My buddy Ken finally decided to make the move and have me help him build a hatch for his hunt rig. This Chevy 4 X 4 Suburban used to be his company car but now it has become his dedicated hunt rig. We decided to do the dirty deed this past Thanksgiving weekend and cut in a 36" X 36" roof hatch.The first thing we did was make the frame out of Oak and join all of the ends with mechanical fasteners and West System saturating marine epoxy. This is the same epoxy used to make boat hulls and it is incredible stuff. I have used it to build boats as well as make the hatch on my rig and it is a pleasure to work with. Once saturated, the wood becomes impervious to just about everything. Here is a photo of the basic hatch frame, before any of the rails have been installed.
The wood blocks on the corners are just to keep it off the carpeting until the corners cure.The next photo shows the gaping hole cut into the roof and the detail work being done to prep for the dry fit of the frame.
Next, we have a photo of the frame sitting in place, through the big hole. It fit perfectly and from there we began the construction of the side rails and hatch top. More photos soon. The project is almost done now and I'll have to get more photos from Ken so I can post the progress.
In the next photo. the oak hatch frame has been coated with two coats of marine epoxy and now Ken is beginning to spray the finish coats of Pewter automotive paint on the exterior of the frame to match his car's color.
The next photo is similar but the two sections of the bi-fold hatch cover is getting an additional coat of marine epoxy after the inside handle fasteners have been attached and the countersunk holes have been plugged. The dark spots on the hatch cover are teak plugs that were used to hide the heads of the countersunk fasteners. Since the hatch is 36 X 36, making it a bifold design simplifies storage when the hatch is removed. Once the final coat of epoxy is cured and sanded fair, we will affix the piano hinge to the hatch cover and give it several coats of finish paint. Once all of the paint cures, we will insert the seals to make the hatch cover weather tight.
The project is coming along very well. All of the interior surfaces will be clear coat finished to let the natural beauty of the wood shine through. The last step will be fastening in the quick-release hatch dogs to hold the hatch in place.More photos to come as the job progresses.
