so i've got a 1981 bj42. it has holes on the top of the windshield for a soft top/bikini channel. however, i did not get a top when i bought it. the holes are 8.25" apart and there are 7 of them, with the middle perfectly centered. is this factory? if not, does anybody know what brand would fit this pattern? i'm really not trying to put more holes in it! thanks in advance.
need help identifying windshield channel
- Thread starter CaroYota
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I doubt that's it's factory. The after market channel I bought to replace the crappy one that came with it didn't come with pre drilled holes. If you're planning on getting new channels, mark the windshield holes on the new channel and drill, Baby, drill!
If they are factory holes, they will have threaded nuts behind them for BOLTING on a channel.
Best
Mark
Best
Mark
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- #4
hey thanks for the info. i haven't seen any channels that don't come pre-holed. do you know what brand that is? that would be perfect.
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Mark I have a post 77 windshield I bought from Tim Hill many years ago. May have been a 78 or 79. It had the windshield washer nozzle in the top. It has the holes for the soft top channel but no fixed nuts. I also want to add a passenger's side A pillar grab bar in my 89 FJ62. The grab bar I grabbed from a vehicle in a wrecking yard. I stripped the fabric off the passenger's A pillar to find the two threaded holes. I could fill the holes in my pillar but when I poked a hole in the fabric there were no threaded nuts. Had to insert a couple. May the FJ62 was 88 and by 89 they only added the welded nuts on the driver's side depending if it was RHD or LHD. Still have the windshield at my other home and could snap a photo next time I'm there. Figured if I ended up using it on a vehicle I would run a soft top I would insert some nuts.
Here's where I bought mine. Each channel is a little bit long, so I cut them with a hacksaw (easy). Used it last summer, worked great:
Amazon.com: Bestop 51209-01 Black Windshield Channel for 76-95 CJ5, CJ7, Wrangler; 64-84 Toyota Land Cruiser, FJ40: Automotive
Amazon.com: Bestop 51209-01 Black Windshield Channel for 76-95 CJ5, CJ7, Wrangler; 64-84 Toyota Land Cruiser, FJ40: Automotive
You know John, almost as soon as I reflexively posted, I kind of remembered having seen something similar. It is counter-intuitive tho, as Toyota did not make a habit of creating a vulnerability like that for no reason. I accepted Kevin's explanation for the holes in the lower brace of my repro tailgate for drainage, but unthreaded holes in the top of a windshield frame only serve to make the windshield easier to penetrate.
Plus, as memory now serves, I think those unthreaded holes are already over 6mm, which would have been the size for the channel hardware.
So, to the OP, I concur with LITP that these puzzling holes could well be the factory ones us old farts remember.
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did you ever solve the Mystery? My '77 FJ40 also has 7 unthreaded holes. I bought a Bestop Bikini and would prefer not to drill additional holes if possible. I welcome any suggestions / advice. thanks
FWIW - I tapped those holes to M8-1.25 and re-drilled my Bestop channel to fit them. I did not cut the Bestop channel. Seems to be working fine....If they strip for any reason, I"ll use M6 Rivenuts and remount the channel.
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Thanks - did you use screws or bolts to secure the channel? seems like you would need a fairly flat screw. I would welcome a source for such a screw...
PS - fantastic looking truck.
I installed a few M8-1.25 x 20 stainless steel button-head socket cap screws that I had purchased from McMaster-Carr, click >here< and some stainless steel M8 washers.
Thanks.