Do you have any good pictures of how the top is fastened to the body? I see you used some kind of silicone or something where the upper and troopy overlap. What did you use there? Thanks
There are pics in the body of the build thread....I believe on page 2. The top has 4 brackets that attach with bolts that conceivably could hold it in place but the majority of the bond is done with a product called Sikaflex. I have included a copy of the receipt of the "glue" that was used. Once this stuff dries nothing is going anywhere.
Call Andrea at Stockton (209.464.7771). The color is ANSI 49. If you refer to his sales order number 6366 he should be able to get you the exact wheel. I haven't seen them on the truck yet but plan to have them mounted this week. I will come back here to post pics. The idea is that they are going fit without spacers and hopefully they will. I will know that for sure later this week.
Call Andrea at Stockton (209.464.7771). The color is ANSI 49. If you refer to his sales order number 6366 he should be able to get you the exact wheel. I haven't seen them on the truck yet but plan to have them mounted this week. I will come back here to post pics. The idea is that they are going fit without spacers and hopefully they will. I will know that for sure later this week.
A couple of glamour shots in front of my house. I could NOT be more pleased with the work that Dario's body shop did. This guy takes a lot of pride in his work. If you're in striking distance of Portland and need body work, this is definitely the place to go.
I cant like this thread enough. I will get one of those alucabs, mark my words.
Real question though. is there a mounting system that can be installed on the alucabs? I need to put 2 kayaks up there for the wife and I. I presume they make stronger struts for say 100 lbs extra?
My plan is to install either a Front Runner or Rhino rack. The Front Runner Slim Line will slide into the track that is on the top. I spoke with the folks that sold me the alu cab about mounting the spare on the roof and they said that the existing struts would accommodate the weight of the tire. I can tell you that the struts are "robust" and I think that I'm going to be fairly happy with a little bit of extra weight when I pull the top down. I'm pretty sure alu cab anticipates people carrying some weight on the roof. There is a LOT of usable real estate up there.
I cant like this thread enough. I will get one of those alucabs, mark my words.
Real question though. is there a mounting system that can be installed on the alucabs? I need to put 2 kayaks up there for the wife and I. I presume they make stronger struts for say 100 lbs extra?
They fit double struts and uprated struts depending on your requirements, so I suspect you would be fine.Around here folks tend to load the roof area plenty ..
Well, after 3 nights after work the Alucab Shadow Awning is attached.
It seems like this thing fought us from start to finish and definitely wasn't an easy install but the finished product is certainly worth the effort.
Takeaways are that if you plan to install the Alucab Hercules top that the awning brackets should definitely be installed on the top prior to placement on the truck. The hardware sent with the top was too short in many cases which necessitated the need for runs to Home Depot for longer bolts. There was a LOT of hardware left over and the impression is that the hardware was included to mount the awning to a roof rack. This definitely isn't a DYI project....I can imagine the intent from Alucab was that it be installed by a dealer who has been trained in installation. The directions provided left a lot to be desired.
I could NOT have done this without the help of Jonathan (Mookies on Mud). I believe I may have learned some new curse phrases.
Again, worth the effort and I look forward to using it soon.
Always a pleasure scraping knuckles, swearing and drinking in the street! Glad to help see this beast of a rig come together.
Anyone that needs lots of holes drilled in their freshly painted Troopy drop me a line. Many tricks were learned in the installation of the top and the awning. I'm happy to discuss with anyone considering these Alu-Cab options. Top shelf product but extremely finicky installs. Obviously worth the effort.
Got the new tires and wheels mounted today. Went with Cooper S/T Maxx in size 235/85R/16. We also mounted up the same tire in 255/85R/16 but it looked too big....wider than I wanted. I'll be putting on some black lug nuts soon.
Pic is of me and Garth at A-N-T Tire in North Portland. Garth is a great guy and I really like doing business with him. Highly recommended.
I took the Troopy on it's first camping trip over the weekend. The photo's were taken at Stinson Flats on the Klickitat River near Goldendale, WA. This is a nice campsite obviously right at the rivers edge in an Oak forest. Very parklike and I recommend it.
Initial impressions of the Alucab tent are that it's certainly a lot smaller than the James Baroud Grand Raid. The JB is slightly larger than a queen size and the Alucab is about the size of a double. Enough room for two people though for sure. Alucab should provide pockets to put miscellaneous "stuff" in....like the JB. It would be a nice touch. The Alucab has a couple of lights which I don't have hooked up yet and that will be good. I personally find the JB mattress more comfortable. Unlike the JB the Alucab does not have a ceiling vent fan which is a-ok as I never use the one that is on the JB. Great ventialation on the sides and head end of the tent. Something that I noticed about the tent is the "blackout" material that is used. It is very dark inside which would allow you to sleep in after sunrise. With the top closed there is very little room in the Alucab to store bedding. I was able to get it closed with a down comforter but you need to position the pillows just so or the top won't close. I'm sure this will become easier as I become more familiar with the tent. Another great option would be to have a split hatch at the head end so you could enter/exit without disturbing your partner. As it is, you can't get out unless you raise the entire hatch. We will figure a work around on this I'm sure.
The Alucab Shadow Awn is an absolute "breeze" to set up and take down. Never used the supplied pole and the wind was a bit gusty. No issue whatsoever with this awning and I can see that it will be used often.
The Troopy performed well. The addition of the Cooper ST Maxx's has dramatically improved on highway performance. The 1HDT had "plenty" of power going uphill. I didn't notice a single bee passing me on grade.
This was a good shakedown trip and I made note of several odds and ends that need attention. The truck is FAR from finished but I wanted to get it out and see what it was all about. This will turn out to be a very nice camper.
