[OFC Ranger]

Cold out in the workshop, but a little morning progress...

Right side boxed in section will be an area for storage of whatever, probably dry goods for cooking, etc etc

 

[OFC Ranger]

Little more on the small side of the L-Shape. Of course I had to include a pull out cassette toilet for the wife. I am pretty much building everything structure wise on 2x2 lumber and its sectional for ease of assembly or maintenance.

 

[rollinonurstiffy63]

Interesting. Has the ol lady figured out that you're leaving and not coming back? Lol I like the build for sure and can't wait to see the finished interior. It ain't that cold... 😉

 

[OFC Ranger]

Looks the same to me, but those of you with sharp eyes, pretty close match right? As far as design material I mean. I ordered a bundle of "gray" and "light gray" to see which is a closer match with the factory stuff. I'll just return whichever doesn't.

I'm thinking I am going to simplify a lot of the finish by applying this same carpet material to all the bench/cabinet faces.



Alu-Cab factory carpet;

Aftermarket marine carpet in question, appears to have same line ridge design;

 

[OFC Ranger]

The rear fridge/storage/bench area is pretty much done. I decided to go with the marine carpet on everything I am building to keep things simple. I could have done the stain wood look, but honestly I just don't have the patience for it now a days. The prep work for carpet is the vastly more lazy option and doesn't look bad. Only a few finishing touches to add;

1. Rocker switch for fridge (so I don't have to manually turn it off when not in use once I power my batteries on)

2. Some custom seat and back cushions for this area.

 

[littleblazer]

Looks great. How do you like the power station by the way?

 

[GrizzlyRent]

Looks great. Maybe I missed it.. did you weigh the truck/camper prior to starting the interior buildout? I am very curious what changes in weight you'll see with finishing the interior.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Looks great. How do you like the power station by the way?

More than adequate at the moment, but my build plans are going to leave the possibility of adding an expansion if needed.

Looks great. Maybe I missed it.. did you weigh the truck/camper prior to starting the interior buildout? I am very curious what changes in weight you'll see with finishing the interior.

No. I can do the math when I am done and hit a local scale. I actually travel pretty light gear wise since I do more touring than expedition style deep off grid treks. This setup is completely unsuitable for technical trails. I'm perfectly fine taking remote gravels road to setup next to a lake or a maintained forestry road to camp 20 miles off a main road.

 

[WV NATIVE]

Do they make a 90 degree plug for that power bank?

I’d end up hitting that one constantly. 😆

 

[OFC Ranger]

Do they make a 90 degree plug for that power bank?

I’d end up hitting that one constantly. 😆

Yea first thing I thought. I have not done anymore work on the battery cabinet because I am going to completely redesign it, one so it will over all be moved back another inch, and two, the cabinet is actually going to come out a little further. I think the combination of the two will leave the connector completely recessed from an "oops" moment.

Though in Bluetti's defense, this thing is pretty stout, you'd probably have to full on goal kick it to damage the thing.

 

[gherbert]

The rear fridge/storage/bench area is pretty much done. I decided to go with the marine carpet on everything I am building to keep things simple. I could have done the stain wood look, but honestly I just don't have the patience for it now a days. The prep work for carpet is the vastly more lazy option and doesn't look bad. Only a few finishing touches to add;

1. Rocker switch for fridge (so I don't have to manually turn it off when not in use once I power my batteries on)

2. Some custom seat and back cushions for this area.

Looks Great

 

[BlueZedR2]

Former re-turning member here.

Lets get a few basics out of the way; this is being built as a touring rig, it is not for off-roading beyond access roads or what a Subaru Outback or Van Lifer can probably do. I have no intentions of rock crawling or anything trail that would require deep drops on the frame. I've owned my ZR2 for over a year and only have 5,000 miles on the odometer, I am quite literally the definition of weekend warrior and the truck doesn't leave my garage unless I am making a camping trip, either off the grid somewhere or I am completely unashamed to say I have no quarrels of laying my head in a state park with all the amenities like shore power and bath houses. If you are an off road purist, or a warranty purist avert your eyes.

Mods Thus Far:

Alu-Cab Khaya Basic
ARB Black Aluminum 2500x2500 Awning
ARB 2500x2500 Awning Tent Attachment
Peak Suspension Leaf Addon (750lb Rating)
Rear Airbags
Icon Vector 6 Wheels
Victory 4x4 Roof Rack
De-Badged / Stickered
Bluetti AC200MAX (2048wH)
EUHOMY Freezer / Fridge

On the docket:

Frame Stiffeners
Power Brake System (not yet released for our trucks)
Dickenson Furnace
AEV Snorkel
Interior Build Out & Electrical
Solar

Installer for the big ticket items is Asheville Vehicle Outfitters.

Now for the elephant(s) in the room:

I say these things to be blunt, not to come off as a butt-hole. We all know how the internet can be so just putting it out there front and center.

1.) The manual says the Colorado's are not suitable for slide-ins. Check, got it, warranty voided, you don't need to chime in with the obvious.
2.) Everything empty puts me right near the payload limit of the ZR2 model. Again, not to come off as condescending, but I get it. Big builds require mitigation, alteration, and the beef. My frame possibly bending or the status of my warranty is my problem, not yours.

Unintended Consequences:

I believe this the first Khaya unit installed on a Colorado (at least 3rd Gen) in the world. You can study schematics and take measurements all day; but AVO was going to have to adapt and configure on the fly as needed. That is indeed what happened. Due to the very high bed walls and overall width, a spacer frame to raise it 4-6" had to be installed in the bed so the front anchor points (eye bolts & chains) would clear the bed caps. The rear attachment is pretty self explanatory, but the fronts are made by drilling holes in the bed with some very heavy duty backer plates running said eye bolts.

