Thanks everyone. The exo egg project has stalled with the weather finally breaking (we are in construction) so less time to work on it. Here are a few updated pics though of painting it white. Our diy paint job isn't perfect. Keeping up with such a big area has proven harder than we thought...and that's painting one half at a time. We have actually painted one side twice and plan to paint the other side again to try and get it to a point we can deal with. Have even talked to some painters about doing it for us but so far none of them have shown any interest in it. Hubby also has an issue with the "white" not being anywhere close to matching my white jeep. I'm not as anal about it but if we were to find someone that would paint it we would opt for color matching it to my jeep to satisfy his ocd. Lol. As is I think it looks better than its original faded and stained up look but it's got flaws. Anyway the paint is all that is holding us back from putting it back together. Everything else has been fabbed up and is there, just need this paint job to be done. Wish us luck!
My Jeep's "Exo Egg" Camper Build
It all started with a little 1985 13ft fiberglass U-Haul camper, model CT-13 to be exact. They weight 1200lbs so seemed like a good accessory for my new JKU. Although ours will weigh more due to our modifications, it should still be well within our tow limits. We found it online and funny enough it was sitting on the side of the hill under the trees 3 miles from where we live! We made an offer and towed it home the next day. It was pretty dirty from sitting for years under the trees so first up we gave it a good pressure wash. From there we brought her inside the garage and started to strip it down to the shell.
Since this is for my jeep we let that be our inspiration in the re-build. The original bumper was replaced with a JK bumper with water tank mod. We also modified and fit JK tail lights to the camper, as well as a JK tire carrier and brake light. We installed a Jeep gas cover outlet for the campers electrical cord when service is available. My husband switched out the u-haul hubs for hubs with a jeep bolt pattern so we could match the wheels to my Jeep. He also gave the camper a lift to accommodate larger BFG tires and give us more clearance for off grid camping.
In addition to our jeep related mods to the exterior, we have added jerry can mounts, hitch with bike carrier, solar panel awning, double propane tanks, diamond plate rock guard, exterior speaker and the most obvious...the exo roof rack. Besides providing additional storage up top the rack provides a sturdy surface to mount the ARB side awning, and front/back awnings. We also designed a detachable shower rod for the back side to provide a private shower/potty stall area. We hope the rack will also offer the egg some protection from branches above or rubbing against trees when in some tighter spaces.
I'll update our build here as we go...
Since this is for my jeep we let that be our inspiration in the re-build. The original bumper was replaced with a JK bumper with water tank mod. We also modified and fit JK tail lights to the camper, as well as a JK tire carrier and brake light. We installed a Jeep gas cover outlet for the campers electrical cord when service is available. My husband switched out the u-haul hubs for hubs with a jeep bolt pattern so we could match the wheels to my Jeep. He also gave the camper a lift to accommodate larger BFG tires and give us more clearance for off grid camping.
In addition to our jeep related mods to the exterior, we have added jerry can mounts, hitch with bike carrier, solar panel awning, double propane tanks, diamond plate rock guard, exterior speaker and the most obvious...the exo roof rack. Besides providing additional storage up top the rack provides a sturdy surface to mount the ARB side awning, and front/back awnings. We also designed a detachable shower rod for the back side to provide a private shower/potty stall area. We hope the rack will also offer the egg some protection from branches above or rubbing against trees when in some tighter spaces.
I'll update our build here as we go...
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You are right ofcourse. There were areas where the paint ran though that we just found hard to overlook so we will give it one more go when time allows and deal with whatever comes of it. Good thing about the exo cage is maybe nobody will focus on the paint once its back on. lol Like you said, its gonna get used and even the best paint wont stay that way. I guess after all the work we have put in we are just trying to do the best we can with it. I would like to put some decals on it as well to incorporate some red (my jeep has a white/red/black theme going on) ....which if I am creative could help mask some of the imperfections too
With winter looming we will have more time to put the egg back together soon. We dropped it off for a whole new paint job on Tuesday so once we get it back we can start reassembling everything. Here's a couple pics on Wed when we took it to the body shop. You can see better how different the white is from my jeep. It will match when it's painted this time. Oh and we swung by to have it weighed as it sits completely stripped and it's 1000lbs. It will be interesting to see the final weight when we are done with the build. I'll post an update again very soon with any luck!
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Super nice job on your rehab.
So great to see them saved.
Man you put a lot of time in that. Sure wish I was that handy.
Here is our 13' (10' body) Outback camper. We also have a Camp Inn tear drop.
So great to see them saved.
Man you put a lot of time in that. Sure wish I was that handy.
Here is our 13' (10' body) Outback camper. We also have a Camp Inn tear drop.
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Sweet! Looks very similar. Mine is a 10ft body also. Luv these little things
Finally some progress! Just picked the egg up from the paint shop this week. It now matches my white jeep. Now that the paint is done, we can start the process of putting everything back together. Winter is upon us also which means more time to work on it. So I will hopefully be able to start updating my build on a more regular basis again. More to come soon...
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We got one window reinstalled. Only 3 more to go. Not a fun install at all but hope to knock that out this weekend. I also painted the insides of all the storage areas. I didn't like the raw fiberglass look on the insides so I used a thick deck restore paint in red to give it a more finished look. I love red and it is a bold color but keep in mind its hidden once the cabinet doors get re-installed so it will only be visible when opening them.
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Some pics from this week's progress. All the windows are re-installed. The entire camper has been rewired, with new power converter, solar and battery installed. The a/c- heat unit is installed, as well as fridge and stovetop. Also installed the bluetooth stereo and speakers which are marine waterproof....one outside, one inside. Will post again soon with our progress. Thanks for following along....
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Progress on the rear. Got the JK bumper, tail lights and tire carrier re-mounted with Jerry cans. I gotta paint the wheel inserts red on the spare to match the wheels on my jeep still. Also fitted the egg with its own rock lights/underglow like my jeep has. I will post a pic of that soon. Here's the rear end till next time....
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