Hey guys,
I bought my '91 v6 3.0 xtra cab a couple of months ago for work, and have recently been considering trying to build a simple pop top camper in the back that I can live out of.
I realize this may be a bit of a stretch, as my pickup can only carry 1,000 pounds in the bed and the lightest pop top campers on the market weigh about 1,000 pounds dry. What I'm trying to figure out is should I sell my pickup to buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck for this, or is there something I can do to the suspension/engine/transmission to handle the weight of the camper? I've also considered removing my bed and start building on the frame. Im just really attached to my pickup (its in great shape all around and no rust on frame) and would love to make something work with it. I see pictures of people building campers on them online. Id really appreciate any thoughts you guys have!

 

i congratulate you on taking the weight into consideration. Having been driving these trucks for 30+ years I think you could safely carry the camper plus your gear as long as your don't go nuts adding another thousand pounds of beer and sleeping bags.
A set of air bags or add a leafs would do the trick

 

Double post, whoops...

 

there were models built with the 1 ton suspension, but I think they had a longer frame .you may be able to find complete rear axle with springs and swap them over .

 

Define live in the camper??

If it is a place to sleep on weekends once in awhile it is bearable .

Every night after a brutal work day it is going to get real old quick. Been here would not wish it on anyone.

As far as the weight you can work with it.

Some sort of increase in rear suspension

Funny how the weight adds up real quick .

A pull type trailer would get you much more room unless your already dragging one with equipment

 

FYI I merged your two similar threads

 

thanks for the merge! I just didn't know if I was posting in the correct section so I posted it a second time.

 

I do a lot of seasonal work and traveling, so it makes more sense for me to have a minimalist mobile home. I do have a bit of experience, I once spent a summer living out of a Geo metro and a winter in a Friend's Toyota dolphin! Thanks for the tips

 

Cool thanks! I am definitely going to look into getting a different rear axle and springs at least. Say I did this and had a pretty heavy load on her, would you reccomend me upgrading to a v6 3.4? Or should my v6 3.0 do the trick? I'm not planning on carrying more than 1500 pounds.

 

The 3.4 swap is common, and fairly easy with the 3.0 already in there. But if there's nothing wrong with your 3.0, I'd keep that well-maintained and put-along just fine. My 22R-E could handle my pop-up camper just fine, so I'm sure you're 3.0 will be plenty.

Pro-tip: With our lighter trucks and a lighter trailer, look into installing a sway bar. It's not that expensive, and nearly eliminates highway sway (think: passing trucks or quick lane changes). I used mine all the time, works great. I also welded the plate to the trailer frame, so no holes.
etrailer has a few good ones: https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...ies/83660.html

 

I've been planning out this exact same thing. My wife and I plan to hit the road full time next year in our 93 pickup. I've been looking into a lot of options for sleeping. I've been trying to get a wildernest for some time, but they are few and far between. So now we're looking at pop up bed campers. In my research a set of ome hd leaf springs, slightly extended shackles, and some decent shocks will do the trick. We're looking for something shy of 1000lbs. If you find a 6 footer, it can be done. Now finding one that's affordable is another story. Best of luck With the camper. Know that you are not alone.

 

If you find a six pac mini, it weighs about 900 lbs.