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Picked up a 2KW diesel heater for the Jeep. Made a portable “suitcase” heater for the moment of tent camping. Running on 18v ryobi batteries, with a 24v to 12v step down transformer (ryobi measured ~22v, 12.8v after step down) The 6AH lithium lasted most the night on low. Figure 6AH @ 18v =...

Looking like another solid project. Scrolled through a bunch and I’m impressed with all the variety of designs. I’m currently making a Cherokee specific camper top with similar mold making methods

I used two such batteries in parallel (same voltage, double current) for my hot wire cutter. My batteries come in 2, 4, & 6 AmpHour sizes at 18v. Most lithium batteries for a camper/van are 100AH minimum. So you can see the big difference. Perhaps as a small portable power pack, but for...

Glass comes right after the Tooling Gelcoat. Spent the rest of the night on the first coat, which is the most important to get down right away. Follow (Instagram) --> @craftsmancollaborative Subscribe (Youtube) --> @craftsmancollaborative

VE Tooling Orange Gelcoat

I’ve found you can heat-weld the pvc with a heat gun and a wheel (bearing/roller on a stud to press it). Have yet to try a home Iron. You would likely have to stitch the Velcro/zipper to a piece of PVC then heat weld the two pieces together.

Sunbrella (brand) is what many campers and boats use. Nice, higher end material. “Ottertex” is a cheaper brand that is still supposedly waterproof (want to say Fabrics Now sells it, website or amazon). I bought a roll to upholster my bed cushions. Vinyl PVC is what GFC campers use, it may hold...

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/d/san-diego-95-gmc-suburban-truck-k2500/7054478842.html

A buddy just sent me this. Very interesting.

That makes more sense taking that drive to get it... good deal. I’ve eyed a tonneau cover or two in the parts yards around here, never thought of narrowing it like that. Interested to see you finish it up and get some canvas on it. The profile looks similar to that of a eurovan.

@wjeeper Why's this look so familiar? https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/trying-remove-flip-up-pop-top-new-me-91-xj-253041/ I'd like to know the origins of who made this shell. Custom? Never seen a van with that short of a roof.

I put together a new format setup on the website as well and the first post in the complete Jeep Poptop Builder Series. Click Here for that

There's plenty of content out there for basic fiberglass instructionals... a key thing to keep in mind when starting is all the strength comes from the reinforcement (fiberglass mat, cloth) not the resin itself. As little resin as needed to "wet out" the fiber does the job. Another fiberglass...

Found him on Jeep Forum: https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/jk-barn-door-option-factory-hardtop-1397729/index46.html#/topics/1397729?page=313 Look like he has a couple fiberglass Jeep concepts going. Interesting stuff

Figured out another problem in the mold-making prep. Turns out the shimmer wax I had coated with is a silicone product. No good to use with the PVA, which explained the fight I had there. Partall #2 Parting Wax will now be recoated over the entire plug before proceeding. I also picked up a...

Applying the Gelcoat had some major setbacks. First, trying to push that viscosity through a 2mm gun tip. Tried to keep laying down the remains of the cup and on the third coat it kicked in the gun. No good. Peeling/Scraping/Scratching gooey gelcoat and PVA was a thorough mess. The exposed side...

Very clean build. Just saw you’re in San Diego as well. If the rig is still for sale next weekend, there’s a large van-life meetup at fiesta island (hosted by TheVanLifeApp). January 25. Could be a good spot to get some traffic checking it out.

Best of luck selling. Definitely is a demand out there for one-off campers. I’m currently making a plug/mold/product specific to the Cherokee (likely can fit many other SUV’s). Used your initial post as a start in the right direction

PVA Partall #10 layer with a 1.4 HVLP gun.

Wax on. Wax off.