My aluminium canopy build thread - Newest Pictures
Posted: 07 Sep 2010 22:05
Hey lads,
Well, finally i'm at the point where it is staring to look like something. Its not easy designing something like this on your own, as, if you overlook something it can cause huge headaches later on, and i didn't want to have to cut into it once the weld work was complete, so things like door designs, profiles, how its going to seal, how its going to lock, and a bunch of other kak i hadn't really considered had to be dealt with. Its been fun, but the worst part is trying to decide on what you want, as, when you doing things yourself (and with the help of the lads at a Kitchen ventilation worx!) , the options are limitless, so it can be tough, ....but...one thing that isn't limitless was my budget,and if this was going to work , i needed to stick to it. With all this in mind i have built it with the possibility of further add-ons and so on, so i'm chuffed about that.
I was really worried about the fact that my Roll bar would need to be removed, as just last year my brother had been in a huge accident with a tricked out SFA hilux which rolled 7 times on a wet transkei road,one he had driven countless times before, he lost one of his best friends that day and is now a huge advocate of the roll bar, and has been reminding me of how important they are, and so, with this in mind, and my typical overkill characteristic i have gone with the following set up..
50x50 x 3mm Wall square tube
Extra lateral ribs in the top frame and more longitudinal ribs to follow
3mm profile on all inside Diameters
Folded 3mm tread plate doors and sides with reinforced 25x25 box tube inner frames
Folded Roof bleeding over the entire frame for more rigidity .
All the above will increase the structural integrity and the head engineer is 100% confident that it will be able to take the biggest of hits and only, if anything, deform or contort, all the while providing better support than the original roll bar as they are only fixed at 4 points, which often buckle the tub.
Here's a few pics so far, spot welded for final measure up.... oh, and i can lift this frame off the ground with one hand, its ridiculous!
Well, finally i'm at the point where it is staring to look like something. Its not easy designing something like this on your own, as, if you overlook something it can cause huge headaches later on, and i didn't want to have to cut into it once the weld work was complete, so things like door designs, profiles, how its going to seal, how its going to lock, and a bunch of other kak i hadn't really considered had to be dealt with. Its been fun, but the worst part is trying to decide on what you want, as, when you doing things yourself (and with the help of the lads at a Kitchen ventilation worx!) , the options are limitless, so it can be tough, ....but...one thing that isn't limitless was my budget,and if this was going to work , i needed to stick to it. With all this in mind i have built it with the possibility of further add-ons and so on, so i'm chuffed about that.
I was really worried about the fact that my Roll bar would need to be removed, as just last year my brother had been in a huge accident with a tricked out SFA hilux which rolled 7 times on a wet transkei road,one he had driven countless times before, he lost one of his best friends that day and is now a huge advocate of the roll bar, and has been reminding me of how important they are, and so, with this in mind, and my typical overkill characteristic i have gone with the following set up..
50x50 x 3mm Wall square tube
Extra lateral ribs in the top frame and more longitudinal ribs to follow
3mm profile on all inside Diameters
Folded 3mm tread plate doors and sides with reinforced 25x25 box tube inner frames
Folded Roof bleeding over the entire frame for more rigidity .
All the above will increase the structural integrity and the head engineer is 100% confident that it will be able to take the biggest of hits and only, if anything, deform or contort, all the while providing better support than the original roll bar as they are only fixed at 4 points, which often buckle the tub.
Here's a few pics so far, spot welded for final measure up.... oh, and i can lift this frame off the ground with one hand, its ridiculous!
