2003 7.3 cargo van build

[BenJJ]

Had some time after work yesterday and was able to fill the holes in the fiberglass top.

I put some clear packaging tape on the bottom and then filled them with solarex. It is basically a surfboard fiberglass repair kit. Super easy to use as it is only one part, and not a two part epoxy. It also cures really fast in direct sunlight, so I actually did the work in the shade to give me more working time with the material to make sure the holes were filled all the way and I didn't create any air pockets.

[BenJJ]

Goal is to raptor line the top this weekend. bemerritt is trying to convince me to build up the edges on the front and back with a fiberglass kit, but I think it is close enough to let the silicone gasket do the work for me there. What do you guys think?

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by BenJJ

Goal is to raptor line the top this weekend. bemerritt is trying to convince me to build up the edges on the front and back with a fiberglass kit, but I think it is close enough to let the silicone gasket do the work for me there. What do you guys think?

I think the front looks pretty close, but the back looks like it has some larger gaps.

[BenJJ]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

I think the front looks pretty close, but the back looks like it has some larger gaps.

How critical is the back? I understand on the front you need a nice seal to prevent air from getting under the top, but I am guessing this isn't a problem in the back?

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by BenJJ

I understand on the front you need a nice seal to prevent air from getting under the top.......

air and rain.....

[rallypanam]

I think my thinking is.. it is pretty easy to throw a little fiberglass on it now.. A lot more difficult once its painted and installed with your shiny new fabric.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

I think my thinking is.. it is pretty easy to throw a little fiberglass on it now.. A lot more difficult once its painted and installed with your shiny new fabric.

Exactly......

Same holds true for the crossbars....whether you want to sleeve them, replace/upgrade hardware, etc. Once they are holding the PH roof up doing any mods is 10X harder.

[BenJJ]

Well after a couple of days the solarez filled holes starting "sinking". So I had to refill those, kind of annoying but not a big deal.

Did the rework in direct sunlight this time so everything cured in a minute or two and then I flipped the top over for the real fun to begin!

[BenJJ]

Bought some fiberglass resin and fiberglass mat. Started working on the front by filling in the gaps in small sections, and then decided to just do really long strips across the whole thing.

I had never worked with fiberglass in any capacity before so it was definitely a learning experience. I also realized about halfway through what my gameplan actually was... Build up a sturdy fiberglass "backboard" from the interior side of the top, shape it to how I want, and then use bondo on the exterior side of the top.

So I did the front edge saturday morning and came back sunday afternoon to do the shaping part. Turned out way better than I expected. You can see from the top view I got a nice thick section build up.

[BenJJ]

I then did a little test fit with the gasket I ordered from SMB to see what it looked like without any bondo and it was also way better than expected. Only a few sections on both corners where you could see the new fiberglass.