80 Troopy (1 Viewer)

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first cut is always the hardest.

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You gonna cut out and replace the right rear corner of the roof where it is caved in ? Pop top from Europe on it or a diy build ?
 
yes- luckily the right rear corner is mainly skin damage, the underlying structure/ roof waist line is where all the strength is and it held up fine. its amazing how thin/flimsy the actual roof is. And the crossmembers that span the roof are also suprisingly minimalist in terms of strength.

Plan is to keep this simple- delete sunroof and gain some cargo capacity. I loved my old 80 platform camper but didnt love the underplatform storage height. This will almost double capacity under platform and keep a nice seated height above. I always have loved Troopies for the height/capacity for ultimate camper builds. However- the 80 is a far superior platform in many many ways.
 
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yes- luckily the right rear corner is mainly skin damage, the underlying structure/ roof waist line is where all the strength is and it held up fine. its amazing how thin/flimsy the actual roof is. And the crossmembers that span the roof are also suprisingly minimalist in terms of strength.

Plan is to keep this simple- delete sunroof and gain some cargo capacity. I loved my old 80 platform camper but didnt love the underplatform storage height. This will almost double capacity under platform and keep a nice seated height above. I always have loved Troopies for the height/capacity for ultimate camper builds. However- the 80 is a far superior platform in many many ways.

I agree with you a lhd HDJ80 with a 5 speed is a better platform then a troopy in some ways but with half the interior cargo space....... a gasser with automatic I wouldn't consider a better platform though for any camper , suspension is superior but besides that I have a hard time seeing anything that attracts me . Might be my personal opinion after owning both models for longer periods.

Looks like a lot of work if you are not going for the full pop top here .
 
I agree with you a lhd HDJ80 with a 5 speed is a better platform then a troopy in some ways but with half the interior cargo space....... a gasser with automatic I wouldn't consider a better platform though for any camper , suspension is superior but besides that I have a hard time seeing anything that attracts me . Might be my personal opinion after owning both models for longer periods.

Looks like a lot of work if you are not going for the full pop top here .
I would agree that a Troopy has more interior cargo space. But I have a hard time believing that it has twice the space. Just sayin ;)
 
The new platform height will allow mw to fit a 13 1/2" Nato jerry under. By comparison my old platform in the 80 couldnt even fit one on its side. Sitting on this had my head close to the new roof height and im 6'3".

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This is turning out to be alot quicker than i thought. I mounted up the old roof cut- shimmed it for 6" in the rear.....and 5.5" in front and welded in some bracing last night so it wouldnt catch wind and blow away.

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next up i plasma cut a rear shape and gave it a little curve then tacked in the center and worked my way out following the slight curve of the 80 roof.

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Gonna be interesting to watch this go!

rock on!
 
so ive been scrambling to get stuff done at work before heading out of town to Boulder tomorrow. But i had a few hours to knock off the rear corner and pass side. Super happy with the shape and fit. I hit the welds with some paint to hold over til i return and i can finish the other side and then tackle the front portion and then sanding and paint match.

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heres a few from the inside... the rear lip above the window is a good 3" deep and im already thinking this is going to make a interior great storage shelf/vestibule if i mount up some soft netting to retain stuff when driving.

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I got another day into it and knocked off all the tough transition pieces / front A-pillar corners and am real happy with the shapes and transitions.

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shooting to get the overall shape which sorta mimicks the 61series high roofs that have a slight stinkbug rake front to back. A Nissan patrol with safari top happened to drive by today when i was working and comparitively it looked alot higher than this top which fits the body alot better without being overly tall and imbalanced looking, . I tried to give the roof a touch more roundness that an 80 series might have vs the boxier 60. 🤓

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rear heater deleted. raising front seats 2-3 inches for underseat storage with the heater gone and some added legroom diatance to pedal on the drivers side.

Did Lizard Skin ceramic on the entire interior roof. i did this on my old 80 and 40 and both see a real noticeable heat reduction in blazing sun, Id say its easily 20deg+ difference in interior temps as well as noticeable radiant heat when not moving/

im waiting on 4k1 metallic beige paint which painfully takes 2weeks to mixup and ship..,covid- ugh.
 
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