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86 Conquest complete rebuild


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Hey all, I'm new to the forum.  I've been lurking for a while, planning my move to buy a Toyota motorhome and get going on a project.  So here it is!

Details about the camper:
I bought an 86' Conquest from a local junkyard.  I looked around a lot before I decided on this one.  It has the appropriate axle (thanks to your axle writeup).  It has just under 50k miles.  
It looks good from the outside, but the water damage is extensive.  The bunk area on the drivers side is pretty bad.  The roof as a whole has been leaking for some time.  All the caulking up top is rotten.  The floor near the bathroom is rotten.  The interior generally is not great.  There was someone living in it for the last several months of it's life.  It then sat in a junkyard two years.
The engine hasn't run since 07, so far as I can tell. I have gotten the engine running, but I'll save the details about that for later.

The underside is not very rusty... unlike most vehicles here in Maine.  
I paid $1000 delivered.

Goals for the project:
The camper will become an equipment/people hauler for my band/gear.  There will be no bathroom/kitchen.  It's basically a dry sleeping place up front and storage in the rear for equipment. (800#'s or so)

Economical to drive-
I intend to completely rebuild the walls, roof, and some of the floor.  When I do, it will be considerably shorter.  The roof will be even with the top of the existing side windows.  Between removal of all the exterior fixtures (awning, vents, etc) and addition of a foldable modest boat tail (like the big rigs have now) and a mpguino, I hope to achieve 20mpg.  I'm a fuel economy nut and already have a 65mpg Civic that I built, so this shouldn't be too hard.  I'll also pull the AC (if it doesn't work!), change the mechanical cooling fan for an electric one.  Then consider pulling the power steering and connect high/low pressure lines together to make it easier to steer.  

Weight-
I'm thinking that it will end up about the same weight as the original camper was but have a much lower drag coefficient.
I'll remove all things not related to the goals above.  I will keep the furnace in a different location and make the tank be a 20# bottle that can be removed in summer months.
The equipment is hefty, yes, but I'm also shortening the roof which reduces weight.  
The new walls will most likely be framed with 1" square steel tubing 1/8" thickness.  I've considered lots of others... such as 2x3' or ripping 2x4's in half.  But steel is the strongest in the event of a crash.  It will also make it more stable going down the road.  It's easy to cut/weld.  It's cheap right now (rougly $1.10/square foot). It's relatively light given how much strength it has.  I'm thinking 16" centers.
Interior will be 1/4" luan.  1" foam inside the walls.  This should ad some rigidity to the exterior, which will also be luan.  Then covered with either painted FRP or the thicker 24" wide aluminum flashing (not from the box stores, from the web).  I've built a trailer this way already.  It's been working great so far!

Materials-
I'll retail the side windows.  No rear window.  Not sure about the front window, but maybe.  I want to use as much of the camper parts as possible.  The seats/cushions need cleaning, but can be re-used.  The bench seat/table seats are going to be retained too.  There will be no second battery.  No bells and whistles.  A light in the rear storage area.  A wall built between the storage area and the "living quarters" will add strength to the box and prevent equipment moving forward.  The undercarriage storage compartments will remain.  The bit of exterior that goes below the floor will be retained and connected to the new walls.  The cab connection part will be retained.  Part of the upper bunk/existing aluminum roofing will be retained.

Cost-
As little as possible!  Mostly this project will take time.  The insulation is probably the most expensive bit.

Interior room-
It's going to be short.  Something like 57" tall inside after the ceiling is in.  This is unpeasantly short for camping.. but just fine for sleeping/sitting too and from gigs.  This is also short for the equipment, but the existing trailer is 52" tall inside right now, so it's a big improvement.  Two of the speaker cabs are 48" tall.
Why so short you ask?  Two primary reasons.  MPG and fitting into my garage.  If it doesn't fit in my garage, I can't do the project, so....  The existing garage opening is 84".  I can make it 2" bigger by redoing the framing, but that's the end of it.  The total height of the camper has to be 84" or less.  I may have to remove air from the rear tires to remove it from the garage when the shell is completed but no heavy equipment is in the back weighing it down.

Time frame- 
I'm hoping for a completion date by summer.  I think it's reasonable, given the amount of time I have to devote to it.

