Lining my bed cap/camper shell/truck topper

[ADKdakota]

Alright, so I bought a used Leer cap last fall and its a pretty basic one. I got it for $250 and its in great shape but it has no liner. The raw fiberglass is pretty ugly and I'd like to be able to camp in it in the late fall/early spring or whenever its raining a lot to keep my girlfirend and I dry and off the ground. I've read a lot about issues with condensation forming on the top of the shell which will definitely wreck my game plan of using it to stay dry :snorkel:.

I want to line it but I wasn't sure what exactly to use. I was thinking either marine carpet or just simple felt that I could get from a fabric store. I'm leaning toward the felt because I think it'll be enough to at least disperse the condensate before it drips on us, especially if I leave the window behind our heads cracked and it'll be a lot easier to work with i'd imagine.

How about adhesives? I was thinking hot glue would be a good option because it'll be easiest to work with as long as it doesnt melt the fabric fibers.

Lemme know what you guys think, Thanks

 

[fourfa]

I'd be tempted to try 3M 77 spray-mount just because it would be so easy... Be sure to wear a good particulate mask and eye protection and vent as well as humanly possible

 

[ADKdakota]

That's a great idea, looks like it would work. I'll have to see if Lowes has it.

I just looked into it and it's used for pool table felt, has to be good enough for my topper

 

[rusty_tlc]

At the fabric store near me they sell trunk liner. It's similar to felt but a bit heavier and with a flexible backing. This store sells a lot of stuff to the Hot August Night resto crowd. It looks like it would form into curves very well.

Edit:X2 on the 3M spray mount.

 

[ADKdakota]

I'll ask about that. Pretty limited on fabric stores here, I think we have one then walmart has a section... I might end up ordering something online.

 

[Squatchout]

If it was me I would use Marine carpet for a bassboat. I redid my bassboat awhile back this way and I've been real impressed with the way it has held up. It's light, easy to work with, UV and mold resistant. I used "Henry LATEX outdoor carpet cement" from the local home store. This was the recomendation from the carpet seller. It works great. Much more forgiving than "contact cement" and no vile fumes. It sticks well but allows you move things if you need to till it cures. Once cured it's there! You will need a notched trowel to apply the cement. I used an old Marble rolling pin to roll/smooth/press it in place. The kind mama make's pie crust with. Works just like the pro's do when rolling out linolieum. I've been thinking of making an off road teardrop and lining the whole inside this way. Lighter color on top like light blue and maybe green on the floor. Just like the real world. Here is a couple of pics of the boat job.

After ripping out 20 year old nasty stuff.

Clean sandblasted metal.

Finished product

These pics were 5 years ago. This is a river boat. It gets mud tracked in, coffee spilled in the carpet and it still looks great. I've just cleaned 2 big stains out of the rear deck carpet where a huge cup of coffee got spilled. A little auto upholstry cleaner in a can from wally world and it looks like new. You can also clean this stuff with a garden hose or pressure washer. I bought mine online. Shipping is not to bad because this is lighter than you might think. No rubber backing like indoor/outdoor carpet has.

 

[Greggk]

subscribing as i would like to see/hear about what is going to be used, and how it works out

 

[ADKdakota]

Going to finish this up tomorrow. I just bought some basic thick felt fabric and 3m Super 77 adhesive and started it last night. I have about half done and will be finishing the other side. I don't have any pics right now to upload because I didn't even think to take them. I'll take some progress pics tomorrow and any sort of tricks/recommendations I figure out as I go. I'm a welder/fabricator not an upholstery expert but so far its going well.

The main use is for keeping down the dripping from condensation and I think it'll be adequate. I would like to have used marine carpet but the felt was only $3 a yard, so if it doesn't work out I'm only out like $25 including the glue...Not a big deal at all, I can always redo it in carpet if i need to.

 

[SFROMAN]

Depending how heavy that fabric is im pretty sure the 3m adhesive is not going to hold. Ask me how I know.

I would first line the camper with this

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13353-56291..._prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1

once you have lined it with the above product then you can line it with whatever fabric you want.

You will still have to worry about it sticking though. Since it is upside down, it will fall down when you hit a bump if you dont use the right adhesive or the material you use is to heavy.

DEL

 

[ADKdakota]

I actually tested it before I kept going. I stuck a section of the felt to the ceiling with the glue and let it set up for about an hour. I got it off but it put up a fight. This stuff is pretty suprising. I thought about insulating it but it won't see a lot of winter use. Plus the way I look at it I'm in laying in a steel tub, the Line-x isn't going to keep me warm from below, I don't know how effective insulating the topper would be.

My major concern is the sun in the middle of summer if the truck isn't in the shade. I'm worried about the fiberglass getting warm enough to soften the adhesive. My topper is black because when I bought it I couldn't stand the white on my dark truck. I could always remove the black coating if it gets too hot because it is just Plasti-dip (like 8 coats thick of rubberized coating) that I can peel off. Its rugged stuff but much easier to take off than paint.

 

[wjeeper]

Also check into unbacked auto carpet. Its basically car carpet without the backing so you can stretch it a bit into the corners and get it to lay down on curved surfaces. you can actually get it to form fit over a wheel well pretty well.

Just a thought.

 

[ADKdakota]

Finished it up today. I didn't get a before picture but everyone knows what bare white fiberglass looks like. My flash is apparently not bright enough to get a decent pic looking into the shell so this is the best I can do for now.

Haha, just noticed the pic was before I removed the layer of dog snot from the windows...

 

[Squatchout]

Good deal. I hope it works out for you over the long haul.

 

[Quagh]

Depending how heavy that fabric is im pretty sure the 3m adhesive is not going to hold. Ask me how I know.

I would first line the camper with this

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13353-56291..._prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1

once you have lined it with the above product then you can line it with whatever fabric you want.

You will still have to worry about it sticking though. Since it is upside down, it will fall down when you hit a bump if you dont use the right adhesive or the material you use is to heavy.

DEL

I'm having a similar problem. My truck topper (fiberglass) has a typical heavy felt lining to it. I wanted to mount interior lights from Harbor Freight on the upper edges and hold them in place by gluing male velcro to the back of the lights. When I do, the fabric pulls away. I've tried 3M's 77, Contact Cement and a couple others. I believe the problem may have something to do with the fact that it's hot on the inside and cold on the outside or vice-versa.

Does anyone have any suggestions for this? I can't screw the lights in place b/c of the thin side walls of the topper. (I suppose if I didn't mind the appearance I could use pop rivets but that would be tacky IMO.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Revco]

Remove the felt in the area you want to mount your lights. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a fiberglass cloth & resin kit. Buy a tube of Liquid Nails. Cut up a few pieces of wood sticks to the size you want. Glue them to the area you want your lights with the Liquid Nails. Mix up the resin and lay the fiberglass cloth over the wood and blend it into the fiberglass camper shell. Use some wax paper and a squeegee to remove any bubbles. Recover with new felt or whatever material you want. Install your lights with screws into the wood.