Once aligned properly, it gets welded in place.




Flipping the entire bed over, I weld the under sides of the sleeve.




Then ground flush on both sides.




Body bolted back into place.

 

Partly patching up a mis-cut and reinforcing I add sheet steel to the inside wheel wells.

 

beautiful!

 

wow man this is great keep the pics and updates coming

 

Updates....Woo Hoo.

 

Finally... Getting into other parts besides sheet metal...

Wrapping up the sheet metal work on the bed, I cap off the bed stake holes.






Next I start preparing for the camper. Since I have completely altered structure points on the bed, I decided to add some additional reinforcement.
I cut 1 1/2 inch square tubing to fit underneath the bed rails.

 

I notched them to fit around some of the inner fender wells.






Then I cap off the notch.



Going a bit overkill here, I drill six holes on each side for bolts.

 

Chush sleves are welded into the support to avoid bending when bolds are tightened.




After welding is finished, they get ground smooth.




I align them back in the bed rails and drill holes accordingly.




Then I give the supports a cleaning.

 

Along the front of the bed another 1 1/2 inch square tube will connect either side.
The bed rail supports and the front support are given a bevel to accommodate bolting together.
Lock nuts are welded inside since no wrench will be able to reach them.








After bolted into place I measure and cut additional supports that will tie the front support into the truck frame.

 

Here I start the outer welds on the supports.




Then I pull it out and fully weld everything up.




I give everything a quick paint job and reinstall.

 

i love your work man

 

Pure Sex

 

Wow amazing work!

 

Looking really good, cant wait till its done. that is one solid rig, What will your truck weigh in at once your done with the reinforcements and the camper?

 

Thanks all! I can't wait either, its been in the works for a year come tomorrow.
I'm not sure on the weight. I need to weigh everything once finished.




Time to install the Adventure Trailers FlipPac camper! First things first. Mario pulled my camper out of the shop using a fork lift.




Then a three strips of rubber seal were placed along the bed railing and one along the front.




The ends were left long for extra play room.




Next Mario placed the camper on the bed and then lifting from inside with his back, slid the a few inches from its final location.

 

The fiberglass and window railing needed some trimming to clear the tailgate, so Mario proceeded to cut off the necessary amount.




Once trimmed, the AT FlipPac was slid into pace then secured temporarily with camps. Holes were also drilled accordingly along the bed rails.




After bolting the camper down, the upper lid was opened to install the front support pins.




Here, Mario measures and marks where the pins need to be paces.

 

Next the hood is opened to access the fender's inner edge, where two holes are drilled.




The holes are made to fit rivet nuts that are pressed into place by a special tool.




Rivet nuts installed on both sides.




Then the support pins are screwed into place with low button head bolts.

 

After installing the hood pins we close the hood and test fit the supports.




Voilà, camper installed.




Next I check out the inside of the camper, which there is tons of room. I'm standing fully upright when taking this photo.




Lots of room in the sleeper too. Mario snapped this photo of my goofy mug sitting on the bed. Plenty of room above my head.

 

With the AT FlipPac installation finished, we took some photos with Mario's Jeep Comanche and the MX2.





After we were all done working on the camper, we started brain storming about my gear storage. Mario brought out a few of his composite drawers to use for a mockup.
His idea is to stagger the drawers using different depths to create steps up to the bed. Still in the idea stages for gear storage.






On another note, I put together a demo video for the AT FlipPac for those interested in how everything works.
YouTube - Adventure Trailers FlipPac Demo

 

wow man! i'm blown away with the progress u've made with the ranger.. absolutely outstanding man!

 

Thanks!

 

That topper is amazing! It should make your travel much more enjoyable.

 

Wicked Sick!

 

My question is, was the camper custom fit to your truck or did you modify your truck to fit this camper? Do they make other tops that would fit a stock Ranger bed? One of these on my 99 would be awesme for when I take my Bronco2 out wheelin or when I go to the drag strip for a weekend.

 

Yes, the camper was custom made to fit my shortened bed. Mario's Comanche actually has an AT FlipPac for a normal Ranger. His overhang is only 6 inches where mine is 30 inches.

They are cool. I've been out camping a few times with it and I love it. Easy to setup and has a full size bed. I should be starting on the camper interior setup soon, which will make it that much better.