Building a Squaredrop camper
Discussion
samj2014 said:
I've spent the last little bit just filling holes and body fillering bits to make it all as square as possible in prep for fibreglass.
Today I built the galley hatch door and got pretty much most of the filling/sanding done and hopefully will start fibreglass tomorrow.
Once that's done it'll be a layer of truck bed liner I think then I can fit the door, window, roof vent etc. and get the galley hatch fitted, though I'm still waiting for some seals etc. for that.
Small photo of progress, might take more tomorrow.
I did also cut the hole for the lock in that door.
Coming on nicely, looking forward to more updates!Today I built the galley hatch door and got pretty much most of the filling/sanding done and hopefully will start fibreglass tomorrow.
Once that's done it'll be a layer of truck bed liner I think then I can fit the door, window, roof vent etc. and get the galley hatch fitted, though I'm still waiting for some seals etc. for that.
Small photo of progress, might take more tomorrow.
I did also cut the hole for the lock in that door.
My past weekend was filled with bondo and sanding… not fun. I want it to be as smooth as possible before fibreglass. There were also a few edges that weren’t quite flush and the top front had a bit of a bow in the wood so I flattened that out as you can see. Actually quite pleased. Should be ready for fibreglass now.
Today I picked up a bunch of trim for the galley hatch seal, still failed to find everything I need. Think I’m going to have to bite the bullet and order from the states with a huge shipping cost. I also picked up the fenders today and framed out the partition wall. Tomorrow I’m aiming to skin it and built some shelves/cupboards.
Today was quite successful. Finished building that wall and skinned it. The hole at the top left is so the battery can be accessed from both the kitchen and the bedroom. There’s a panel on the wall you can see that I had to patch in because that’s all the wood that I had. That will be the back of a cupboard so won’t be visible.
I got the top row of cupboards built and just need to do the face, hinges etc. there will be a second row of cupboards underneath and a shelf for charging phones etc. with a couple of LED lights in the underside. I got all that wiring fine today too as well as insulating the wall.
I got the top row of cupboards built and just need to do the face, hinges etc. there will be a second row of cupboards underneath and a shelf for charging phones etc. with a couple of LED lights in the underside. I got all that wiring fine today too as well as insulating the wall.
I got a bit done this last couple of days. Built the lower shelf in the cab, boarded the kitchen out, started building the upper cabinet for that. Lots of head scratching about how best to do it, where to put what. Etc.
Got the trim and rubber seal on the galley hatch opening, hurricane hinge fitted. Need to fit to the door and do a test fit before the final pieces of trim show up in a couple of weeks.
Started putting some wiring together and making that work. So far I have the under-cabinet lights wired in with dimmer and the usb/12v sockets installed. Just need to tidy the wiring a bit.
Oh and a fender test fit. Hopefully a local welder is going to make some brackets for me
Got the trim and rubber seal on the galley hatch opening, hurricane hinge fitted. Need to fit to the door and do a test fit before the final pieces of trim show up in a couple of weeks.
Started putting some wiring together and making that work. So far I have the under-cabinet lights wired in with dimmer and the usb/12v sockets installed. Just need to tidy the wiring a bit.
Oh and a fender test fit. Hopefully a local welder is going to make some brackets for me
Thanks! Lots of learning happening here honestly (lots of Youtubing and asking friends questions), I won't post any photos too close-up - it's more of a "good from far away" type project haha.
I say that but I should probably cut myself a little slack. I'm trying to make this thing look as professional as I can whilst not being a pro at any of the things I'm doing. My hope is to make some money off of this thing by: A. renting it out on Outdoorsy and, B. potentially selling it after a couple of years. For that reason I want it to look good - there are a few 'DIY' teardrops for sale locally and honestly, they all look like crap. My plan is to build something a little more premium, so I'm trying to go the extra mile. I also just don't like to do things by half measures. Hopefully it's all worth it.
For anyone that's interested, I'm probably about $7,500CAD in right now. I expect that to be closer to $8,500 by the time I'm done.
I say that but I should probably cut myself a little slack. I'm trying to make this thing look as professional as I can whilst not being a pro at any of the things I'm doing. My hope is to make some money off of this thing by: A. renting it out on Outdoorsy and, B. potentially selling it after a couple of years. For that reason I want it to look good - there are a few 'DIY' teardrops for sale locally and honestly, they all look like crap. My plan is to build something a little more premium, so I'm trying to go the extra mile. I also just don't like to do things by half measures. Hopefully it's all worth it.
