Bodhi and the RV

More build/mod plans for the RV than Bodhi, so this will maybe be a bit different.

Goals/dreams/lists and backstories, I'll try to scrape some of those together.

Bodhi and I are still bonding but so far so good:

 

Around the house and with my RV build, I'm always trying to dial things in, make lasting improvements and fun things to do. A lot of this has to do with my youngest daughter who was born in 2003 with a condition that is similar to Angelman's Syndrome. She is microcephalic (small brain size) and a very small hippocampus (controls speech and motor functions). My camper build, my home improvements... everything is geared towards enriching her life as much as I'm able. She keeps us on our toes, and thinking about her future.

 

In '91 when the movie came out, ppl started calling me Utah. It just kind of stuck. I figured the movie could work for a username. Plus there's plenty of eye-rolling memes and movie quotes.

 

Here's the camper, it's used and it took me a long time to find, and then go get it and bring it back. It's coming together though.

 

Drove an hour down to Denver today where I found my running boards. Called Dealerships all around and the parts guys pointed me south. By a stroke of luck I found a set in stock and unclaimed. I don't know how much they weigh, but they had me at aluminum. I will weigh them this weekend. No bolts/no info included in the box but I guess it makes sense.

Appear to be half the weight of the frame bolt RCI's I have on the Tacoma.

 

On order, an essential from the build list:

Dice Valve covers.

 

There are a few new license plate choices. I like the wolf, but I ended up going with the black.

 

More weight capacity confirmed!

 

I got the TRD running boards installed. Also weighed them -- just under 30 lbs each. These are waaaaaaay lighter than the RCI sliders that are on my Tacoma. Solo install was fairly easy, cold and windy out so not an ideal weather window. The running boards have two bolt hole locations that are open on one side, which allows a person to slide them into those two bolts, and then let it hang there while installing the other bolts.

 

I mentioned that there's not much to do with the Tundra. The main goal is to keep the overall weight down as much as possible.

Bodhi the Tundra -- Build/to-do list:

Must Haves:

1. Dice valve stem caps (black). DONE
2. Running boards -- TRD aluminum. DONE
3. Exterior Synthetic wax ASAP, maybe a ceramic. DONE
4. Toughskinz mud flaps. DONE
5. Infotainment screen 14" protector. DONE
6. 4Knines rear seat cover. DONE
7. Spray the frame/suspension with CRC Marine coating/squirt Fluid Film in some of the holes and seams. DONE
8. Hard wired Viofo A139 Pro camera. PURCHASED, HOLDING OFF
9. Install RV tire pressure monitor.
10. 6 gauge wire from Bodhi's battery to the hitch for a DC/DC charger. PURCHASED, HOLDING OFF
11. Maybe a few organizing things under the rear seats and main console.
12. Tail gate ramp - Harbor Freight.
13. Redo my garage work benches to add more garage depth.

Might Do:

1. RCI cat shields.
2. Radar detector.

 

The RV -- Build/to-do list:

This is a 2021 Outdoors RV 21 DBS. I bought it used this year; this model isn't made anymore.

New Items:

1. Off-grid custom power system with removable case. DONE
2. RV wireless backup camera, 3 cam/1R/2S. DONE
3. Tire pressure monitoring system. DONE
4. Levelmate PRO install. DONE
5. Dual canister water filter system/redo/relocate plumbing to accommodate. PURCHASED
6. Hitch tool box. DONE
7. A/C soft start install. DONE
8. New spare tire cover. DONE
9. Build a portable battery/water pump. DONE

Reconditioning to like-new or better-than-new/maintenance/fixes:

Exterior:

1. Replace exterior storage door hatch (assumed lost fight with tree branch).DONE
2. Fix awning track.DONE
3. Complete buff/correction/polish to remove scratches and restore the exterior fiberglass to like-new.DONE
4. Wax, wax, and more wax.DONE
5. Prep and re-paint the entire frame, axles and suspension components, tip to tail with POR-15 and POR Topcoat.DONE
6. Fix/repair underskirt/tank cover in various places.DONE
7. Spray the entire frame/all underside metal with CRC Marine protectant and Fluid Film in seams.DONE
8. Clean/scrub roof. Seal with roof sealant prior to solar panel install.DONE
9. Complete exterior seam re-do, all edges and windows. Clean out old caulking /re-caulk with Geo-Cell clear, and black in some areas.DONE
10. Recondition all sun scalded black rubber/black plastic.DONE
11. Fix loose entrance step bolts/replace washers with grade 8.DONE
12. Replace cheap exterior speakers (tweeters fell off).

Interior:

1. Fix and reinforce plywood under-bed tilt-up access platform (queen bed).DONE
2. Fix and replace hinges for plywood rear bunk bed tilt up.
   