Progress
I have been filming it.  I am a youtuber already with vids on similar topics.  I'll post the first video installment today, after I finish editing it.  It's going to be a multi part series, of course.  Questions/comments should go here... youtube is too hard to keep track of comments.

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Thanks for checking it out, I'll post that video as soon as it's edited.
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A Chinook RV poptop will do the 20mpg thing. Your rig will be a bit bigger so 18-20 mpg is more realistic. BUT the big thing will be speed of travel. A full sized Toy is 10mpg at 70-75 and 14 mpg at 55-60.

I'd rethink the coach battery, a fantastic roof fan will make a big difference on a Hot August Night. Also check "Filon" for siding. Although if $$ are important your siding looks reusable.

1x1x.125 on 16' seems like overkill, there should be engineering tables on the net to let you look at strength vs weight before you build.

There are 2 posts to check out "put the sawzall down" and one I cant remember, but is a RVer in South America who built a steel framed Toy RV. Maybe the moderator will remember. The boat tail works for trucks so it will help some.

 

 

 

Edited by WME
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That looks awfully nice for a rotten camper. Smooth sides and no noticeable overhead droop at least from this side. Conquest is one of the few Toyota motorhomes with aluminum framing. You can probably redo it using the existing framing and save the weight of adding a lot of steel. Don't think you'll make it to 20mpg but maybe 18. Sounds like an interesting project. We'll be looking forward to future posts

Linda S

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Good call on the mpgs.  20 is lofty, for sure, but I do have a fair bit of experience in boosting fuel economy with other cars.  Percentage wise, it's a lot.  I improved my last ride from 45 to 65.  Speed isn't a concern... most of the roads I'll be on have a posted limit of 50mph.  I don't like the highway and prefer to take the backroad route and give myself more time to get there likewise.  This keeps my foot out of it as much too.

I may go 24" centers on the walls, but the roof definitely 16".  We get a fair amount of snow and I'm not always able to get it shoveled off before the next storm arrives.  I'm less concerned about weight than I am about roof height.  The 1" provides as similar strength to 2x3's with more headroom.  I'd rather be a little heavy and not worry as much about my passengers in a wreck.  

A bit late on the "put down the sawzall" suggestion, but that's my fault.  You'll see in a second when the video is posted.
The main thing with shortening it is fitting into my garage.  If I can't work on it inside, it's a non-starter for me.

I know it looks good in the photos, but see the vid.  There's water in the walls, especially in the back.  The floor is gone in front of the bathroom. Sheet metal is all that's holding it up.  The fiberglass outer sheathing is okay... but needs painting.  The fiber is showing through.  More importantly, the original siding has the windows in a different spot than I want.  It also has lots of holes in it for vents and such.  I'm going for streamlined, so that's no good.
If I could have found a box truck with similar motor/price, I would have.  But this allows me to reuse some of the components like windows, seats, lower storage, etc.  
Believe me, I'm always interested in getting the most out of everything as possible.  My life is basically a story of collecting others junk and making it into useful things again.  But I've also taken apart rotten campers before trying to save them.  Always more time/$ than just starting fresh with the old parts.
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I would remove the side window and carefully remove the side paneling and see what the frame is, wood or aluminum. If tis aluminum you couls shorten the sides to where you want and weld the roof frame back on. Save a ton of time and $$.

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Hey, Video, take 2.  Yes, keep the vallium handy... this one is the tear down.

Motorhome rebuild part 2.

The camper was indeed framed with aluminum.  However, the joints were barely welded/brazed.  I show that in the video, at one point.  The joints were only welded on one side.  3 sides no weld material.  All walls had water in them.  Some worse than others.

Main thing about reusing the walls is structural support.  The cabinets most definitely added a lot of structural strength to the frame.  Without them, the walls would have been dangerously inadequate to protect the passengers let alone not flex in winds or with snow load.  Hence, steel framing.  I can weld in diagonals in the walls where needed.  Also can double up framing near door if needed.
The local place found some 1"x1"x14 gauge, thinner and lighter than the 1/8th inch.  Stronger than the alloy because I can brace it without fasteners.  

The windows all came out successfully.  No damage.  Not going to put the back window in.  Friend needed it for a project.... so it went.  I'll install interior lights, but no one will sleep there routinely.  Maybe now and again, when I tow my equipment trailer.  Under those conditions, I'll install a fan, probably in the floor to draw air in and push out the main windows.

