P500 P500 aluminum roof build

[Bastardchild]

Finally getting to my p5 aluminum roof build. I had to cut it short this morning because i gotta go to a damn house warming party with the wife. Im gonna cut out after a few and get back here and get back on it though lol. I put the aluminum sheet in my sheetmetal brake that i made and did rough bends to follow the roof lines. Ive got it clamped on now where the centerline of the aluminum sheet is in line with the centerline of the cage front to back. The sides are gonna be trimmed off and sidecaps are gonna be welded on front to back. I'll take pics of that and everything else as i go. This will probably be a long build on weekends over the next month little by little. Its gonna be black like the bed. Im gonna see what it costs to get it powder coated. If its too much ill just do the black bedliner on it. Anyway heres some pics.

 

[Admin]

 

[Bastardchild]

Not much more to report today. I ducked out of the housewarming thing asap and got home, but pretty much as soon as i was set up ready to work on the roof again i had to help my buddy pull the power head off of his boat and then my other buddy needed me to weld on his 4 wheeler trailer lol. Needless to say i didnt get much more done. Got the roof sides marked and trimmed how i like and got it riveted to the rollcage. Now im sitting by a bonfire drinking beer lol. Heres a few pics.

 

[lonewolf]

Looks like your off to a nice start, I'm sure it's going to come out great!

 

[Bastardchild]

Thanks lonewolf! Hopefully i'll get a little more done tomorrow.

 

[lonewolf]

Thanks lonewolf! Hopefully i'll get a little more done tomorrow.

Well you have the house warmed, the power head pulled, and welding done, so you should have a yard pass for the day! Lol

 

[TNRon]

Looks like it's going to be a very nice addition, looks great so far.

 

[Bastardchild]

Haha true lonewolf! Thanks TNRon! I honestly dont feel like messing with it today, we'll see though lol.

 

[Bastardchild]

Ok small update: Im not doing anything to the p5 roof today!!!!! Its a beautiful day in orange heights, fl. and im taking the pontoon to lake santa fe!!!! Tune in same time, same station next friday for an update on the roof! Lol Yall have a safe work week!

 

[Bastardchild]

I aint done as much as ive wanted to this weekend on the roof. I worked on a truck most of the day friday, and helped my buddy on his boat most of the day today, but i did kinda manage to get the passenger 'side cap' built. I just need to weld it in now. I might do that tomorrow or next weekend though, im done for today and cleaning up shop. Heres a few pics.

 

[Bastardchild]

Ok folks i aint updated this in forever. Ive been fiberglassing a pontoon deck and the wife has been dragging me here and there, and we've been doing lots of mudding lately. She went to the beach today with her girlfriends and got out of my hair so i got out in the shop and plucked away at the aluminum roof. I know i said i was going to plasma cut 'Gettin' Tipsy' in the roof overhang, but the more i think of that the more it sounds like a pain in the neck. I may just powder coat it black, or paint it black, and get red stickers made that say 'Gettin' Tipsy'... Who knows though. Anyway, heres some pics.

 

[Bastardchild]

Ok ive got a little update on the aluminum roof build. Ive decided i am gonna plasma cut 'Gettin' Tipsy' in the overhang of the roof so i started laying out the stenciling for that today. I just stretched painters tape across the front and traced it out in pencil. You gotta zoom in on the first pic to see the pencil lettering. Then i cut out the letters with a razor knife and spray painted inside the letters on the bare aluminum, then when it dried i peeled the tape off. So now i gotta plasma cut them out. That will either happen tomorrow morning (sunday), or a few weekends from now. Im only working monday and tuesday this week then i wont be back to work until the following thursday because the wife and i, and a few friends are going on a cruise to Key West and Mexico. So here ya go!

 

[Bastardchild]

I added a solo cup to the roof! I wasnt happy with how 'Gettin' Tipsy' was centered, so i added a solo cup to the right of tipsy with a couple droplets of booze spilling out lol. I kinda messed up on the bottom of the cup when i plasma cut it out. I may have to cut out the bottom of the cup and weld in a patch piece of aluminum, smooth out the weld beads, and plasma cut the lines back in again. That will be on a later date though. Im done for today. I feel like if i mess with it anymore today im gonna mess something else up. I wont mess with it for a few weekends because we're going on a dang cruise. This is the rough draft also. With my shakey hands, all the insides of the letters have to be smoothed out with a burr bit or something, and the backside also. The back side has to be smooth because thats what the red plexiglass is going to lay against after the roof is powder coated black. There is gonna be a lot of time sank into this one little section of my sxs. Probably at least a couple weekends worth. I probably shoulda left the front overhang smooth, had it powder coated black, then got the sticker shop to print me out 'Gettin' Tipsy' in red reflective letters! Lol Oh well, no turning back now. I hope yall like!

