Saturday, October 25, 2003
Acapulco Truck Camper
Glen-L
Back in Feb 2002 I ordered Acapulco construction plans from Glen-L recreation and marine design, to make a truck camper. Well I have completed the camper this spring 2003 and have enjoyed it this summer on several fishing trips, to northern Ontario and Quebec. Let me tell you, camping in a tent for 23 years and now camping in my truck camper is like going to the hotel Ritz.
I truly enjoyed building the camper, which involved most of two years to complete; following the plans was very straight forward. As you can see from the pictures I did change the design to make the camper look more modern. I used knotless cedar and pine to construct the frame, which I mostly purchased from the (Friends of Humanity) used construction materials store. I found all kinds of goodies there at great prices. I glued and screwed all joints; the glue I used was a premium urethane all weather glue, using outside deck screws to fasten everything together.
For the exterior sides I used 4 x 8 x 1/8 thick door skins, to protect the skins from moisture penetration, I painted both sides and ends with two coats of outside C.I.L. undercoat house paint, I also painted the entire framework with the same paint, to inhibit moisture penetration. After construction was completed I painted the entire camper with a premium outside house paint.
For the roof I used a piece of rubber membrane from the roof of an old factory that was dismantled, it work out perfectly. The frame for the cupboards was constructed from an old heavy wooden door that someone had discarded, it had been painted with about ten coats of paint, but inside after I cut it on the table saw, there was some of the nicest pine I have ever seen, the old door is now my cupboards. The window are made from old house windows that I re-manufactured to fit my needs, the door is also home made. The cast of buying commercially manufactured windows and doors was truly out of this world.
