Recent content by R_Lefebvre

Yeah, I'm thinking about "converting" it to an RV registration. AFAIK, we don't even need a bed in Ontario. The only thing stopping me is questions about insurance. Obviously my car insurance wouldn't work anymore. I'd have to get RV insurance, and I'm not sure how hard that would be to get...

IMO, a lot of the chatter about the DSSV's performing poorly, is likely due to people who are looking for a justification to spend money on fancy new shocks. This is a pretty common thing in the automotive performance market. You can buy any car, a BMW M3 or a 911, and get guys finding reasons...

Thanks! So, to be clear, will have multi-use. I plan to have organizational shelves on the driver's side, and kitchen unit on the other , which will be used when doing other outdoor activities. Some of my inspiration:

Yeah, and you ever see those generator-trailers, that have no lights or plates? Because apparently a generator-trailer is not a trailer. It's a generator, that you are towing, behind a truck. But it's not a trailer!

Yeah, the law is simply insane. Apparently really only a problem if the GVW is over 4500kg. So if towing a trailer. But a camper is not a trailer. But then if you are doing some home improvements, and you rent something like a floor sander, cement mixer, etc. then you are a commercial...

Oh, also I spent much of November reorganizing the garage so the truck can fit in with the door closed, insulating the garage and adding a heater so I can keep working in the winter. We're still locked down here in Ontario. So, ******, might as well make the best of the opportunity. So here's...

Here is where I'm adding a J-trim to hold the door bulb seal. I was afraid of how this would go, but it actually went quite well. At least it was, until this happened. So... funny thing... 304 stainless filler rod looks an awful lot like 4043 when you're not paying attention... And...

Here is the setup all installed. Despite the engineering compromise for the 0mm offset, I do like the stance quite a bit. Somewhere along the way, I had built a rear tire carrier. This will also be the base for the rear ladder system. Here is a better view of the tire rack. Also, the...

Oh, I almost forgot to mention. You might have noticed I added low-profile strut channel as rails inside the box. Both as stiffeners for the front/rear/roof panels, but also as tie-down points, and for bolting in furniture in the future. And I also forgot to mention, it was a few days into...

Somewhere around early June, work on the truck stopped, as we had made the decision to downsize our camper. We had a 2014 Coachmen Apex 23' footer, at the time it was the smallest I could get with bunk beds which were important for us. I towed it with the Nissan, and it did it, but it wasn't...

Next, I had to work on the new trailer hitch, which eventually morphed into a rear winch mount. In my experience, I've needed to winch backwards more than forwards anyway. Which I could never do of course. I do plan to probably add a winch up front too. The tow bar is made from 3/16" 2x6...

The frame came together in about a weekend. Which gave me a false sense of confidence this would be done by summer. Added the lights. These are Chinese things from Amazon, and I'm not sure they'll last, so I mounted them via intermediary plates that will be easy to change. If anybody has...

I spent a few hours under the truck with a plumb-bob, trying to reverse-engineer the chassis mount points. Pro-tip: A week or so later, I found that GM makes chassis-cab drawings freely available on the internet:

And here's where it all got started last March. My family helped me lift the back off. I estimate the weight of the bed to be about 150lbs, just based on the fact that my family was able to lift it without anybody getting hurt. The tailgate was another 40 lbs roughly. So, call it 200lbs...

Sooo... I started this build in March 2021. I blame it mostly on the pandemic lockdown. After too much YouTube surfing of overland stuff, I got inspired my Australian flatbed/canopy setups, and with nothing else better to do since everything is shut down, I just kinda jumped in with both feet...