Project Bullfrog, a descent into madness 02 silverado 1500 "custom" popup

coastalcop

Active member
This whole thing got started as I bought a small boat (named the Tadpole) and my 03 Rubicon didnt like towing it at highway speeds. Ive been a lurker here for years and reg poster on adv rider (where most of my "overlanding" occurred (though i did build up a 17 f-150 crew cab for a couple of years and a few trips) . Back to the topic at hand, I started looking for a basic pickup that would tow my 16" SeaArk at highway speeds (75-85 mph) without its tongue hanging out. I preferred to stay gasoline instead of diesel as diesel engines are black magic to me. I wanted single or extended cab (no crew cab) and short bed for a smaller footprint.

I was entertaining in the back of my mind, the thought of building up a camper of sorts so i could extend the places and time I used the boat, and possibly to haul my dual sports around.

The search began and I stumbled upon the vehicle shown on a fluke. It was located only 130 miles away, was priced within my ballpark (sub 10k) and the pictures made it worth the trip to see if this would fit my needs. According to the seller (who was not the builder) and all the research I could find on the interwebz, it started life as 02 silverado 1500 work truck (GE) with a Reading Toolbed.

I will let the builder say it in their own words (or at least what they used to sell it before I found it) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This is a highly customized short wheel base 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500. with a pop-up camper built on a service utility bed. The truck has around 126K miles on the GM 5. 3 liter V-8 with automatic transmission and manual shift transfer case.

Truck Modifications & Extras
· 6” Superlift . with Bilstein shocks
· Air Lift rear air adjustable air bags
· Exterior lined with Raptor spray-on bedliner
· 6 - 35”x 12. 5' Pro Comp All Terrain tires (75-80% tread)
· 6 - XD matte black wheels
· New marine vinyl seat covers and headliner
· Custom front Bumper w/Warn 10K lb. winch & remote
· Custom grill with 52” curved LED light bar & 4 – 4” LED cubes
· 4 Front anchor ponts. 2 with detachable D-rings
· Custom rear bumper w/ 2 anchors points and 2 D-rings
· Dual spare tires on rear “tailgate”
· 2” receiver hitch
· Prestige two-way alarm w/keyless entry and auto start
· Oversized. slotted. drilled brake rotors with new calipers
· K&N air filter
· Hi-Lift jack

Custom Camper
· Reading brand utility service bed with 6 lockable bays
· Welded aluminum superstructure for lightweight strength
· Welded aluminum ladder frame roof w/1” rigid foam sandwiched between the gel-coated fiberglass outer layer and aluminum sheet inner layer
· 4 tinted awning style RV windows with screens
· Heavy duty canvas pop-up with 4 screened “roll-up” windows
· ½” thick acrylic front window
· Sliding screened window in the back door
· 2 – 85 watt solar panels. charge controller. 2 100mAh AGM batteries
· 1750 watt power inverter w/2 - 110v outlets and 2- 12v (USB) outlets
· Separate 12v outlet (Cigarette lighter style)
· LED lighting (4 strips on 2 switches. 4 articulating lamps on 2 switches)
· 20 gallon fresh water tank
· 12v and manual water pump faucet on the 9”x11” stainless sink
· Primus portable grill/burner attached to a 30lb. propane canister
· Convertible twin size sofa/bed
· 4 lift assist struts to raise/lower the top (6'2” interior height)
· 2 tension assist struts to raise/lower the rear “tailgate”

Information about the truck/camper combination
This 2002 Chevy Silverado truck was originally a GE service truck. and the service records show it was meticulously maintained by GE's mechanics until I bought it at around 80K miles. The truck has been very well cared for during the past 2-3 years that I have owned the truck – regular maintenance. including filter and synthetic oil changes every 3K miles. belts. hoses. seals. gaskets. and replacing many parts. like water pump/thermostat. upper and lower ball joints. front wheel bearings. etc.

Further. since I did all the work on the truck/camper. all the parts used in the modifications were new - like the suspension. wheels. tires. air bags. lights. bumpers. winch. and of course. the whole camper section on the back. Grade 8 hardware was used in every structural application. while stainless hardware was used where the elements were a bigger consideration than the structural integrity.

There are really too many modifications for me to remember and list in this posting. I have tried to hit the highlights. and hopefully the many photos I have posted will fill in the blanks I have not mentioned. If you have specific questions. contact me. I have additional photos for those truly interested in purchasing this unique vehicle. It will go almost anywhere - on. or off. road.

In 2015 I drove from Dallas to the Arctic Ocean. and lived off-the-grid in this camper in Alaska and Canada for 7-8 months. many times hunting. fishing. or hiking for weeks at a time. It is a great vehicle for a person or couple who like(s) to travel light. be self-contained. and have something compact. yet capable. to get back in the wilderness to hunt. fish. hike. or just escape the insanity of civilization for some time.

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coastalcop

Active member
Back to the story: So I found it 130 miles away and figured it was worth the trip to see, so I grabbed the towbar for the rubicon, stopped by the bank for a wad of cash and headed north . On arrival I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly, but after a test drive, I was in love and a deal was struck. Cash and keys exchanged hands and I hooked the rubicon to the back of my new rig ( now christened "bullfrog" as it original intent was to haul the Tadpole) and towed it back to my place to start the refresh.


