M1010 fire rig to camper conversion

[joshuak]

That's a good looking dash cruzer747. I really like how you got the fuel gauge to fit, nice work!

For the missing plug, you could try posting up an ad in the parts wanted section of the classifieds, here.

 

[cruzer747]

new dash skin and more electronics

I am trying to get so many electrical details done before I start using it.... not done by any means but here are some pictures.

drilled some new holes in the roof for dashcam, alarm, and auxiliary camera system. Dashcam I purchased was a Yi rearview mirror with backup camera.... pleased with it except for it does not rotate enough to flatten out the horizon with the rearview aimed properly *edit* I opened up dashcam and found it had jumped out of where it was supposed to be and I reassembled it and now the horizontal tilt is perfect. very happy with it so far. *end edit*Fishing was hard but not impossible, to get things going I used 3 steel wire runs tied to the feed to the spotlight which I snipped off at the plug below and pulled through. Had to go back and forth a few times... not impossible but care should be taken! I removed the driver side visor to create a pull point.


Front led lights replacing the red strobes in the siren housings. fed through a switch and PWM for dimming and soon a switched diode protected feed from the highbeams so they can come on automatically with the brights if I want.

While the dash was being modified I bit the bullet, took the pad off and got a new skin from coverlay and installed it, color was off and as per other threads here used SEM burgandy which got it pretty close.

while the pad is out it makes for good access to install alarm and tracker... the ground kill switch makes the alarm install tricky but I will be able to simplify that later with an auxiliary battery.

So it needed some door buttons and after I painstakenly took out the kick panels and found no access I had to drill some holes to be able to install buttons and in the near future door solenoids. two 1" holes to put the door triggers in and a 3/4 going outside for door solenoids, then a 3/4 higher up so wires can exit at a good spot behind the kick panel above the air flap rod. things are still very temporary, wires will be getting protected with grommets etc soon...


Next will be wiring a kill switch to the fuel shutoff solenoid... just in case. The tracker can shut it off if someone decides they want to take off with it... ya never know! Have this on my truck and it is good peace of mind.

EDIT: One last thing I wanted to add was that I had found when I was plugging the B.O. Harness back in and removing the jumpers that had been installed prior, they were 14G wires with 14G male connectors. I had a brief flicker driving home one evening and looking at the nasty shade of blue on the terminals I would advise people make sure theirs is done with 12G wire and connectors crimped and soldered to boot... There was no extra load on this lighting circuit beyond stock.

 

[cruzer747]

more progress in the cab and pics

Edit: Forgot i had not put the door solenoid pics in here (in case anyone wants to know how easy they go...) Again, the cheapo kit off of ebay. Came with two wireless fobs but I have a different alarm system so I do not want anything else being able to activate them so I popped the module open and removed the wireless chip.


So a few more things knocked off the list. Watched the youtube videos about how easy the retrofit power window kits go and for just over $40 I could not say no.... It all installed easy enough. A couple hitches but nothing too hard to get it all working. I wish I had drilled 1" holes for wiring vs 3/4" though... pretty tight after split loom through to the doors. If any problems ever develop I will pull wires and drill it out bigger (did not have my big step drills handy at the moment). I picked up amnother can of SEM and got the door panels up to speed with the dash pad along with the newly mounted window switch housings. The kit comes with a cap that fits over the crank gear which pops off to allow a manual handle to operate it should the motor fail. Time will tell how long these hold up but can't beat that price! Put some tape over the holes where the oe adhesive was giving up the ghost. To get the door panel to reinstall proper I had to remove the bracket (see pic 2) below the window motor.

Also got some light switched I am happy with. Lights up blue with instrument lights and then green when powered on. Very happy with these so far. On the far right I have a dual voltmeter (not in pic). The first one was on the cheaper end of the scale and was reading .3V lower than actual. Had to put up a fight but got it refunded and then purchased an identical one from mictuning that is spot on. (Cheaper one was a knockoff design I imagine). The switch and dial at the left will tie/untie the led floods at the front into the brights and the dial is for dimming.


