A new hope ... (build journal and component reviews)

[MattK]

Suspension – First Impressions
Unfortunately, as it looks now, the Terraflex HD springs in the rear are actually NOT strong enough to hold the weight in the rear balanced compared to the front. It is pretty good right now, but we are not at the end of our build yet. At this point, the suspension is sitting well, but with the weight we are adding plus gear and water, I have no doubt, that we'll have to touch it again.

That's awesome you made it up to Epic! I also have the Kraken and also put the ARB PCM on it. It's a fantastic setup. The push to connect on the valve stem ends can be a bit clunky. I've accidentally disconnected the fitting and air starts gushing out all over. I use AEV's Borah wheels, and the valve stem is pretty recessed so the bore lock valve connectors can be a bit fussy to get on but that's no fault of Epic's choice of hardware.

AEV makes a HD spring they say is for the fully outfitted overlander with an extra 400 - 700lbs. I have the regular springs/2.5"lift that is good for up to 400lbs more weight. Not pushing their stuff but another option to think about. Their customer service is pretty good as well as far as calling and discussing things.

Looking forward to future posts.

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[cug]

I also have the Kraken and also put the ARB PCM on it.

We have the "manual" version. It should be "good enough".

Regarding suspension, it is relatively okay right now, I will not do anything before we are at final weight. We actually may add a winch to the front, despite what I said before, the furniture is really hard to calcuate right now, given that it is all still in flux. We have a pretty good idea what we want, but whether we can build it this way is yet to be seen. It's pretty different from what's around, so maybe it's not even a good idea. Will get to this here over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow we'll finish the back panel, the carpet is on and the glue is drying, tomorrow we'll do some more glueing and folding and then it'll go in to provide is hopefully with a measurement point for storage base plate. The brackets are half done, ran out of aluminum angle while cutting these and had to wait for more material. The rest is all here.

Bedliner Spray On

I had a question earlier regarding recommendations, and since nobody replied, we tried two products on small sample panels. So far, we like the Raptor liner much better than Herculiner. It's much easier to spray on without creating a blotchy surface and seems to adhere really well. Still drying, but so far this one looks good, so that's probably how we'll finish the storage plate where the fridge and some other storage solution will sit on. It'll be very similar to the Goose Gear High Platform.

Fun Fact

For this project (rear seat delete and back panel, as well as the rest of the build) I bought most of the woodworking tools, all Makita 18V based, generally the high quality brushless stuff. Tools bought include a router, track saw, jig saw (replacement for a crappy one I had), an angle grinder, as well as a Bosch miter saw. With the wood, aluminum, bolts, other small tools and "stuff", we spent about $200 more than if we had bought a Goose Gear rear seat delete and panel. But now we have the tools and are gaining the experience using them for the rear camper build-out. Plus we get exactly what we want – whether that turns out to be good or not is yet to be seen, but at least we get what we want ... ;-)

And yes, currently, my time is free since I have more time than money given that I'm not working right now ...

Template for back panel (ask for more info)

 

[cug]

So, here's the result of the truck cabin rear panel, which was the model for the above template:

How it's made:

1. 6mm Baltic Birch Plywood, measurements see above post.
2. Automotive carpet from O'Reilly.
3. Some killmat on the rear truck metal as well as on the plywood (just two 18 inch or so strips on the plywood).
4. Some foam I had laying around (plugfoam and lid foam from a Pelican case) behind the lower part that has more space behind.
5. In the lower part is also a full width strip of Thinsulate behind the panel. That should help with some of the road noise.
6. Two pieces of 8020 Series 25 cut to length between the bolts in the truck floor, these have to be REALLY precise to fit with 8020 90 degree mounting hardware and 6mm nylock nuts. 1 layer of Gaffer's tape (one front, one rear) on the lower edge of the plywood to fit the 8020 groove without rattle (still a tiny bit of play, once the thinsulate is fully fluffed up, shouldn't be a problem).

You can see the killmat strips here:

The storage platform base plate will touch against the lower part of this panel which will eliminate any remaining rattle that the thin and light plywood might create. If not, I'll find a way to deal with it.

We are very happy with the result.

Tomorrow: measurements for storage platform, bracket install, some more sound deadener then carpet on the truck floor. So far, so good.

 

[chorky]

Mounting brackets:

Great solution - I was considering the same idea.

