Downey Bikini top

Just thought I'd post a pic of the Bikini top I've been running in the Sierras this summer. Great top if you have an extra $150 around.


https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=162040&stc=1&d=1185848625

Or you can do your own using a CJ8 bikini top and universal mounting rail for $80 or so.

Either way they're great in the summer.

This thread is giving me ideas....

Does anybody remember this thread?

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=153480

And this picture?

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j8/buggyboy_2006/4runner103006.jpg

I tried making a soft top/bikini top out of a heavy duty poly tarp but wasn't happy with how it mounted and it was pretty difficult to get it to not flap around. Looking at that Downey bikini top it looks like it could work really well with my tonneau cover to make a soft top. Add a frame from the t. cover that extends all the way up to the cap with holes drilled in it for snaps, a little clear 1/8 vinyl? plastic material for side windows and a back window behind the roll bar, and find a way to seal it up (my only real problem with getting it to work before was shaping a poly tarp to fit my needs).

BTW not to hijack your thread it just gave me inspiration. And that is not a bad deal for a bikini top, but why is the land cruiser version so much less????? Poor 4runner guys, everything like that costs so much more for us lol.

The Downey 4runner top has extra framing and bracketry making it more expensive. Bars run down the sides of the top making its sides rigid into a bar that extends from the roll cage that creates more headroom. The land cruiser models are more traditional.

I may just invest in one. I was trying to make my own and part of the problem was the fact that It drooped so much between the roll bar and the back of the cab. The seams were also giving me a hard time.

beatdown83fj60 said:

This thread is giving me ideas....

Does anybody remember this thread?

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=153480

And this picture?

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j8/buggyboy_2006/4runner103006.jpg

I tried making a soft top/bikini top out of a heavy duty poly tarp but wasn't happy with how it mounted and it was pretty difficult to get it to not flap around. Looking at that Downey bikini top it looks like it could work really well with my tonneau cover to make a soft top. Add a frame from the t. cover that extends all the way up to the cap with holes drilled in it for snaps, a little clear 1/8 vinyl? plastic material for side windows and a back window behind the roll bar, and find a way to seal it up (my only real problem with getting it to work before was shaping a poly tarp to fit my needs).

BTW not to hijack your thread it just gave me inspiration. And that is not a bad deal for a bikini top, but why is the land cruiser version so much less????? Poor 4runner guys, everything like that costs so much more for us lol.

Click to expand...

Same here! Not meaning to hijack this but it inspires me to move forward with my plan for a canvas top. Not a bikini, but a full cover for the bed kinda like you see overseas. I was looking at using military surplus fittings that go together with conduit. If I touch anything with this setup I expect damage, conduit isn't very structurally sound. With the military fittings you can quickly take things apart (they tighten onto the conduit with cheap eye bolts).
I plan on getting military surplus canvas, a friend of mine has some upholstery (I think I misspelled that) sewing equipment so I can have clean edges where we need to cut material. Punch in brass eyes where needed and that's it. I first had the idea two weeks ago camping in the rain, desperately trying to rig tarps so I could sleep in a semi-dry bed. Heck, once I have the dimensions for the top I could figure out how much it will cost for better frame material. It would be nice to play with diffrent shapes while the material is inexpensive.

if any one needs some canvas, i might be able to see if i can sell a huge peice from the age of around WW2.