Project Flift, a 1986 Four Wheel Campers Fleet shortening documentation thread!

Atl-atl

Adventurer
A few months ago I bought a new Tacoma, promptly put a roof tent over the bed and built a kitchen slide-out. Used it a few times, really started to like it and was getting ready for a friendsgiving trip to Moab. Then a 1986 Four Wheel Campers Fleet came into my life! Ive had two pop up campers in the past and remodeled both of them, chronicled here as part of my Dodge Ram 2500 documentation thread. One an 80s Hawk that I gutted and never really finished before I sold it, one an 80s "Four Seasons" by Lance for which I did an interior refresh and then sold.

I know mid-size truck campers are hard to find on the used market. I constantly scour the internet keeping tabs on FWC prices and availability. I caught this one eight hours after it was listed on CL, called and offered the guy full asking price and drove two hours to pick it up the next morning. This time Im going slightly overboard.

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"mine"
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It was a bit of a mess when I got it. The previous owner left all sorts of stuff inside. Tools, buckets, bedding, cookware etc. The bones were good though, might as well rip them all out HAH!

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It had one bit of damage where, apparently, one of the hydraulic jacks failed while driving and ripped off the truck.
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Removing stuff to assess the damage lead to things getting slightly out of hand...Just kidding this is all part of the plan.
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Ideally I would find a Finch for sale for $500 but since thats never going to happen, Ill just make this Fleet into a Swift to fit my longbed Tacoma. Since FWC didnt make a Swift back in the day, I have to make my own. Holy ******** what have I gotten myself into!?!

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BajaSurfRig

Active member
Congrats on the find! I am about to start fixing up a CL find FWC in the near future and am not sure how far I want to take it. Buenas Suerte!!
 

Atl-atl

Adventurer
Update from last weekend. Got a lot done on Friday and Saturday but progress halted during the week because of work travel. I finished almost all of the shortening. Ive relocated all the aluminum tubing for the structure and window frames. The windows I had to order came in early and Ive started mocking them up. I also started work on interior finishes, paint on the drivers side cabinetry and wallpaper for the front wall.

Here the interior panels and interior window trim rings are mocked up. The front wall is in place but is not burned in yet because I need to remove and replace it a few times to check fitment and finishes.
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I have not yet cut off the "front" of the floor so it looks like there is a deck in front hahaha
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Since I had the face of the cabinets ripped off I decided to trace all of the electrical and plumbing to figure out just what was going on inside. The good news is everything underneath is in very good shape. Wiring all looks new, propane lines look new, water tank and lines are all clean, everything is labeled and appears in perfect working order. Im excited to get it all buttoned up, filled up and hooked to a battery so I can test out the systems.

Surprisingly few wires
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Backside of the thermostat looks new
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Shore power hookup, sink drain, water tank drain valve/tube and water tank overflow tube
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Fuse panel for the 110v shore power outlets and 120v to 12v converter
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120v to 12v converter. There are two 110v outlets on the counter backsplash and one behind the fridge for when it runs on shore power.
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Thermostat and rear "porch" light switch
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Back side of the 3 way fridge. Still not 100% sure how this thing works. Obviously there is a rotary switch for 12v/OFF/110v and there is an on/off valve for the propane but I dont know exactly how it functions. Does it need electrical power when running the propane? I imagine the camper has to be level to use the propane and cant be run while the vehicle is in motion. There is also what appears to be a red push valve on he propane line. I think this has to be pushed each time you want the propane to cool the fridge. Can I run the fridge on 12v power while driving? I think so.
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Wallpaper suuuuucks. Dont ever use it if you dont have to HAH! Interior design is in my blood though. Here is a sneak peek at my interior color and materials palette. Yes Im acting like I didnt get much work done but in reality I disassembled all of the cabinetry faces, drawers and the refrigerator door and sanded/painted/reassembled all of it. In the future I will replace the cabinet faces but thats not doable at the moment.
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Atl-atl

Adventurer
Big project there Atl-atl
Looking good you'll have a nice camper for your rig. Those refrigerators are finicky, efficiency can be affected if not level. Can be nasty if you develop a leak. Slowly loosing ground to the electric 12v mechanical compressors.

