with the duellies still on.



Singles on , top of deck on

[westyss]

I had the cabin pieces made from my plans and once they were ready I took the FG to pick them up. Just a little snow.



The walls are fiberglass each side with a high density foam filled honey comb structure, strong like crazy. You can see that in the lower pic.With a bunch of aluminum I started to asemble it. The cabin is a complete unit, walls roof floor. Basically like a funny shaped shoe box.



08.jpg

[westyss]

thats it for now til next week, I have to drag myself out to this place for some fly fishing.

[LukeH]

thats it for now til next week, I have to drag myself out to this place for some fly fishing.

What a chore, to have to go out fly fishing

Looks fantastic, looking forward to the next installment.
It appears that you've mastered quite a few of the issues both specific to FGs and those generic to a 4x4 lorry build. I'll be interested in the poptop sealing particularly.
Thanks for sharing

[1leglance]

great job and I am looking forward to hearing more...
I assume this is setup for 2 people but just wanted to make sure.

[AceRider]

I sent you a message after seeing a picture of your setup in another thread what "brand" of manufacture your box was - then I found this and learned it's a Westyss....

It's brilliant and makes me fantasize like an 11 year old boy in the Hot for Teacher video.

Are you an engineer/mechanic? How did you get these fabrication skills?

[westyss]

Oh man, I answered your Pmail thinking that you meant the Rubbermaid storage box, so disregard my pmail, the camper box is my design and build.

[AceRider]

Rubbermaid - that's a good one!

What about the last part of the question above - what is your background that you have the skills to do this? This isn't something you start on a whim and learn as you go.

Also, is the composite material strong enough to walk around on the roof?

[westyss]

I was trying to avoid that question, I am a pilot, but used to be a contractor and have worked previously in the manufactured home and RV industry. I had no experience with composite materials, all I had was an idea, and pushed it through, so I guess i did learn as I went.
The composit is very strong, walking on the roof is no problem at all, up or down. The walls are a little thicker and a little stronger having an extra thin layer of glass in the middle. The material could be alot thinner in general, I cant imagine needing the strength of this material in the outside world, I really dont worry about bashing through the woods with this thing.