I took today off from hunting season and drove down to the flats to pick up a new project. An ARB simpson III tent that the original owner drove into his garage. (Apparently it was bolted to a 4runner at the time)
Anyhow, for a song (think about 4 tanks of fuel) and a couple hours of driving, I now have a mostly complete and slightly damaged roof top tent. I've asked ARB for a parts list/diagram and have searched a bit in the meantime.
Here's my assessment so far.
The ladder and cover are gone and will need to be replaced.
Hinges on one side are bent.
Some minor damage to the tent, easy to patch/repair.
The base is made of ABS plastic with a foam sandwich. ABS is quite repairable and I can always use a bit of spray foam to repair the damaged polystyrene.
Mounting brackets are rather destroyed.
At least one ABS pole to hinge piece is busted.
I'm pretty sure that I can easily repair the base.
I'm think I've already found the main hinge bits, not sure about the plastic.
Worst case is that I'll 3d print or machine up a replacement.
Ironically the cover is the most expensive part!
So far my main complaint is a lack of parts diagram. I'm hoping that ARB can help but I'm very surprised that the manual doesn't include it!
I find myself seriously considering using this for ski trips. I'd need to add some form of insulation along with a heat source.
My other thought is to rig it to a trailer and build a custom light weight pop up.
So many options!
Anyhow, for a song (think about 4 tanks of fuel) and a couple hours of driving, I now have a mostly complete and slightly damaged roof top tent. I've asked ARB for a parts list/diagram and have searched a bit in the meantime.
Here's my assessment so far.
The ladder and cover are gone and will need to be replaced.
Hinges on one side are bent.
Some minor damage to the tent, easy to patch/repair.
The base is made of ABS plastic with a foam sandwich. ABS is quite repairable and I can always use a bit of spray foam to repair the damaged polystyrene.
Mounting brackets are rather destroyed.
At least one ABS pole to hinge piece is busted.
I'm pretty sure that I can easily repair the base.
I'm think I've already found the main hinge bits, not sure about the plastic.
Worst case is that I'll 3d print or machine up a replacement.
Ironically the cover is the most expensive part!
So far my main complaint is a lack of parts diagram. I'm hoping that ARB can help but I'm very surprised that the manual doesn't include it!
I find myself seriously considering using this for ski trips. I'd need to add some form of insulation along with a heat source.
My other thought is to rig it to a trailer and build a custom light weight pop up.
So many options!