PS I've saved tons of this thing.  Tail lights, windows, appliances, seats/bed/table, doors, etc.  If I don't use it, I'll find someone who will.  So much so that I'm running out of storage room for all the stuff.

Part 3 will be out shortly.
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Edited by benfrogg
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OK no more cautious advice. You have focus, you know exactly what your doing. I'm sorry but we come in contact with so many who don't. Just king of wondering how come you don't have your own TV show. So cool. really looking forward to seeing what you build. Unfortunately for the many Conquest owners here they now know their campers weren't built all that well One sided weld? What's with that. It's a vehicle that needs to be solid

Linda S

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Thanks for the kind words, Linda S.  In a sense, I do have my own TV show, it just happens to be on Youtube.  In fact, it's a major motivator for me to do some of these creative projects I've wanted to do for some time.  

As to the Conquests- Yes, this one was put together by cutting some corners.  It wasn't just the welds... there was other evidence if cutting corners  Many screws were driven in at strange angles.  Heads were stripped inside cabinets.  Some screws missed their target when the walls were opened up.  Other things I'm forgetting too.  Just little hints that the folks who put that one together were under some pressure or just didn't care much.
Not all Conquests would have been made by the same crew.... but I do believe the welds would be incomplete on most of them.  

If you pause at 7:20 in the video, you can see the weak weld that was typical of what I found elsewhere.  Here are some pics, although this particular joint did have two welds unlike the one I removed already.

Also included are two photos of the $75 ebay manifold kit.  Brand new... the casting was incomplete but somehow made it through quality control..... Doesn't appear to leak, however, so that's something.

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Edited by benfrogg
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Okay, I can't wait anymore.  

Motorhome rebuild part 3

The videos are about a week behind my actual progress.  I don't like editing, so I do it all in chunks.  Steel to frame the walls is arriving tomorrow!  Stoked to get this thing moving.

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Here's the latest chapter.  Again, the video is behind the actual progress.  Metal is more than halfway done.

Part 4 Rebuild

And here's a photo to wet your appetite for part 5, coming soon.... This shows the band equipment in the area it will live.  Note that the wall between the two spaces isn't completed yet.
Also, I know you're wondering how heavy this is going to be, so I included a picture of 12" worth of the steel I'm using.  Just under 1 pound per foot.  There's going to be roughly 380 feet of steel when I'm done, so 375 pounds of frame, or so.  

PS if you saw the first video I uploaded called part 4 that wasn't supposed to go live.  I edited it because it had lots of sped up footage with no audio.  

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Alright, here's the long awaited frame/roof.  It's not entirely finished.  I need to do a bit more work bracing the roof and adding gussets, as well as the interior wall studs.  Sadly, due to a hard drive failure, I lost a pile of video of the process.  So this video is short.  The end has the reveal.

Part 5


Also, I included a couple of photos.  The blue tarp ones are because I needed the garage for other work.  The camper isn't much taller than the van we use now.  It is at least 6' longer though... 

The windows should be pretty obvious.

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Well my suggestion of a powered vent fan won't work because of the low garage. But the same company makes a stand up fan that could be set in a window. They move a lot of air with a low amp draw

http://www.fantasticvent.com/fan-tastic-vent-s-retail-stand-alone-fans.html      

You have gotten a lot farther along than most of the folks who modify their Toys. Congrats

Edited by WME
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Thanks all!  It's coming, slow and steady.  As with all things, $ is tight... so it's a slow process.  But I'm pleased with the outcome so far.  

I'm going to look into one of those fans... still thinking drawing the air from underneath is the way to go.  The windows are nearly at the top of the roof... so pull cold air in and push hot air out the windows.  Maybe even put it on a timer/thermostat.  Or at least get something with multiple speeds.

Hoping the rest of the metal will be here this week.  I'm going to put on a new rear bumper as this one is very rusty.  I'm also going to raise it's height and put the steel tube all the way back to the original truck frame.  The frame extensions made on this thing are kinda flimsy...  
If I do all that and gusset the bumper, I can mount a receiver hitch directly to the bumper.  I should be able to then haul up to 3k without fear....

I wanted to do this to support my ramp I want to use.  I'll cover that in later videos.  Should be a slick rig when it's done.  And super strong.