 

[trigger]

I added a solo cup to the roof! I wasnt happy with how 'Gettin' Tipsy' was centered, so i added a solo cup to the right of tipsy with a couple droplets of booze spilling out lol. I kinda messed up on the bottom of the cup when i plasma cut it out. I may have to cut out the bottom of the cup and weld in a patch piece of aluminum, smooth out the weld beads, and plasma cut the lines back in again. That will be on a later date though. Im done for today. I feel like if i mess with it anymore today im gonna mess something else up. I wont mess with it for a few weekends because we're going on a dang cruise. This is the rough draft also. With my shakey hands, all the insides of the letters have to be smoothed out with a burr bit or something, and the backside also. The back side has to be smooth because thats what the red plexiglass is going to lay against after the roof is powder coated black. There is gonna be a lot of time sank into this one little section of my sxs. Probably at least a couple weekends worth. I probably shoulda left the front overhang smooth, had it powder coated black, then got the sticker shop to print me out 'Gettin' Tipsy' in red reflective letters! Lol Oh well, no turning back now. I hope yall like!

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I think it's cool BC! Anything that sets it apart and makes it your own is worth doing. I remember when you first posted that you wanted to do that, I thought that would be a PITA to do. As long as it's good enough for you.

 

[Bastardchild]

I think it's cool BC! Anything that sets it apart and makes it your own is worth doing. I remember when you first posted that you wanted to do that, I thought that would be a PITA to do. As long as it's good enough for you.

Thanks for the compliments trigger! Yeah i gotta follow through with it now. It will be a PITA im sure. If i wouldnt have decided to do this im sure i could have already added the rear drip rail like i have on the front, had it powder coated, had the stickers made and installed it, and be onto the next upgrade, whatever that might be. I enjoy doing stuff like this though really. Like you said, anything that sets it apart and makes it your own is worth doing. I know in the end, i'll be the only one with this roof.

 

[Bastardchild]

Not much to update on the roof build. I ordered some clear plexiglass and some red tint to put on the plexiglass instead of ordering red tinted plexiglass. My reasoning is i think the l.e.d. lights that shine into the edge of the plexiglass to make it glow, will be brighter trying to shine through a sheet of clear, and then through a thin layer of red tint, than trying to shine through a completely red piece of plexiglass. I could be totally wrong though. We'll see. Also, i took a burr bit in my cordless drill and cleaned up the out line of the letters on 'Gettin' Tipsy' and took a flap wheel to the front and back of the letters to smooth everything out. Im not happy with the solo cup part of it. I still have some doctoring work to do to it. Also, I think this build is going to take longer than expected mainly because the wife is on my case to finish the pontoon boat i got torn apart lol. I put 4 coats of gray gelcoat on yesterday along with some silica non slip sand in the final coat and then i mixed some webbing solution in some black gelcoat and flung black splatters all over the deck. Now its mainly putting it all back together. I will try to squeeze in some roof fab time inbetween all that. Anyway, until next time...

 

[trigger]

Just an FYI, I read up on tinting plexiglass before I did my halfshield, they say it will bubble due to some chemical emitted from the plastic when it gets hot. Mine is bubbling already but they're small and it's not terrible.

 

[Bastardchild]

Thanks for the info trigger! I woulda never thought of that. L.e.d. lights are suppossed to be low heat and low amp draw, but i guess we'll see. Thanks for the tip!

 

[trigger]

Can't wait to see that, I think it'll look pretty cool.

 

[Bastardchild]

Got my red tint in from amazon! Whoop whoop! Its 12" × 48" and self adhesive. Cant wait to get to that portion of the build! Yall have a good one.

 

[Bastardchild]

Wow its been awhile since i updated this! I wish i could say ive made good progress, but i cant. Its just sooo damn hot in florida. I wish i lived up north. We've been doing lots of boating and playing in the water instead of me fabricating. I got out there today and welded on the rear drip rail to my roof and i filled in the messed up plasma cut lines on the solo cup with weld bead and sanded it down smooth. I put the roof on the sxs and marked with a sharpie marker where the roll cage is so i know where to frame in on the backside for the frame thats gonna hold the plexiglass and l.e.d. light strips. Once i got to that point i said 'screw it' and decided to take a shower and chill in the a/c. I got a 4 day weekend for the 4th of july so maybe i can get it framed in then. I hope yall are doing good. Heres a few pics.