KnuckleHead

Hey trekker, did you use standard rattle-can black paint to paint your rims? I've got shinny alloy rims on mine that I either want to replace with black ones or paint flat black. I'm wondering how rattle-can paint will hold up or if I should think about powder coating them.

txtoy

no reciept but it was in the section with all the crown molding or whatever for houses. some were made out of wood, some from solid pvc so i looked through all of the pvc ones for the simplist looking rectangle one. there was one that was perfect 1-6" with no decorative shape and if you could just cut it down the center it would work too. if you go look it's easy to weed out the ones that wont work. really you just need something to place on top of the rails so you dont have to drill 50 snaps into the side of your bed.

txtoy

god i need to lose that ridiculous rear bumper - next project- bumpers front and rear and some sliders (i hope my friend is ready to give out some free welding labor)

JuttyShabango

Yes, rattle canned them, but sandblasted the crap out of them first leaving the aluminum all rough and pitty looking. The will look really dull after you blast them and IMO, thats the time to paint them. Have had no problem with the paint flaking out or anything.

JuttyShabango

Your rig is sweet man and that topper is off the hook.

Adam F

OK, so what are you guys using for material? Sunbrella? Canvas? It has to be water proof.

Where are you getting it? Local supplier? Ebay?

Also, what type of material would I use to make windows out of? I'm going to have them sewn in the material on the sides and rear.

JuttyShabango

I believe TX Toy is using Sumbrella. I used Cordura since it's totally waterproof.

I found mine at Fabric Farms of all places, just call some local sewing shops and ask if they have Outdoor Materials section. I've found that reapolstering your lawn furniture is big business these days

Local Awning shop will have them too. Call around, I've found prices vary drastically. I spent 156.00 dollars on 9 square yards of material and it was WAY too much.

I had my sides sewn in and it's the same clear material used in Jeeps and for boats. Don't know the name though.

If I had to do mine over, I would do it like Tx Toy did his, but using Cordura.

HTH

txtoy

yeah, i found out that the only time water leaks is if it rains and gathers on the top- i guess the pressure of #'s of stagnant water let it leak through. i'm going to leave my side flaps in sunbrella and get some other material and just sew it onto the top section. as for my clear piece, i got it at walmart and put gramets in it and laced it like a shoelace onto the front piece (since i have a truck and not a runner ((or trekker))). the walmart stuff works okay, it just distorts a little bit - i've never driven a jeep so i dont know how to compare. good news is it's about a buck a yard at walmart.

Adam F

So how exactly are you guys peiceing together the material to cover the top? Like, do you cut a big rectangle out to cover the top, and then sew on the side and rear flaps that roll down? How do you keep the seams waterproof?

JuttyShabango

Hey Adam,

Sorry for the delay man, had a week's vacation and made the most of it.

I took my fabric and rolled it up in a piece of strap at one end then just layed it over the frame to get the general size.

Leave a little overlap, you want to tuck your side panels under the flap to keep the seams from leaking then you can just use a zipper or snaps. I rolled up a piece of door trim from a camaro in mine to get a better seal at the cab and bolted the top to the cab using the existing holes for the hard topper.

I hope that answers your question, I'm rambling.