Magilla Gorilla pops his top

[KeyserSoSay]

Looks awesome. Curious about who made the top. I too am looking for something flat on top that I can use to build a pop top.

I'm seriously considering a 14" aluminum Jon boat for this. It seems a little redneck right at first blush, but when you think a little harder on it, it could be made to actually look and function very well.

 

[opt overland]

I'm subscribed and looking forward to this as I've a similar plan in the works. That glass top is awesome!

I feel compelled to mention, and do not want it to be misconstrued as criticism, but you might look at some modification at the bottom of your side mounted ladder to make the ladder less apt to get hung on rocks or vegetation at the bottom- maybe curl it back into the van and attach as you would a nerf bar. Maybe you already plan this, just trying to be helpful in advance of a potential ladder catastrophe.

No feelings hurt here, the ladder legs were left long while I was planning the lower mount. They will be trimmed before it goes off to powder coating. It was still design phase when the pic was taken, I wasn't sure how long it needed to be when doing the bends so I just oversized it to make things easy. I also wanted it as tight to the body as possible and able to pull out when needed. And since it's going on a pop topped van it couldnt interfere with the opening and closing of the top and potentially damaging the seal. And lastly I hate unnecessary holes being drilled into vehicles so it mounts with zero drilling. This way it can be moved in about 3 minutes if desired. I've made everything work to my liking and should have the finished piece in a couple weeks.

Cheers,

Dai

 

[4Fox]

Hey Dai!

Magilla is looking great! I like that pop top.

I met you in December when Dan bought your grey van. If he hasn't sent you pics, its looking pretty sick already

 

[opt overland]

Hey Dai!

Magilla is looking great! I like that pop top.

I met you in December when Dan bought your grey van. If he hasn't sent you pics, its looking pretty sick already

What's up Steve, it's good to put a face to a forum name. I saw a couple pics on his Instagram, I agree it's looking really nice. When the time changes and we have longer days hopefully you guys can make it to one of our gatherings or campouts.

Dai,

 

[opt overland]

The tops insulated and upholstered. Now a little paint and it's back on the van. Have a good weekend!

 

[brianjwilson]

What are your thoughts on using that denim insulation in a high moisture environment on an exterior surface?

 

[opt overland]

What are your thoughts on using that denim insulation in a high moisture environment on an exterior surface?

Insulation is an interesting thing. As long as you have airflow things tend to take care of themselves. I'm a fan of the denim insulation for the recycled all natural aspect of it. I've seen and used every type of insulation imaginable and some that were not meant to be insulation but had good insulative properties. In all cases they've served their purpose, some better than others. Regardless where your enjoying your van moisture is going to be present from sleeping in cold climates creating condensation to the kids having a water fight in the rig. As long as it has the opportunity to dry out your good. It's the rigs that are seldomly used and put away wet that develop issues. Or those that sit in the PNW and not driven. On a roof top and vertical surfaces its fine. Gravity tends to win in most cases. It's the very bottom of my builds where I like to leave a gap for airflow, this gives insulation of any type a good chance of drying out. The rust issue I see on rigs on the lower quarters comes from a ton of insulation being stuffed into every crevice and bunched up on the bottom. This collects moisture and doesn't have a chance to fully dry. Even a closed cell foam will cause rust issues if not allowed to dry, not because it collects moisture but because it traps moisture. I'm a fan of any effective insulation that's comes at a reasonable cost. Something's better than nothing.

 

[Coachgeo]

I'm seriously considering a 14" aluminum Jon boat for this. It seems a little redneck right at first blush, but when you think a little harder on it, it could be made to actually look and function very well.

Nope not redneck. Infact there was a little square Egg figerblass type trailer in the 60's... maybe 70's? That had a boat for roof. REMOVABLE and usable as a boat too.

 

[danfromsyr]

like this one

http://bringatrailer.com/2013/10/20/two-tone-trailer-1952-ford-ranch-wagon-with-kom-pak-camper/

 

[opt overland]

A little more progress on our Magilla project. We have a working model for awning mounts that will work beautifully with a pop top and won't disrupt the seal when closing. And the blackout panel is finished for the rear sets of windows so we can add a bit more privacy. It's hard to find the time for in house builds with customer builds going on, but we're getting there.

 

[opt overland]

Here's a few updates on the van, the pop top is done, our awning mounts that work perfectly for pop tops are done, and our modular side ladder that requires no drilling into your rig for mounting is done

 

[opt overland]

Here's a quick video showing the awning brackets with the top closing

[video]https://www.facebook.com/100014564503191/videos/vb.100014564503191/227657467729735/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab[/video]