Midsize Camper into a Fullsize??

[AZCaptain]

Hey there, I am going to be converting my 2wd 77 chevy shortbed to a 4wd. I want to explore all over the Southwest, Mexico and eventually Alaska. I have the oppurtunity to get a slide in camper that came out of a dodge dakota, for the right price...FREE.

SO......Has anybody here put a midsize camper into a fullsize shortbed? If so, pictures? How did it work out? Is there enough space left over to build water and gear storage around the sides?

If there is enough leftover room I was kinda thinking of building a cradle system so the camper would sit in the cradle with the storage built into the cradle.

Both the truck and camper are in Northern California and I am in Lake Havasu City Arizona. I plan on going and getting them at the end of the month. Would be nice to get some insight from you guys before I make the trip. Its a 12 hour drive up there, so I will have some time on my hands to ponder doing it all lol.

Thanks for any help!

[truck mechanic]

sorry, no photos, but years ago, I had a small slide in, in an 86 gmc 1500. I put 2 palets in the bed and put the camper on top of that. fit well and was good for weekend get aways.
Paul

[12husky]

I put a camper meant for a small Toyota in the back of a 2000 short bed GMC. I needed a 4" tall platform in the base of the truck to get the cabover over the cab. There was enough room alongside the camper for the jacks, chairs, firewood, and more. My parents took this set up from Maryland to Alaska twice along with trips all over the rest of the US. I will see if I can find any pictures.

~Matt

[Photomike]

Not sure of the sizes that you will be dealing with but here are a few things to look into:

Height of TC cab over clearing truck cab - Saw a nice job done of someone building a basement with drawers to raise the camper up enough and it gave him more space for storage. I would slide it up to the front of the box for stability. Watch things on top of the truck cab like antennas and lights. Also, if the TC is narrower build a set of guides so it stays center.

Steps - as length may be a lot different look at keeping the tailgate on the truck and using some steps that attach to the tailgate or a separate set of steps. The space between the tailgate and the TC (if any) can be very useful for a deck/patio and for storage.

Anchors - Make sure that the TC goes over the edge of the truck to secure it. If not you may want to add anchors in the truck box that are attached to the truck frame. Make sure that it is secure to something other than the truck box as it can twist the box.

You may have a few things to do to make it work, but some time and money when it is free is not a big thing, post some pictures of your new TC when you get it.

[half-cab]

Have you thought about converting the truck to a flatbed? It would open up a lot of possibilities for custom storage. It would not be any more work than a 'cradle' with built-in storage.

[Sportsman Matt]

This was my old truck camper, an 89 Sunline 750C made for a Ford Ranger Pickup. I made up a 2x6 ladder frame to support the floor and lift it up high enough to get over the cab and bedrails.

This pic shows it on my 02 GMC Sierra 1500 long bed, nice part was the bed is 8' and the camper was 7'6" so I could leave the tailgate on and use it as a porch or table to cook off of when necessary.

Only thing I had to do was modify the three jack system, the old jacks had tripod feet, and had to make a different jack foot for the passenger side jack to clear the truck's rear tire.

[benhaygood]

got a grat deal on a Kamp King aluminum cab over meant for a Ranger and put it on my 04 Chevy Silverado ext cab. Simply bolted a 4 x 4 down the interior of each bed wall (at top) and then the camper to the 4 x 4s. Seems to work great with a few small exceptions.

1. I guess the ranger bed is wider at the tail...ie, my gaps are significant at the front and non-exsistent at the tail. Thinking I'm just going to get some flashing to cover this - looks bad. Also was thinking of a simple rack system/mounting exterior gear on the outside (s) to take some of the gap.

2. Not sure why this model has a "cab over" of only a few inches in height. Is it easy to covert this to a pop-up? Would love to have that space as a sleeping area.

3. Need to paint it. Thinking flat black/black primer.

4. Can someone please direct me to a good link/site/thread for a complete build/renovation on a cab over (as I have no "bottom)?

[Mamontof]

Pa near Glen State Park ?

[IdaSHO]

The camper Im currently using was originally designed for a mini-truck.

I made a few alterations.

[southerlytide]

This is what I did the"Box" has a 35 gal water tank and pump with hose an ARB air pump for beach trips it carries my hi lift jack extra fishing poles a winch bag chains tool bag jumper cable