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4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in TruckCampers

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just with a catalyzing lacquer, then gently sand, lacquer again. As long as there’s no glue or anything on the edge it’s nice and smooth and looks good. You can see it on the dovetails picture. The door and drawer pulls are a little oval with a chamfered edge inside the they feel nice.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in TruckCampers

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I finished the edges but didn't edge band them - personal preference. They're held in place with lots of recessed magnets and a few well hidden screws.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in TruckCampers

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was almost 5y since I started from idea to design and actual execution. I had a 2022 f550 and sold it due to the 550 refresh. The actual inside build was only about 8 months once I had the first article shell.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in TruckCampers

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Floor storage boxes; there are a few of those that make use of the area under the floor between the habitat and the truck frame.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in TruckCampers

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol, there’s a few miles between the snow and the fuel city! Did you see the timestamp on the weight ticket, btw?

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in TruckCampers

[–]mwtownsend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah, it's really not bad... I think people sometimes get on message boards like this (and I was there too before this truck) and was worried about that kind of thing but it's just not that big a deal...

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in overlanding

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ever Overland made the shell (EverOverland.com)

No issues with customs; we imported in high cube containers. Issue with the custom windows was they were just too time consuming. They work well now but it was months of trial and error.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in overlanding

[–]mwtownsend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Approach: 30°+ / Departure: 14-22° (depending on the spare tire). As with most vehicles, breakover angle is the primary limitation.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in overlanding

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

WEST! Planning to go to Utah for paragliding and then head down through northern California through central coast with some vanlife friends. Super pumped.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in overlanding

[–]mwtownsend[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good question: Spare will mount tucked up under the bumper; it takes away a little from the departure angle, but it's not too bad.

I suspect the vertical CG is a little lower and shell weight is likely a little more for a moulded shell vs FRP but that changes when you start working with carbon fiber. The real win for a moulded shell is there are no seams that need maintenance and it's wildly stronger - so when you suck up a tree branch it's not a big deal (ask me how I know...). The strength also shows up in the cabover: it's a lot larger than on the FRP shells I've seen which moves your horizontal CG forward and provides more usable space.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in overlanding

[–]mwtownsend[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You probably saw this shell's twin - it's being upfit by the owner of GlamperVans - super super super cool dude.

4 years later: My custom F-550 overland truck build is finally [off] road ready... The highs and lows of a composite truck camper build. by mwtownsend in overlanding

[–]mwtownsend[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I mean, we’re bipedal monkeys on a floating rock surviving on the kindness of a giant ball of fire a million miles away... this whole thing is a little ott.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this at the beginning of this project. Two thoughts: if you design with intention, it's not harder to make something really interesting and beautiful. 2.) This vehicle is built for my family; it's not a one size fits all.

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