i'm here. haven't posted in over a month. i've been on here and there, just been super busy lately. work, home, etc - lots going on. all good, just no time to get on here or work on the truck.

it's doing well - i just got a "new" camper shell this weekend. i'm super excited about it. paid $100 and got some running boards/steps that i'm just reselling thrown in too.

it's a sportsman with sliding windows, 3rd brake light, dome light, carpet inside, etc. it's in excellent condition.

the back says "sportsman", but if i google that, i just come up with snugtop's website? did snugtop buy out sportsman, or is sportsman a snugtop model? anyone know?

Looks good!

tomtoc said:

the back says "sportsman", but if i google that, i just come up with snugtop's website? did snugtop buy out sportsman, or is sportsman a snugtop model? anyone know?

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after more searching, i found a little info here

I only know of one shell manufacturer that offers the option to have the roof made thicker to accommodate extra weight, and that's SnugTop. They call it the sportsman package, and for a price, they will make the roof thicker as well as reinforce all of the critical stress points.

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that could be the case. you might be able to tell in the 2nd picture above, but the middle of the roof is about 2" lower/thicker than the rest of the shell. i was going to ask you guys if you knew why that was.

EDIT: figures, after googling for 2 or 3 days about this thing, i post it here and find my answer in 10 minutes. this site also says that snugtop makes a model called sportsman. just weird that i don't see the snugtop name on it anywhere

Snug Top has put their badges on the rear window for a few years now.....could be that the previous owner removed them.

You got a smokin' deal on that.

Bricks said:

Snug Top has put their badges on the rear window for a few years now.....could be that the previous owner removed them.

You got a smokin' deal on that.

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feels like a great deal, especially after seeing it. all i saw were a few pics on craigslist. it was in highlandville, il - so it was a bit of a drive from st. louis, but not terrible. i assume that's what kept people away from it.

i've been looking for one for about a year, and finding one with all the glass that was the right color and fit the truck was difficult. $100 sounded about right, so i went to pick it up with just seeing 1 picture of it.

turned out to be in excellent shape and apparently one of the top of the line models. on top of that, it included the running boards that i'm trying to sell for $25. so i figured i only paid $75 for a great shell.

Your truck and lack of rust makes me jealous. I'm going to steal your front fenders.

Ryan

O'Rattlecan said:

Your truck and lack of rust makes me jealous. I'm going to steal your front fenders.

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that's what happens when an old guy owned it that only pulled a camper with it in the summer. 16 years old, 80,0000 miles. it's got a few battle scars. there's a 2 little rust bubbles i'm not sure what to do with. both on the passenger side about the size of a dime. one is near the back of the cab, and one near the back of the bed.

when i wash the truck, i can scrub them off but they come back in a week or two. you can see the bubbles in the paint. not sure if there's anything (cheap or easy) i can do about them, but they make me sad

tomtoc said:

you might be able to tell in the 2nd picture above, but the middle of the roof is about 2" lower/thicker than the rest of the shell. i was going to ask you guys if you knew why that was.

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The top of the cap has a sheet of plywood in it, it's to keep that large surface from sagging and to provide extra support for optional roof racks.

conanski said:

The top of the cap has a sheet of plywood in it, it's to keep that large surface from sagging and to provide extra support for optional roof racks.

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good and bad i guess. good feature, bad b/c i'm on yakima's website now and could blow $1,000 pretty easily on something i'll never use

tomtoc said:

b/c i'm on yakima's website now and could blow $1,000 pretty easily on something i'll never use

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Uh...seriously?

My uncle's got a roof rack for the cap on his truck, so he can haul a two-up kayak easily...but I can't conceive of any reason why anyone would spend anywhere near that kind of money on a roofrack on a pickup.

john112deere said:

Uh...seriously?

My uncle's got a roof rack for the cap on his truck, so he can haul a two-up kayak easily...but I can't conceive of any reason why anyone would spend anywhere near that kind of money on a roofrack on a pickup.

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i wouldn't seriosuly spend that, but someone seriously could.

looks like they nickel and dime you $100 at a time, then the sweet basket thing is $450. IF i bought anything, it'd be off craigslist, but that looks like it's still ~$200. i just like to look at their site to see what's available. doubt i will - i have nothing to haul, so it'd be a purely cosmetic waste of money

Wow.

$1000 would buy a decent little utility trailer. Maybe I'm more comfortable with trailers than some people...but no way I'd ever opt for the racks on a vehicle that can tow a decent trailer.

i'm the same way with the trailer

they don't look nearly as cool behind a subaru though

tomtoc said:

i'm the same way with the trailer

they don't look nearly as cool behind a subaru though

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I'd pull a trailer with a Subie, too.

I hate listening to the wind noise from roof racks on the highway.

O'Rattlecan said:

Your truck and lack of rust makes me jealous. I'm going to steal your front fenders.

Ryan

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:flipoff: why do i have to have rust on my truck

Looks pretty good Tom! A lot better than the other toppers you had If it really is a snugtop then you did get a smokin deal-- those are pretty much top of the line. I sold my 10+ year old snugtop for $650.

Skandocious said:

Looks pretty good Tom! A lot better than the other toppers If it really is a snugtop then you did get a smokin deal-- those are pretty much top of the line. I sold my 10+ year old snugtop for $650.

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from what i've read in the above links....i'm thinking it's a snugtop. just don't know how else to find out. are there model/serial numbers on them anywhere?

the guy i bought it from took it off of his 95 f150 and i'm pretty sure he is the original owner of both.

the only indication i have of any brand is the "sportsman" text in the center of the back glass.

89frankenford said:

:flipoff: why do i have to have rust on my truck

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Probly something to do with "Location: Southern New Hampshire".