3. Fix/recondition/reinforce cabinetry.DONE
4. Drawer liners everywhere, held down with poster putty.DONE
5. Shelf divider in upper sink cabinet.DONE
6. Fix outlet behind TV.

 

I want to share some build photos of my Powercase, at least that's what I call it.

Goals/features:

1. No compromise off-grid power system -- for example I want to say yes to my wife to 90% of her "can I" power questions.
2. Make the powercase as small/compact and light as possible.
3. Make it long and as narrow as possible, so that I can maximize the remaining storage width in my pass through storage compartment.
4. The case protects the batteries, but also creates a shelf space above the batteries to maximize storage space above the batteries.
5. The case also allows me to mount all of the hardware components and wiring horizontally on a mounting shelf. This allows me to use both sides of the mounting shelf for wiring and hardware -- which further compresses the overall size of the case. Kind of like a computer case/motherboard.
6. The case allowed me to build the whole thing inside over the winter, and then slide it in when done. So another advantage -- the case is removable.
7. Have fun designing and building the case!
8. NO MOUNTING OF HARDWARE ON THE INSIDE WALLS OF THE RV. Some of this stuff is heavy. The case is built around the idea of mounting the Victron Inverter/converter on the RV floor, and not hanging on a wall (it weighs 40 lbs.*).
9. Get rid of ALL of the bullshit "solar ready" Zamp stuff.
10. Make a system where the batteries never need to be removed in the winter.

The powercase will go in the front pass-through, and not inside the RV living area (most often under the bed). This is to maximize interior storage. For this reason, all of the batteries have to be heated batteries.

The last big goal is to wire all of the solar panels in parallel (voltage stays the same and amps increase). This allows the system to run maximized even in partial shade, or with snow on the roof I can brush of a few of the panels while the snow melts.

*18 Canadian pounds

Planning/early stages:

brainstorming

starting mockup


this is where the case will go:

 

Building the Powercase frame. This is T-slot aluminum.



My wife couldn't believe the workbench was cleared off to make this project happen.

 

Mocking up the components in these photos, hunkered down in the garage, thinking about the flow of the wiring, trying not to miss anything. Things are tight, and so it took some thinking and sketching. Venting and air flow is a concern. This is when it started to remind me of a motherboard. The solar controller is not supposed to be installed horizontally per their manual, in order to make the heat sync work optimally. But where there are rules, there can/should be reasoned exceptions. I also had to start thinking about how I could use both sides of the board since room is really tight. Pretty fun project!

 

That's not bad at all. I calculated 1,604 lbs for your truck to carry on the frame.

 

Thanks! Yeah pretty decent! I had to take a leap of faith with it, and had read what others were saying. That's when I really started to think more seriously about the SR5 and no TRD. I've never had a Limited or anything above that. I was shooting for a TRD Limited this time around. I don't think the Limited weighs that much more than what I have though. Kudos to @ColoradoTJ for putting the fear into me, in a good way. I think this is all going to work together really well.

 

Here are photos with the "motherboard" mounted in the powercase now, and sorting out/building all of the wiring. Each copper lug has to be crimped in a certain position/rotation so that they will line up with the posts without having to twist/torque the wires, and so I marked those positions as I went along. My workbench isn't quite level so I have shims here and there just to make sure the case stays flat and transfers to the RV floor as expected.

Next up I will start working on the skin for the powercase, and getting all of the heated battery wiring pre-installed.

 

I've made good progress on the RV solar, working around the weather, getting this done!

 

I made covers for the powercase with translucent corroplast. Punched holes with a chisel, made a design for access holes/venting. Also added some multicolored LED lights and remote control. The idea is that the powercase could glow at night through the corroplast. Kind of showcase it when the door is open. All that said, I have not yet installed the cover pieces until I've done a few trips to make sure everything is dialed in.

 

Also made some progress on Bohdi. Installed a cover. Wasn't thinking that I would, but I found a Paragon cover that's light weight and removable for accessing the full bed depth when I need it. No more snow in the truck bed!

 

Sub'ed

Nice build so far! That's a serious Solar system. Looking forward to seeing the RV build out

 

Absolutely love the solar work! Mine is prewired and underpowered, so I will be looking into more options later. So this thread is now bookmarked!

 

Thank you sir! We sure do love Florida. We used to live in Atlanta in the late 90's and '00's, and we'd go down with my two girls. One girl has left the nest, she's 23 now. The other is our little special needs peanut, now 20, and she will be with us for the duration. Last trip to Florida, we went to Sanibel island, about a month before the last hurricane. I think the place we stayed at was damaged quite a bit.

 

home is a beautiful state! May your family memories continue to build!

