Like everybody else. I'm very busy as well. But I love watching your videos when they're available. Thank you so much. If you will forgive my honesty; this really is the way of the near future. Rent prices are way too high and more and more people in Metro areas are finding themselves homeless. I'm a Los Angeles native and you see tents and people living out of tiny little cars all day long. Put one of these on the back of a truck and have actual living space. I love your camper and I thank you for your videos sir
What a superb workshop the Fabricator has! Very well equipped and spotlessly clean, two important aspects that bode well for high quality workmanship (in my experience).
Thank you, I will make sure to pass this along to him! He has done some very impressive work and his attention to detail is exceptional. He also has a TH-cam channel “VFab Garage”
Great work, I'm from BC but watching from Ecuador, the different aluminum size aren't easily available here, I found all the Angled profile for the frame now I'm looking for the square tubes, what is the size of the square tubing you use? It looks like 1" x 1" x 1/16" or 1/8" can you confirm? Thanks
Yes all of the square tubing is 1 inch x 1 inch and 1/8 inch for the thickness. The majority of the angle is 2x2x 1/8 thick, and the corner pieces are 3x3 x 3/16 thick.
Hi! So glad to find your youtube site! Watched several of your vids but was wondering if you have one that summarizes your basic costs in this build? Look forward to hearing back from you and learning more about your adventures!
Thanks for watching! I have not recorded it yet but my plan is do do a full walk thru and I can easily include that info with it! Our snow is almost gone so hopefully soon I will get it out! That video will also say the changes I am going to make to it and which things I would do differently if I were to do it again.
@@SEAKAdventures 2003, after a devastating diagnosis, we built our ExpeditionVehicle on a 1996 Ford CF8000 commercial truck. . Over two decades full-time live-aboard, our rig is constantly evolving.
I’ve seen lots of builds online with Tacoma’s! Seems like they are the go to for the “overland style”. It’s a lot of fun building I would highly recommend it!
You got to love the look of aluminum frame! I’m in the planning stage of a camper just a little shorter than yours. I haven’t decided on aluminum frame, sheet metal/foam/plywood panels, of a combination. I have an extended background in construction/cabinets, NASCAR race car fabrication, and Airstream rebuild from the frame up. Being that I don’t weld aluminum I plan on making angle clips through bolted at the corners. One question, how will you compensate for the thickness of the corner gusset when you apply the exterior skin? I enjoy watching your build.
Thanks for watching! Sounds like you have a lot of experiences that will really help with your build. NASCAR fabrication sounds pretty cool and would have a lot of lightweight ideas tied with it. I would think the angled clips would work just fine at the corners and then the exterior skin would tie it together again. For the thickness on the corners the aluminum is sealed to the smaller 2inch angle behind the corner gusset and I will fill in the second part with some silicone to make it watertight. I still have a lot to figure out on the go.
@@SEAKAdventures Semi-retired welder-fabricator here. With a half-century of make-do camping in lesser rigs, I strongly recommend AGAINST silicone caulk. . With zero stretch, any vibration breaks the bond, creating seep points for leaking water. A second application, then a fifteenth, each inevitably breaking that bond. . Although the darned stuff always fails in its primary function, it is impossible to remove. A paint-scraper leads to power-tools. By the third week, contemplating the nuclear option, the family long-gone and the neighbors questioning your sanity, you may as well start over with new material. . I use Vulcum 116. I used it for mounting our ExpeditionVehicle windows. Over two decades, our Vulcum 116 remains soft and pliable. Zero issues.
I’d love to say I planned it all out… but all I knew was what I needed for widths of the angle to mount panels into and still leave enough room for the adjoining panel. Once I asked the local shop what they had in those widths then I just used the thickness they had in stock. As for the 3/8 inch plate I wanted something “extra” as those additional brackets went on all the main corner areas. One thing I did not realize is that it is more difficult to weld when the aluminum is different thicknesses.
@@SEAKAdventures That is good to know. I am considering picking up a little mig welder and practicing for a few months with whatever tubing I would use for a project and then giving it a go.
Hey cool that your building your own camper! It is a rewarding process. I’m not exactly sure how to answer that, it would depend if you could find a way to attach the materials together. Mine was easy to keep it the same material the whole way through.
