M1088 camper conversion

[aw113sgte]

I have two of the filters as shown in the image up there with the y pipe. If that's the same kind that you're mentioning we only need one of then I'll sell my other one

Same style but I don't know if those are the same P/N. They offer many sizes.

 

[ckouba]

No pics, but a HUGE day yesterday...

While working on the roof rack, I noticed my voltage only going down despite having the motor running. At one point I left it running for quite some time while I moved it back and forth to raise and lower the roof rack components- and low and behold, the voltage appeared to be charging again. Interesting... I added this to my to to list.

Yesterday was the day it was to be addressed- or started to be addressed. I got the cab cleaned out so I could tilt it (no small feat in itself) and broke out the PC with the TM's. I started troubleshooting literally as Rick drove up.

First place we landed was the K11 breaker- was it functional? Things were fishy... We swapped it and voltage immediately went up (like ~24 and 12), and I was excited. That was too simple!

But Rick wasn't happy with those numbers. He also happened to have a spare 100A alt with regulator. We thought about the regulator swap but my connector was one pin short of his. So he said we should swap the whole thing. Uh, ok... A trip to his shop for the puller set to swap my pulley and about an hour later, I was at mid-27's and 13.something on the dash gauge. VERY HAPPY about that!

With that tackled and much daylight remaining, I asked if he felt like troubleshooting the exhaust brake with me. Mine had seized prior to my purchase of the rig, and while I had installed a new OE elbow and piston assembly, it still didn't actually do anything... It was a hard sell- sure! Cab was still tilted, he started poking at the back of the motor at the solenoid and its harness connector... and then asked if I had ever plugged it in.

Uh, nope...

So we tried that and it still didn't work.

There was an inline serial harness about 6" long which looked like some sort of suppression addition. We pulled that out and plugged the terminals back together. Hit the switch and click, pssfft... exhaust brake! Where's my "easy" button?

It was exciting enough to motivate me to secure all the crap in the back and take it around the block- and sure enough, it worked like a champ!

We did an autopsy on that short little harness and there was some sort of diode in it, so yeah, some sort of noise suppression but clearly, not necessary. We didn't test its integrity but assumed it had failed and tossed it.

So yeah, GREAT day of actually getting things done and MASSIVE tip of the hat to Rick for his guidance and assistance. I am very grateful for his knowledge and the generous manner with which he shares it.

A shower head and mixer valve are on the counter, awaiting install and the basics of a door frame await after that. It's been some great progress of late and looking forward to heading out for ~2 mo soon.

 

[ckouba]

And now a pic for today's progress:

Now it's really time to make a door!

 

[B-Dog]

You don't need 2 filters. I used Donaldson D120037 on my C7. They have decent literature and this size is recommended for our flow volume.

That's a big filter, about 12" wide. After you add supports to the side, you're probably almost as wide as the spare tire...? I used (2) D100029's (10" wide) and even still, I put the filters above the cab roof seam to keep the box as close to the cab as possible.

 

[ckouba]

It may need a flange and gasket to seal up the gap, but I am willing to try without it for now and calling it "finished" (finally!).

Door:

Doorway finished, fan valance installed, ready for use:

We will be heading out for a trial run this coming week. Looking forward to giving it a try!!

 

[ckouba]

With our upcoming trip, it was about time to get out for a shakedown. In stereotypically miserable PNW weather, we went out into the forest yesterday for an overnight systems check and process review. Everything still worked and the new shower was fantastic!

It's also great to see it somewhere other than the carport!!

 

[dwlindsey]

Yours is a beautiful and inspiring build. I've bought an M1088 like yours and I'm starting to prepare it for an Expedition Habitat. I've read your thread with great interest and we will incorporate many of your ideas. I especially like your habitat entry steps. My wife LOVES your habitat entry steps.

I've got the bolts undone on the platform, leaving the platform sections on for now so I can stand on them while I remove the M-43 chemical agent detector, the decontamination apparatus and the tire mechanism.

I've just started to look at the fifth wheel and the ramp behind it. I'm really curious about what you did to remove those.

The bolts holding the ramp also hold a shock absorber. I guess I should remove the top bolt that goes through the eye of the shock absorber and get the shock away from the plate while I cut the huck bolts. What do I need to do to relieve the load on the shock when I take it loose? I don't want any dramatic energetic surprises.

Once I get the ramp off, I'll start cutting huck bolts on the 5th wheel plate. Then . . . what to do with it? How did you dispose of it? I can slide it off onto the ground, but then what? I'll never lift it up again . . .

