Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Avion truck campers

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Topic: Avion truck campers - Hundreds of photos

Posted By: garryk6 on 09/22/13 05:04pm

Lookin' great! Let us know how it works on the truck.
Garry

Garry K
Wife + 4 kids
Retired Military Family.... Alway's on the move....
2002 F350 CCSB 5.4 6spd 4x4 in AK
1966 Avion C-10 Truck Camper

Posted By: rfuerst911sc on 09/22/13 05:24pm

Here are a few pics of the drivers side wing wood replacement. It is like the passenger side with 1 1/2 " laminated plywood with two coats of wood stain and four coats of marine high gloss varnish/urethane. It should last another 40 years [emoticon]

Posted By: 67avion on 09/22/13 09:44pm

Outstanding! Great pix.

Posted By: cajunavion on 09/23/13 08:37pm

Howdy!
Way to go Rufuer! I am jealous. I am about to install one. I am curious
how you made the determinations where to set the brackets.
Did you just balance it and make it wide enough to miss your duallies?
How do you know where the final weight balance will
be when it is fully furnished and loaded? Thanks again for the pics,
they are worth a thousand words!

Posted By: rfuerst911sc on 09/24/13 04:35am

Cajunavion in regards to weight balance I just mounted the top plate of the SL in between where the factory installed jacks were. I don't think the weight balance front/rear is quite as critical with this lift because the lifting force is spread out over the length of that 6 ' long top plate. My dually fenders measure aprox. 96 " and the tub width of the camper is 48 ". So I spaced the inside of the vertical lift pipes at 25 " on either side. So 25 + 25 + 48 = 98 " so in theory I have 1 " clearance on either side. Plus my dually has add on fender covers the previous owner installed to hide some damage. I plan on removing those covers and repair the damage so that will give me a little bit more clearance. I had some 4 x 4 wood posts laying around that I cut to 25 " long. I used these as spacers between the tub of the camper and the lift. I kept all the bolts loose so I could make adjustments. I raised the lift via the battery so the top plate made light contact with the wing. That way I was able to make adjustments side to side and front to back and the friction of the contact would hold them in place. Measured about a 100 times and drilled my first hole. Once you drill that first one you are committed and just keep on going. You will notice in my pics there is a silver stripe on the top plates, that is a piece of water/ice roofing tape. Bought it at Home Depot I used that for two reasons. First it is a tar like substance on the bottom ( stuck to plate ) and an aluminum foil on top ( wing skin side ). I'm hoping this will keep galvanic corrosion to a minimum between the painted steel of the lift and the aluminum skin of the wing. Second reason I used it I think it will provide a good water seal as it gets compressed as you tighten all the bolts. Legal disclaimer: I'm just an average DIYer and have no idea if I installed this correctly or not but it does appear to be done correctly. I will test it this coming weekend as I will load it on the truck for the first time using the SL. Good luck with your install.

Posted By: cajunavion on 09/27/13 07:29am

Howdy!
How did yall close the unused drain vents on the roof?
Mine terminate in little aluminum mole hills.
Pretty neat if used, but Im not sure how to make
them water tight and still keep them potentially
open for future use.

Posted By: garryk6 on 09/27/13 10:49am

cajunavion wrote:

The PO of mine used waterproof expanding foam after removing the internal plumbing. They have been that way for me for several years with no leaks. I just had to do this with the refrigerator vent, as it would leak at highway speeds in wind and driving rain. But at least all my top caps are still in place.
Garry in Wet and Windy Kodiak, AK

Posted By: 67avion on 09/27/13 10:50am

I'm not sure what you mean by "unused". Do you mean after you have shifted your plumbing? Also, pix really help.

By the way, I am still stunned at the craftmanship that Avion put together. Here is the OEM toothbrush holder open and then closed to prevent water from flying into it during a shower. It has really shifted in color over the years, going from a rich umber on one side to a true yellow.

* This post was edited 09/27/13 12:51pm by 67avion *

Posted By: rfuerst911sc on 09/27/13 05:14pm

Guys today I loaded the camper onto the truck for the first time using the Stable Lift. Wow what a breeze compared to those three manual jacks. Push three toggle switches up and she raises with no effort. Push the three switches down and she lowers perfectly. Raised to her full height it's about 2-3 inches higher than the truck bed. It looks like I will have to either lower the OEM rear bumper or make a custom tube bumper to allow the camper to slide forward another 4-5 inches. Overall I am very happy with today's results. I still have to finalize the wiring I'm going to enclose it in wireloom to tidy it up. I toasted a few adult beverages today........great day !!!
I'll post pics in a few minutes.

* This post was edited 09/27/13 05:35pm by rfuerst911sc *

Posted By: rfuerst911sc on 09/27/13 05:33pm

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