@@SEAKAdventures hey, that's better than I thought with today's inflated prices. I bought some steel, in Dartmouth, a few months back. The exact same order two years ago was only a quarter of what I had to pay now.
Hi Eric, no I did not look into brazing. This was my first time working with aluminum. My original plan was to just use the rivets and allow the panels to hold the structure, but my friend Marty with VFab Garage knew how to strengthen it up after he took a look at it. He had the proper equipment and is an excellent welder. I’ve heard from many people it is tough to weld aluminum but he did an excellent job. If you decide to get into welding he put up a few videos on his channel, VFAB Garage, explaining the process and tips for welding aluminum. Thanks for watching!
@@SEAKAdventures would it be accurate to summarize and say the plates and rivets were insufficient and welding was required to make it suitable strength?
@@jwiereng hey, great question. The issue I had was driving to VFab Garage to get the corners of the camper frame welded prior to installing the panels. By adding in all the tubing it made a lot more work installing panels but it sure is strong. I think if I had the panels installed prior to driving it would have been better, but the strength we gained by adding in all the supports and tying everything together was ultimately the best decision for this project. My initial concern with the panels holding things together was how it would hold up the front bunk area.
Brazing is more like “glue” it’s another material that “bonds” to two other materials to join them. It’s fairly strong but welding (if done right) effectively makes two things into one thing. I think all the grid bracing is way overkill. I mean no worries now about strength but the larger panels with Aluminum/xps/5mil ply sandwich and a good bonding agent like sikaflex would have be a really good structure with those welded gussets you had. And saved a ton of effort! Regardless looks good!
Hi Bob thanks for watching. I couldn’t tell you an exact number of hours that I put in but I usually worked an evening or two each week in the garage and then more on Saturdays if I was allowed. I started in Nov/Dec 2021 and then it was on the truck by May 2022. As for the welding, my friends at VFab Garage helped me there and we put in roughly 12-14hrs total spread out over two days.
Thank you. It’s a great experience I would recommend it so far. I’m not sure what the weight would be now that it is all boxed in, but after the first welding video my wife and I could carry it off the truck. After the second video a friend helped me unload it I would guess 200-300lbs. I will weigh it once the panels are all installed.
@@SEAKAdventures Thank you. I am designing my own skeleton with hard roof that can be lowered for less drag. It is already 300 lbs (calculated) and I think by the time I finish the aluminum frame will be $350 lbs. Not too far from your estimate.
From what I was told when welding aluminum you have to be very careful with the heat. I will reference this in the next video and get more details. This is welded, check out th-cam.com/video/pzawvp6Jk3s/w-d-xo.html for more specific details.
Well being honest I didn’t measure that while we were welding. We just put it in an area where it required strength to tie everything together. If I could do it again I would make all the measurements 24 or 48 inches. That way I would be the most efficient when cutting/installing the panels. I have some 13, 18, 21, 28. Widest length had to be 48 inches due to the panel size.
Like everybody else. I'm very busy as well. But I love watching your videos when they're available. Thank you so much. If you will forgive my honesty; this really is the way of the near future. Rent prices are way too high and more and more people in Metro areas are finding themselves homeless. I'm a Los Angeles native and you see tents and people living out of tiny little cars all day long. Put one of these on the back of a truck and have actual living space. I love your camper and I thank you for your videos sir
Great work Steven, the trailer is coming together really nice! Thanks for posting and letting us follow your progress on the trailer!
Thanks! Happy to share the progress
What a superb workshop the Fabricator has!
Very well equipped and spotlessly clean, two important aspects that bode well for high quality workmanship (in my experience).
Thank you, I will make sure to pass this along to him! He has done some very impressive work and his attention to detail is exceptional. He also has a TH-cam channel “VFab Garage”
very good your videos. I'm building a camper and the information is very important.
Thank you. It’s fun to build one but even better when you finally get to use it.
Thanks for all the details of your build. Very helpful.
Thanks for watching. Glad to hear it helped.
Awesome dudes
Thank you. Stay tuned for part 2. You can also search “VFab Garage” channel on TH-cam for more of the technical welding details.