 

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If you build shelves to transport your equipment on, check out pickup tailgate nets to keep things on place. 

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Ben: I would consider a fan blowing out the side near the top, or out the rear if you have the cool air coming from underneath. I looked at a new Jayco  travel trailer that was lower in order to go under my carport. The AC wasn't on top but vented thru the side near the top. I looked the TT over real good. I decided that my 30 year old MH was built much better than the brand new stick built TT. Therefore I went away feeling mighty good about what I already had and was paid for.  You seem to be doing a GREAT JOB on what you have already accomplished. Wishing you the best with the rest.

homer

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Good idea!  I actually have a bucket full of netting like that from when I worked at Home Depot.  The gray netting at the top of the racking in areas like the vanity/bathroom sink aisle or other similar area with hand stacked items. 

I've been debating what to use between the equipment area and the sleeping quarters besides a curtain.  A door isn't practical as the bench seat would be in the way.  A curtain doesn't stop equipment from sliding forward if I slam on the brakes.  So netting with some carabiners would be great behind the curtain.  Good call!
I might put some shelving up, might not.  I want to keep the gear as low to the floor as possible to keep the center of gravity same.  So equipment stacks on other equipment, etc.


PS I've decided to size down the original door from the camper.  I wasn't going to put a door in the sleeping quarters, but now I've found a way to make that work, so I'm going to add a door in there.  That way when equipment is blocking the rear door, passengers don't have to climb over the driver/passenger seat to get in/out of the camper.  A fold up seat will maintain the same level of seating/sleeping I have now. 
I already cut into that door.. I'm glad I did.  The bottom 2' of the doors internal wood frame was totally rotted out.  The foam inside was soaked through with water.  I replaced the wood parts and sized down the aluminum frame to fit the new opening size.  I'm at least 90% confident I can keep it from leaking when it's reinstalled....


HOMER-
Just seeing your remarks.
Thanks!
Yes, perhaps a window fan like what WME suggested is best.  Then I can just put a vent in the floor and push air out the upper bed window.  Easier to install and easier to insulate in winter.  Still no need for AC... anytime we'll be sleeping in it will be 2am or later.  Even the warmest nights here in Maine are rarely above 80df at that hour.  Worst case, we run the gas motor for a bit with AC going or just drive home with it going.

As always, the old stuff is better.  Likewise, no debt is better.  I've been debt free for almost a year now.  Never again!

 

Edited by benfrogg
Missed Homer's remarks.
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A few more ideas from the peanut gallery.

Put a small arch in your roof, the flat roof on most toys is a major headache waiting to happen. IF you can make the roof wider than the rv and use a bend brake to fold over a lip. Most rvs use sides and a flat roof that butt join each other. The mfgs seal the joint with putty tape, which will leak sooner or later an overlap the the side is not gonna leak.

As you are planning a curtain and not a solid wall for the equipment room, you could mount a roof vent fan on the back wall. Run it slow and open a window in the sleeping area and instant cool breeze for sleeping. 

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Hmm.  I'm not sure how I could make a pitch to the roof at this stage.  I'll have to rely upon the spot it's parked to keep the water rolling off of it.  That's easy enough.  We have a large driveway with lots of modest slopes I could park it on.
I'll be clearing snow off of it during the winter, of course.  
I plan to overlap the joints in the aluminum skin by 2" or more.  Then marine adhesive as the sheets are installed between layers and on top of the aluminum rivet fastners.  I'll probably paint the walls and consider additional roofing on top, such as rubber roofing sheets. (painted white or silver)

A fan in the rear of the cargo area is a good idea.  I just need to find an economical option that isn't too ugly.
 

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Since I'm still waiting for metal to finish the frame and replace the rear bumper/install the hitch, I'll keep y'all occupied with this little project.  These fenders are made out of those poly blue plastic barrels that are common these days.  Mega upgrade for driving in rain and snow.  This should help keep the road grime on the road.
While I'd love to claim it was my idea, it was a borrowed idea from a fellow Mainer who did something similar to his one ton flat bed. (and posted it for sale on CL)

While I was in there, I pulled off the hubs and checked/lubricated the rear brakes.  I also repacked the outer bearings.  I didn't bother with the inners... the outers were in good shape including the races.  To do the inners, I would have needed new seals, which I'll get and do at a later date.  Given that there was only a tad bit of rust on one side where the outer gasket had failed (from the last person taking it apart), a pile of new grease should do it. I used the bearing tool I forget the name....  It's one of those things you put the bearing in and it forces fresh grease into the bearing.  Works well when you put it in the hydraulic press.

