fiatslug87 Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 Work continues. Gave the tent an overnight Oxi-Clean bath which removed all the mold/mildew stains, I was amazed, pictures will come once it’s back together. Cleaned and repaired all the structural supports including the springs which turned out really nice. Before: After rust removal: After bluing: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 7, 2023 Author Share Posted February 7, 2023 Painted the interior yesterday. Used Duplicolor Sandstorm bed liner for the sleeping platform, the stuff is horrible to spray, the cans stop spraying, start dribbling and leave a third of the product behind. I don’t recommend using it at all. The bottom portion was going to be the same bed liner but decided on paint. Also, all my stainless hardware arrived so assembly will begin after a few days of paint curing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 10, 2023 Author Share Posted February 10, 2023 That bed liner finish was pissing me off so I punctured the cans, poured out the remaining material and rolled it on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 11, 2023 Author Share Posted February 11, 2023 The tent supports are basically 1” ID zinc plated steel pipes connected with copper elbows. The ends that pivot to raise them were collapsed by over tightened hardware so I expanded them back out using some sockets. I then inserted 1” solid plastic rods for support which also made inserting the quick release pins easier not having to “hunt” for the hole on the other side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 Just finished final assembly, next is putting it on the trailer with the new seal. I’ll post more pictures when that happens, hopefully Sunday but here’s a couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertRat1991 Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 Really nice work! Did you do any waterproofing on that old canvas? Been a long-time since I went tent camping but I recall there was a spray we used to use on the outside and along the seams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokinn Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 I considered buying this myself but wife approval would have been highly dubious to non existent. But you are definitely way more deserving than I given what you have done with it. We'll be looking for some photos of it in action out in the wild. Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 On 2/18/2023 at 5:43 AM, DesertRat1991 said: Did you do any waterproofing on that old canvas? The tent (8-ounce nylon pack-cloth) has a waterproof polyurethane coating on the inside that appears intact except for a couple places on the vertical ends. I want to get it back on the trailer before next week’s rains and will test it for water leakage, then go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 A couple tips if anyone is doing this: -It’s very difficult to put the bulb seal in if the hinges are in place. -Wet the area of the tent that gets screwed down so it will stretch easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExpatMJGuy Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 This is so cool. I've been tempted to cut my parts MJ in half to do just this! I've been trying to save it but I've seriously been on the fence sense I saw it had decent collision damage up front! I'm just a beginner welder, like 3 weekends of Saturday classes with a stick welder and a few times after actually fixing some brackets. I don't have the confidence to go this big yet! But I want to!!! This goes above and beyond what I was thinking with just a camper top to store the food, camping gear, and keep things dry! Amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 Got the WilderNest mounted to the trailer yesterday. Since it’s ~3” shorter than the bed there’s a stainless steel L-shaped filler piece at the front but it flexes and I don’t think it will make a good seal so I added a piece of 2” angle iron on the inside to sandwich the filler to the shell. Drilled a few holes through the angle iron as cargo tie down points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 Added a couple Rough Country MOLLE panels, they’re meant for the left and right rears of a Tacoma but they fit end to end in our long beds, they need trimming if they’re set behind the bed rails (they will also fit our short beds as intended for the Tacomas). For the bottom standoffs I installed nutserts into the bed and used 1” plastic rod cut into 2” lengths that were drilled and countersunk for the nutserts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 The custom printed spare tire cover just came in , it’s a picture of one of my dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 nice is the tarp for storage or travel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 Storage, I’m getting a little water intrusion at the rivets that hold the windows in place. I don’t plan on doing anything about it anytime soon so will store it under the tarp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted April 8, 2023 Author Share Posted April 8, 2023 Last of the stainless bling. Before: After: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted April 9, 2023 Author Share Posted April 9, 2023 I never posted pics of it back on the bed, here are a couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Looks so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted April 18, 2023 Author Share Posted April 18, 2023 My fantastic sister in law just gave us a new cooler! Fits perfectly behind the wheel well and is color coordinated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 It’s the little things that bring me joy! Before: After: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 chrome is like a 20% bump in horsepower. at least for a trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 20%, 100%, it’s all the same when you start with a 0.0L Next little thing is using a Comanche fuel filler neck for the water tank. Before: After: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted June 4, 2023 Author Share Posted June 4, 2023 Latest detail thanks to @boxyjeep, now it matches my ‘88. Before: After: My ‘88 (have to replace and clean up): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 Started on the drawer. Got the carcass done, need to paint it, attach the top and build the drawer. Pretty happy with how it’s coming along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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