Back in April, I purchased this 2001 Chevy S-10 as my project truck and camper. We needed a second vehicle so we could reduce the mileage on our accessible van, and a small truck would be wonderful for use with my garden, for home projects, and could fit in our garage with our van. Most current trucks were too big plus I liked the idea of a truck I could work on myself with simpler engine and design.
By the next month, I had found in Ohio a used Leer topper for the truck and begun the work of restoring it for my use.
Here is the topper when I brought it home with only four clamps, no liner, and damaged fiberglass in places. I spent the first couple of months cleaning it, repairing the fiber glass, and researching how to line the camper to insulate it and to make it more comfortable than bare fiberglass which can splinter in your hands if you rub it the wrong way.
After reading a lot online and watching so many YouTube videos I determined the best way to line a camper top DIY. I ordered this heavy cloth that is Velcro friendly and use for vehicle and boat linings. I masked off all the windows and cleaned the topper thoroughly. Then I made templates for each piece I needed to cut.
It was a lot like marking and cutting for sewing and tailoring. Many of the tools I purchased are used for those hobbies as well. That chalk pen was an amazing tool for this project.
The most difficult part was drawing and cutting out patterns for the complicated corners and spaces around the windows. Those alone took me a couple weeks of trial and error, cutting, and glueing. The remainder of the cloth sheets were larger and much easier to cut, align, and glue.
After so many weekends here and there, I completed it and am very happy with the results. Can’t wait to take it camping next year. In addition to the liner, I replaced the hatch struts, repaired the hatch lock and latches, replaced and rewired the rear breaklight, wired in ceiling lights that have a solar rechargeable battery, replaced the four light silver clamps with six heavier duty black clamps, added black out curtains with Velcro strips for hanging, and added foam flooring. The flooring and curtains come out when not used for camping.
To finish it off and to make it feel more like my truck, I added a custom decal I had designed to show my name (Knight) and passion for gaming (the die).
I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of my late Spring into early Fall project. We affectionally call the truck Rover, and hope to get a custom plate for the front eventually sharing the name.