Steel covered deuce ideas?

[kennys@wi.rr.com]

Well I've had my deuce for a little over a month now and I love it. I wasn't sure how much I'd like the built cargo cover but before plotting it's demise I decided to leave it as is for a while. After camping in it for a few nights while at the parade by MikeInMcCoy I realised how much I enjoy having this type of cover. I also like the fact that I can stash all of the tools I can think of needing to work on the deuce in the back, there is a nice flip top work bench in the back.

So here is my list of questions and thoughts and I'd like some input as to what would you do if it was your truck.

The roof does leak a small amount now. Seems that they built the cover from one side over not from the top down. So the seems where the metal overlaps are on top on one side and bottom on the other. Also the caulk on the very top gave out and I think some of the rubber washers on the screws are dryed out. Do I remove the panels and put them back on in the same spot but starting at the top and working my way down both sides or do I just recaulk all the seems and use some kind of a sealer like that used on campers?

Right now the back door is nothing more than a 4X8 sheet of plywood that doesn't close very well. I think I would like to put on a regular steel entry door. Do I use just one 36" door or do I go with a side by side type to keep the door a 48" opening? I'm leaning to the 36" but there may be an issue there I am not aware of. Then do I leave the tailgate on as it is or do I remove it and leave it off?

I am also considering a window type AC unit in the front of it. That will be great for those hot days but what about the cold nights? Is there a window type unit that heats and cools? How do I protect it as I'm driving down the road or will it be fine?

Up until a few minutes ago the inside was covered with a layer of ciling tiles on the curves and the old style fiber sheeting on the flats, then 3 mil plastic and to make it look "pretty" 1/8" hard board. As I mentioned earlier the roof had a leak so all of that had to come out. Now after I fix the leak do I reinsulate it like it was and recover it with hardboard and paint it or is there a better material to cover it all in. No I will not cover it in shag carpet and put a water bed in back and mirrors on the ceilling. Well maybe that's not such a bad idea?

The floor was covered much the same as the walls but they had the plastic down first. So you can imagine the shape of my floor, no holes just real rough. Should I sand blast it and coat it with bed liner? Do I need to sand blast it first? Is there a better option?

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated also. I will post more pics of the back as I can take them, for now I am going to add some of when I first gott it.

 

[asgtoolman]

1- If you keep the metal "siding", the laps should be corrected; no amount of caulking will guarantee a waterproof seal if the top sheet goes under the bottom sheet. The screws with rubber washers should also be replaced.
2- Yes, window units can heat and cool. What are you using for power supply? Protection for the unit should not be that difficult if the "wall" supporting it is strong enough; remember there a lot of vibration and bouncing going on back there--certainly consider having about half of the unit inside and half outside for balance if possible.
3- Foil-faced styrofoam insulation is the most efficient at a reasonable cost, if you can fit it tightly between your wall "framing"
4- Door size depends on what you will be using the interior for; 36" wide is plenty big for people to move thru and any normal uses. Doors on real houses are rarely bigger than 36".

 

[kennys@wi.rr.com]

Thank you for the insight asgtoolman. Right now the front wall is only plywood but I plan on beefing it up if I do the window unit based upon the size and weight of the unit I go with. I figured the 36" door should be enough but I didn't know if others thought of things I hadn't as of yet.

Thank you again

 

[drgreg]

If you put in a potty we won't have to pee on your tires.

 

[kennys@wi.rr.com]

Or put the other stuff in my glove box?

 

[Chief_919]

What we did with our built up dueces was to build a cover like that, but then place an extended canavs or vinyl cover over it. You take two covers, and use parts of one to extend the sides of the other. That will keep the water out better than trying to seal it and fighting the effects of road wind on the joints all the time. No matter how well you seal the joints, the effects of the chassis twisting and thw wind pushing it on the road will mean you keep fighting leaks.

It also adds some insulation.

 

[Bob H]

Have one simular
Light Weight M109A21/2

 

[srodocker]

bobh i like that box on yours

 

[gimpyrobb]

If anyone needs one, I have an extended cargo cover for the back of a deuce(not an LMTV cover). Its polyvinyl and looks great.

 

[kennys@wi.rr.com]

How much Gimpy?

 

[WyoDeuce]

If you are looking to insulate a homemade cargo box try spray foam insulation. It seals all the air gaps and has excelent r-value. The guy I use charges $1.20 /square foot. The 4x8 sheets of foam are just as expensive and you still need to install it. You will never seal all the gaps with foam board. Spray the insulation and then move on to the next project.

 

[SCSG-G4]

If you put decent insulation in (min 1 inch), a 6500 btu/hr unit will keep it cool. That's what I'm using in my shop van/pantry. Get one of the electric heaters if you want it to be warm, since you are going to need a generator or some other 120v source anyway.