Dwight

 

[ckouba]

Yours is a beautiful and inspiring build. I've bought an M1088 like yours and I'm starting to prepare it for an Expedition Habitat. I've read your thread with great interest and we will incorporate many of your ideas. I especially like your habitat entry steps. My wife LOVES your habitat entry steps.

Thanks Dwight. I've kept active on here because of the support that this forum shows its members. I have reaped many benefits others have generously shared and seek to contribute anywhere I can, so that's why I keep rambling on here...

I am very happy with the entry stairs and would change very little about them. Based on the space available, it will always be a short, steep staircase, but we felt it was a more appealing set up to us than the other ladder/extended stairs from height solutions we'd seen. What would I change? The list is short: 2 steps on the retracting portion and better protection from mud splash. Both of these items are retro-solvable, with a mud flap in front of the steps on the list before we head out on the next big trip. The dual-tier step will wait as the current single step is fit enough for duty.

I've got the bolts undone on the platform, leaving the platform sections on for now so I can stand on them while I remove the M-43 chemical agent detector, the decontamination apparatus and the tire mechanism.

I've just started to look at the fifth wheel and the ramp behind it. I'm really curious about what you did to remove those.

The bolts holding the ramp also hold a shock absorber. I guess I should remove the top bolt that goes through the eye of the shock absorber and get the shock away from the plate while I cut the huck bolts. What do I need to do to relieve the load on the shock when I take it loose? I don't want any dramatic energetic surprises.

Once I get the ramp off, I'll start cutting huck bolts on the 5th wheel plate. Then . . . what to do with it? How did you dispose of it? I can slide it off onto the ground, but then what? I'll never lift it up again . . .

For all this stuff, you're on the right track. I stripped out all I could from behind the cab, leaving the platform in place for convenience. I had the stroke of luck that someone was looking for decking as I was getting rid of mine, so it went directly off of my chassis and onto their trailer- including the 5th wheel! There is really no easy way to do this... Figure out where it's going and make it a "no layover" voyage. It's all incredibly heavy and awkward. For the 5th wheel, I somehow used lumber as "rails" to let it slide from my chassis onto the trailer bed- and stayed out of its way. If you can drive the truck to a recycling place and have them pick it off the chassis, that'd be ideal.

As for the shock, I believe you will be surprised (maybe even *shocked*) to see how little energy there is in it. The ones I took off my rig were strictly dampers, there was no pre-charge or extension to it. It's been a while but if I left them upright, I think they even just retracted with gravity. Take that with a grain of salt as it's been ~4 years now and they may have even been broken, but I think you're good to just pull the bolt. As always, caveat emptor and please do what you feel you need to be safe.

But after that, I cut off the hucks, pulled the ramps and deck, and bolted everything else back together without issue.

I literally lucked upon the 1088 vs the others but am very happy it's what we have. The internal frame stiffeners make building out the habitat pretty straightforward, and its spring pack is beefy! You can check earlier in the thread here for the post on pulling a leaf from the rear springs to make things a little more compliant. I was at ~28.5k for the most recent trip and things seem to be running fine.

 

[dwlindsey]

I literally lucked upon the 1088 vs the others but am very happy it's what we have. The internal frame stiffeners make building out the habitat pretty straightforward, and its spring pack is beefy! You can check earlier in the thread here for the post on pulling a leaf from the rear springs to make things a little more compliant. I was at ~28.5k for the most recent trip and things seem to be running fine.

I've been daydreaming about an Expedition Truck for a long time now. My wife and I were just on a 4 week trip to Baja in our motorhome. While we were driving on a 15 mile dirt washboard road, I mentioned the idea for the first time. She said immediately "Let's buy the truck!" I really didn't expect that response! I was focused on 6x6 and would have liked one of the longer chassis, but the M1088 we bid on looked good and it IS GOOD. very little rust, it runs, and has only a few minor issues so far. I'll get the cab tilted up this week to get my first look at the engine.

I've read your thread many times now in detail and did focus on the leaf spring post. We may do that. I've got a lot of work to do before we do that. Tires . . . brakes . . . cab insulation . . .

 

[ckouba]

Sounds like you've got a keeper! My wife is ridiculously supportive as well, and has thoroughly enjoyed getting out in ours. I wouldn't have done it without her buy in, but neither of us had ever been in/driven one. When we checked ours out (was a local CL sale) and she was good with it, we picked it up and got on with it.

I think you'll be pretty happy with the 1088. I also would have preferred a LWB chassis (1096 I think), but you can put a pretty big box on the 1088 (mine's 22' 3" along the top) and you still have a decent turning circle. I was nervous thinking about some shelf road switch backs and such, but for what we've been on, it's been a great match. It's a fantastic rig.