Foamie Jeep Camper Hardtop

[pmowers]

the Army used what were called MUST shelters, basically a box made out of honeycomb cardboard covered with a very thin aluminum sheeting. The boxes were expandable, with the long sides being capable of folding up to form a roof, an inner wall dropped down to form a floor, with walls then the walls would fold out and latch the floor and roof together. The structure was fairly light, and insulating.

Can you find an example of one of these on the web? I've looked and I can't seem to find anything.

Thanks,

Mike...

Sorry for reviving this old post, but I just came across a video showing a system very similar to the way the MUST boxes were set up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hGR8kOPT7U Here is a picture of the sidewall that was punctured, you can see the honeycomb interior.

[Melven]

I also thought of making a foamie top for my jeep. Get going on yours so I can start mine! haha

[pmowers]

the Army used what were called MUST shelters, basically a box made out of honeycomb cardboard covered with a very thin aluminum sheeting. The boxes were expandable, with the long sides being capable of folding up to form a roof, an inner wall dropped down to form a floor, with walls then the walls would fold out and latch the floor and roof together. The structure was fairly light, and insulating.

Can you find an example of one of these on the web? I've looked and I can't seem to find anything.

Thanks,

Mike...

It took a long time to track down, still can't find any photos but here is the technical manual for a shelter.http://tentsshelters.tpub.com/TM-10-5410-221-14-1/index.htm

[redveloce]

I also thought of making a foamie top for my jeep. Get going on yours so I can start mine! haha

Sorry for the long delay! I ended up putting a lot more work into getting my engine conversion dialed in than I originally thought there would be. I just finished a solid month of work building and installing compound turbos, and it finally seems to be well sorted. I need to spend some time with my wife so she remembers who I am, then I'll get started on this!

My thoughts on the design change almost daily. My favorite idea at the moment is to cut up a soft top (I have several from a different SNAFU), and reuse everything from the current roofline down. I'll then build a formed ABS channel, probably 3-6" tall that will become the lower half of the clam shell, and support the modified soft top parts. I'm still up in the air about how to build the actual roof portion of the clam shell, but 'foamy' may make sense for that.

The end result would still look very similar to what I posted before.

[Melven]

Gotcha. You turbod your jeep? Rad

[redveloce]

Did a bit more than that. It has a 2.2L Kubota diesel.

[Melven]

Did a bit more than that. It has a 2.2L Kubota diesel.

That is really cool. Nice work.

[redveloce]

Thanks!

[pchast]

Did you loose much weight?
How has the ride height changed?

[redveloce]

It's about 200lbs lighter. Haven't noticed much effect on the ride, but it has progressive springs and a winch.

[redveloce]

Due to the recent revelation of my soon to be unmarried status this project will likely be put on hold for a while. The positive news is that I'll be able to lean out the design a bit...

[KCStudly]

Turn, turn, turn. To every season...

Don't give up on the project, just come back to it when you can.

[redveloce]

Aaaand I'm back!

About a month ago I jumped on a cheap hard top with some minor roll over damage that I found on craigslist. It's not too bad, the driver's side latch was ripped out, and there was some damage to the right rear corner and various cracking here and there, most of which is now repaired. I need to do a little finishing work and repaint it. I'll probably use regular exterior house primer and paint.

I figure this will save me a lot of time building the camper since I'll only have to build a pop up roof, canvas, and bunk sections.

The major challenge of the moment is that it doesn't have a rear window or any of the hardware for it. I was going to use a soft top rear window and seal bar cut to size with a simple frame, but as soon as I picked up the top all of the inexpensive used rear windows disappeared from my local craigslist (doesn't that always happen?). I don't want to spend the money on a replacement glass window, which run $200-300 plus another $100-200 in hardware.

I've priced out polycarbonate sheets, but I'm not sure that I have the skill to get the cutting right the first time, and they're still pretty expensive for that size. I'd also still need to buy the same hardware as I would with a regular replacement window.

Does anyone have any ideas for an 'thrifty' way to go?

Here is a picture of the top that I took on the day I picked it up. It actually looks a lot worse now with a lot of paint missing from repairs and sanding.

[KCStudly]

Welcome back.

[mgb4tim]

I rough cut polycarbonate with band saw (even a jig saw), then a trim bit and a template with my router. A belt sander does the edge nicely. A quick pass with a torch flame polishes the edges (with some practice on scraps)

Aaaand I'm back!
I've priced out polycarbonate sheets, but I'm not sure that I have the skill to get the cutting right the first time, and they're still pretty expensive for that size. I'd also still need to buy the same hardware as I would with a regular replacement window.

Does anyone have any ideas for an 'thrifty' way to go?