Now with more camper shell.

"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97) 07/18/2017 at 14:01 • Filed to: None

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The camper shell arrived in El Paso last Wednesday, and it was installed this weekend. I’m pretty happy with the result, and I’ll share it with y’all in a car-neerdy level of detail:

What is it, and why?

For me, truck beds are really on useful when they are a place where things like gear for at the racetrack doesn’t fly out at 80mph, doesn’t get wet when it rains and is at least slightly less likely to grow legs and walk away in a hotel parking lot. Yet for racing weekends, I’m also perfectly happy to have aromatic things like fuel jugs and a couple of sets of race tires in a separate compartment from me, so camper shells work really well for how I use trucks. Of the six trucks I’ve owned over the years, five had camper shells of various manufacture and one with a soft tonneau cover. I wasn’t a fan of the tonneau cover on the 02 GMC 3500 dually, besides that the price was easy on the wallet. I’ve gotten to experience them from most of the big manufactures at varying price points.

If you haven’t purchased a new camper shell before, they are not cheap. Prices run from about $1000 to $3000, depending on how fancy you want and what level of quality you can live with. This would be why you see folks running around with old, mismatched shells that don’t fit the model of truck they currently have. My budget was going to be not more than the mid-point of the new market, and with the intention of keeping this truck for the long-term. This meant that if I wanted fancy ones with flush mounted side windows and curved, one-piece all glass backs, I would have to go with a lesser manufacturer. Likewise, if I wanted to go high-end on quality, I would be looking at a more basic model from a better manufacturer.

I settled on a Snugtop cab-hi model with some options. Snugtop is at the top-end of the camper shell market with very good fit and design, sturdy construction, quality components and better than average (but certainly not perfect) attention to detail. The cab-hi model is their basic shell with standard sized, traditional sliding windows and a flat, framed rear door. I sprung for options in a fold down front window (for cleaning access to front window of the shell and back window of the cab), metal mesh guards for the screens on the side windows (for when Head of Security is going for a car ride) and the carpeted headliner. This set me back almost exactly $2000, with sales tax. Excuse me while I go extinguish my wallet...

How do I like it?

I’m a happy camper. Functionally, it does exactly what I want it to do. It will keep things locked up and dry. The fit is very good. I’ll have to scale the truck again to see exactly what it weighs, but shells usually weigh around 250lbs. The truck does drive like it has a little bit more weight, but it also smooths out the ride on the rear suspension a little bit. Aerodynamically, early reports over a couple of days commuting indicate that I’m doing right about 1mpg better on the same 80mph highway commute compared with the open truck bed, which would be about what I was expecting and inline with what I’ve seen with other trucks.

Aesthetically, I think it looks pretty good for a basic shell, and it really changes the whole look of the truck. There are a few details on the back corners of the shell they didn’t finish as well as I would’ve liked, but overall it seems to be better put together than any I’ve had before. The paint match is pretty good.

What don’t I like?

I already mentioned that the inner fiberglass trimming on the rear corners isn’t quite as good as I would’ve liked. Also, the new paint will badly need a claying and waxing in a month or two. There looks to be a fair amount of road grime from its delivery journey on the finish.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/18/2017 at 14:37

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Did you find that truck on a dealer lot or did you have to order it? I can’t imagine regular cab short bed trucks are readily available anymore.

Slant6 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/18/2017 at 14:44

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I have an old snugtop on my Ranger. Cost me $50, which is expected for old, mismatched, faded paint, and numerous issues. Still love it though. Nothing wrong with it is the fault of Snugtop, it’s actually held up pretty well considering what the P.O. put it through. Unfortunately they don’t have any dealers on the East coast so I can’t get parts for it.

Your truck looks awesome. Someday I’ll get the money for a truck like that. Almost identical to the way I’d spec one.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/18/2017 at 14:45

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Everybody buys trucks with the giant cabs and now single cab trucks look goofy to me.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 07/18/2017 at 14:50

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It was on a dealer lot 750 miles away, .I flew out and drove it home. There are a fair number of regular cab short beds on lots, but most of them are in a work truck-type configuration. For my requirements of sport package, 2.7l ecoboost, short gears and tow package, there were only three trucks on lots West of the Mississippi at the time.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/18/2017 at 14:56

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That’s what I figured. It’s an awesome truck BTW

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Slant6 07/18/2017 at 15:01

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Thanks. The resale on used camper shells is almost nothing, and probably because they’re so specific to a particular truck. In 2003ish I sold a nice enough shell for an 88-96 F150 short bed for $150 after months of trying to find a buyer. I didn’t feel too bad because it came with the truck when I bought it and I used it as a negotiating point when I sold the truck, but it took months before someone called me, also had a truck it fit on and had the money on hand (will you take payments, bro..).

On my 92 F250 long bed, I got lucky and my local camper shell dealer actually had an old, used shell in stock that was even the correct color. I gave him $350 for it just as fast I could get my wallet out of my pocket.

HammerheadFistpunch > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/18/2017 at 15:22

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Sweet white bronco. Seriously though, people need to see that if you want a bronco that looks like an f150, its just a cab shell and short bed f150 away.

Nice looking truck though.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 07/18/2017 at 16:30

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I actually thought the same thing when they first set the shell on it.

Slant6 > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 07/18/2017 at 16:54

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It’s nice having a Ranger, they only made 2 bed sizes and they were the same from 93 to 2011. And pre 93 ranger caps fit alright too, just a slight variation on the angle of the back window.

I really want an old t100, but there were so few caps made for them.