Welcome to the third entry in June’s Mega Mod Contest. One Mega Mod will be published in every Email Alert in June. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine June’s winner. Click here for information about the 2021 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Peter Stewart, Scottsdale, Arizona
Hidden Basement Storage Drawer
2020 Ford F-250
2020 Northstar Liberty
We exchanged our crew cab for an extended cab truck. We lost the space in our truck’s cab for the inflatable paddleboards and needed a storage solution for transporting them. We also wanted to carry our jacks without having them mounted on the camper.
We re-framed the entire base of the camper and increased the basement height by 1.5-inches. We re-framed the cross supports and put 2-inch foam insulation on the entire floor. We also installed a marine plywood base to seal the bottom of the camper. The entire underside and drawer are sealed with waterproof deck sealant.
There is a full-length drawer slide using UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene). There is a barrel lock and cubby compartment on the opposite side with a hatch door for storing the jacks.
The exterior face of the camper was cut, extended, and hinged with two recessed deadbolt locks with a weatherstrip for a factory appearance.
It’s sweet so far! The drawer storage works with the camper on and off the truck. It’s fairly hidden.
I love the ability to carry the jacks with the motors under the camper. And best of all, our paddleboards travel with us!
Marine plywood – Local lumber yard (box stores do not carry this) – $85.49
2×4 and 1/2-inch plywood (local box store) – $80
T25 Star Drive screws for base 2.5-inch and 3-inch – $15
Construction adhesive – Gorilla Glue (local box store) – $15
Misc Screws, hinges, locks, etc – $5
Olympus Keyed Deadbolt Model # 26D78-101 – Craftmaster Hardward (online) – $55.56
Deck sealant waterproof (black) – $40
UHMW .125-inches by 72-inches cut in 2-inch strips – ePlastics (online) – $193.74
Muzata HD 304 SS Piano Hinge 2-inch by 24-inch .06-inch thick (Amazon) – $53.14
TCH Hardware SS HD barrel lock (Amazon) – $29.71
Richelieu Hardware 9/10-inch white caster wheels (Home Depot) – $6.90
Misc hardware – $50
It took me more than 30-hours to complete this modification and cost me $579.54. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is hard.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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