Inexpensive camper/utiliy box for m35a2

[mobileauto2000]

I would like to say that i am not a survivalist. But with things the way they are in Oregon, Talking about a state bank and Oregon's own universal health care. There is a real chance my wife and i may need to leave the state. I would like some real world ideas on how to set up my truck for such an emergency trip to a more conservative state. But also be useful if the worst never happens.

My truck is just a standard bed. This is my basic idea. Please give me your opinions and details of how you would do it. And pictures would be helpful.

I think I will build a insulated plywood box in side the bed, it would have a floor so it can be removed and be self contained.
would need a inside height of six feet so I could stand up inside and not lose my hat.
thought about giving the roof the same shape as cargo bows so it could be covered with a cargo canvass. would need a space in front of bed for a large fuel tank. I own an auto repair shop so I will be using WMO, that's what I run the truck on now. I think if I set it up as a lightly appointed camper. small sink, stove and an icebox. it would be useful now for camping in the sand dunes. I probably will need to acquire a military trailer to move my shop equipment in. or should i set the trailer up to live in and use the trunk to move shop equipment.

I need your help and experience as I know some of you must have set up trucks in such a fashion also ideas for small thing, First aid, emergency, food things a non survivalist would not think of.

Thanks John

 

[nk14zp]

Great idea. Wrong forum.

 

[wreckerman893]

A lot of units made "build ups" on deuces....most of them were only limited by what could be scrounged (no unit money could officially be used) by the Motor Pool guys or the section the truck belonged to.

If I were doing it today I would use metal building panels and the "bubble wrap" type insullation for strenght and weight. Plywwood is heavy when it gets wet and keeping a canvas or vinyl tarp from blowing off or tearing would be a PITA.

Wire it for 110 and 12 volt and you would have a decent hooch if you had to bug out.
A M105 trailer would allow you to carry a lot of personal stuff and some extra fuel.

 

[still standing still cyco]

have you considered just using a large slide-in truck camper? i know they look kinda tacky in a deuce, but for ease of use and less labor, it may be the way to go. and it would be fully set-up how you want it, and if need be, you can take it out at your chosen campsite, and still have the truckbed to use for hauling supplies and equipment... just a thought... good luck in your project !!

 

[mobileauto2000]

I have thought about a camper. I have been looking for one as a possibility. I dont realy have any funds for this project so I'm looking for something under 500 bucks. I will have to admit i would like what ever i do to look like it grew there. that is why i was thinking of putting a cargo cover over it. An 8 foot cab over would fit in the bed and go over a large fuel tank in the front so ill keep looking for one.

The idea of steel panels is interesting. Are you thinking flat or corrugated? What gauge metal? Could you give me a little kick in the right direction and I'll do some research on the idea

 

[lacoda56]

There's also a slide in shelter (for radio equipment I think) that's made for the standard deuce bed. It would give you a great basis for what you have in mind. There was one on the cover of MV Mag about 4 or 5 years ago, but I have no idea of the military designation.

 

[jatonka]

The slide in shelter is an S-280 for the deuce 12' bed. I really like the truck camper idea cause it would leave room for the fuel tank, and that could gravity feed to the truck tank. Win-win situation. Then the M105 with a clothing repair shelter in it would give you lots more dry storage. Don't forget the M66 ring mount. JT out

 

[area52]

To save bed space- think about the area under the bed between the frame rails for your fuel tank. That area is like 2'x 2' x 12' = 48 cubic feet give or take some. Should hold a few hundred gallons of fuel or water or whatever.

 

[gimpyrobb]

More like 2ft x 6inch x 12ft. I have that section of my bed cut out for use. I was going to try and get a fuel tank made for it, but found a good size one cheap. Now I am designing some kind of slide out storage unit for it.

 

[mobileauto2000]

I like the under bed storage idea. Will take a look under the truck and ponder the possibility.

Thanks John

 

[unclemikey]

Camper works for me. The M-109 or S-280 box is much stronger than any camper, but will require quite a bit of work to really make it work as you would want. However a camper is a quick and durty way to get an unit with all the needs in place as a slam dunk. It has the room you need, and has the cargo and extra fuel storage room. Best of all, you can find most older units for a song. It can look a bit funny, but most people think a Deuce looks funny anyway,........so what do they know! The trailer is a must, the best being a M-105, always works well, and there is lots of them around. My

 

[mobileauto2000]

Mr Unclemikey
It was a photo of your truck that gave me the idea of a camper. Would it be possible to get some detailed pictures (closeups) of how it sits in the bed, how you closed up and used the wheel well space, and any other top secret info one may need to know. And last but not least. How tall it it. Do you have any real problems with clearance like gas stations or such. Oh and any modifications necessary to fit the deuce that might not be apparent

Thanks John

 

[Wolfen]

I would like to say that i am not a survivalist. But with things the way they are in Oregon, Talking about a state bank and Oregon's own universal health care. There is a real chance my wife and i may need to leave the state. I would like some real world ideas on how to set up my truck for such an emergency trip to a more conservative state. But also be useful if the worst never happens.

