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Old 03-27-2012, 03:36 PM
MeanMark87 MeanMark87 is offline
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Default 1988 Ranger Camper inside topper build

Howdy all. I wanted to spread around the pics and info on this build, because I think it's a good idea (one I wish I could take credit for coming up with), and it'll hopefully serve me well on a camping trip I'm taking this summer. I first got the idea to make this thing after seeing this video while wasting some time on youtube:




Here's what I started with. The truck had a duraliner in it, and I knew in order to make things easier on myself, that baby had to go, so I ripped out the liner and put the topper back on.



First step was to make the rail supports. For these, I used 2 pieces of 3/4" sanded plywood 13 inches high and 72 inches long.



Next I built a right-angle support anchored to the tailgate end of the support rail. The idea was to make the whole unit fit tight against the inside of the box, to eliminate the need to drill any holes into the truck itself for mounting.



After I got the support in place, I attached the rail piece that the sleeping panels would actually slide on. I used a piece of 2X2 for this.



The next few pieces were two more supports for the right hand rail. The one closest to the cab was basically the same design as the one I put on by the tailgate, but the one near the wheel well was just a couple pieces of 2X2 oriented so the weight was borne by the top of the wheel well itself.



I repeated the process on the left side, and braced the two halves with a piece of 2X4 right behind the cab.



For extra support and to keep the rails tight against the truck, I braced the middle with a second 2X4, being careful to keep it at the same level as the slide rails to make sure they could still slide out.



Next move was to actually cut the sleeping panels. I had some problems here because the 13X72 rail pieces were actually slightly warped, making some sections of the bed wider than others. So my kinda half-assed solution was to just cut the pieces narrow enough to fit, but wide enough so they'd still sit on the rails. Then I secured the cargo compartment lids on the sides with some cabinet hinges for easy opening.



Closeups of the hinge assembly.





The completed project. A little rough and not nearly as polished as the one in that guy's video, but everything works, lays flat, and most importantly, supports the weight it will need to support with two people sleeping in it.



I had a ton of wood left over, so I threw together this, to solve my lack of a place to put my drink when I'm driving. (Damn bench seat with a manual tranny makes for zero cupholders...)



Next steps:

- Put in a thin mattress and bedding
- Sand some of the rough edges
- Drill holes in the sleeping panels to use as handles for removal

Here's a video of yours truly giving an overview:


That's about the size of it. Rate/hate/let me know what you guys think!
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1988 Ranger XLT 4X2. 2.3L I4. (RIP - SOLD)
1994 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1998 F-150 XLT 4x4 4.6L V8

Last edited by MeanMark87; 03-27-2012 at 03:39 PM.
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  #2  
Old 03-27-2012, 03:42 PM
HazardousRanger HazardousRanger is offline
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Default Re: 1988 Ranger Camper inside topper build

that is awesome man! ive seen alot of these boxes, i think they are cool
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Old 03-27-2012, 03:46 PM
mthomp1 mthomp1 is offline
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Default Re: 1988 Ranger Camper inside topper build

That's a very neat idea, and great execution! I'd like to see what it looks like when you get the bedding and everything else done.
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Old 03-29-2012, 05:10 PM
MeanMark87 MeanMark87 is offline
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Default Re: 1988 Ranger Camper inside topper build

Quote:
Originally Posted by mthomp1 View Post
That's a very neat idea, and great execution! I'd like to see what it looks like when you get the bedding and everything else done.
I'll definitely be updating this thing when I get that all done. Plus I'll put up a thread of pics when I actually take the camping trip this summer that this was designed for.

Now I've got so much wood left over I'm trying to think of other add-ons I could build.
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1988 Ranger XLT 4X2. 2.3L I4. (RIP - SOLD)
1994 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1998 F-150 XLT 4x4 4.6L V8
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Old 03-29-2012, 06:02 PM
Jimmy6 Jimmy6 is offline
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Default

Pretty cool man
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