Jeep XJ Pop Top Camper Build

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

Picked up a new spray gun
Finished laying down the topcoat

Follow (Instagram) --> @craftsmancollaborative
Subscribe (Youtube) --> @craftsmancollaborative

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

Wet sanded the whole plug. 400 -> 600-> 1200

Buffed with polishing compound

Body work on a few small dings/ripples that showed up

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

In other news assembly/fab work is finished on a bending brake I had in the works.

Follow (Instagram) --> @craftsmancollaborative
Subscribe (Youtube) --> @craftsmancollaborative

 

[wjeeper]

Plug is looking good! I don't have the patience to do bodywork.........

Too bad I missed you this weekend. I picked up the top to start on Jeepagon 3.0. I just have to clear the que of projects a bit to get started on it!

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

Wax on. Wax off.

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

PVA Partall #10 layer with a 1.4 HVLP gun.

 

[wjeeper]

Any updates?

A little internet peer pressure for ya:

V3.0 well on its way!

May or may not start a thread, haven't decided quite yet.

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

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 is intended to not cure exposed to air (needs a backing of glass, or PVA/wax for repairs/topcoats) and as such the only thing I could manage to clear the mess was a pressure washer.

This took off lots of the finish and caused some damage on its own. Back track a couple weeks of body work/finishing.

Couldn’t recover so on to sanding back into primer, adding some putty and another ply of glass to the rear profile, and a new topcoat. Frustrating, but I’ve slowed down the whole detailing process to keep my cool and feel better about the finished plug.

Bought a simple 3.0mm Tip Gun (best option short of a $130 dump gun). Buying Vinyl Ester Tooling Gel for the mold layer. Quite the process.

Follow (Instagram) --> @craftsmancollaborative
Subscribe (Youtube) --> @craftsmancollaborative

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

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 higher quality Orange VE Tooling Gelcoat for the mold surface. Might as well do it the best after all this time/work.

 

[jeepdreamer]

There was a guy around here with a screen name of jscherb. He did some amazing stuff with fiberglass Jeep tops. It may be worth trying to reach out to him and see if he has any advice? He seems very knowledgeable and good to talk to.

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

There was a guy around here with a screen name of jscherb. He did some amazing stuff with fiberglass Jeep tops. It may be worth trying to reach out to him and see if he has any advice? He seems very knowledgeable and good to talk to.

Found him on Jeep Forum: https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9...397729/index46.html#/topics/1397729?page=313

Look like he has a couple fiberglass Jeep concepts going. Interesting stuff

 

[wjeeper]

Man sounds like some major setbacks! It will be worth it when your finished it was looking so great before the gelcoat.

Fiberglass work is something I have never done before.....I gotta learn as I have a few repairs and modifications

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

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 reference:
TheSamba "Werksberg" has been selling various homemade westy & VW parts for years. This listing is still up selling a set of remade westfalia molds, and some details on the westfalia factory originals as well. Check that out here!

Follow (Instagram) --> @craftsmancollaborative
Subscribe (Youtube) --> @craftsmancollaborative

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

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

 

[CraftsmanCollaborative]

@wjeeper Why's this look so familiar?

Trying to remove a flip up/pop top on a new (to me) 91' XJ - Jeep Cherokee Forum

Modified XJ Cherokee Tech - Trying to remove a flip up/pop top on a new (to me) 91' XJ - Bought a new Cherokee that I am in love with, but it has a shell on the roof that flips up. I can't imagine what I would use it for and would prefer a nice rack up top. It has 2 hinges holding it on the...

www.cherokeeforum.com

I'd like to know the origins of who made this shell. Custom? Never seen a van with that short of a roof.