The Good: Bulletproof 5.3 LS engine ( a tune and a low range/rise cam will wake these things up without a real effect on reliability)
LSD rear end
No Rust
Everything in the truck including the AC works (great thing to have down on the third coast)
Already has popup on the back that is fairly well built ( and probably 800 lbs heavier than a 4wheel camper ;)
Engine totally caged and front suspension tied to the cage.
Truck interior marine vinyl is tough stuff
Reinforced rear suspension with additional springs and airbags
Tire carrier acts a porch and secures the camper when parked (at least the rear door) in a lot somewhere.
Without engine mods will tow the jeep/boat/trailer with dual sports at 80-85 and the temp /AC stays cool.
20 gal of water onboard with both manual and electric pump for sink
dual battery setup for camper (deep cycle sealed) and solar array w controller
Popped up, I can stand inside at 6'2"
Winch Works

The Bad: Torsion bar front suspension (works great but not the best application for the really rough stuff) and IFS vice solid axle.
35" Pro Comp M/T tires (LOUD and prone to a little "drift" at highway speeds)
Minor leak in rear diff
Wiring inside camper needs work
Dual batteries need replacing
One solar panel crushed
Solar controller dated
roof will need resealing before too long
row of led spots on the front pulled enough current to melt the small relay they were wired to (have to pull and check current draw or if there is a wiring issue)

The Ugly: Bedliner paint applied haphazardly and without a teardown to apply (you look close you can see areas the original white is peaking through)
A few dings and dents of a life well spent so far.
Wish he had done this as a cabover design for more space inside.


So where to from here?

Well, Ive already started some of the mods/repairs to include:

Tires went from 35" M/T to 33" A/T (quieter on the road and gained a little power back)
Changed all coil packs wires plugs (preventative, it ran fine before) belts.
changed all fluids (again preventative) and fixed rear diff leak
Replaced the two deep cycle batteries and rewired
Replaced solar controller with newer 30a mppt type
pulled the old solar panels off (awaiting new panels)
reduced pull out drawers in reading bed ( those drawers saved me probably 75-100 lbs of steel all told)


Things awaiting parts and shop time

Appt made for low lift cam and tune for torque, while in there (cause all this stuff has to come out for the cam) new timing chain, oil pump, water pump thermostat, radiator, hoses)
bundling this all together makes the shop time just what the cam replacement would cost and probably less than it would cost me to do it in beer with hand tools ;)

Install new flex solar panels (2X100w) and wire to controller
Install battery isolator/charger system to tie alternator and truck battery into the complete charging loop (auto cutoff to spare truck battery w option to tie all three batteries for starting)
Figure out and fix/ replace front led bar and spot lights.
Seal roof again
Add rack to truck cab and extend wind diverter to push air over camper ( though going to flat panel solar will allow me to lower front lip by 4" )
Add fridge/freezer (sub 40l)

And probably 100 other things that will come to mind as the rebuild progresses, I dont think these things are ever really done.

As it is in current trim awaiting parts etc.thumbnail_IMG_2622.jpgthumbnail_IMG_2625.jpg
 

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Wrathchild

Active member
Very cool truck!

I assume you have the 9.5 rearend. Any issues with all the weight constantly back there? I’m thinking that’s my weak point right now in my ‘14.
 

coastalcop

Active member
As luck would have it, Im currently reading your build thread lol. I only have about 500 miles on it so far myself. Currently at 134k miles. When i pulled the rear diff cover everything looked good inside. Going through the build codes gave me GT5 4.10 gearing and G80 positrac , its a 10 bolt rear end so I an honestly unsure if that is a 9.5 or not. Im still figuring out all the parameters of Chevy (I wrench on bikes, older fords, and imports when I open the toolbox). I am sure that my camper setup is significantly heavier than yours (its a steel reading toolbed that is the base for the camper). So you even in built trim will likely be several hundred pounds lighter on the rear axle. Im sure I will learn more as this progresses, hope this helps
 

Wrathchild

Active member
Good deal! Yeah sounds like we have the same rear diff. I regeared to 4.56 and it helped a lot. Still a slow pig, but I average 14.5 keeping it at 65. I had an axle seal replaced about 10k ago but that’s my only issue so far.
 

coastalcop

Active member
Started wiring in for the isolator and connecting truck to camper power. Also starting to hate the prestige alarm ;) so I might pause installation of power for the moment in favor of tracing and removing the alarm system. Nothing like having your ear a foot from the horn when you reconnect power and it triggers the alarm.
 

coastalcop

Active member
Good news/bad news.

The refit is going well, replaced the the old panels with renology 100w flex panels, installing a 30l fridge/freezer . Waiting on my mechanic for the cam/tune. Thats the good news.

Bad news is the XO said there is no way she is camping in it, bed too small, living space to small for her.

Upside is, she was on board when I said "ok, i will find something with more room" , hopefully "do what the hell you want" means what I think it does ;) . Seriously though, I think I am going to get everything buttoned up and either keep it as a hunting rig, or sell it to someone getting started thats ok with more austere expedition rigs.

Either way Im still having a ball with the refit
 

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