sensei118

hello all,
this thread consists of two questions centered around one problem.

I am currently trying to think of an idea on how to get a 70s era slide in truck camper to fit on my 89 f150 custom regular cab . the problem is that the original 8ft bed was taken out and a flatbed of the same length put in its place.

the flatbed is a metal frame with pressure -treated plywood that has been polyurethaned on both sides.

question 1. Is there a cheap way to simulate the wheel well structure that supports the camper?

Question 2 . i am unsure of the payload capacity of my truck, as the sticker on the inside of the door has been removed. the truck is an 89 custom with a regular cab, 2wd and a 4.9 powerplant.

Thank you very much

andyman7931

your challenge will be payload capacity. Your rear axle is an 8.8" axle which has a rating around 3800 lbs or so. The vehicle rating for the f150 is around 6500 and the truck weighs somewhere around 5000 lbs. That rating includes people in the cab. You should be looking for a camper that weighs 1000 lbs or less, but could get away with a little more weight if you upgrade some things.

What is your rear axle gear ratio? What transmission do you have? How is your rear suspension?

mitchalvin

The camper sits on the bottom of the bed, you could buy build a set of toolboxes than will fill in the gaps on the side of the camper. These will not give you the option of storing material there if the camper has the doors by the floor.

sensei118

the trans is a 4 speed auto, and im not quite sure about the suspenion. i could have it upgraded to a stiffer one.