Great work, I'm from BC but watching from Ecuador, the different aluminum size aren't easily available here, I found all the Angled profile for the frame now I'm looking for the square tubes, what is the size of the square tubing you use? It looks like 1" x 1" x 1/16" or 1/8" can you confirm? Thanks
Yes all of the square tubing is 1 inch x 1 inch and 1/8 inch for the thickness. The majority of the angle is 2x2x 1/8 thick, and the corner pieces are 3x3 x 3/16 thick.
Cool build. What size and thickness of the square tube please? Thanks
Thank you. This is 1 inch square tubing and it is 1/8 inch thickness
Hi! So glad to find your youtube site! Watched several of your vids but was wondering if you have one that summarizes your basic costs in this build? Look forward to hearing back from you and learning more about your adventures!
Thanks for watching! I have not recorded it yet but my plan is do do a full walk thru and I can easily include that info with it! Our snow is almost gone so hopefully soon I will get it out! That video will also say the changes I am going to make to it and which things I would do differently if I were to do it again.
@@SEAKAdventures
2003, after a devastating diagnosis, we built our ExpeditionVehicle on a 1996 Ford CF8000 commercial truck.
.
Over two decades full-time live-aboard, our rig is constantly evolving.
Front area wouldn’t hold weight and just simply bend over time.
I SOO want to do this with my tacoma and do a wedge or pop top.
I’ve seen lots of builds online with Tacoma’s! Seems like they are the go to for the “overland style”. It’s a lot of fun building I would highly recommend it!
Looking good :)
Thanks it’s starting to really take shape! Exciting to see the changes each time some work is done.
some links to other builds all way good to see what others are doing good building
👍
amazing
Thank you!
getting the flash is like salt and sand thrown in your eyes and sleeping for a night
Doesn’t sound like a good time to me!
You got to love the look of aluminum frame!
I’m in the planning stage of a camper just a little shorter than yours. I haven’t decided on aluminum frame, sheet metal/foam/plywood panels, of a combination.
I have an extended background in construction/cabinets, NASCAR race car fabrication, and Airstream rebuild from the frame up. Being that I don’t weld aluminum I plan on making angle clips through bolted at the corners.
One question, how will you compensate for the thickness of the corner gusset when you apply the exterior skin?
I enjoy watching your build.
Thanks for watching! Sounds like you have a lot of experiences that will really help with your build. NASCAR fabrication sounds pretty cool and would have a lot of lightweight ideas tied with it. I would think the angled clips would work just fine at the corners and then the exterior skin would tie it together again. For the thickness on the corners the aluminum is sealed to the smaller 2inch angle behind the corner gusset and I will fill in the second part with some silicone to make it watertight. I still have a lot to figure out on the go.
@@SEAKAdventures
Semi-retired welder-fabricator here.
With a half-century of make-do camping in lesser rigs, I strongly recommend AGAINST silicone caulk.
.
With zero stretch, any vibration breaks the bond, creating seep points for leaking water.
A second application, then a fifteenth, each inevitably breaking that bond.
.
Although the darned stuff always fails in its primary function, it is impossible to remove.
A paint-scraper leads to power-tools.
By the third week, contemplating the nuclear option, the family long-gone and the neighbors questioning your sanity, you may as well start over with new material.
.
I use Vulcum 116.
I used it for mounting our ExpeditionVehicle windows.
Over two decades, our Vulcum 116 remains soft and pliable.
Zero issues.
How did you decide on the sizes and wall thicknesses for all the different areas on the frame?
I’d love to say I planned it all out… but all I knew was what I needed for widths of the angle to mount panels into and still leave enough room for the adjoining panel. Once I asked the local shop what they had in those widths then I just used the thickness they had in stock. As for the 3/8 inch plate I wanted something “extra” as those additional brackets went on all the main corner areas.
One thing I did not realize is that it is more difficult to weld when the aluminum is different thicknesses.
@@SEAKAdventures That is good to know. I am considering picking up a little mig welder and practicing for a few months with whatever tubing I would use for a project and then giving it a go.
