TOUGH TO THE CORE

KICKING OFF A CANOPY-BUILDING BUSINESS IS A BIG RISK, BUT JUMPING OUT OF THE TRIED AND TESTED STEEL AND ALUMINIUM GROOVE IS LIKE GOING ALL-IN AT THE HIGH-ROLLER TABLE.

-  BRAD MISKIEWICZ

WE’VE seen them on every trip to the local 4x4 spot. Dual-cab utes with a fresh aluminium canopy proudly bolted to the rear chassis mounts. The fact that a well set-up canopy makes sense isn’t lost on most, and there’s no shortage of companies out there with a drop saw and a spool gun ready to meld one together for you. Jimmy Egan decided he could make one better, so after assembling a team and putting in a solid 10 months of researching, development and testing, he swung the doors open at Core Off-Road in the Western Australian coastal town of Rockingham.

That was around 14 months ago, and it all revolves around clever thinking, and the use of HDPE or High Density Polyethylene, which along with an aluminium base and decorative trims make up the core (so to speak) element of the bespoke canopy-building business. Being a super-strong plastic (see breakout on p78) that Jimmy has been able to register a patent to weld and mould, Core is able to create canopies highly resistant to damage and next to nil corrosion.

“It all started when I wanted to make a new canopy for ‘The General’, my army green 79 series,” says Jimmy. “Personally, I’d worked with aluminium with our fabrication workshop in Queensland for years, and I just wasn’t happy with the final product that aluminium gave.”