FJ60 Front fender side vent help (1 Viewer)

[soulminingpdx]

Hello all,
Hoping to tap into the collective wisdom here for some help!
When I have the side vents installed on my FJ60, there is a noticeable gap between the actual fender and the side vent / gasket in the front (bumper side) of the vent. The rear side with grommets / screws sits flush against the truck.
I'm wondering if I am missing any grommets or plugs in the front holes below in the pic?
Or are those holes supposed to be bare metal and just an entry for the nubs on the vents?
It's not a great fit for the nubs / hole so I just wanted to confirm whether that is the case.
If i'm not missing any hardware / grommets in the front facing holes, then it's probably the thin gaskets on the fender vents that have probably shrunk with age? While they look like they are in great shape, they don't really extend beyond the vent too much and pretty thin.

If it's my gaskets, anyone have any gaskets in great conditions available?!
I know, I know...not likely right?!

Any input appreciated - thanks!

 

[OSS]

The front vents normally sit flush to the fender with the gasket. As you can see, the two rear screws pull it in nicely, but asthetics trumped function and Toyota decided to use integrated snap in plastic stud things on the front of the vent to retain the front. These break off easily especially when they're old and maybe the little lock nibs on yours have broken off too.
There's no easy way to fix it. The best solution is to find a used one somewhere. Make sure it doesn't have a broken front pin though, otherwise you'll be back where you started.

 

[4Cruisers]

The front vents normally sit flush to the fender with the gasket. As you can see, the two rear screws pull it in nicely, but asthetics trumped function and Toyota decided to use integrated snap in plastic stud things on the front of the vent to retain the front. These break off easily especially when they're old and maybe the little lock nibs on yours have broken off too.
There's no easy way to fix it. The best solution is to find a used one somewhere. Make sure it doesn't have a broken front pin though, otherwise you'll be back where you started.

I had the broken off pieces of those plastic studs for the passenger side vent I reinstalled on my '86 FJ60 a couple of weeks ago. I drilled them out with a small drill bit, applied some Super Glue to the end, and carefully screwed the studs into the vent using tiny screws left over from taking apart old computer hardware (cooling fan parts IIRC). Worked great.

If you don't have those studs with the small metal piece that snaps into the fender, a trip to your local hardware store will more than likely turn up something that will work.

 

[soulminingpdx]

Hey guys,
Appreciate your responses - I thought my side vents were intact since they do have a pointed nub on the non-screw side but it sounds like maybe something broke off as it definitely is not a snap-in insert. The nub is narrower than the hole in the fender sheet metal.
Does anyone have a picture of a 100% intact / functioning side vent? I'll try to include a pic of mine but it would be great to see what i'm working against and to confirm that mine is missing the tabs. I can't seem to find a pic online.
thanks!

 

[4Cruisers]

Here are a couple of photos of the fenders I have sitting by the side of the house. Notice the metal cage looking thing that is force fit over the plastic stub.