Silverado 1500 + 27' Airstream | Overland Build

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Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

HELLO!

My wife and I have recently made the commitment to full time overland-living. We have sold the 4Runner and bought a 2018 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71. We have also purchased a 2019 Airstream Flying Cloud 27FBQ. I will use this forum to document the build process (if only for ourselves), but hope that we can organize it enough for the information to be useful for others.

CURRENT BUILD

2018 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 | 5.3L V8 | 3.42 Rear Axle | Crew Cab | Summit White

Parts on Order

Installed Parts

Wheels & Tires

Suspension
Engine
Exterior
Interior

2019 Airstream Flying Cloud 27FB (Queen)

Parts on order


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Pictures coming soon - but that's it for now - will continue to update as the build progresses.

Cheers.
 

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Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

Sweet setup. My in-laws are considering something similar. That zombi box is awesome but holy crap that is $$$$.
Thanks man! Yeah tell me about it on the ZombieBox $$ ~ but I can vouch (as someone with a physics background) that the materials and physics (think baffle-box squared) ~ that it would be nearly impossible to DIY what they have engineered. It’s truly a brilliant example of science meets engineering.

The return on investment is pretty quickly recouped because the solar system I would need to be completely off grid (with A/C in the Airstream) came out to something like $40K .... of course I was going with Lithium Iron Phosphate etc. but there really is no comparison in cost savings for an off grid setup.
 

mylilpwny

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

Very cool set up. I am very interested in how you mounted the gear attic. I thought about getting one and modding it to fit my truck (ram 1500) but wasn't sure it would work.
 

Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

Very cool set up. I am very interested in how you mounted the gear attic. I thought about getting one and modding it to fit my truck (ram 1500) but wasn't sure it would work.
Not sure what you mean by the attic, but I assume you mean the Pioneer Rack mounted on the bed? If so I have all the parts linked in the build, including the mounting hardware you'll need to buy. In terms of the base-rail system, that came with the RetraxONE XR bed cover as standard equipment, also linked in the build, and will work with any T-slot rail systems from yakima, Thule, Rhino Rack, most of Front Runner, etc.
 

Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

Small Update

We are getting close to our pickup date for the Airstream. We are headed up north to ReliableRV in MO ~ here are the photos of the unit. Quality isn't great but I will upload better ones as we make interior modifications and customizations to the unit. Cheers.

 

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mylilpwny

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

Not sure what you mean by the attic, but I assume you mean the Pioneer Rack mounted on the bed? If so I have all the parts linked in the build, including the mounting hardware you'll need to buy. In terms of the base-rail system, that came with the RetraxONE XR bed cover as standard equipment, also linked in the build, and will work with any T-slot rail systems from yakima, Thule, Rhino Rack, most of Front Runner, etc.
Sorry should have specified, my bad. I was interested in the Blue Ridge Overland Gear Attic you have in the interior.
 
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Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

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Last edited:

Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

UPDATED AIRSTREAM PHOTOS
 

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Francis Hwang

Rank I
Launch Member

Traveler I

271
Bentonville, AR
Member #

6524

Update & Goodies

Installed Parts
Parts that have arrived
A Look at some of the tools I keep on hand
  • Front and back facing Yi 2.7K dash cams equipped with 128GB each
  • Motorola 35-mile range walkie talkies
  • Midland CB radio
  • A folder of various trails and off road maps + digital files
I added another 2 gal RotoPax because the truck guzzles gas and we are primarily using the generator + ZombieBox for boondocking since solar costs a bagillion dollars.
 

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