Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback
After disassembling the roll up tarp I found that the box assembly is actually the easy part to narrow. It's the tarp that will be more difficult.
The number of components is pretty small. I had expected to see some wild spring assembly inside of that box. Instead all there was inside was a hollow 4" diameter PVC pipe. The spring is contained in one of the end caps. So cutting a 9" off of one of the ends is easy.
The box itself is a black plastic U-channel that has formed aluminum end caps riveted to it. Cutting 9" off of one end will also be simple.
The lid for the box is another matter. It is a formed plastic with an aluminum framework underneath. If I cut off one end it will look unfinished. I most likely will have to section out 9" from the middle and finish it off with a band of some sorts. There was some cosmetic damage to that area anyway.
The side rails will pretty much stay intact. After I narrow everything else I'll do some trial fitting to see if I need to trim any length from them but I think they're pretty close to correct now. The assembly allows for some adjustment.
The tarp is constructed of a series of interlocking aluminum panels. You can see where there is wear on them from moving through the side rails. Cutting them down won't be my problem. The vinyl is stapled to the aluminum. I'm not sure if I can reproduce the same fastening method. There are 98 of those staples on each side. I removed one staple so far. It appears to be made of aluminum also.
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After disassembling the roll up tarp I found that the box assembly is actually the easy part to narrow. It's the tarp that will be more difficult.
The number of components is pretty small. I had expected to see some wild spring assembly inside of that box. Instead all there was inside was a hollow 4" diameter PVC pipe. The spring is contained in one of the end caps. So cutting a 9" off of one of the ends is easy.
The box itself is a black plastic U-channel that has formed aluminum end caps riveted to it. Cutting 9" off of one end will also be simple.
The lid for the box is another matter. It is a formed plastic with an aluminum framework underneath. If I cut off one end it will look unfinished. I most likely will have to section out 9" from the middle and finish it off with a band of some sorts. There was some cosmetic damage to that area anyway.
The side rails will pretty much stay intact. After I narrow everything else I'll do some trial fitting to see if I need to trim any length from them but I think they're pretty close to correct now. The assembly allows for some adjustment.
The tarp is constructed of a series of interlocking aluminum panels. You can see where there is wear on them from moving through the side rails. Cutting them down won't be my problem. The vinyl is stapled to the aluminum. I'm not sure if I can reproduce the same fastening method. There are 98 of those staples on each side. I removed one staple so far. It appears to be made of aluminum also.
View attachment IMG_4800.jpg
View attachment IMG_4802.jpg
View attachment IMG_4801.jpg
View attachment IMG_4804.jpg
View attachment IMG_4796.jpg
View attachment IMG_4798.jpg
View attachment IMG_4799.jpg