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Also, does anyone have recommendations on tires for these campers?  It has the LT 195/75 R14.  I think light truck tires for this application is a little much... I have found a very close similar sized P185/75R14 89S with a load rating of 1279 pounds load rating each.  So 2558 per wheel in the rear, for a total of 5,116 pounds on the rear axle.  Then 1279 pounds on each front wheel so a total of 7674 total weight capacity of the rubber.  1279 seems a little close to the edge of capacity for the fronts... I've read on this site and elsewhere that each individual wheel up front weighs less than 1000 on the rigs that have had individual wheel weight measuring.  
Is there any other reason to go for the LT tires, beyond weight?  I'm hoping for a finished weight with gear in the back to be well under 6000.  The band equipment is 1000 on its own.  The band weighs about 700 pounds in people weight.  

I'm not sure I'll replace them before it goes on the road unless I have to.  But I do want to know what my options are if I need to do them for inspection. 

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The LT tires have a much stronger sidewall than P series tires. With the weights you posted for the band equipment and people, you looking for a 5300lb wet weight.

Edited by WME
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I'd not risk life and limb with passenger (P) tires. The best deal around for a 'quality' tire seems to be the 185R14 Load Range 'D' Hankook RA18 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Hankook-Vantra-RA18-185R14-102R/dp/B01G2BX64W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483565970&sr=8-1&keywords=hankook ra18

The Hankooks are the only tires of that spec that are listed as M&S (not to be confused with a real Winter/Snow) tires. The others are listed as Summer tires. If that's important to you. :)

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I see. After reading an article on the topic, it seems that although the P tires have the same weight rating as some LT tires (not the specific ones I linked earlier, others that I've found since) and are therefore rated to haul the same weight, they are not the same.  It's basically akin to duty cycle in an electric motor.  They can handle that weight periodically for short trips. But extended runs all the time near the full weight of the tire is unacceptable.  Evidently they also have a problem being mounted as duals.  The spacing is accounted for with LT tires, not so with P tires.  There needs to be a certain amount of space between the duals to dissipate heat.

Here's an ebay link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-185R14-LRD-8-Ply-Hankook-Vantra-LT-RA18-18514-185-14-R14-Tires-/122101465869?fits=Section+Width%3A185|Aspect+Ratio%3A75|Rim+Diameter%3A14&hash=item1c6dd0830d:g:fCAAAOSw-itXq5Gt&vxp=mtr

Same tires, I think.  Not much cheaper, although they do have a make an offer button.  I'll probably make an offer on all 6 when the time comes.  

Thanks for the advice.

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Here is a 350 CFM vent fan for small $$, name brand. Just mount it side ways (vents on side, not top and bottom) on the outside rear wall.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZ-BREEZE-POWERED-VENT-/162228897986?hash=item25c59888c2:g:WdUAAOSw8gVX9UJX&vxp=mtr

Here's a basic 3 spd fan  just mount it hinge up.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/FAN-TASTIC-VENT-WITH-3-SPEED-FAN-RV-810048-WHITE-/252690630298?hash=item3ad589069a:g:DzAAAOSwhdRYWeMU&vxp=mtr

About the arch, just get a bottle jack and a 2x4 the right length and raise the center of your rafters about 3/4". That all it takes to make the rain run off.

Edited by WME
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Nice on the fan.  I can install easily after the outer shell is finished.  May run the wiring now and put the fan in after it's on the road.  Wont need it until summer anyway.

I had considered slicing with the 1/16" cut off blade on three sides of the rafters, then push up and weld the joint back together.  Then add the cripple studs to secure them in place.

Metal shop finally has all my metal on site and cut, should have it tomorrow.  Now I can finish the frame and rear bumper/hitch assembly.  I've been piddling around for a couple weeks with other things that needed to be done because the holidays and weather has slowed the progress at the steel shop.  Back at it tomorrow!  Hoping to finish up the frame and get it finish welded/ground/painted.  

 

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