Hard Top stupid question

[histphd]

Hi all,

Stupid question, but I thought I knew and it seems that I do not.

I have a 69 FJ40 and I cracked up the top on a trail about 15 years back. Destroyed in a bad crash.

Instead of looking for a hard top back then, I slapped a soft top on it for a number of years and then went to none.

I bought a 73 hard top two years ago and it is no refinished and painted, etc. it had been sitting a looong time under a tree somewhere and was in poor shape, but for $100 bucks, I thought what the hay.

I got it painted and the fiberglass reworked on it. it has a few dents in it, but nothing too bad. Anyway, when I went to put it on, it wont fit.

I thought on a 69, anthing prior to the amby doors would fit.

Am I wrong? If so, what hard top years will fit my 69?

I spent time and money and waited forever to find a top close enough to home not to break the bank in getting it here for it not to fit.

Thanks to all

 

[Poser]

How does it 'not fit'?


Post up some pictures of it 'not fitting'.

 

[histphd]

I will try to do that (take pics)....it is off right now.

The driver side seems to fit tight along the side

The front across the windshield fits fine.

It is the passenger side, it will not seat down.

It just wont go down. It is like it is warped or too big or something.

 

[CruiserStuff]

I'll bet there's something down in the hole where the post drops in that is keeping it from seating all the way. Look down there with a flashlight and see if there's something the post could be hanging up on.....

 

[fj hunter]

did you ...

lay it on a very nice flat floor space and verify that it is not tweeked? How much space is between the top and the back right, passender side, corner?

I had a fiber glass top on a previoous 72 fj40 that was made tweeked, so that could still apply to the metal hard tops too. There is the remote possibility that the tub is tweeked too. so, verify the top as flat and then look back at the body/tub.

post pics 2x.

 

[FineWynsFJ40]

Best thing to do in this case? Set it on there as best you can, then drive around behind the house, let the body flex out a bit. We figured out to do this on a buddies 69, because otherwise we would have had to re-drill all the holes that mount it on.

 

[JohnnyC]

did you back out the retaining bolt for the door post to go down?

also check to see if your door lock bolts are getting in the way

 

[JohnnyC]

did you get it to fit?

 

[histphd]

Thanks for all the possibilities. I looked down the post hole first thing already and could not find anything.

No, not fitting yet....still working on it. Next step is to lay things out on shop on flat concrete. I had it hoisted in air when I took it off...it was a one-manned show.

The body does not seemed tweaked. seems straight

When I first put the top on, I drove around with it on for 2 weeks with it not fitting on that one side, not going all the way down. Even had the hard doors on and thought it might settle over time but nothing.

Still on the search.....

 

[JohnnyC]

did you back out the retaining bolt?

are you putting it on level...if you slide one side down then the other it gets hung up more often then not...works best when both sides should be going down the same time. IMO

 

[dargreg]

Ive done lots of hard top re and re,s ,they never go on right .If you got one side fitting and the windsheild and no obstructions in your bad side post hole and is going past the second stop in the post hole it will fit.I,ve had to loosen the roof on occasion ,it breaks the seal but went in ( brook bolts to).Sometimes if the window frame is not centered it can creat havoc, make sure ther is nothing stuck in the bottom seal groove (piece of wood ,bees nest ,dirt etc). Good luck