On the more comical side, my workshop/garage has an 8 foot opening. I had to demo my poor barn doors rework my frame opening to be taller. I'll be having to build new doors. /sad face

How It Handles:

Somewhat scary in the context the truck drives like nothing is back there. I've only had the Khaya a few days now and it has been on mountain roads, winding hills, and interstate. It just doesn't care about the weight. Now this is with the caveat you drive it like the fat pig it is and respect the dynamics and not treat it like a race car. You have to respect it because it will let you drive beyond its capabilities in this configuration. For whatever reason these 2.7 motors just don't care.

On top of all that I only lost like 1 MPG. I'm not sure how that is possible, but there you have it.

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Former Configuration:

View attachment 476203

I'm not a camper myself, I'm a "motel-er", but that's a really nice camper, and build! Best of luck with it!

 

[OFC Ranger]

So I completely re-worked the battery side. I was going to incorporate what I had and build onto it, but it was just going to be easier building from ground up. Most annoying part was building a frame around the wheel well jut at the bottom, but simple enough.

I wanted to make it deeper, but I knew I was already going to be doing that on the opposite side for the rest of the L-shaped bench seating/storage, so I kept it at width with door opening. I want to have some internal space and not feel like a complete sardine in a can.

The top part is going to be shelving storage for a portable burner and pots/pans. The front is going to be completely walled off (minus a window for battery plug/controls access) and I am going to design the top to be hinged so that is how you get things in and out. The cabinet itself will be carpeted like my fridge/storage area, but the top will be a nice 3/4 thick stained and sealed wood top.

The face side towards door is where I am going to move electrical as well as a quick disco fire extinguisher and a CM detector.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Got a little more time to do some more work today.

Got the cabinet carpet on. Installed a QD fire extinguisher and got the CO detector mounted. Still working on getting the electrical back in place. The extra power strip you see is actually wired into the shore power line. So if I am where it allows, I can bypass the battery bank for some things (my portable electric heater comes to mind).

Test fitting (piece of scrap) the counter top. Again, it is going to have a hinged design. It will have some over hang on the sides (not nearly as much pictured) for some added square inches. Above the battery is a boxed in shelf area. That is where my burner and cooking stuff will go, hence the hinged counter top design. Hope to get that done tomorrow and begin staining/sealing the top.

 

[gherbert]

Got a little more time to do some more work today.

Got the cabinet carpet on. Installed a QD fire extinguisher and got the CO detector mounted. Still working on getting the electrical back in place. The extra power strip you see is actually wired into the shore power line. So if I am where it allows, I can bypass the battery bank for some things (my portable electric heater comes to mind).

Test fitting (piece of scrap) the counter top. Again, it is going to have a hinged design. It will have some over hang on the sides (not nearly as much pictured) for some added square inches. Above the battery is a boxed in shelf area. That is where my burner and cooking stuff will go, hence the hinged counter top design. Hope to get that done tomorrow and begin staining/sealing the top.

Very Nicely Done
Looks Great

 

[OFC Ranger]

Not much to report. Weather has been crap.

Have no decided on finish yet, but went ahead and got the 16 x 36 x 3/4" project board ready. Little router work to round the edges and used a very simple setup of two heavy duty hinges. I ended up bolting them straight through the wall (utility area not exterior wall). I was going to use rivets, but I want everything to be removable as needed without having to go back and drill out anything. I did the hinges on top so I get the full 90 degree movement while being flush with rear wall. It will be held to the cabinet with simple cabinet roller catches so it doesn't bounce while in transit.

Eventually a similar dimension board will be bolted to the rear wall to make a backsplash area.

I know a lot of camper interior builds can get super gucci, but I am shooting for minimalist with what stuff I have lying around my garage. I am probably $200 or less in costs and about halfway done.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Absolutely next to nothing exciting on my days off. Snow and freezing temps. My workshop is not heated, so the best I could do was drag my countertop inside. 3 coats of gloss poly and finished off with some Meguiar's ceramic wax. Photo doesn't really do it justice.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Slow going, but going none the less.

The "cooking area" is pretty much done, minus some small QoL things to do. Got the cabinet secured via L-brackets to the T-track in the frame, so its not going anywhere. Got the roller catches put on so the counter top doesn't jump up and down in transit. In my misc parts bin I forgot I had some of those cheap Amazon RV web pockets, so I tossed those in. Figured good place for a phone or something to go in when being charged by the Bluetti.

I also have a RAM mount and RAM tablet holder from my old truck I want to do something with, but I am thinking if I can find a way to semi flat mount it, the big open space on the front of the cabinet would be a prime spot. I can use the tablet to monitor the Bluetti, my fridge, and other doo-dads at a glance. It ain't no REDARC vision system, but I can ******* engineer it do close to the same.

In my 19' Ranger I made a custom roof console and I flat mounted the tablet with a very strong magnet that was bolted to the console. Maybe a similar design would work here too.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Nothing major to report. Between busy work schedule, crap weather, and having a virus for a week my motivation to go out to the workshop has been pretty nill. Hoping to muster energy to go get the rest of the lumber to finish the interior seating tomorrow. We have a camp trip planned for middle of March and I want to have it done by then.

I did add some matching tan vinyl to the rear for AVO. We don't have many outfitter type shops on the east coast so any business I can drive their way I gladly will.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Alright. Had some sun today so it was decent outside. Chugged a bunch of coffee and dug deep for motivation. The frame work for the remaining bench seating area & toilet cubby are pretty much done. I need to go get a bunch more sheets of 1/4 to finish walling it in and order another roll of the marine carpet.

The toilet cubby (part closest to entrance door) will have a solid top, the other section of the bench will have a hinged top for storage.