Vehicle Builds

how does The process work?

First, let us know what vehicle you're going to use as a platform. We can then recommend either a bed replacement habitat or a slide-in camper body, and the correct size.

Customize your interior design

Once we've established the correct habitat for your needs, Valiant will work with you to design the ideal interior for your needs. At this point we'll determine quantity and placement of things like doors and windows, as well as the interior layout and utilities.

Install the Subframe

Once we have ordered your composite habitat and designed the habitat's layout, the next step takes us to the conversion vehicle. Once we have your vehicle, the bed will be removed to expose the truck's frame (unless we're doing a slide-in camper). We then install specialized subframes that we will attach to the truck's frame to create a platform for the habitat to mount to the truck. These subframes are specifically engineered to prevent the twisting and flexing of the truck's frame from being transferred into the habitat.

Construct the habitat and mount to the vehicle

Once the subframe has been installed, we then assemble the habitat, hoist it and mount it to the vehicle. Thank god for high ceilings.

Build-Out

With the habitat mounted to the truck, we can then begin the build-out stage. At this point we will take our CAD designs and CNC machine all interior cabinetry, beds and internal framing components. This is the longest stage, as we take the habitat shell and turn it into the expedition living space of your dreams!

Ordering Process and timeline

Phase 1: Contact us to discuss your needs

To start the process, we need to talk about what you're looking for in your expedition vehicle build. In this conversation we will go over:

1. The mission: long term living, weekend trips, etc.

2. The conversion vehicle: Either you will already have the truck and we'll figure out the best habitat to fit it, or we'll figure out which habitat meets your needs and send you out to find a suitable truck.

3. What is your budget for this project? Our build rate is $85/hr for complete start-to-finish builds. We can do partial builds if you want to do your own interior, in which case the shop rate is $110 / hr.

Example cost estimate (starting from a bare-frame truck):

If we’re starting with a bare frame, you can expect about $8000 to get the subframe and habitat assembled and on the truck.
The interior build-out will vary quite a bit depending on what you want, but expect around $5,000 in design time. We design the whole interior in a 3D CAD system, so when we go to build the interior we can just run sheets of material through our CNC and start assembling.
Depending on how complex your interior is, expect between $18,000 - $24,000 for the bulk of the build-out labor.
We will always get you below retail pricing on any parts we can. Major costs there will be in windows, access hatches (if you want any), and electrical components. If you plan on it being a fully set up rig with heat, solar, kitchen, bathroom, etc, you’ll have around $35-45k in components and building materials.
So $65-$80k is a reasonable estimate to go off of for our portion of the project. This does not account for the cost of the composite habitat.

4. The subsequent project phases and billing schedule. We bill at different stages throughout the project, which you will see below. The goal here is to guarantee that if we have to part ways on the project at any time, you have a useful product to take and we have been paid for our work up to that point.

After establishing these points, we will ballpark a price range for the project and determine whether you want to proceed.

Let's Get Started!

Phase 2: Quoting and Design

Our next step will be the design and quoting phase. At this point we charge a consultation fee. What you will receive at the conclusion of this phase is a CAD layout of the build, as well as an itemized component / material manifest with pricing. After this, you will know:

1. How the finished build going to look and work

2. The total cost of components, materials, as well as the habitat itself.

3. An estimate of labor costs.

Phase 3: Component ordering

Once we've finalized phase 2, we will order the composite habitat and all necessary components.

Phase 4: Deliver the conversion vehicle

If we're doing a full bed replacement, now that the habitat and our parts are on the way it's time to bring us the vehicle. We will then begin the process to prepare the vehicle by removing the bed, and relocating any components that may interfere with the habitat mounting (like fuel filler necks, wires, hoses, etc). Once the subframe arrives, we will mount it to the vehicle's frame. We will then bill out the labor for this phase. Payment for phase 4 is required before the habitat construction begins.

Phase 5: Construct the habitat

Now that the vehicle is prepped and ready, it's time to build the habitat. This will be the longest phase, estimate 4-8 weeks depending on the build complexity. During this phase, we will bill for labor every 2 weeks.

Phase 6: Completion and delivery

Once the habitat is complete and installed, we will invite you to the shop for your tour. Expect a full day for this process, as we will go through the in's and out's of how everything works. We'll bring the beer.

At this point, payment will be required for any balance due for the project.

If you aren't able to pick up at our shop, we can arrange to deliver it for a fee.

Phase 7: Go Explore!

It's likely been an excruciating few months of waiting, and now you have the ultimate expedition rig to get out there and explore the world. So go forth and conquer in comfort and confidence in knowing you've got the best quality expedition habitat on the market, built by two fantastic small US manufacturers dedicated to your experience!

Now Let's get started!

Expedition Vehicle Builds

Jonnie and Margi's Expedition Truck