Projects Truck Camper Canopy, Information Wanted.

In my neck of the woods, we had two types of raised bed/cargo covers: canopies and camper shells.
A canopy could be either of two types: A basic framework of wood or metal that attached to the bed (usually via the stake pockets in the bedsides) with a canvas cover that was spread over the top of the framework (skeleton) and affixed with ropes or snaps. Effective for hiding and protecting cargo but not too secure and usually ill-fitting. I have, however seen a few vintage units that were cool looking. The second type consisted of a framework (wood or metal) to which a wooden or metal skin was attached. The metal units were either steel (some were galvanized) or aluminum (aluminium for the British speaking crowd). They had the advantage of being lockable and more secure, as well as being more weather resistant. They also usually had side windows of varying designs.
Camper shells were usually constructed in the same manner as the above canopies, but were finished (lined) on the inside with wood paneling, and quite often insulated. Vintage canopies and camper shells used flat sheet metal, corrugated metal came in the mid-late '60s.
Both canopies and camper shells could be had with lift-up back upper panels or full back panels (in place of a tailgate and upper panel) with a side-swinging door.
With some exceptions (Sears, Wards, Firestone, Western Auto, etc) most factory-made canopies and camper shells were built by regional manufacturers, same as today. The things are relatively light weight but bulky, so shipping any distance is expensive. As a result there were probably thousands of 'manufacturers' in the country... my county of approximately 150,000 thousand population had about two dozen builders in the '60s-'70s. Prior to that (in the '50s) there were probably ten in the Portland, Oregon-Vancouver, Washington area. The largest regional manufacturer in this area was (and still is) GemTop in Oregon City, Oregon. They custom-built a unit for a '69 Jeep pickup that I bought from the original owner, who had them make it with a contour that matched the Jeep cab. Until that time they made canopies with square side/top corners, and this started their line of cab-matching canopies.
Depending on the intended purpose, they can be made any height and outfitted for many uses. They are a cool, but semi-permanent addition to a rig. I've often though about making one for my '51 AD, but I also like the unimpeded visibility of the 5 window cab. Another cool factor about making making your own is that there is no right or wrong design or materials, as there were so many variations to begin with!

 

ALASKAN? Borrowed from another post here,

 

Alaskans are the coolest. @mctim64 had one for years. I still see them for sale quite often

 

I have the top half of an Alaskan, that was put on a home made bottom to make a fish house. Yeah, people do that kinda stuff here on the frozen plains. Its mostly intact, not mint, and free for the taking

 

Unfortunately I'm nearly 4,000 miles away in Wales, (uk). I'll probably end up making one.

 

Hello,

We lived about three blocks north of this facility during our teenage years. Before it was a Snug Top facility, it was called Kit Trailer company. In those early days, the trailer company made the trailers for different companies. My first 8am-4pm payroll job was at the Kit Trailer Company. I used to bicycle there in 1962 during the summer months and did the standard thing of working on an assembly line.

(Across the street, the local hot rod/drag race speed shops were in those small industrial buildings. McEwen/LeGrand Speed Engineering and Clay Smith Cams down the street.)

Kit trailers started off with a "kit" for teardrop shaped trailers and then moved on to larger trailer models.

I was given the laughing stock of the assembly line job called, “The Screwer.” Since I was the latest newbie, everyone laughed when I was assigned to the long wooden table assembly line and the job was explained. Yells across the workshop were plentiful.

My job was to take the cabinet doors and drawer doors to screw in the hinges on one round and then shove them down the line for the pulls. From there, they went next door to the actual trailers to be installed on the cabinets. I had a three drill head unit on a machine that pulled down to see three holes in the exact space provided. Then I moved the big stack with holes to the next station, where I drilled in the shiny hinges.

After the second day, I got so organized and quick that there was a huge stack of finished doors waiting on a pallet for the next guys inside the empty trailers. I did not know it, but that made them look bad for the supervisor. So, of course, they yelled at me to quit doing that giant pile up of finished doors. When I did, then the shop manager came by and yelled at me to speed up the door screwing process. What the...?

Jnaki

My tenure at this confusing place was a never ending barrage of denigrating comments about a future college boy and that our hot rod interests were a bunch of crap. Especially, that loud noise making dragstrip a few miles away. Obviously I was not destined to stay long. I decided not to drive my 58 Impala to the workplace, as I did not know what those idiots would do to my car. So, I rode my Schwinn 10 speed daily.

Since my finished, cabinet doors and drawer fronts were piling up, they moved me to a wooden nail/staple gun station, where I made the frames for the cabinets. That would take more time and it was dangerous as told to me by my only friend in the next station over.
Propaganda
Needless to say, I managed to staple my thumb by holding the “T” section of frames and using the staple gun, it went right into my thumb. The whole place laughed and the secretary gave me a band-aid to stop the bleeding. It did not stop, but I was given a new job of sanding, so I quit. That brought on flurry of comments of “no future without a good job review” and support by the owners. Like I wanted a review by a bunch of idiots. YRMV

The Snug Top came in after I went away to college and never looked back. The trailer company went out of business… I wonder why? But, I could see the tall tower every time we visited our parents in their old house, nearby.

"For 56 years, Snug Top has manufactured aftermarket fiberglass truck caps, also known as camper shells, at its 5-acre facility in West Long Beach. The company will move the manufacturing out of the country. The company was acquired by TAG in 2016. The conglomerate is the largest manufacturer and supplier of fiberglass truck caps for recreational and commercial vehicles, according to an announcement. Headquartered in Elkhart, Ind., TAG also owns LEER, Century and Bed Slide brands."

 

My 65 Elky had a Gem Top