For anyone that's interested, I'm probably about $7,500CAD in right now. I expect that to be closer to $8,500 by the time I'm done.
samj2014 said:
Thanks! Lots of learning happening here honestly (lots of Youtubing and asking friends questions), I won't post any photos too close-up - it's more of a "good from far away" type project haha.
I say that but I should probably cut myself a little slack. I'm trying to make this thing look as professional as I can whilst not being a pro at any of the things I'm doing. My hope is to make some money off of this thing by: A. renting it out on Outdoorsy and, B. potentially selling it after a couple of years. For that reason I want it to look good - there are a few 'DIY' teardrops for sale locally and honestly, they all look like crap. My plan is to build something a little more premium, so I'm trying to go the extra mile. I also just don't like to do things by half measures. Hopefully it's all worth it.
For anyone that's interested, I'm probably about $7,500CAD in right now. I expect that to be closer to $8,500 by the time I'm done.
Looks really good to me!I say that but I should probably cut myself a little slack. I'm trying to make this thing look as professional as I can whilst not being a pro at any of the things I'm doing. My hope is to make some money off of this thing by: A. renting it out on Outdoorsy and, B. potentially selling it after a couple of years. For that reason I want it to look good - there are a few 'DIY' teardrops for sale locally and honestly, they all look like crap. My plan is to build something a little more premium, so I'm trying to go the extra mile. I also just don't like to do things by half measures. Hopefully it's all worth it.
For anyone that's interested, I'm probably about $7,500CAD in right now. I expect that to be closer to $8,500 by the time I'm done.
I also beat myself up when I'm doing DIY. I sit behind a desk all day but somehow expect myself to be able to do tiling, plastering, carpentry etc to a pro standard. You're doing a great job though. Good idea for a little side business, have you thought about fitting some hidden trackers / apple tag type things at this stage? Just thinking worse case someone steals it when it's on rent.
Alternative is to make sure you have their bank card details and authorisation to take a chunky deposit!
R56Cooper said:
Looks really good to me!
I also beat myself up when I'm doing DIY. I sit behind a desk all day but somehow expect myself to be able to do tiling, plastering, carpentry etc to a pro standard. You're doing a great job though. Good idea for a little side business, have you thought about fitting some hidden trackers / apple tag type things at this stage? Just thinking worse case someone steals it when it's on rent.
Alternative is to make sure you have their bank card details and authorisation to take a chunky deposit!
That's not a bad idea, I could probably hide one pretty easily - will look into it, thanks! I also beat myself up when I'm doing DIY. I sit behind a desk all day but somehow expect myself to be able to do tiling, plastering, carpentry etc to a pro standard. You're doing a great job though. Good idea for a little side business, have you thought about fitting some hidden trackers / apple tag type things at this stage? Just thinking worse case someone steals it when it's on rent.
Alternative is to make sure you have their bank card details and authorisation to take a chunky deposit!
I'm not too worried about it disappearing when rented because from what I understand Outdoorsy has an insurance deal with ICBC (Insurance Corporation of BC) that takes over the moment somebody rents it which should cover it, though obviously that doesn't mean I'll get it back. I'd be more worried about it disappearing from my driveway and I should probably look into a decent wheel lock for it - I have a lock on the hitch coupler right now which would prevent somebody just towing it away but it wouldn't be too hard to cut through.
Photo dump.
Inside basically done - all electrics in and working with the exception of the fan
Kitchen mostly done, needs some fine tuning. Needs a couple of lights putting in.
Got the trim for the hatch door - that door is going to need a bit of work to make it fit properly. That’s the plan for tomorrow.
Inside basically done - all electrics in and working with the exception of the fan
Kitchen mostly done, needs some fine tuning. Needs a couple of lights putting in.
Got the trim for the hatch door - that door is going to need a bit of work to make it fit properly. That’s the plan for tomorrow.
I finally got the rear door trimmed and fitted, roof vent/fan fitted, window fitted, side door fitted and everything sealed. Getting that rear hatch door fitted was a full days work, and the window was a PITA as I’d cut the hole just a bit too small. I’m going to have done tidying up to do on the inside but for now it’s in.
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