Soft top suggestions? (3 Viewers)

[405]

Ah, makes sense. Thanks for the photos.

 

[Malleus]

Used 6mm rivnuts from the kit above to attach the window channel. It worked perfectly. I practiced on an old tag to make sure I knew what I was doing. A 23/64 (9.1mm) drill bit made holes just right. RTV on the rivnut.
View attachment 3392322View attachment 3392327

I assume the windshield channel was provided with the Ci Troa kit?

 

[Catching Neutral]

@Malleus …. Yes the channel and the 6mm stainless bolts were included.

 

[Malleus]

So if you bought the top from them and the bows form Real Steel, where would the windshield channel come from? Or would it fall through the cracks?

 

[Catching Neutral]

I am pretty certain it would come with the real steel kit
@120mm …can you confirm?

 

[120mm]

I am pretty certain it would come with the real steel kit
@120mm …can you confirm?

Real Steel kit now comes with the windshield piece.

 

[405]

Did Real Steel ever offer the complete bow kit? This is all I've found on their site: Soft top bow kit without tubes - https://www.realsteelcruiserparts.net/collections/soft-top-bow-kit/products/soft-top-bow-kit-without-tubes

 

[Living in the Past]

I see from your pics and my windshield that I am going to have to fight clearance issues between the wipers and the top a long the windshield.

Bring it on! Lovely top.

I have bows from a 67, 69 and 73. The channel for the windshield changed on the 69 and 73. The new design raised the channel to clear the windshield wiper arms. The old style was like the FJ25 and early 1960s FJ40 that was spot welded to the windshield frame just used bolts.to allow a hard top to be installed. The 67 channel is painted body color. 79 and 73 are pewter.

 

[Catching Neutral]

@405 I spoke with Real Steel a few weeks ago. They currently do not have a tube bender and therefore aren’t offering the complete set. As soon as they hire a tube bender the complete kit will come back on line.
I would call or send an email to see if they have a timeline.

 

[120mm]

Did Real Steel ever offer the complete bow kit? This is all I've found on their site: Soft top bow kit without tubes - https://www.realsteelcruiserparts.net/collections/soft-top-bow-kit/products/soft-top-bow-kit-without-tubes

What???

I checked their website and see that the complete kit isn't offered anymore. That is a very recent change.

 

[Catching Neutral]

@120mm I would call to verify but I am certain the complete kit will be offered again when they can make the bows.

 

[120mm]

@120mm I would call to verify but I am certain the complete kit will be offered again when they can make the bows.

Dang. I had to be one of the last ones they sold, then....

 

[JAR3289]

I have bows from a 67, 69 and 73. The channel for the windshield changed on the 69 and 73. The new design raised the channel to clear the windshield wiper arms. The old style was like the FJ25 and early 1960s FJ40 that was spot welded to the windshield frame just used bolts.to allow a hard top to be installed. The 67 channel is painted body color. 79 and 73 are pewter.

do you have or anyone reading this have pictures of the channels and the changes made through the years. I have searched a lot but do not see pictures very often. I have a FST 1973 FJ40 but I don't have the factory windshield channel and am struggling to figure out the differences out there.

 

[Living in the Past]

do you have or anyone reading this have pictures of the channels and the changes made through the years. I have searched a lot but do not see pictures very often. I have a FST 1973 FJ40 but I don't have the factory windshield channel and am struggling to figure out the differences out there.

Next week I will be around my 73 FST. You can see the channel with the door headers laying on top of the other bows. Will get some pictures of the channel. The other channels are stored away but 9/67 until the FST ended in the US the channel stayed the same.

 

[JAR3289]

Next week I will be around my 73 FST. You can see the channel with the door headers laying on top of the other bows. Will get some pictures of the channel. The other channels are stored away but 9/67 until the FST ended in the US the channel stayed the same.
View attachment 3410702Thanks, I am trying to figure out why my top appears real short in all directions. I have factory bows and real steel door frame tops and windshield channel. my top is a mystery top, all I know is it has been sitting around a long time, but not sure who made it.

 

[JAR3289]

here is a link to my build

FJ40 Restoration with a 2UZ / R150 Manual Transmisson

Here is the first startup with the exhaust. Sounds great! Good point, I may change that now that you point that out. It should be good for the 60psi but then again losing all my oil is a bad day. Those are the same fittings on my air compressor at 120psi so in theory they should hold, if...

forum.ih8mud.com

did the stock FST bows ever change height over the years? the bows i have are OEM but they are not from my FJ specifically

 

[Living in the Past]

here is a link to my build

FJ40 Restoration with a 2UZ / R150 Manual Transmisson

Here is the first startup with the exhaust. Sounds great! Good point, I may change that now that you point that out. It should be good for the 60psi but then again losing all my oil is a bad day. Those are the same fittings on my air compressor at 120psi so in theory they should hold, if...

forum.ih8mud.com

did the stock FST bows ever change height over the years? the bows i have are OEM but they are not from my FJ specifically

These are Kayline tops which were the most popular replacement top at one time. Have a third one in black. That one is currently stretched over the 73 bows. It has shrunk.

Have four sets of factory bows. Bows are all the same height.

 

[JAR3289]

These are Kayline tops which were the most popular replacement top at one time. Have a third one in black. That one is currently stretched over the 73 bows. It has shrunk.
View attachment 3410721View attachment 3410720

Have four sets of factory bows. Bows are all the same height.

Thats good to know that they are all the same height, so that means either who ever made this cover made it short or that it is quiet old and has shrank over the years even though it looks brand new

 

[Living in the Past]

That is a lot newer than my Kayline tops. Search OCD tops. Could be one of his.Is that canvas? Canvas will shrink. Maybe setting down and stretching it so when it dries it can't shrink would help. I figure with vinyl the hot Arizona sun will help.

Canvas is popular but by the mid sixties Toyota had switched to Vinyl. Even the husky soft top Toyota offered thru their dealers at the time was vinyl. Kayline tops were always vinyl.

 

[Malleus]

@405 I spoke with Real Steel a few weeks ago. They currently do not have a tube bender and therefore aren’t offering the complete set. As soon as they hire a tube bender the complete kit will come back on line.
I would call or send an email to see if they have a timeline.

So they were selling bow sets that they had bent for them? How much is a tube bender, compared to the presses and dies they have? Something doesn't sound right.