That is cool!
Don't forget to do something to keep the ash trays from causing a rattle before final install.
Lol, I was thinking I should have cut a "speed hole" right there so the ash trays could still be used. But then I thought that was ridiculous - the first thing anyone is going to do (or should do at least) after taking the top off semi-permanently, is to take the factory panels off and either replace them with custom waterproof stuff or just bedline the bed. The latter is my plan very soon.
That looks awesome! How did you figure out the curvature of the roof line?
Lots and lots, and lots and lots of measuring! I took a straight edge and ran it across the bed rails, then measured up to the cab every inch across. When I got to the sides, I made a vertical straight edge, and measured out to the sides up every inch. Then I put all those points into a sketch in Solidworks, and created a spline that matched as closely to those points as I could get it. That's the easy part. Since I know you know CAD, I'll tell you that getting that curve onto two different angled flat pieces, and then creating the top and bottom "shells" to wrap around that you can still "flat pattern" out to be cut on the CNC is NOT EASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I've got enough hours just in the CAD model to make this thing not worth building already - and I've got some issues with it still that I'm not sure I can work out, I may have to re-draw a few parts of it to get them to work correctly in the computer. PITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will it bolt to the cab on top?
Martin
No, it does not bolt to the cab, however it does butt up against the cab seal so if someone was inclined to make a soft top, it could be pretty water tight. The reason is that the main "hoop" will be fully welded and sealed from the elements. Running bolts through it will only make for a pathway for rust to start from the inside out. Also, those bolts are fairly small, and would only really function to stiffen up the cab, not give the roll bar and real added strength. My plan is to run an internal cage in the cab and tie into the roll bar in the future, so cab strength isn't going to be an issue. I don't really think there will be any movement between the two to create "squeaks" but that is the only thing I am concerned about, so testing will be done at BB15!
It looks like a great Segway to a pickup/cab conversion for the K5!
Yeah, I didn't think of that until I had it in the truck and was taking the pics. It would be really easy for someone to graft the back of a pickup cab with window into this, or create their own. I was thinking of having a soft top made to go over this and the tubework yet to be added, but a bolt-in hard back with a window might be a good idea too, and I could make that myself and not rely on some else to make the soft top. I'm decent making metal do what I want, but sewing and getting soft fabric to line up where it should is a mystery to me!
