M109 camper conversion

well that worked here's more.

All welded up, i plug welded most of the holes and i used 4 of the original bolt holes on each side of the tongue that the m105 bed was bolted to, to bolt the frame to it.

This is for you naysayers who think i don't do any of the work, come on its not like i go "hey babe take a pic of me working". i take pics of her cause i'm proud to have a wife that wants to get out there and get her hands dirty.

And zout, you who 'doesn't like to have his picture taken' should know what i mean.

Since a m105 doesn't sit as high as a deuce and since i welded it against the top of the frame, the landing gear wouldn't touch the ground with the camper level, much less get it off the pintle hook of my deuce, so i extended it. I had to be careful with my measurements though, too short and all the work was for nothing, too long and even with the gear cranked all the way in the wheels would hit the cross member. lets hope i got it right, i have'nt hooked it to my deuce yet....

though i guess i can stack wood under it if it still don't work, guess we'll just have to see.

repacked the bearings and inspected the brake shoes, I know it don't show it but i cleaned everything, then i helped put it back together. the hub caps were hand made, i'll show that in the next set of pics

pics of hand forming the hub caps

finish formed, media blasted and painted

Impressive. Keep up the good work.

picking up new sheet steel for skin.

I thought i had pics of the really bad field repair done to the drivers side top corner of the box where it had been crushed but i can't find them, but here is my repair. Had to hand make a new rib and then used what scrap steel i had laying around.


found it, page 5 post #49 pic 8

Outstanding job ! ! ! You guys have a great working relationship witch is a very good thing. The rest of us should be so lucky. I can`t wait to see it at the Ga rally . Keep up the good work and stay cool

Thanks, at this point i just hope to have 4 walls a ceiling and a floor by the rally. and maybe an air conditioner and heater.

Son, I'm about to break your heart. The caps you made to cover the rear hubs, there is almost an exact copy of those used on older M105 trailers. I have 2 of them here. Looking great though.

mdmorgan said:

Yeah thats why i was going to replace the subfloor then use the plywood, but i'm a long ways from even thinking about that yet, got half of the interior wall panels removed so i can fix holes and leaks in the outside skin and every time i take something off i find more rust and watersoaked insulation. if i would have known it was going to be this rotten i would have waited for one in better shape, but you live and learn, plus i'll have plenty of stuff to use to teach the wife how to weld

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I agree with replacing the sub-floor with metal. Plywood, nice as it is, has 'give' to it, and over time will weaken because it is not one piece anyway. Every time someone stomps on it or rolls a heavy item across it, it is weakened. To say nothing of being weakened by having interior fixtures bolted to it and their weight stressing on it as the vehicles moves. Plywood is cheap, but with the rest of the project being done so professionally and with so much handcrafing, why cut corners on the floor? Keep up the fine work!

Recovry4x4 said:

Son, I'm about to break your heart. The caps you made to cover the rear hubs, there is almost an exact copy of those used on older M105 trailers. I have 2 of them here. Looking great though.

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Well, if you feel that bad about it you can send them to me since i still have 2 to make for the other side.

OPCOM - for sure I know it is not an everyday available item for most folks - but we used a 19 ply composite plywood flooring that is used in "containers" - the removable semi trailer type is what I am explaining to anyone not knowing.

Comparing metal to this stuff would almost equal weight I would imagine.
The 19ply had no flex to it and it is 1 1/4 thick and make to have forklifts run over it and skidded on it - for sure would need to be replaced under these conditions.
This is what I replaced in mine and only a couple sections in the front of the box - forward of the wheel well metal - small sectioins.

Plus what we added to the units on top of it - it is like a rock and bedliner coated from underneath.

Just differences in an end product of what someone would do with the unit

I agree most folks would just double up plywood and that would deterioate quickly and flex.

Cannot wait to see MD's unit at the GA Rally as well.

mdmorgan said:

Well, if you feel that bad about it you can send them to me since i still have 2 to make for the other side.

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PM me your addy and it shall be done!

You guys are really doing some great work. I can.t wait to see it at the Rally also!!!

Do you guys have a bunch of CLECO fasteners at home?

Hopefully air conditioning won't be a necessity at the rally (says the guy working on getting his installed in the pantry truck). How's the pink camo exterior coming?

Hey nice job so far, I think your on to something by taking an m109 and making it into a trailer. Thinking outside the box. Looking forward to the re skinning pics. I want to say thanks for the pics of the skeleton frame of the box,this really helps the ones that will be taking on the project of re-insulating their boxes and replacing the flooring as in my case. I' looking forward to see how you you do your floor since I have to replace mine. I have read through ZOUT's thread and an very thankful to him and his efforts on his transformation nice job ZOUT !!!!. I am in the planning stage right now and looking at all for ideas and inspiration and look forward to following this thread to the end. And a personnel note Thank you and your wife for keeping an Icon aircraft looking sexy. Semper Fi 88-92 OH and a P.S more pics of your labor crew.