 

One of the big things on my list is the frame paint rust on the new/used 2020 Outdoors RV 21DBS. I got that fixed now and this was an ass kicking project, but I'm determined. This camper is going to be "reconditioned" to "like new" ASAP. I'm getting this thing done from top to bottom, and make it as bullet proof as possible.

My limited knowledge of frame paint started in 2017 when I bought a Tacoma (I'm J-Utah on Tacomaworld) https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/i-love-my-chrome-grille.738095/

At that time, I thought Colorado didn't use a lot of mag cloride or salt and that frame rust was not a big deal. I bought powder-coated RCI rock sliders for the Tacoma, and they rusted fairly quickly. The Tacoma frame also rusted a bit. I spent some time fixing them with POR 15 and a texured finish spray paint for the sliders. RCI is down the road from me. Their early powder coat on the sliders was not that great. Turns out now days -- they use an epoxy primer.

This is the same problem with the Outdoors RV. Bad paint prep work, bad primer job, mediocre frame paint. So, I went through and scraped the bad stuff/sanded the surface rust, prepped and re-painted the entire camper frame with POR-15. Used their top coat in exposed areas. Suited up/mask/gloves/paint suit and did it all at my storage place. Lots of crawling around. Glad it's done! After the paint was cured, I sprayed everything with CRC marine coating, with some fluid film in some areas. Also taped shut some of the areas where the corroplast undercarriage cover has holes/dings/gaps. Got some black fountain spray foam and sealed a few areas shut. Now, moving forward I'll be careful with power washing -- it's important to keep water from going under the corroplast. I may also add some drain holes.

At this point, and undercarriage is pretty bombproof now. I wish that more manufacturers would do a better job with frame painting.

Before/scraping:




After Por 15/ Top Coat/ Marine Coating:

 

Also sprayed the truck frame with the CRC coating and some fluid film. Love this stuff.

 

Can you explain your method please. I have the fluid film in my Amazon cart just haven't purchased yet. It's on my list to do next year to get ready for a family national park trip with an RV in tow.

 

Hey Edsel --

The way that I do it is I use the Fluid Film in some of the seams, crevices and holes. It seems better suited for penetrating between pieces of metal, and it comes with the straw for getting into tight areas. Some people do the weep holes along the bottom of the doors and hood, for example. The downside of Fluid Film is that it doesn't last nearly as long as the CRC.

The CRC Marine coating I spray everywhere else that I want protected -- anything that's painted black under the truck. Try to stay away from belts. Avoid mufflers/cats and anything that gets hot -- those areas will burn off but it smells for a while. This thread has good comments here:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/und...ns-for-2016-tundra.138610/page-2#post-3504299

The CRC lasts a lot longer, but it does make a mist when applying. A no wind day is helpful. Also there is no tube on the spray nozzle like the FF has. If put on too thick, it will drip, but the drips will dry. The most efficient use of the product is a few thin coats. It will dry to a hard, waxy film that can be scraped off with a fingernail.

I also use it around the house, anything that gets snow/sits in snow or rain exposure. It dries kind of an amber color. Below is an example, these were a shiny zinc color.

Most people will say that CRC and most of the thicker coatings are not super fun to apply. Goggles, face mask and skin protection are good ideas! I wish that there was a place around here that will do it, but not around here. I think it's more of a business model in the NW and north central states. Also, if you have a large cardboard box -- that really helped me, I could lay that down and crawl around on top of it, more comfortable, and move it around quickly as needed. It's a good ab workout.

 

We took our first trip pulling the RV with the new truck and went east to Western Kansas. We have relatives there and also farmland that we lease out. One of her uncles is retiring and was having an auction/sale. Online bidders, everyone there from the town, the works. Here are some pictures of us shoving off, and photos from the sale. I love rural Kansas, peaceful, calm and open.

 

Here are a few photos of one of the towns near where we stayed. The population has gone down quite a bit since when my wife was a kid. We also went by the county fairgrounds, and the fair is quite a bit smaller than it was decades ago. But the places still have their quiet integrity and are waiting patiently. I will take better photos next time, I feel like I should have. Some of the buildings are frozen in time and there's a clear effort to preserve them.

This is a French-American west Kansas town, and many of my wife's friends have French surnames. The church is catholic with a French heritage and customs, but I couldn't say what those are. I was told that they have trouble finding priests to live permanently in the area, so these days they have rotating priests that have the technical expertise, that arrive from South America and do residencies, traveling from one cathedral in the area to another, and serving multiple flocks.

In the first pic, this is approaching the town, and the church steeple can be seen as the only monument in the area (it's Kansas -- you have to zoom in). The second pic is a new modern grain elevator, another quiet monument in this landscape.