FRV
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
As part of our JLUR (with manual trans) build we ordered and finally received (8 months) our Ursa Minor J30 pop up camper. It took a few days to install it and wire it into the jeep. We have also installed an engine bay mounted ARB single pump compressor.
We took the jeep up into the Appalachian mountains for five days this summer for some overlanding to get some insights into the jeep. We were pretty happy with the it overall but knew we needed a platform to make the Jeep more user friendly and maximize the storage.
So, the next project was to design and build a platform based on the Goose Gear plate system. I studied pictures and watched a view videos of people installing the GG system to see how it was constructed. It did not look difficult to build. We used marine grade 1/2” BS 1088 okume plywood for the platform. We removed the rear seat. We used doorskin ply strips and a hot glue gun to build the templates. We templated all the original fastener holes. We build the hatches in the same style as the GG plate system. We used some fiberglass right angle supports that I had on hand to frame under the forward half of the platform. The L shaped brackets that secure the main transverse bulkheads (to the bolts that held the seat in place) I replicated using two layers of 1708 biaxial and epoxy laid over a right angle form (simple 2x4 taped and waxed). When I removed it from the mold I cut them into sections with a hack saw and sanded them smooth.
We thought about line x or bullet liner over the platform but it’s expensive and black is the only color available in our area. But, we also thought it made the inside of the Jeep very dark. Our plan is to paint it with a marine grade single part linear polyurethane in light grey. If it scratches it’s easy enough to remove the platform, sand, fair, repaint and reinstall. The platform is light, dead flat, and stiff.
We found flush mounted keyed compression latches ($18 each) made by Pacific Sierra. They look to be the same as the GG latches that sell for $45 each. They arrive next week. So far, with the plywood, fasteners, paint, and locks we have about $200 in the project. That’s a savings of about $1,300 from a GG plate.
if this is a project that interests others I can write a little about the tools and techniques we used.
We took the jeep up into the Appalachian mountains for five days this summer for some overlanding to get some insights into the jeep. We were pretty happy with the it overall but knew we needed a platform to make the Jeep more user friendly and maximize the storage.
So, the next project was to design and build a platform based on the Goose Gear plate system. I studied pictures and watched a view videos of people installing the GG system to see how it was constructed. It did not look difficult to build. We used marine grade 1/2” BS 1088 okume plywood for the platform. We removed the rear seat. We used doorskin ply strips and a hot glue gun to build the templates. We templated all the original fastener holes. We build the hatches in the same style as the GG plate system. We used some fiberglass right angle supports that I had on hand to frame under the forward half of the platform. The L shaped brackets that secure the main transverse bulkheads (to the bolts that held the seat in place) I replicated using two layers of 1708 biaxial and epoxy laid over a right angle form (simple 2x4 taped and waxed). When I removed it from the mold I cut them into sections with a hack saw and sanded them smooth.
We thought about line x or bullet liner over the platform but it’s expensive and black is the only color available in our area. But, we also thought it made the inside of the Jeep very dark. Our plan is to paint it with a marine grade single part linear polyurethane in light grey. If it scratches it’s easy enough to remove the platform, sand, fair, repaint and reinstall. The platform is light, dead flat, and stiff.
We found flush mounted keyed compression latches ($18 each) made by Pacific Sierra. They look to be the same as the GG latches that sell for $45 each. They arrive next week. So far, with the plywood, fasteners, paint, and locks we have about $200 in the project. That’s a savings of about $1,300 from a GG plate.
if this is a project that interests others I can write a little about the tools and techniques we used.
Sponsored
Last edited: