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View Full Version : General Metalworking Steel & Canvas Pickup Truck Canopy Build Thread!



Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 12:35 AM
Eldest lad bought himself a tray back 4by pickup truck, 2014 Bitsamissing Triton 2.5 intercooled turbo diesel dual cab thing.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/Kelvins%20Ute_zpsdm9unjkq.jpg

He drives road trains for a living, triple trailer, 90 tonne tippers with grain and so on.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/Canopy%201_zpshvhgaibf.jpg

Sends me this above photo snapped out the window of his prime mover (tractor trailer) in traffic. with a message "Dad - any chance you could make/build me a canopy & roof rack like this for the tray of my pickup truck?

Mind you I am from a timber background...... what I know about steel and welding etc can be writ in large font on the head of a pin!. :eek:

But you know how it is when your a dad!

Sure thing says I!

Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 12:41 AM
First chance I get - I measure up the rear tray of his pickup with 100% dead accurate engineering measurements to base a fabrication project design upon.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010542_zpshbvz6lza.jpg
OK ya got me I fibbed - I threw some rough as guts measurements on the back of an envelope!. ;)

Next was to haul out the CAD CAM & come 8up with an engineering design and specification.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/Triton%20Canopy%20amp%20Rack_zpsbf1tvigi.jpg
OK, I Fibbed again... I hauled up paint shop and worked with a pic off the intranet! :p

You do what you have too and work with what you have!

Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 12:55 AM
Next - was a visit to "see the guy" (That would be "the guy" with the steel engineering shop)!

Hey how was I ever going to bend rhs tube without a mandrel bender?

I traced out a 'template' of the headboard of the pickup tray onto a sheet of 3mm cabinet backing & took that along to "the engineering guy" and asked him to bend me up 2 hoops to match the shape of the headboard of the tray!.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010541_zpsogversyj.jpg

Too easy!

Next was chop them to height to match the tray and keep the off cuts for further use as legs inside the tray!.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010546_zps5elijzyl.jpg

Needed some 80 x 100mm square 3mm plate but didn't have any at the time, so opened up some 50mm angle and welded it back together flat!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010545_zpstpnfvqla.jpg

Grind away and what do you know...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010551_zpsdmz7m3r2.jpg


Boxed on and added legs inside the tray for both hoops.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010553_zpsfglthnj9.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010560_zps8wx7qtiq.jpg

Looks a bit wonky but its not -its the wide angle lense on the camera distorting it - believe me.

Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 1:01 AM
Next was starting in on a tailgate that will open on hinges and gas struts!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010590_zpsdf7euoon.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010593_zpstemtg3uj.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010577_zpsj3qfobmt.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010575_zpscfjefie0.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010576_zpsdli3ywji.jpg

Who's ever idea it was to go with curved corners musta been nuts - yep guilty as charged. :o

Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 1:26 AM
With the help of some stainless Nutserts (Riv Nuts) the corners start to come together to make the overall frame - which will be "modular" or unbolt into constituent "components".

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010613_zpsaqcsmf2n.jpg

A quick "test fit" in the dark...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010608_zpsznesvdrk.jpg

And some more darned curved bits welding

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010594_zpsaikvsykb.jpg

Lots more grinding!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010620_zpsdn0mlpqw.jpg

And it's actually starting to come together as a recognizable "frame".

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010622_zpsrw7pkboh.jpg

But of course - you can never have enough 'bent bits' in a job like this...

So back to "bending" otherwise straight steel to conform to my desires!.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010627_zpsmw5mzxnu.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010625_zps5whlsvb2.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010628_zpsvjexcokc.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010630_zpsxp4xusos.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010631_zps97ikta2a.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010632_zpsp2qyqnm1.jpg

Did I mention a lot of grinding steel? :mad:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010633_zpsanxqc2ru.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010634_zpspyzahdmc.jpg

And you can now see where the bendy bits go!

Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 1:34 AM
Time for another test fit.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010651_zpshlipyltj.jpg

Scratch of the head!

Check it from various Angles.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010650_zpskl79zv7t.jpg

Mess around with some hinges...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010635_zpsoeqpmc7n.jpg

And also mess with fitting locks/ paddle latches for the side gates.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010660_zpshydwic6r.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010661_zpsajktbeit.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/troutylow/P1010662_zpsxdosflzo.jpg

It's amazing how much time this sort of hand work can eat up....

Being retired I just potter about at it a few hours here and there each day, when I feel like it!.

Did I mention, I started back in APRIL! :eek:

Can't rush these things..... we have a saying "built, not bought"!

Way i am going I could die of old age before I finish this durn thing.... the "motivation factor is waning fast! :(

Ted Calver
10-10-2015, 11:37 AM
What a great build!! This is going to be a beast when it's done. Thanks for taking us along!

Bruce Page
10-10-2015, 12:33 PM
That is some serious fabrication. I would have handed him a catalog and said "Pick one".
I'm curious, what is the gizmo on the right front fender?

Ian Moone
10-10-2015, 12:53 PM
I'm curious, what is the gizmo on the right front fender?

Safari Snorkel

http://www.safarisnorkel.com/snorkel/ss660hf/ss660hf.htm

http://www.safarisnorkel.com/snorkel/ss660hf/ss660hf_layout.jpg

It's designed for deep water crossings, to keep water ingress out of the air intake. Also helps keep dust ingress from unsealed roads to a minimum.

Being diesel, they would have us believe that you can cross water above hood height - however anyone who's actually tried would know that's pure bunkum with the amount of electronics in the modern vehicles these days - what with Injector drive modules and engine management computers, and water past door sill height will quickly flood the interior - short out the electronics and the car will be a dead duck in the middle of the creek.

Now Stateside likely you got into any deep water it would be frozen and turned to snow - so you'd be "honkey dorey" without any need for a snorkel but here where it never snows summer or winter...all our water stays in liquid form so we try to get used to driving around in it.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s159/utedriver/102-0279_IMG.jpg

In theory you can do this - but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, with the passenger window wound down.... & NOT just coz water might pour in.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZ-5O1_64b3-10pCklecmTa8O0QfstQFbOtX96nRviPKxHDqIT

Just as important to keep one a these from hopping into the seat alongside you as well.... ;)

We have "a rule of thumb" - here, for such water crossings "only one idiot in the water at a time".