All I need to do for now is to reinstall the kick panels and I can get to the fun stuff in the box! I have a 200ah agm and 2 160W panels from renogy that are going in soon along with solenoid locks for the rear doors and hatch. A slide out camp stove that comes out of the hatch at the rear passenger side, and eventually water storage.... before I can get to the sleeping setup.

I will take some pics with a better camera of the cab soon. I did a brief search for floor mats but am pretty sure I am not going to have any luck. Mine is not completely gone and I wonder if laminating some thin rubber to the back could help it out... that and some bed liner underneath.... Thinking out loud, I need sleep.

 

[cruzer747]

roughing out cooking setup

so since there wes nothing behind the side hatch on my m1010 when I got it (other than a crudely installed water pump that fed from the 150gallons of water storage the FD put in) I figured it was the right size to put a cook stove pullout and after some brainstorming I am really looking forward to using it when I get this thing out camping.

Took 2 pairs of 12" full extension ball bearing drawer slides and welded them together, that holds the stove and propane tank, then from underneath another 12" slide that pulls out with a stainless cook prep area. The aluminum top deck is recycled interior siding... which will also line the inside of the box housing when complete. stove will be screwed to deck from below.

There will be a hook of some sort on the door that supports the weight of the unit while at full extension. Maybe if there is still too much potential twist I will make an arm that supports the other corner. Might as well throw in a small led light on the door so the floods dont have to be on to cook dinner.



Just need a bit more time to build some mounts and bolt it in. Afterwards there should be enough room above to house utensils etc. All of the fabrication was put together with aluminum rivets and aluminum angle stock except for the doubled up slides.

 

[cruzer747]

Got some shackles and after reading about how they sometimes like to go missing I came up with a solution for making them a little harder to remove... tap hole and slight countersink with small stainless cap screws. will keep dedicated screwdriver with recovery gear when done. Probably dab some caulk around them to hide how they are fastened but use something soft enough to get through when needed. The countersink makes it impossible to grab with pliers and the ss is for hoping it does not rust itself tight over time. Crossing fingers on that part, if they become stripped due to tampering or otherwise it is easy enough to dremel out a notch for slotted screwdriver removal. Considered locktight but the likelihood of them all stripping when I need em out would be almost a given I think.

 

[cruzer747]

rear coming together

Got a chance to take the rig on a trip, put 750 miles on it going through Yosemite and slept 4 nights pretty comfortably(built a temporary bed platform), the insulation was in and the trip showed me areas I need to work on while I continue tho run wires etc... Sorry for the mess but it is raining here so it is hard to be tidy with the materials. Every morning we were greeted to condensation that showed where all of the framing was. I ordered some foam insulating tape that will be covering the studs and then I am going to use a layer of the bubble/reflecto wrap over everything behind the walls. I am worried that over a long time the condensation will rot the wood and I think this will cut down most of it. After cabinets are built there will be an insulated flooring put down as well as the floor gets dang cold!

So the pullout stove slide is almost done, I just fit the 20 gallon water storage tank (needed to be heated and narrowed about 1/2 an inch to make it so I can easily remove for cleaning. 200ah agm battery in front of the water storage and (2) 160w panels on top. Still have a ton of wiring to do but it is roughly operational at the moment. Lighting is temporary, just got some flush mount leds and will be able to get a lot of things squared away in the next couple months.

The cabinet along the aisle will have (4) top opening cubbies 4" deep and (4) bottom hatches that swing up for bigger stuff and also a rear hatch that will have a cubby for my fishing rods.

Eventually the other side will be a fridge (same height as cabinet) bedding storage, and then space for a little more stuff. Along the back wall I am contemplating getting a camco catalytic heater and running a tank on a rack that I would like to build on the front of the box where the a/c used to be.... any thoughts on this would be great! *edit* started looking into diesel 12v heaters... the one that was there originally was long gone before me but the line is still there, probably easier to go this route... the chinese ones are cheap and tempting but for space I may want to mount external under the box and the german/russian ones are I believe better rated for exposure (would be in an enclosure) so I still have a bit of research to do here.

I wish it was summer again for the long dry workdays. Also while it was fun planning on taking all the backroutes and avoiding highways to keep the speed 50 or less... a 700r4 will be a must within the next year! Being passed by big rigs is no fun! The taller tires I put on just before did help a tad. 255/85/16 cooper discover something or others. Nice tire!