I’ve built my subfloor and floor out of wood. Am I able to frame the walls and ceiling out of aluminum?
Hey cool that your building your own camper! It is a rewarding process. I’m not exactly sure how to answer that, it would depend if you could find a way to attach the materials together. Mine was easy to keep it the same material the whole way through.
Oh yeah, it really is coming along very nicely.
What is the ballpark cost in material thus far?
I would say roughly around $1000 in materials as it is right now. It adds up fast but it sure is solid now.
@@SEAKAdventures hey, that's better than I thought with today's inflated prices. I bought some steel, in Dartmouth, a few months back. The exact same order two years ago was only a quarter of what I had to pay now.
looks amazing.. im worried about the aluminum welding indoors.. but im sure about 69420 people have already voiced concerns lol
Yes thankfully we don’t do this everyday!
Did you look at brazing before deciding to go with welding? I know it is cheaper to get into, but I don't know how the joints compare.
Hi Eric, no I did not look into brazing. This was my first time working with aluminum. My original plan was to just use the rivets and allow the panels to hold the structure, but my friend Marty with VFab Garage knew how to strengthen it up after he took a look at it. He had the proper equipment and is an excellent welder. I’ve heard from many people it is tough to weld aluminum but he did an excellent job.
If you decide to get into welding he put up a few videos on his channel, VFAB Garage, explaining the process and tips for welding aluminum.
Thanks for watching!
@@SEAKAdventures Thanks for the info.
@@SEAKAdventures would it be accurate to summarize and say the plates and rivets were insufficient and welding was required to make it suitable strength?
@@jwiereng hey, great question. The issue I had was driving to VFab Garage to get the corners of the camper frame welded prior to installing the panels. By adding in all the tubing it made a lot more work installing panels but it sure is strong. I think if I had the panels installed prior to driving it would have been better, but the strength we gained by adding in all the supports and tying everything together was ultimately the best decision for this project.
My initial concern with the panels holding things together was how it would hold up the front bunk area.
Brazing is more like “glue” it’s another material that “bonds” to two other materials to join them. It’s fairly strong but welding (if done right) effectively makes two things into one thing.
I think all the grid bracing is way overkill. I mean no worries now about strength but the larger panels with Aluminum/xps/5mil ply sandwich and a good bonding agent like sikaflex would have be a really good structure with those welded gussets you had. And saved a ton of effort! Regardless looks good!
Curious. How many labor hours did it take you to fabricate and weld that camper frame?
Hi Bob thanks for watching. I couldn’t tell you an exact number of hours that I put in but I usually worked an evening or two each week in the garage and then more on Saturdays if I was allowed. I started in Nov/Dec 2021 and then it was on the truck by May 2022.
As for the welding, my friends at VFab Garage helped me there and we put in roughly 12-14hrs total spread out over two days.
Nice job! Thinking of building one once car prices returns to some normalcy. Do you have an estimated weight on the frame?
Thank you. It’s a great experience I would recommend it so far. I’m not sure what the weight would be now that it is all boxed in, but after the first welding video my wife and I could carry it off the truck. After the second video a friend helped me unload it I would guess 200-300lbs. I will weigh it once the panels are all installed.
@@SEAKAdventures Thank you.
I am designing my own skeleton with hard roof that can be lowered for less drag. It is already 300 lbs (calculated) and I think by the time I finish the aluminum frame will be $350 lbs. Not too far from your estimate.
I thought aluminum shouldn't not be welded as it weakens the aluminum. Is this correct? Is this actually welding or brazing.
From what I was told when welding aluminum you have to be very careful with the heat. I will reference this in the next video and get more details. This is welded, check out th-cam.com/video/pzawvp6Jk3s/w-d-xo.html for more specific details.
Can I ask what your spacing was between center on the 1x1?
Well being honest I didn’t measure that while we were welding. We just put it in an area where it required strength to tie everything together. If I could do it again I would make all the measurements 24 or 48 inches. That way I would be the most efficient when cutting/installing the panels. I have some 13, 18, 21, 28. Widest length had to be 48 inches due to the panel size.
Thanks!
hi from bc
Hi Steve thanks for tuning in! Hope you are enjoying following along.