 

[cug]

Great solution - I was considering the same idea.

It has one downside: There is quite a distance between the upper mounting brackets and the lower 8020 groove which opens the possiblity for rattle. I'll report back how our various measures against that work.

And one hint: a 90 degree 2 inch strip of aluminum works, the brackets are 25mm wide. I've bent them all just a little over 90 degrees to lay flat against the wood panel. The 3mm aluminum can be easily bent by hand if the bracket is in a vise.

 

[chorky]

It has one downside: There is quite a distance between the upper mounting brackets and the lower 8020 groove which opens the possiblity for rattle. I'll report back how our various measures against that work.

And one hint: a 90 degree 2 inch strip of aluminum works, the brackets are 25mm wide. I've bent them all just a little over 90 degrees to lay flat against the wood panel. The 3mm aluminum can be easily bent by hand if the bracket is in a vise.

Might give that a try. I think I have some 2" 90 degree alum angle in the basement actually. It's interesting how you used the 8020. I ended up making a wooden based bracket and bolted through using the original seat bolts, then screwed and glued the deck onto those brackets. I probably would just screw the back wall to that, and use the alum brackets like you did. Hopefully you dont get any rattles. Did you consider putting some felt tape along contact points?

 

[cug]

Might give that a try. I think I have some 2" 90 degree alum angle in the basement actually. It's interesting how you used the 8020. I ended up making a wooden based bracket and bolted through using the original seat bolts, then screwed and glued the deck onto those brackets. I probably would just screw the back wall to that, and use the alum brackets like you did. Hopefully you dont get any rattles. Did you consider putting some felt tape along contact points?

The 8020 groove is just over 6mm, so felt tape wouldn't fit. We have Gaffer's tape under the 8020 between truck metal and 8020, plus Gaffer's tape around the lower edge of the plywood. There is also foam glued to the cabin back wall in some places, plus two pieces of larger foam between rear wall and the panel, plus the thinsulate. Once that has expanded to it's maximum thickness, it SHOULD also create a light pressure fit.

Then the storage platform will butt against the rear panel, also putting some light pressure on it. I think we'll get any rattle under control. I'm super sensitive to any unwanted noises in the cabin, so if there is anything left, I will find a solution for it ... ;-)

Regarding how the storage platform will be connected, this is what I have so far:

I will bolt this to the floor with aluminum brackets (2" aluminum angle, 40mm wide bracket cut from it to support the 12mm bolts properly). I will bolt the plywood piece to the brackets.

To mount the platform on top, I'll use 8020 extrusion to a) mount it to the wood "leg" shown above and b) give the platform just a bit more structural stability. The 8020 will give me the option of moving the platform forward or back a bit, so I can adjust it right against the rear panel.

For the platform, wife and I are still thinking whether to use Raptor liner or carpet. Not sure yet. Might go carpet for a less slippery platform as well as more sound deadening. Still looking for some more robust carpet than the one we used for the back panel.

The height of the above wood piece for the platform is so that our fridge will sit nicely on the platform and can still be opened fully while the usable space underneath is maximised. I hope I got the measurements right.

 

[cug]

Great solution - I was considering the same idea.

One more reminder: the bolt holes on the top, where the hard top bolts go through, are in different positions for the inner and outer brackets (if I remember correctly, the hole center is 10mm from rear for the inners and 20mm from rear for the outers, but I could be slightly off there). The rear wall of the Jeep is slightly curved, so measure carefully. I also rounded the rear corners so that it fit better in the space.

 

[chorky]

The 8020 groove is just over 6mm, so felt tape wouldn't fit. We have Gaffer's tape under the 8020 between truck metal and 8020, plus Gaffer's tape around the lower edge of the plywood. There is also foam glued to the cabin back wall in some places, plus two pieces of larger foam between rear wall and the panel, plus the thinsulate. Once that has expanded to it's maximum thickness, it SHOULD also create a light pressure fit.

Then the storage platform will butt against the rear panel, also putting some light pressure on it. I think we'll get any rattle under control. I'm super sensitive to any unwanted noises in the cabin, so if there is anything left, I will find a solution for it ... ;-)

Regarding how the storage platform will be connected, this is what I have so far:

I will bolt this to the floor with aluminum brackets (2" aluminum angle, 40mm wide bracket cut from it to support the 12mm bolts properly). I will bolt the plywood piece to the brackets.

