Damn beautiful. Mine will never be done............
'77 FJ40 buildup in Charlotte (finally)
- Thread starter Cirbo
- Start date
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- #223
I got a chance to put the project on an alignment machine this morning. The numbers turned out better than expected for chopping off the spring perches and clocking the pinion angle after flipping the rear springs. The specs displayed were before the toe was adjusted.
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- #224
Getting the truck to the alignment machine necessitated the longest ride to date (12 miles). All this was done at a balmy 31 degrees F.
I also took a few shots of the underside while it was on the rack.
The project was delayed due to a transmission problem. In the early stages of testing around the neighborhood, the tranny stopped shifting. It would start out in first, then shift directly to neutral when I let off the gas. After consulting with TCI, I crawled under the truck and pulled the governor out (no easy task with all the shifting linkage, cross members, exhaust, and cables). After fiddling with it and blowing it out with compressed air, I reinstalled and all was good with the world.
I also took a few shots of the underside while it was on the rack.The project was delayed due to a transmission problem. In the early stages of testing around the neighborhood, the tranny stopped shifting. It would start out in first, then shift directly to neutral when I let off the gas. After consulting with TCI, I crawled under the truck and pulled the governor out (no easy task with all the shifting linkage, cross members, exhaust, and cables). After fiddling with it and blowing it out with compressed air, I reinstalled and all was good with the world.
Sparkle, sparkle!!! Very nice!
Let's go for a ride!
Let's go for a ride!
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- #226
As much as I've tried to ignore them, I finally had to deal with those half doors. Those who have read the entire thread know that I had fitment issues with our first set of Pilgrim half doors. After some discussion with Paul, he shipped me a new pair to remedy the issues. (Remember that this truck had a 3/4 tub replacement onto the original firewall, so alignment is in question) While these doors were much better, they still weren't perfect for our application. I considered running shims on the striker plates, but didn't want to do this as they would have to be removed when the full doors were installed.
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- #230
Greg wanted the ability to have soft door tops with the half doors. I figured that I could make the frames from 3/8" mild steel rods, and have a shop sew the windows. The question is how to fit the frames to the doors?
I had 6 inserts machined by the folks at Independent Technologies. These would be TIG welded into the doors. I designed them with bottoms closed to limit the ability for water to get into the doors, as there are no drain holes built into the sheetmetal.
I had 6 inserts machined by the folks at Independent Technologies. These would be TIG welded into the doors. I designed them with bottoms closed to limit the ability for water to get into the doors, as there are no drain holes built into the sheetmetal.
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Very nice! Can't wait to see the doors all finished up. This is a mod I've been wanting to do on my cruiser for 10 years...
Jim-
I'm sure you will, but I would put the full soft top on for fitment. I can tell you from my experience with the 1/2 soft bottoms and 1/2 soft tops (old kayline maybe) the upper rear corner likes to flap a bit in the wind separating a little from the top. Enough to be annoying for sure. I would suggest using some seriously stout framing with as little flex as possible. It might be overkill but maybe doubling up the upper frame sections too? Much closer together than the bottom frame but that may help with the flexing.
How do you plan on securing the lower edge of the fabric to the door?
Looks good.
I'm sure you will, but I would put the full soft top on for fitment. I can tell you from my experience with the 1/2 soft bottoms and 1/2 soft tops (old kayline maybe) the upper rear corner likes to flap a bit in the wind separating a little from the top. Enough to be annoying for sure. I would suggest using some seriously stout framing with as little flex as possible. It might be overkill but maybe doubling up the upper frame sections too? Much closer together than the bottom frame but that may help with the flexing.
How do you plan on securing the lower edge of the fabric to the door?
Looks good.
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- #235
Excellent data Dom. I may need to purchase some cold rolled 3/8" rod for this project. The other odd thing I noticed about the soft door tops (two piece units), was the fact that they angled back over the frame as they went to the top of the door. I cut my cardboard template vertical to follow the lines of the door. Hopefully this will give the wind less frame to catch while underway.
As far as the door bottom, I was thinking of a resistance fit only, with a material flap that extended down to the first body line of the door for sealing against weather. Do you suspect I would need some type of knurled knob and a rivnut in the lower door?
jC
As far as the door bottom, I was thinking of a resistance fit only, with a material flap that extended down to the first body line of the door for sealing against weather. Do you suspect I would need some type of knurled knob and a rivnut in the lower door?
jC
phishtaco
Cincinnati
How in the world do you have time to make bumpers when you are working on this project?
Not sure on the lower edge of the fabric. I'll give it some thought. Ideally I think it would be nice to have something holding it down for rain and longevity's sake. The upper flaps on the ones I have are velcro and that would look like crap on the door as would snaps. Maybe something built into the upper frames that were sewn in and held it flat against the ridge in your post above?
How are the inserts secured in the upper ridge of the door?
How are the inserts secured in the upper ridge of the door?
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- #239
Oops. Not sure how I missed that. Very nice. Thanks for the PM. I'll be in touch.