My truck is just a standard bed. This is my basic idea. Please give me your opinions and details of how you would do it. And pictures would be helpful.

I think I will build a insulated plywood box in side the bed, it would have a floor so it can be removed and be self contained.
would need a inside height of six feet so I could stand up inside and not lose my hat.
thought about giving the roof the same shape as cargo bows so it could be covered with a cargo canvass. would need a space in front of bed for a large fuel tank. I own an auto repair shop so I will be using WMO, that's what I run the truck on now. I think if I set it up as a lightly appointed camper. small sink, stove and an icebox. it would be useful now for camping in the sand dunes. I probably will need to acquire a military trailer to move my shop equipment in. or should i set the trailer up to live in and use the trunk to move shop equipment.

I need your help and experience as I know some of you must have set up trucks in such a fashion also ideas for small thing, First aid, emergency, food things a non survivalist would not think of.

Thanks John

I agree with you on the way things might go here in Oregon mobileauto2000. This Styate, keeps Electing these Crazy Liberals as Giovenor.

 

[still standing still cyco]

funny thing is that the photo of Unclemikeys truck is what made me make that suggestion in the first place... but i had no idea whose truck it was. i just had a randon pic saved to my comp from when we were looking into getting a deuce to build a camper... should have known it belonged to a fellow S.S. weirdo... hehehe... j/k uncle

 

[unclemikey]

John,

Don't have much right now, but I will take some pics to help you out as I can. The unit stands about 12' 6" with the A/C unit. The C.B. antennas at the front of the camper is a height feeling rods. Do have a copy of side storage pics. This is the right rear. I put a camp chair in the photo to show size of cargo area. Also there are four 20lb propane tanks at the rear of this cargo area, only two in place in this photo. At the front of the bed between the camper and the bed you will see a 75 gal fuel tank just behind the cab. The side covers are just sheet metal with a long hinge ( home depot), the latches are standard slide door locks mounted in the vertical. Some of this you can make out in the photos if you look close. Hope this will help a bit.

 

[still standing still cyco]

unclemikey, do you run into problems with things hitting and damaging the air-conditioner? ive thought about taking out the current a/c and mounting either a small house-window unit in its place, or doing a roof-top rv unit... do you have any kind of protective cage built around it?

 

[mobileauto2000]

That's funny Mr dose not move much. I Had his pic on my computer for the vary same reason. It was my desktop background while I was shopping for my truck.

Don't let the admeration swell your head Unclemikey! Alas a question. is the camper sitting on the bed or is it raised to clear the cab. I have a line on a 10' cab over, cross my fingers.

 

[unclemikey]

I have never had a problem. I did replace the fiberglass cover on tje A/C unit with a steel cover, but more from damage from snow. I live in a open area however, about the only thing I have to look out for is trees. I have considered a household window mount unit on the rear of the camper. I feel that this would work as well and give me a bit less height and less weight on the roof. If the roof unit were to fail, I think I would go the way and not replace the roof unit. Just a passing thought.

 

[mobileauto2000]

I decided to go the camper route like my hero Unclemikey. Spent 6 hours puttin' it into the truck good enough to move to my shop. Used come alongs to pull it up a ramp into the bed. Would have worked like a charm if i had grabbed the good come alongs. But in my rush i grabbed the $9 Harbor freight junk. The come alongs body's stretched and jammed. Brute force won out and we got it into the truck and down to the shop for modification to come. Here is some of my adventure in pictures. Tomorrow I hope to camo the roof, back of cab, front and underside of the camper so i can pull it to the front of the bed. Feel free to give advice. That means you unclemikey

 

[unclemikey]

WOW, looks like you are really going to town. Every camper is a bit different and will have to fit in its own way. I was lucky to have a friend that lifted my camper into the truch with a crain. I have found that your best friends for the project will be a good tape measure and a note pad to keep all the numbers you will come up with. Go carefully and be sure thats the way you want it before you go and cut anything. No matter how wierd it starts to look, believe me it will improve piles once you start to get some color on it. Just focus on the camper, the truck won't even know it's back there. You will find however, the truck will ride ever so much better and handle the same. Good luck, keep us posted.