To mount the platform on top, I'll use 8020 extrusion to a) mount it to the wood "leg" shown above and b) give the platform just a bit more structural stability. The 8020 will give me the option of moving the platform forward or back a bit, so I can adjust it right against the rear panel.

For the platform, wife and I are still thinking whether to use Raptor liner or carpet. Not sure yet. Might go carpet for a less slippery platform as well as more sound deadening. Still looking for some more robust carpet than the one we used for the back panel.

The height of the above wood piece for the platform is so that our fridge will sit nicely on the platform and can still be opened fully while the usable space underneath is maximised. I hope I got the measurements right.

Oh I get it I hate those tiny creeks and rattles. They drive me bonkers! But I only have one ear so finding the source is pretty much impossible :-( Are you using 1010 or 2020 extrusion?

Here is what mine looks like after a few coats of hammerhead. It is darn slippery though so I think you would want to use some type of carpeting. I contemplated doing that myself, but opted for the hard paint for easier cleaning.... Now I need to add some L-Track so I can tie things down since it is super easy for things to slide around back there and make even more noise.

 

[cug]

Are you using 1010 or 2020 extrusion?

I'm using metric Series 25. It's possibly the same as the Series 10 (1"):

https://8020.net/25-2525.html

I have slight OCD with using metric fasteners, which generally cost me an arm and leg, but so far, I've been successful avoiding non-metric stuff.

Your platform looks good. We also had the subwoofer rear trim, removing that is a bitch. Expect it to break, so REALLY know that you want to take it out.

Regarding slippery: Raptor liner creates a relatively hard surface (although I can still scratch it with a finger nail) that has a good texture, but is still much more slippery compared to carpet of course. The trick is to find good carpet. The one we have on the rear panel might not be strong enough.

 

[chorky]

This might be helpful for you as well

https://8020.net/25-2116.html

 

[cug]

This might be helpful for you as well

https://8020.net/25-2116.html

Looks good, I had seen this before on a different project but forgot about it. Although I think this might not fit in the tiny space the panel leaves in the groove. The Baltic Birch panel is 6mm, the groove in the Series 25 extrusion is 6.5mm. Don't think that rubber gasket will fit there, but I'll get some with my next order from 8020 and give it a try. Especially since I'm going to use the tongue/groove method in other places as well.

 

[cug]

Regarding how the storage platform will be connected, this is what I have so far:

Hmpf. More measurements show that these are too high - the fridge wouldn't open fully, making it inconvenient to get stuff in/out.

[See update below => I measured wrong]

Somehow I must have mis-calculated this. Luckily we checked again before proceeding. Need to cut these shorter by about 30mm, this will make mounting the whole platform harder though. I will have to mount the base angle bracket to the truck floor first, then mount the leg board to it, then get the storage platform panel on top. Bummer.

No wonder the Goose Gear high platform is pretty much the height of the platform we had originally planned, it also covers some plastic parts better, but it just wouldn't work. So, new plan – cutting these down tomorrow and go from there.

I'll report back how our various measures against that work.

At least it seems that our anti-rattle measures work well enough for normal driving. I doubt it'll hold up to a washboard trail, but other than that, it's pretty good. Will test more when the base is in and then also test some more corrugated roads.

 

[cug]

I will have to mount the base angle bracket to the truck floor first, then mount the leg board to it, then get the storage platform panel on top.

So far, so good:

The clamp in the lower holds a strip of plywood we used to measure maximum length so that we can use the front seat with full adjustment if the rear space is empty.

Started with the base panel as well today, didn't get it done though. Tomorrow we should get this done and the 40% platform should go quicker, since a lot of the thinking and measuring is already done.

Interisting information: each of these "support legs" weighs in at 540g, all hardware and the big 12mm bolts included. I was surprised how heavy they felt. So far, we designed this so that we can definitely use the 40% seat if we have a need for it, the two platforms will be independent (but connected). With a bit of luck, the measurements turn out in a way that we can also use the 60% seat, although that hasn't been an explicit goal.

 

[cug]

Nearly done ... fridge is in ... LOL ...

Still need front support legs and cut-out for cupholder.

Then the actual fridge needs to go in for final placement and for figuring out how to secure it to the platform. At this point, I'm not planning on any access hatches, we just don't need them.

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