P500 Homemade Roof Completed

[N-IdahoP500]

I just finished my roof build. This was a collection of ideas I gathered from other builds on the Honda SxS forums.

I used 1/8 aluminum diamond plate. I marked bend locations at 1/2" increments and used a makeshift break to bend the sheet. The break was 4x4 posts with heavy hinges mounted to the loft in my shop.

After bending, I mounted it with conduit clamps and drove it for a few trips to get a feel for how much I wanted to remove from the front and rear.

After cutting off the excess, I rounded the corners and riveted on a drip edge the front and rear. The drip edges are 1/2" aluminum channel. I then ruffed the entire surface with a drill and a wire wheel. I also ground down the diamonds near the edges to allow from trim at a later stage.

Instead of paint, I opted for Rustoleum truck bed coating. I've never used it, but I figured it would be more durable than paint. On the edges, I added Trimloc edging.

The final step was mounting the light bar and mounting it to the Pioneer with rubber coated conduit clamps.

I thought I'd post this in case other owners are thinking about saving some money and building their own roof too.

 

[BuckCreek01]

Looks nice and strong.

 

[BigOL3]

First rate. Good job!

 

[tomcj2]

What is your total cost of material, tools and equipment (i,e. nothing for labour)?

 

[Todd627]

Nice!

 

[snakeriver]

Good looking job....

 

[N-IdahoP500]

What is your total cost of material, tools and equipment (i,e. nothing for labour)?

I found a recycle yard that had sheets of diamond plate aluminum for $50 per sheet. (I grabbed some extra sheets to make a skid plate and arm guards too.)

I ordered the rubber covered conduit clamps on amazon for about $11.

Bolts, rivets, and other mounting hardware from Ace ran about $6 - $8.

Two 1/2" by 48" channel aluminum pieces were $7 bucks each.

Spray on truck bed liner from Walmart was about $6 per can. I used 3.

To bend it, I bought hinges and a 4x4 from Lowes for around $20.

The trim lok was left over from a roll I bought for another project, so I'm not factoring that in. I think I paid around $18 for a 25ft roll. I bet smaller quantities are available on Amazon.

Finding the sheet of material, whatever you decide to use, is the challenge. You can also save money by using standard spray paint or leaving it silver. I didn't want it to reflect sunlight and announce to everyone in the forest where I parked my Pioneer, so I went black.

I have a rivet gun, drill and bits, wrenches, hand held grinder, and a wire wheel for ruffing the surface, so I'm not including those costs.

That total comes to about $120, but those are rounded figures and don't include tax. I'm sure I was closer to $130 - $135.

 

[tomcj2]

...and it resulted in a stronger, tougher and better looking roof than the Honda oe at a fraction of the cost.

 

[N-IdahoP500]

...and it resulted in a stronger, tougher and better looking roof than the Honda oe at a fraction of the cost.

That was exactly my hope. The next best thing I could find was the aluminum roof from Extreme Metal Products, but that roof is over $310 by the time you pay for shipping. I wish I could build a decent windshield myself, but I can't justify the cost of lexan and the mounting hardware if I mess up. I'm going with the EMP windshield in the spring.

 

[Bastardchild]

I just finished my roof build. This was a collection of ideas I gathered from other builds on the Honda SxS forums.

I used 1/8 aluminum diamond plate. I marked bend locations at 1/2" increments and used a makeshift break to bend the sheet. The break was 4x4 posts with heavy hinges mounted to the loft in my shop.

After bending, I mounted it with conduit clamps and drove it for a few trips to get a feel for how much I wanted to remove from the front and rear.

After cutting off the excess, I rounded the corners and riveted on a drip edge the front and rear. The drip edges are 1/2" aluminum channel. I then ruffed the entire surface with a drill and a wire wheel. I also ground down the diamonds near the edges to allow from trim at a later stage.

Instead of paint, I opted for Rustoleum truck bed coating. I've never used it, but I figured it would be more durable than paint. On the edges, I added Trimloc edging.

The final step was mounting the light bar and mounting it to the Pioneer with rubber coated conduit clamps.

I thought I'd post this in case other owners are thinking about saving some money and building their own roof too.

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I love the pics! Looks very professional for sure!

 

[trigger]

Nice work, I'm digging the diamond plate. Best part is the homemade break, clever!

 

[Courtright27]

That was exactly my hope. The next best thing I could find was the aluminum roof from Extreme Metal Products, but that roof is over $310 by the time you pay for shipping. I wish I could build a decent windshield myself, but I can't justify the cost of lexan and the mounting hardware if I mess up. I'm going with the EMP windshield in the spring.

That was exactly my hope. The next best thing I could find was the aluminum roof from Extreme Metal Products, but that roof is over $310 by the time you pay for shipping. I wish I could build a decent windshield myself, but I can't justify the cost of lexan and the mounting hardware if I mess up. I'm going with the EMP windshield in the spring.

That was exactly my hope. The next best thing I could find was the aluminum roof from Extreme Metal Products, but that roof is over $310 by the time you pay for shipping. I wish I could build a decent windshield myself, but I can't justify the cost of lexan and the mounting hardware if I mess up. I'm going with the EMP windshield in the spring.

 

[Courtright27]

I have a used EMP windshield that you can have for next to nothing. I'm near Bayview/Athol. Let me know if you want it and I can drop it by. I'm heading to Post Falls on Thursday. Give me a call Mike Kennedy 208 683 1748.

 

[Smitty335]

I just finished my roof build. This was a collection of ideas I gathered from other builds on the Honda SxS forums.

I used 1/8 aluminum diamond plate. I marked bend locations at 1/2" increments and used a makeshift break to bend the sheet. The break was 4x4 posts with heavy hinges mounted to the loft in my shop.

After bending, I mounted it with conduit clamps and drove it for a few trips to get a feel for how much I wanted to remove from the front and rear.

After cutting off the excess, I rounded the corners and riveted on a drip edge the front and rear. The drip edges are 1/2" aluminum channel. I then ruffed the entire surface with a drill and a wire wheel. I also ground down the diamonds near the edges to allow from trim at a later stage.

Instead of paint, I opted for Rustoleum truck bed coating. I've never used it, but I figured it would be more durable than paint. On the edges, I added Trimloc edging.

The final step was mounting the light bar and mounting it to the Pioneer with rubber coated conduit clamps.

I thought I'd post this in case other owners are thinking about saving some money and building their own roof too.

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Nice! But wouldn't work here.

 

[CumminsPusher]

Well made nice job!

 

[N-IdahoP500]

Nice work, I'm digging the diamond plate. Best part is the homemade break, clever!

Life would have been much easier with an actual break, but I didn't want to make or buy one for one project. The hinges were shot by the time I finished!

 

[Mudder]

Nice skills, looks good.