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Old 12-15-2017, 07:59 PM   #11
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I dont think I ever posted the goal up!!

Im gonna do a low profile roof rack...similar color to the green sportsmobile..rear tire carrier and box that will contain all the cooking supplies and grill..along with campfire gear...and hold the hi-lift and shovels...Max-Trax will get mounted on the driver side or roof....and the driver side will have a ladder...

ALSO there will be a front and rear removable sunroof to allow us daylight and starlight along with a way to get out onto the roof rack from inside for fun!!


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Old 12-15-2017, 08:01 PM   #12
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the blue and white one with the camo back cargo box was my first...and its been 7 years since I sold her...

not much progress as Christmas has drained the funds and the 15* temps in ohio have drained my motivation to be out in an uninsulated incomplete garage!! BRRRRRR



Ive got the new bench designs done on paper...Im hoping to get to the garage this weekend between birthday parties and christmas shopping!!


I did get the the axle sprayed with a rust eater....looks awsome!!!



plenty left to do!
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Old 12-15-2017, 08:28 PM   #13
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Got some pics of the front axle cleaned up a bit...and the read factory dana 60....with,3.29 gears....GROAN....

I guess ill jump the 3.73 front axle to 4.10 and bump the rear as well....dang...




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Old 12-19-2017, 07:17 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by mtnkid85 View Post
What are your plans for the pop top? Custom build? Or are you taking it to one of the conversion shops?
Custom build..but they are basic designs...I'm doing a lower top that looks more stock...GTRV does some very nice garagable tops!! I'm designing mine similar with some other tricks to be light and strong...actually picking up materials tomorrow didn't get to the shop in time today to pick them up!

WELL I SCREWED UP!!! do NOT cut the spin bases down more than 2.5 in...I had a HELL night...the latch for seat unlock was in the way...the support bar in the back of the base hit the swivel so bad more than 25% had to get cut out...the aux brackets for seatbelts had to get chopped off...and the damn seat base now drags the floor....GROAN..

cut the driver seat base 2 1/2 in...dropped in..5 min...perfect...

that SUCKED....might buy another base just to do it right....

but the seating position is PERFECT now!!!

I can get it so low its gangsta...or I can get it so tall I get pinned by the steering wheel at the highest tilt.

ALSO snagged my 42in D5 LED bar off the truck...the stock factory head lights are SO BAD even the high beams look like low compared to my new truck...






I also have nailed down the design for the dual benches that will turn into a fullsize lower bed...

and the materials for the top are done at the machine shop!!! picking them up tomorrow!!! look for the top to pop soon!!!!
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Old 12-19-2017, 11:23 PM   #15
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You are getting some content up here way to go! Keep it up! That van should be killer by March at the rate you’re going!
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Old 12-20-2017, 12:59 PM   #16
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You are getting some content up here way to go! Keep it up! That van should be killer by March at the rate you’re going!
thats the plan!!! mid summer 4x4 swap...top...MUCH SOONER!!!

Ive been holding off on interior carpet and adding fabric to the duraliner till the hole gets cut in the roof....

well....

Picked up all the roof metal today!! Tracks and channel are getting welded this week!! Gonna have them get me a 5ftx10ft sheet of steel...the 4x10 isn't wide enough (they forgot to order the 5x10)

Hole in roof just after Christmas day!!!

Total metal for roof will be around $250...including unistrut runners for future roof rack!!





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Old 12-22-2017, 01:14 PM   #17
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Well the man forced me to work the next several normal work days even though there holidays so I took advantage of the man.


Brought all the materials in I knew what my measurements were going to be. The hole and the roof is going to be 52 in wide 9 ft 6 long.
The roofing piece is going to be 5 foot by 10 foot so that I'll give me about 3 in of overhang all the way around.

I made the lower boxed in assembly, the short vertical rise is where the fabrics going to get connected with velcro . The flat section that's about 2 inches wide that's going to be drilled bolted after epoxy is laid down, It will be glued and screwed to the top all the way around 100% waterproof!!

The next vertical drop is for the lifting mechanism wherever I'm going to end up bolting that on.... then the next horizontal plane is the bed platform support/slide..

surprisingly enough having the lower brackets made ended up being less than $100, look better, cheaper, and are much stronger than if I took three pieces of angle iron and made the W shape out of them!!

I think I figured out the trick to popping the tops for vans!! that frame box is now structural not merely just the tracks for the top in the bed to rest in!!!!

I also made a mirrored (2in smaller in each dimension) a section for the roof that will be a stiffener and gives a backing plate to the roof rack running rails sandwiching the 20 gauge steel making it much more rigid and be where fabric is mounted...the whole roof fabric section will be velcroed in place and be one length of material that velcros where it overlaps its own tail end.


I'm looking to have the top cut probably later this weekend or early next week definitely before New Year's.

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Old 12-24-2017, 05:43 PM   #18
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Since I got the frames done and didn't have 400 miles to drive today.....I did some mock up real quick...

4'6×9'6

Just gotta pick up the sheet of steel...latches ordered already..and Santa brought me my 360* rooftop lights!!!

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Old 12-24-2017, 08:20 PM   #19
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Oh!!! I forgot!! Scored new bolt pattern aluminum ford 16x7 rims!! $100 and he met me halfway!!!

They look good..and will let me run my FAVORITE combo BFG COMMERCIAL TRACTION T/A in a 33...

Even found a pic of them mounted to those rims!!!



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Old 12-31-2017, 02:21 PM   #20
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Well it's officially winter it got too cold and I pulled my solar setup out of the trailer so that my battery doesn't freeze even though it was being charged every day.

This is the setup that's going to the van once the top is on..


My setup is 200 watt renogy panels that are hinged together on a 15 foot long cable so that if the trailer is parked in the shade I can still take the panels and move them and put them in the Sun. when the battery is being used with the inverter or it's been drawn down while the kids are using the lights or have the fan plugged in in the night I'll see it charging the next day in full sun anywhere from 140 to 160 Watts with them laying flat I was pretty impressed the panels were covered in snow today and still charging at the rate shown in the meter sensor.. the hundred amp hour battery has gone over 2 years without a lick of trouble I bring it in every winter this year should have brought it in about a month earlier cuz it got too cold but we're looking at negative temperatures next week I definitely wanted to get it unmounted and brought that they will also stay warm and prolong their life!!

Love my setup..maintenance free!!]

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