contemplating getting a camper shell

So I happened upon a camper shell for pretty cheap, and trying to decide if I want to snag it up...

If I do, it is red, so it will definitely need SOME SORT of paint job. Should I go with Charcoal Beige (the same color as my truck) for (hopefully) around ~$350 to repaint-

Or should I go with a Rhino liner/Herculiner type coating on it?

if you really want this shell in particular, i would say match it to your trucks paint. if youre not totally in love with the shell you found, try holding off and finding one that has the matching paint as your truck. you can find used shells for the trac pretty cheap, around 500 or so. the trick is to find one. when they pop up used, jump on them if they are in good condition.

How about $120 for a mis-match color

That's the only reason I'm considering the rhinolining, as it is a cheap cheap investment.

With paintmatch, I'd be looking at ~$500

I'd say rhino line, how often is it going to be on the truck? And the rhino liner will protect it on the truck and OFF the truck. Plus, if you ever rhinoline the whole truck then it'll match!

colintrax said:

I'd say rhino line, how often is it going to be on the truck? And the rhino liner will protect it on the truck and OFF the truck. Plus, if you ever rhinoline the whole truck then it'll match!

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I didn't even think about how it would protect it while I had it stored.

I do plan on removing it often - but unsure of HOW often.. I don't plan to RL the whole truck (yet) so I won't let that weigh on my decision..


I will, however, rhino line my rear bumper/swing out carrier once it is built if I go w/ rhino lining the camper

If you're saying "yet" you should probably weight that in honestly, I'd rhinoline it. But then again, I'm thinking about doing my whole truck instead of paying to get the paint fixed and wasting time waxing/polishing the rest of my life.

well damn, if its 120, get it and get it painted! you might even find a paint shop that will allow you to do the prep work and that will save you even more money. 120 is pretty good if the shell fits good and doesnt need new struts, or new windows. do you have any pics of it? im just a fan of getting it painted to match your ride because i really like how mine looks. my cap matches my truck and when its on it looks seamless. i take it off in the dry months, and throw it on during the cold/wet months. you dont want to keep popping it off and on constantly, you could wear out the threads on the bed. here's mine with matching cap:

i know you want a place to store off road equipment and other stuff so people can comfortably fit inside cause of you asking bout my truck box. i voted for color match cause unless your truck is black the rhinoliner will look awkward.

the question is what are you looking for, weather proofing the whole truck bed or just uncluttering the cab. if you like to be able to just toss stuff into the bed through the back window and or drop stuff in on the fly getting a box might be better if you need protection from rain and snow since us here in the colorado region get snow all but three months of the year then go cap

Well looking at that truck maybe you should color match..... hmmm I donno know

LONO100 said:

well damn, if its 120, get it and get it painted! you might even find a paint shop that will allow you to do the prep work and that will save you even more money. 120 is pretty good if the shell fits good and doesnt need new struts, or new windows. do you have any pics of it? im just a fan of getting it painted to match your ride because i really like how mine looks. my cap matches my truck and when its on it looks seamless. i take it off in the dry months, and throw it on during the cold/wet months. you dont want to keep popping it off and on constantly, you could wear out the threads on the bed. here's mine with matching cap:

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Unfortunately it's not the same topper as yours, it's more of the less sleek look (more of the old man look) , but still not bad.

Changed my mind again back to rhinoline

as overwhelming the results towards color match.. I'm still secretly leaning toward rhino lining anyways, as the pros totally are outweighing the cons at this point - and I can't imagine how raged I'd be if I accidentally scratched the paint matched version

Lucas, sorry but someone bought it this morning. Thanks for you inquiry.

Ron

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Boo. LOL


I suppose I could delete this thread now.

FYI, you can grab a paint gun from HF for like $10, air DA Sander for like $25, some sanding pads, primer/sealer, single stage paint from an auto parts store color matched from your door code (pry about $70 to do a shell and have some extra to practice with) and color match it yourself.


Edit: that what I did here to paint my Craigslist special fiberglass tonnue cover I modified. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316490

Wow good info.. I wasn't aware it was that affordable!

If you find another cap that's mismatched I'd just paint it Satin Black, it would give your Trac a more rugged look and wouldn't stand out like flat or gloss black would. JMO.

rebel is on point with that one. especially if you have black wheels, it would look pretty good. hope you find another one. good luck!