I’ve never seen this done before, but I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work…
I was brainstorming yesterday on small, self-contained 4x4 camping setups for a long trip down the pacific coast. My first thought was to one of those slide-in truck campers on a 4x4 pickup. I used to work on those, so I know how nice they can be for the size, but also how expensive they can be to buy and to feed a full-size pickup engine on a long trip. They’re also very bulky and tall. The second thought was be a small 4x4 truck, a toyota or nissan or whatever, with a small camper or a home-built on the frame camper. The only problem with that is all those little 4x4 trucks around here have been bought up and taken to mexico, and those that remain are usually priced far above their actual worth for just that reason. Also, those 1st and 2nd generation Toys are pretty lacking in the legroom deparment.
So, then I moved down another notch… What about converting an older subaru wagon (or tercel 4wd wagon)? I used to run the hell out these things growing up in alaska, and they’re damn near indestructible, they’re for-real all-terrain rigs, and great on gas. Oh, and they’re cheap too, usually less than $1000 in the kind of condition I would need it in.
You could just cut away everything behind the front doors and bolt in a camper box with a little cab-over section for sleeping and stuff. Maybe set it up as a pop-up for the additional headroom.
Anyone ever seen anything like this? How about some good reasons it wouldn’t work? What about other solutions for this same kind of project? THinking it’d be a cool project, but it would be a shame if it didn’t work out in the end. You suppose for the hassle involved it would be worthwhile to try to find the small pickup to begin with?
Check out the Glen-L boat design pages…they have camper plan sections and auto things that involve using foam panels and stuff…might be a jumping off place of interest…
this does it for me… shortboards and gear underneath, a platform built in to sleep me and my chick. Longboards on top can go inside when we leave the car places. I can sleep on your street and you never even know about it.
I call it my ghetto ninja urban/baja camping/surfing/diving/skiing assault vehicle. '03 Honda Element
You could try to find an old Subaru Brat (or a newer Baja) - those already have the truck bed. I’m sure you could make your own SIP’s * for the walls & roof with your vac bag setup…
Structural Insulated Panels - basically Home Depot EPS with wood veneers. I think you know how to do that.
All ze germans have zem, ze whole zummer zey play conquer europe wid zem! Oh and zey pack longboards, alot of zem, your local break becomes gestumpschmerzt by campervan germanswid 11 footers…
Unfortunately (and interestingly) the brats are WAY more sought-after (and therefore expensive) than the wagons. I don’t understand why, as the brats are ugly as all hell, but for some reason they’re somewhat trendy right now…
That is a pretty sweet plow-roo.
Thought about that very thing, the SIPs… Initially thought balsa, but luaan might be cheaper.
I don’t know, there might be a way to leave enough of the existing structure to keep it stiff. Might have to do some looking into it. It would be nice if someone had blazed this trail before me… But I guess that is what makes it fun.
I once heard of a guy who put together a major surf / ski mobile by putting a cap on a toyota tacoma. Underneath the cap he fit a piece of 3/4 inch plywood flush with what would have been the top of the bed. The plywood was covered with all-weather carpet and had several flush pulls and hinged doors so that he could access the space below. Surfboards, skiis, wetsuits, etc. could be placed in the under-space by letting down the tailgate. Above the ply, he kept a sleeping blanket and rolled up egg-crate mattress thingy.
I know you said you had a hard time getting a hold of a small-size pickup, but I guess there’s no reason you couldn’t do this with an old F-150 (or other fuill-size pickup).
Just had another thought about the subaru idea… No frame means no rigidity in the back end if I cut away all the above-floorpan metal. Bad news.
If you want to stick with the Subaru idea you may have other options, as Subarus are frequently used on offroad rally situations. I don’t know what it’s like in Texas as far as finding old ones, as the heat and humidity near the coast rusts out vehicles pretty quick. A good body shop or outfit that specializes in offroad vehicles might be able to rig up some kind of structural cage or other elements. I had an all wheel drive 2000 Sube and loved the vehicle, really used it, pretty near used it up. I really didn’t like the all-wheel drive business though as it didn’t have the utility of a friend’s 1981 wagon that converted to 4 wheel. I took it pretty much anywhere except on the beaches and up those loony rock faces some people attempt with Jeeps and it did fine. All-wheel drive is fraught with peril though.
If you plan to do a lot of driving with the car beside surftrips a wagon is perfect for some distance + the city etc. and I am with ACheateaux regarding the set-up. the second floor option has been approved on multiple trips (even more space with a roof box). If you plan to use the car mostly for surf trips stick to Daves german concept and get a van with an “aal” setup (including an outside bar!) http://www.aal300.de/index_modelle.htm
I had a great weekend - bought a new cross bike, surfed two great sesssions, and I get to finish with a big, big belly laugh thanks to the plumber as brought to us by Benny!
Ok, I didn’t actually know those old VWs could be had in a 4x4 version… I bet they’re hard to find. Or is that an aftermarket conversion? A VW bus is obviously the classiest way to do it, but it’s got to be 4X4…
and a six cylinder? I gotta know how that fit in there!
