Autohomes Kamper Roof rebuild

[aec]

A couple of years ago I did some emergency bodge repairs on my Kamper pop-up roof. At the time I'd decided to replace with a hi-top at some point, the bodge was just to get through an upcoming holiday.

Two years later and I never did replace the roof, in fact now I think I've decided that for all its faults I'd like to retain the solid sided pop up for a few more years at least. The best solution would no doubt be a new GRP top custom fitted to the van, but I've ruled this out on cost grounds

So at the moment I'm thinking a DIY rebuild of the roof would fit the bill. from what I've read, others seem to have done this with varying degrees of success, using various combinations of ply, celotex, aluminium and pond liner etc

Just wondered if anyone who has done this would share their experiences; what design did you go for, how well did it work etc? At the moment, I'm thinking about doing something similar to the original using aluminium sheet (1mm? not sure how thick to use) on a timber frame (avoiding the dissimilar metals corrosion problem this time though!) lined with some rigid insulation boards I've got left over from another job. Not sure how to tackle the edges though, whether to try to re-use the old black "skirt" or try something different.
Anyone got any thoughts/pics of their own handywork to share?

Cheers!

[colinthefox]

I did exactly what you're planning a few years ago, and it worked well. Don't think I took any photos.

It might be a problem getting a sheet of ally big enough though. I re-use the original, held it up to the light and mended all the pinholes with external grade flexible building adhesive. I remade the timber battens, and replaced the insulation with inch thick polystyrene (Jablite from Travis Perkins). The third layer was 4mm plywood. I used the same building adhesive to glue the whole sandwich back together, reproducing the slight curve of the original roof, and making sure it wasn't twisted.

The main problem was applying enough pressure while the adhesive cured. I made a big plastic bag out of thick Polythene Damp proof Membrane (Travis Perkins again) and gaffer tape, then sucked the air out with a WET AND DRY vacuum cleaner, similar to a veneering press. Don't use an ordinary vac as it will burn out through lack of airflow! I left the vac running for 24hours while the glue cured. (We didn't have neighbours then). The result was a really strong sandwich.

Then I refitted the original skirts with new rubber seals, taking care to seal well between the sides and top. New roof vent. The rather tatty original corner mouldings let it down a bit though.

The result was totally waterproof, and served us well for a few years until I replaced it with something lighter and sleeker.

Colin

[colinthefox]

The adhesive I used was Evo-Stick "Serious Stuff Ultimate Strength Adhesive". Brilliant stuff.

[brander]

I did virtually the same as Colin with jablite and ply. The pinholes in the aluminium seemed to have been caused by contact reaction with staples in the timber. I sealed the holes with sikaflex on the outside and lined inside with flashing tape. I tried but failed really to mimic the curve so water does sit on the roof now but it's stayed watertight for a couple of years now. Make sure you mark where the brackets for the hydraulic struts go - for some reason I marked two but forgot two.

[brander]

Actually, if you do attempt this, it would be really helpful if you could measure where the brackets should fit on the roof. Just slightly out makes a big difference to how the roof panels line up. I've messed around for ages and it's not bad now but not perfect.

[aec]

Thanks for your posts guys. Aluminium looks like its readily available in 8x4 sheets but that's probably still not quite big enough. I guess two sheets, well overlapped and bonded together would be ok though. The old ally on my roof is in a pretty poor state, loads of pinholes and even more roof sealant covering them up. Also thought it would be good to be able to be able to leave the old roof on (as it's still just about usable) while I make the new one so there isn't such a rush/panic to get it finished

I'll make sure I get the tape measure out and measure those positions next time the roof is up.

cheers,
al

[aec]

Actually, if you do attempt this, it would be really helpful if you could measure where the brackets should fit on the roof. Just slightly out makes a big difference to how the roof panels line up. I've messed around for ages and it's not bad now but not perfect.

Roof up today to check if it will survive another summer - as long as the wind is light we should be ok, but will be packing a few tools/tarp/straps etc just in case!

While it was up I measured those strut positions - these are just the distances between the centres of the pivot points on each strut. Now, this roof has been "refurbed" by someone at least once before and I also had to re-fix the nearside rear top strut point a couple of years ago, so they may not be exactly as it came from the Autohomes factory!

Thought I'd just upload the scan of my notes rather than type it in...

autohomes-kamper-strut-positions.jpg

[bobob]

Greetings. Thought I'd jump into this thread as I'm about to repair my own roof, which like everyone else is failing due to water ingress.

Did you ever restore your roof I wonder, if so, any tips before I bring on the pain?!

[Titan]

I built a new roof - getting a local firm to make a fibreglass roof cap and then fitting it out myself. I have posted a thread about it with photos.
My advice if you are going to replace the roof is to measure, measure, and measure again. The most important bit is to get the gas struts in the correct position on the new roof otherwise it doesn't all line up properly. It was a big job but so worthwhile, I know our new roof will last for years and I like the height and insulation of the rigid pop top - I didn't want to replace it with something different.