Quick Folding Car Top Camper Plans | Build a Vintage Auto Roof Sleeping Shelter for Station Wagon, Sedan, or Jeep

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Quick Folding Car Top Camper Plans
Build a Vintage Auto Roof Sleeping Shelter for Station Wagon, Sedan, or Jeep

Vintage Quick Fold Car Top Camper plans cover

Quick Folding Car Top Camper Plans
Build a Vintage Auto Roof Sleeping Shelter for Station Wagon, Sedan, or Jeep

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Figure 1. Three in the wagon, lucky two in the car top camper: adds up to comfortable weekend outings for an entire family.

Mosquito proof, full-length sleeping shelter for economical touring.
Fits station wagons and sedans too!
By Charles Bachell

THE increasing popularity of station wagon camping has caused it to become more and more a family affair, demanding additional space for sleeping and carrying extra equipment. The quick fold car top camper solves these problems with one compact unit that can be attached to, or taken off, of your station wagon in minutes.

The roomy 4 x 8-ft. canvas shelter folds flat for traveling, sharing the space in the camper box with your luggage and camping gear. This shelter may be purchased complete and ready to be attached to the folding frame, if desired. The cost of the camper with ready made shelter is about $128 and you can save an additional $20 by making the shelter at home. Also, the entire camper can be adapted to sedans to provide sleeping space for two adults.

Figure 2. Camping gear, luggage, or an occasional car top cargo travel in the camper box under neat tarpaulin.

Begin Construction with two 4 x 8-ft. panels of 1/2-in. plywood. Compare their lengths and, if one panel is slightly shorter, use it for the floor of the camper box. This will eliminate trimming the entire 4-ft. width of the floor to match the length of the side pieces. Pencil mark 1 5/8-in. squares (Fig. 5C) in each corner of the floor piece. Then rip a piece of 2 x 4 stock lengthwise (Fig. 5B) and cut one of these strips to fit between the marked squares on the long side of the floor and the other to fit between the squares on the short side. Now, with your circular saw blade set at a 40° angle, rip each of the strips again to make triangular cleats for each edge of the floor piece (Fig. 5B). Turn this panel upside down and drill 13/16-in. lead holes 6 in. apart, 1/2 in. from each edge. Then assemble the cleats to the plywood with glue and #8 x 1 1/4-in. fh wood screws.

Next, Make Subassemblies of the side and end pieces as in Fig. 5A. First cut the plywood side pieces from the second panel and trim them to match the length of the floor if necessary. Rip the side anchor rails (Figs. 5A and D) from a piece of 2 x 6 stock and cut them to length. Be sure to allow enough stock on the side rails to lap the 1/2-in. plywood edges at each end.

Now drill and countersink lead holes 13/16 in. from the top inside edge of the plywood sides, spacing them 8 in. apart and also drill and countersink four staggered lead holes from the outside of the panel at each end. Then assemble the corner posts and anchor rails as in Fig. 3 with glue and #8 x 1 1/4-in. screws, using a screwdriver bit in a carpenter's brace. Be sure the upper ends of the corner posts are flush with the top edge of the sides and that there is a 1/2-in. clearance between the lower end and the bottom edges of the plywood.

Drill lead holes and attach the side subassemblies to the floor cleats as in Fig. 5F with glue and #8 x 1 1/4-in. screws. Be sure the lower edge of the sides are flush with the bottom of the floor panel.

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Figure 3. Top Carrier Assembly

Cut the Plywood End Pieces to lap over the edges of the sides and bottom, (Fig. 3) and cut two anchor rails about 4 in. longer than the end pieces. Saw and chisel diagonal notches in the rails as in Fig. 5G and then attach the rails to the end pieces as you did the side rails, allowing the excess length to extend evenly on each side.

Figures 4A. - Tent Frame; B. - Frame Extension Bracket; C. - Flattening Frame Ends: D. - Extension Bracket and Frame Assembly: E. - Assembly of Frames to Side Piece

Glue and screw the ends to the corner posts and cleats and then round off the sharp edges on the rails with a plane. Trim the corner joints flush, round them with a wood rasp and then smooth the entire assembly with sandpaper.

Now is a good time to paint the camper box. First apply one coat of white Firzite sealer and then a coat of enamel. When the enamel is dry, sand it with a fine paper and then apply one more coat of enamel.

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Figure 5. Roof Top Box Assembly

Next attach the carriers to the car top, mounting the rear carrier as far back as possible. Then, using the rigging for hoisting the camper on and off the car and storing it (Fig. 10), set the box in place so the ladder (Fig. 1) will clear the rear bumper. If the hoist is not available, lift the box by placing a pole under the front end of the box with a man on each end of the pole and a third at the rear of the box. Reposition the front carrier about 12 in. from the front of the box. On the original project this placed the rear carrier about 16 in. from the rear of the camper box.

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Figure 6. Roof Tent Patterns and Assembly

This car top camper also used a standard 6-ft. step ladder to reach the box, although a longer one may be necessary on older cars. Remove the front legs, tie bars and top step from the ladder by cutting away the flange from the rivets with a 1/4-in. bit in an electric drill. Attach the 3/4-in. plywood platform (Fig. 7) to the top of the ladder with 1/4 x 1-in. fh stove bolts and add corner braces at each leg. Cover the new step with a piece of rubber stair tread if desired, to prevent slipping.