Hope this helps explain function.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator

Russ

Intersting read. Thank you for the info. I typically camp only 1-3 nights so I can get away with it simply being an icebox but I would love for it to work correctly just because I like things to work correctly!

When you say slowly losing ground I think you mean 3-ways are old and 12v mechanical compressors are the new trend, correct?
 

Flhtruss

Observer
Yeah that's what I was getting at. I also like items to function as designed, however sometimes your time is better spent camping. Not just the new trend, better all around. They're more consistent over a wider temperature range. More forgiving and all the cool kids have' ever. :)

Russ
 

kerry

Expedition Leader
3 way frigs need no electricity when running on propane. They're very simply devices and typically last a long time, especially with the mechanical control system you have. Not quite as quick at cooling as 12v compressor frigs but perfectly acceptable. They tore down the house behind us about 20 years ago and were selling off interior components before demolition. I went inside and ran across a natural gas absorption frig from the 1930's or 40's still running in the kitchen. The house had been empty for about 5 yrs at that point.
 

Atl-atl

Adventurer
3 way frigs need no electricity when running on propane. They're very simply devices and typically last a long time, especially with the mechanical control system you have. Not quite as quick at cooling as 12v compressor frigs but perfectly acceptable. They tore down the house behind us about 20 years ago and were selling off interior components before demolition. I went inside and ran across a natural gas absorption frig from the 1930's or 40's still running in the kitchen. The house had been empty for about 5 yrs at that point.

So the plan of action for this would be run it on the 12V from the truck while driving and switch to propane once parked at camp? What if you forget to turn off the propane and drive?
 

kerry

Expedition Leader
Wind from driving will often blow the flame out if that happens the pilot feature will shut the flow of gas off not a big deal
 

Flhtruss

Observer
Atl-atl
Those 3 way refrigerator are not economical when using 120v or 12v to make the refrigerator work. The pilot flame on the other hand is just the opposite. Be careful when driving and using the 12v lunch and a fuel stop can put a dent in a battery. We used to drive with the pilot on and once we figured out what power hogs they are that's all we used. I'm not against them, I know it sounds like it. There are lots of the out there. Our 12v Engle for me just out performs the absorption refrigerator we had.


Russ
 

Atl-atl

Adventurer
Atl-atl
Those 3 way refrigerator are not economical when using 120v or 12v to make the refrigerator work. The pilot flame on the other hand is just the opposite. Be careful when driving and using the 12v lunch and a fuel stop can put a dent in a battery. We used to drive with the pilot on and once we figured out what power hogs they are that's all we used. I'm not against them, I know it sounds like it. There are lots of the out there. Our 12v Engle for me just out performs the absorption refrigerator we had.


Russ


I guess Im not following. On one hand people say that having the truck ever so slightly out of level makes the propane not work for the fridge but on the other hand people are saying you can drive while running the propane. That doesn't make sense to me.
 

kerry

Expedition Leader
The ammonia returns via gravity. There's no pump to move the refrigerant. That's why these frig's last so long. There's enough motion while driving to allow this to happen, unless you happen to be driving uphill or downhill for hours on end (whichever direction counteracts the tilt of the return tube) The driving problem exists whether on propane or 12volts because the issue isn't the power source but the tilt of the return tube. The frig will operate when stopped and out of level as long as the 'out of level' is not tilting the return tube upwards to stop the flow of ammonia. You can see the tilt of the gravity return system by looking at the tubes on the back of the frig. (The 12 volt system doesn't engage a compressor. It initiates a resistor heater. That's why these frigs aren't very efficient on 12 volts. They're not pumping, they're replacing the propane heat with electric heat)
 

FourWheelOverland

Four_Wheel_Overland on Instagram
Never run a 3 way on battery, just bad idea, run on propane 100% of time, my old one would run for 1month straight on a bottle.
 

Flhtruss

Observer
Hi Atl-atl
I think earlier post indicates using propane the pilot may or may not stay lit while driving. Can't say for sure we never had the pilot go out while driving, but didn't seem to be be a problem for us. As for being level, do not think they go hand in hand with driving with the propane pilot lit. Also I do not think the manufacturer recommended driving while having the pilot lit.

You will understand better when you start using your refrigerator bud.

Russ
 

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