Repainting my camper shell

Don't panic because you are working on fiberglass. It doesn't appear that you need to do anything more than, as others have said above, give it a good cleaning and degreasing, sand only until the surface is smooth, fill any holes with reinforced filler, bondo for surface scratches, sand those areas out, primer and paint.

My experience with fiberglass is that the time to be cautious is when you are working with the cloth or matt, before it has been encased in the resin. That is when you will get it into your skin. Most important is to remember to never rub your skin. After it is laid up on a panel or whatever, and you are sanding, you are only creating dust, which you can easily blow away. You always need a respirator for whatever kind sanding and other body work you are doing.

 

Great job on repainting and restoring your camper shell. A lot of pickup truck owners allow their shells to fall into disrepair, lack of care, and lack of maintainence. I'm also not a fan of tonneau covers, no matter how well made it is.

I went through refurbishing my camper shell about 2 year ago myself. My camper shell was starting to look bad and had issues with nasty scratches and leakage issues after 20 years of ownership. I got tired of the way it looked and the puddle of water towards the front of the bed during the winter. I had to repaint my camper shell at the local Maaco body shop. No more ugly scratches and the paint was matched with the OEM paint off my truck. I had leak issues with my shell so I took it over to Campway's in San Jose, CA to have their techs install new seals on the front & side windows, and reinstall the camper shell. No more leaks! Installed a new light cover for the interior light. The gas shocks for the shell door are getting worn out now and will need replacement. It's well worth the investment to refurbish the older camper shell if it's in good physical shape.

 

Something about proper camper shell maintenance makes me a little stiff in the trousers, especially after seeing everybody else's falling apart!

 

I see a lot of pickup truck owners driving around with broken rear doors, broken side windows & screens, rear doors held up with a wooden stick, scratched up & faded paint on the camper shell, and poorly fitted camper shells in their truck bed. It makes the truck look worn out & run down.

It's a great feeling and a sense of accomplishment to refurbish a used or worn out camper shell back to brand new again. Unfortunately, Glass Tite & Raven camper shell manufacturer, went out of business and was bought by BrandFX Body Company. I had to go online, did some research, and found BrandFX Body Company from a posting on another forum. I emailed their company and was able to locate parts from their Glass Tite inventory.

 

There was a website I found last year that sold all the seals needed for a camper. I forgot the name but I’m in need of a few different style seals and hardware for mine, including cab gasket, rear window T-gasket, and bedwall gaskets. If they sell plexiglass precut, that would be a big help too

 

I would find out the brand & model of your camper shell with the serial number and contact the manufacturer directly. Some of the manufacturers are out of business or have been bought out by another company. Some sellers online may have an inventory of leftover parts. They should be able to help you locate the parts you need. Doors, windows, and hardware on old camper shells are hard to find.

 

And expensive from dealers!!

 

I had the fiberglass hood on my Ranger Edge replaced and painted. The painter was very irritated about having to buy a special sanding sealer to seal the surface... the glass just kept absorbing the paint and giving it a crap finish, he said next time wrap it, half the prep work.

 

I found a place near me that sells my model, belaircampers, but the guy seemed disappointed I got mine for $70 and didn’t go through him so he told me that my parts would be way too expensive?

Anyways, f*ck the dealer lol, he told me that it’s impossible to replace the rear plexiglass itself “it wouldn’t fit in the channel” but I’ve already found a glass sheet thin enough at Home Depot. Anyone ever done glass replacements like this?

 

Unless you have some objection to a bit of texture, something like www.monstaliner.com would be easier and much more durable than paint.

Yes, it's a form of bedliner, but w/o rubber bits in it and loaded with UV protection. Comes in many colors. If you are trying to be matched, they may have one that would work.

Of course if you are wanting a slick paint job that you can crawl around and wax every few months, this won't help you out.

 

Regular glass shops do this w/o any issue. However, if you are going to use glass, I would think it should be tempered (for safety) and it won't be cheap.

 

As a third option consider neodymium magnets with studs. You'll be able to move the camera around. I occasionally have a hitch mounted bike rack that gets in the way of my camera. I just move the camera to a new location.

I have magnets holding my front facing camera in place as well. They work really well. The front facing camera turns on and off via a switch I have on my over head console. I used this camera to diagnose a suspension issue I had with my front end.

 

Does anyone have any idea which project I should complete first, if I want to drill the roof for a surf rack? I want to upholster and paint as well, but I don't know at which point I should drill the roof. I want to be able to cover up the bolts coming through the top and don't know if I should upholster before or after.

I looked at this upholstery in person from HD today, wondering if this is a good choice - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Elevati...n:{0:0}+cnb:{0:0}+oos:{0:1}+qu:{203469232}:qu

 

Here’s my build. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/camper-shell-build.476020/

I’d drill and upholster before painting, but you’re probably fine either way if you have some kind of padding underneath the shell while lining it

 

This isn't an issue with 1st gens. It's a 2nd & 3rd gen problem. 1st gen tailgates can't be removed just by putting it down and tilting to one side and running off with it.

 

I remember looking at your thread when I was doing my first build with my old cap. You did an excellent job especially with that window swap. Where did you get your upholstery from, or what kind is it? I've been looking at different options. I used that spray glue on my old camper and it was a nightmare. I'm thinking of using the can of upholstery glue you spread with a brush.

Does that insulation make much of a difference? I'm in SoCal and don't know if it's necessary

 

I used an 8x6 indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot. Not sure the insulation does very much, but it makes it just a little bit softer when I smack my head on the shell

 

Insulating your camper shell interior helps retain heat and prevents condensation.

 

I get alot of condensation coming from the inside because my camper is a sex chamber

 

I’ve only camped alone in mine so don’t have that particular issue @Cutter_ but I don’t get any condensation.