 

[joshuak]

Congratulations on a successful trip, what a great picture.

View attachment 749931

 

[Mad Texan]

View attachment 749925

Great progress and looks like it was an awesome trip! The tires look like Cooper ST Maxx which I have on my daily driver and think they are great. Just wondering if there is a manufacturer's name on you windows? I like the way they fit inside the wall 'studs' tightly. I've been looking for some off and on but haven't found the right fit.

 

[cruzer747]

Just wondering if there is a manufacturer's name on you windows? I like the way they fit inside the wall 'studs' tightly. I've been looking for some off and on but haven't found the right fit.

I will check when I get a minute, the fire dept installed them... SIDEWAYS! I had to fill the weep holes and drill new ones, also the seam of the frame is now at the bottim so even with the weep holes it is not correct. That said I have considered replacing them but they are not cheap but I have seen similar ones available from china through alibaba. Can look back into it when I get home for you. It is nice to have the light and fresh air though, The "blackout curtains" will be wrapped up with black viny and velcro attachments when they are done.

 

[Mad Texan]

I will check when I get a minute, the fire dept installed them... SIDEWAYS! I had to fill the weep holes and drill new ones, also the seam of the frame is now at the bottim so even with the weep holes it is not correct. That said I have considered replacing them but they are not cheap but I have seen similar ones available from china through alibaba. Can look back into it when I get home for you. It is nice to have the light and fresh air though, The "blackout curtains" will be wrapped up with black viny and velcro attachments when they are done.

I think you just explained why I haven't found them... And if they are mounted and don't leak all the better. Yes some light and fresh air is what I would be after. Mine is a little cave like, it doesn't help that the sea foam green was painted over with a gray color making it even darker inside.

 

[cruzer747]

I think these would do nicely but I think they are slightly smaller than mine so it would be a lot of work to retrofit... I should have the paneling off in a week so I could measure out stud spacing again but the depth is right for this and the price is not too bad either.
https://www.amazon.com/R-pod-Teardr...=UTF8&qid=1544078434&sr=8-8&kywords=rv+window

Will post pics when everything shapes up a little better, lots of switches, PWMs for lighting and fans, and the tv etc coming soon and straightening up the insulation and trim pieces at the box seams to access wiring down the road and hopefully once I am happy with it paint.

 

[Mad Texan]

I think these would do nicely but I think they are slightly smaller than mine so it would be a lot of work to retrofit... I should have the paneling off in a week so I could measure out stud spacing again but the depth is right for this and the price is not too bad either.
https://www.amazon.com/R-pod-Teardr...=UTF8&qid=1544078434&sr=8-8&kywords=rv+window

Will post pics when everything shapes up a little better, lots of switches, PWMs for lighting and fans, and the tv etc coming soon and straightening up the insulation and trim pieces at the box seams to access wiring down the road and hopefully once I am happy with it paint.

You have had your box apart but this has been a good reference guide without have to tear anything apart: https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...ambulance-box-build-reference&highlight=m1010

The studs are 16" apart so the window you linked might work well! It is less expensive than many I looked at and seems to have good review. Saved into the wish list...

 

[cruzer747]

Been a wet slow winter but I figure enough progress has been made to put some pics up...
Main panel with dimming controls for lights, fans, and other gizmos and monitoring charging etc...
top down view of slideout stove and water filler going in, the spigot connects to the bottom of the pullout cutting board under the stove.
so many wires... In addition to the tv (12v rv deal that fit in the aluminum framing with a 1/8 clearance length and with aside from needing to detach the IR pickup on it...) there will be a 8 channel dvr going in as well to keep an eye on things. Will be fun watching the critters at6 night and while I am out hiking!

After the first voyage I realized the insulation was not sufficient so now behind all the ply there is a layer of that 1/4" bubble/foil stuff that made a big difference! Opted for flat light khaki on the paint (only the electric panel is painted so far) But may do some OD on the lower cabinets if it shows too much dirt/wear.

eventually when the right side is done getting hinges, latches, paint... the left side will have a dometic cooler/fridge which is same height, then some more storage that will also house the cheap chinese diesel heater. Ply will span the aisle for the mattress when it is bedtime. Will get to do more once things dry out a bit more. Walls will be finished with 1x2 trim at corners and crown and a small batt along the plywood seams.

