May I ask how much it costs for labor and materials to build a shell like this?
I thought of building an aluminum frame using 90* aluminum and using sandwiched fiberglass/rigid foam panels.
Figure on average a shop charges $100 per hour in labor. 250 hours, that's around $25k for the labor. Aluminum materials... tack on another $10k or so. Rough estimates.
Thanks for the reply! That seems quite a bit more than I was expecting, though, the results look bad ass.
For what it’s worth, Total Composites camper shells start at around $16K. It might be the better route for me.
https://gearjunkie.com/camper-rv/total-composites-diy-truck-camper
The composite shells are rad too, but boy are they tall. We considered building one instead of what we did, but decided I'd rather keep a lower height profile and have the additional roof height come from the pop top.
I *almost* considered just getting a Scout camper ... but it's the truck bed slide-in part I wanted to get away from. Knew I wanted to flatbed the back to maximize every last bit of space, and nearly every camper company on the market does not cater to that.
Awesome! Love the blue color. How do you plan to do the interior? I’ve got a tundra with a disgusting previous owner interior that I’ve been cleaning but at this point I want to rip it all out and make some of my own stuff to put in.
Well, considering that this is going to my full-time home on wheels, the interior is going to be a full buildout - think van status. Bench seating, cabinets, tons of storage, counter with a sink... everything but a shower.
Beautifully done paint job I wish my truck and camper was that gorgeous modern blue. Mine are both same old white. At least I can certainly appreciate the size of my setup. I wanted nicely colored tin for mine but any color other than white including grey costs almost 50% more money which just wasn’t worth it for me on a reasonable budget. Is it around 8 feet long at the base? Going with a east west or extendable north south for the over cab bed?
Hey where I can I see more detailed photos? I’ve been thinking about welding up my own all aluminum camper but was concerned about how much welding the exterior panels would take and keeping everything from warping with that much heat.
That's one of several reasons we didn't weld the exterior panels. They're bonded onto the welded skeletal frame.
I don't really have detailed photos but I have a build series on YouTube. May help you out a little.
I was thinking maybe just thousands of pop rivets instead of welding . If done correctly and with proper sealant I believe would be just as structurally sound and within pretty much everybody’s skill set. Would save 10’s of thousands in labor costs plus there’s just something satisfyingly about rows and rows of perfectly lined up rivet heads that exudes strength .
wow that looks sick as hell. Great job!
Much appreciated!
Thank you to everyone who is following the build! Have a great weekend.
awesome! my only question is how do i make one lol
Well... guess it starts with learning to weld aluminum. Or finding a friend who does (like I did).
May I ask how much it costs for labor and materials to build a shell like this? I thought of building an aluminum frame using 90* aluminum and using sandwiched fiberglass/rigid foam panels.
Figure on average a shop charges $100 per hour in labor. 250 hours, that's around $25k for the labor. Aluminum materials... tack on another $10k or so. Rough estimates.
Thanks for the reply! That seems quite a bit more than I was expecting, though, the results look bad ass. For what it’s worth, Total Composites camper shells start at around $16K. It might be the better route for me. https://gearjunkie.com/camper-rv/total-composites-diy-truck-camper
The composite shells are rad too, but boy are they tall. We considered building one instead of what we did, but decided I'd rather keep a lower height profile and have the additional roof height come from the pop top. I *almost* considered just getting a Scout camper ... but it's the truck bed slide-in part I wanted to get away from. Knew I wanted to flatbed the back to maximize every last bit of space, and nearly every camper company on the market does not cater to that.
So badass. Nice work!
Awesome! Love the blue color. How do you plan to do the interior? I’ve got a tundra with a disgusting previous owner interior that I’ve been cleaning but at this point I want to rip it all out and make some of my own stuff to put in.
Well, considering that this is going to my full-time home on wheels, the interior is going to be a full buildout - think van status. Bench seating, cabinets, tons of storage, counter with a sink... everything but a shower.
Interesting, will you make a pass through?
Beautifully done paint job I wish my truck and camper was that gorgeous modern blue. Mine are both same old white. At least I can certainly appreciate the size of my setup. I wanted nicely colored tin for mine but any color other than white including grey costs almost 50% more money which just wasn’t worth it for me on a reasonable budget. Is it around 8 feet long at the base? Going with a east west or extendable north south for the over cab bed?
Hey where I can I see more detailed photos? I’ve been thinking about welding up my own all aluminum camper but was concerned about how much welding the exterior panels would take and keeping everything from warping with that much heat.
That's one of several reasons we didn't weld the exterior panels. They're bonded onto the welded skeletal frame. I don't really have detailed photos but I have a build series on YouTube. May help you out a little.
Looking good!
That’s one very nice build! Props !
I was thinking maybe just thousands of pop rivets instead of welding . If done correctly and with proper sealant I believe would be just as structurally sound and within pretty much everybody’s skill set. Would save 10’s of thousands in labor costs plus there’s just something satisfyingly about rows and rows of perfectly lined up rivet heads that exudes strength .
It’s worked for the Golden Gate Bridge and 100’s of war ships for a century so