Figure 7. Converting Step Ladder for Camper

Next, Prop the Ladder in its correct position at the center rear of the box and mark the location for the ladder hooks and brackets (Figs. 3 and 7). Drill 1/4-in. holes and install the brackets with 1/4 x 1-in. fh bolts.

While the box is in position, take measurements for the center support (Fig. 3) and locate it midway between the car top carriers. This support will help distribute the weight on the car roof. Screw it to the bottom of the floor from inside the box with #8 x 1 1/4-in. wood screws. Before removing the box from the car top, trace the outlines of the carriers on the bottom of the box. Then mark the location of the mounting holes for the carriers and attach them centered on the box with 1/4 x 2 1/2-in. carriage bolts, spacer blocks and washers (Fig. 3).

Figure 8. Roof Top Sleeper doubles as a car top cargo carrier.

Frames for the Canvas shelter are bent up from 1/2-in. thin-walled conduit. Before purchasing the conduit, be sure the dealer has the 1/2-in. bender to loan or rent. Next lay the conduit with the ends flush and mark the midpoint on each piece. Also mark each piece 18 in. on each side of this midpoint as the location for bending. Run your thumbnail around the conduit to locate the seam and be sure to place the seam either up or down when you begin shaping the conduit. The ends will be flattened later and the seam may split if it is on the side.

Now coat the inside of the bender with motor oil and bend the conduit at the marks. Make the bends slowly to allow the metal to stretch gradually, preventing flat spots in the curve. When the frames are shaped, trim the legs to the dimensions in Fig. 4A. Make two of them 39 1/2 in. deep and the third 38 in. deep.

Figure 9. Roof Top Sleeper Sedan Adapter

The next step is to bend the extension brackets for the frames (Fig. 4B) from 3/4-in. wide steel corner braces. Place these in a vise and bend them slowly with your hands so they won't crack. Then flatten the frame ends (Fig. 4C) to be a snug fit on the brackets.

Place the Bracket in position on the outside of the flattened area and mark the conduit for the mounting holes. Center punch the marks and then insert the bracket into the frame while drilling the 1/4-in. holes. You may have to enlarge these holes slightly with a rattail file to take the 1/4-in.. nylon license plate bolts (Fig. 4D). Lay out and drill the three 1/4-in. holes in the side of the camper box as in Fig. 5H. Then reverse the layout and drill the holes in the opposite side of the box.

Figure 10. Mechanism for storing the camper in a garage.

Next Assemble the frames and brackets to the box (Fig. 4E) and position them as in Fig. 6B. Then fasten one end of the 1 1/2-in. webbing in the front anchor rail notches with 1/4 turn fasteners. Use #4 x 3/4-in. brass screws to hold the fastener stud in the notch. Attach the plate to the webbing by punching three overlapping holes in the fabric with a heavy-duty paper punch. Then make small slits with a pen knife around the punched holes for the fastener plate, placing the washer over the tabs and crimping them firmly in place.

Now run the webbing over the frames in line with the notches in the rear anchor rail and fasten the two outer pieces with 1/4-in. studs to the rear rail. Loop the center webbing over the rear frame and sew or rivet it in place (Fig. 3). Mark the webbings where they touch the frames and clinch small eyelets in at these marks. Drill 1/16-in. holes in the conduit at the center of the webbing and then fasten them together (Fig. 3) with 3/8-in. sheet metal screws and countersunk washers.

Sleeping Shelter. The next step is the canvas shelter. Make a full-size pattern for each canvas panel (Fig. 6) on building paper. Allow 1 1/2 in. on each edge for seams or hems and then cut the panels from canvas that has been soaked in water for at least an hour and dried to preshrink it.

Sew the panels together (Fig. 6A) and bind or hem the cut edges of the openings with 3/4-in. cloth tape. Sew tucks (Fig. 6F) in the side panels to allow them to follow the curve of the
frames smoothly. Attach the snap fasteners and zippers next, with webbings and gussets sewn to the canvas covering.

Attach the cover to the box with nine 1/4 turn fasteners to each side and six at each end. A 6 x 10-ft. tarpaulin is also used. Put seven 1/4 turn grommets across one end of it to match the center studs on either side of the box so the tarpaulin can be used as a shelter, or else as a cover while traveling. Also set 1/4-in. rope grommets at 1-ft. intervals along the remaining three sides of the tarpaulin. Then attach three awning cleats to the underside of the box at the rear end and five at each side, spacing these evenly 6 in. from the edge. Finally, attach five 1/4 turn fastener studs along the lower front edge of the box to match the front end of the tarpaulin.

Car Top Camper Materials List

To Adapt the car top camper to a sedan, purchase two trailer hitch brackets and bolt the U bracket (Fig. 9) to the horizontal plate. Use a 3/8-in. bolt, castle nut and cotter pin to support the flattened end of the 3/4-in. pipe uprights. Weld the 1/4-in. pipe and angle iron members in place and then fasten the assembly to the bottom of the box. No changes in the box construction are necessary.