 

[cruzer747]

more pics. camping trip coming up in a couple weeks

Dryer weather and longer days have been letting me make more progress in the back of the rig. I really like how all the cubbies have turned out. Installed a diesel air heater, A lot more to go but the list is getting shorter which is nice. Just ordered the dometic fridge freezer which will fill out the rear driver side portion having food accessible from ground level while outside. Same height and width as the cubbies as well which will let me put a third board to span the center should I decide the mattress is better off in line with the truck. All of the pulls and the hinges that are on the top cubbies are made out of 1" cotton strapping and just put in with 3/8 t50 staples (love having a pneumatic stapler!) Narrow side bin houses a decent toolset, keeping the corners open I still have access to wiring as I have a few more things to do before I cover it with trim. Will start thinking about overhead storage later in the year. Going to try and get some of the other things plunked off the list first. Speakers were taken from a 12v pc set with a teeny woofer (in the wall below the left speaker. Ill throw up a couple more pics from the last month...

 

[cruzer747]

some pics from the last push

Here was the supplied air duct which was hitting just under air temp which is about 170...180 if on full blast for a while. Being that it is boxed in I wanted to avoid as much heat escaping into the cubby as I could so I used a class B dual wall vent which dropped the temp around 40' and prolonged use on high is no longer a concern.

stainless shower rod was the perfect diameter to continue the exhaust all the way to the back. Tested with co alarm and co sniffer with doors closed 0ppm co after one hour on high.
I will not be winning any awards here with the wiring but at some point I will clean it up. The lengths were tricky as it has to allow for the door to swing open and when closed that length with some of the gauges I am running gets bulky so I had to trim it out a total of 2 1/4 from the wall to have clearance. Since there are so many things on dimmers (lights and fans) each one needed a dedicated ground.

just enough room for two small reels in a 2" abs tube that runs at the back of the lower cubbies. There was just enough room to squeeze my tackle box in there too!


I am open to suggestions and questions... the intent of this is for extended camping/traveling. Also if there is a better way to put the pics on here let me know, I figure someone at some point will certainly benefit from some of this.

 

[antennaclimber]

You are doing a very nice job!

Thank you for posting the build. I'm sure it will inspire or help others with ideas on their own project.

 

[chevymike]

Great looking build. I just bought another M1010 to do my camper build. I had one about 9 years ago and regretted selling it. You have given me some good ideas. Keep them coming.

Here's mine, that I bought from SS member named 319.

 

[cruzer747]

Here's mine, that I bought from SS member named 319.

Looks nice and straight! I go back and forth on whether or not it would have been nice to have the stock a/c and heater and I think having them already deleted let me do a little more of what I wanted inside. That said I would love to have AC and will be looking for something aftermarket when the time comes. It is so well insulated it wont take as much but there are not too many from what I have seen made to mount on the side. AC isd definately lower down on the list than say a built 700R4 though so... Anywho, will post some more when I get things a little more polished.

 

[chevymike]

Looks nice and straight! I go back and forth on whether or not it would have been nice to have the stock a/c and heater and I think having them already deleted let me do a little more of what I wanted inside. That said I would love to have AC and will be looking for something aftermarket when the time comes. It is so well insulated it wont take as much but there are not too many from what I have seen made to mount on the side. AC isd definately lower down on the list than say a built 700R4 though so... Anywho, will post some more when I get things a little more polished.

Yeah, I am pulling all of that. Our camping is Thanksgiving to Memorial Day so A/C not really needed in the back. Will likely put A/C in the cab (Vintage Air). The heater in this must be ran with the engine running, so not really practical for camping. I'll put in a aftermarket diesel or propane heating system. Definitely looking at some overdrive solution as well (built 700R4 or Gear Vendors OD).

 

[Weller]

The panel modification with solar controller looks awesome, I'm about to make something very similar on my S250 shelter. Something about pushing buttons and getting to check voltages, PV input, etc. that makes things more fun.