Project: "Not going to do a frame off" Frame Off (2 Viewers)

[toroz06]

thanks nick your truck locks

Sure, I'll post up some pics on how I did it.

Nick

 

[srgould41]

Your truck Rocks, too!

 

[nicholastheczar]

I was coming back from a cruiser meeting last month and it was chilly not having any doors, top, or heater. So, I decided to start working on my hard top. After doing the paint and body work, I swore I'd never do it again, I hated it! I found a shop that said they would sandblast, prime, & paint all the hard top parts and pieces and doors for $500, which sounded like a good price to me. So I took all my hard top pieces apart, as well as my doors, tore all the weather stripping out and dropped them off at the shop. A week later, I brought this home:

I called Cruiser Dan and ordered all new OEM weatherstripping for the doors and hardtop minus the weather stripping around the sides where it meets the raingutter. I couldn't justify spending $250 for a OEM U shaped piece of weather stripping.

 

[nicholastheczar]

I went to Home Depot and looked at some of the weather stripping they had to see what I could use to seal the raingutter to the sides. I found this.

It has a lip in the that curls down over the edge of the sides and is a perfect width. I bought two of them at about $7 a piece. I laid it out last night and trimmed the corners where it curves around the back so that it lays nice and flat. I used some blue painters tape to hold it down so I could do a test fit.

I'm going to pull the top off and I'll use some 3M WS adhesive to reattach the cuts I made in the corners so it will be a natural curve w/ the same radias as the rear corners. Then I'm going to use either the 3M weather stripping adhesive or some automotive silicon to attach it on both sides of the WS. I'm thinking probably the silicon for ease of cleanup for when I pull the top fiberglass top off next year to replace the raingutter.

Test fitting the fiberglass top

 

[srgould41]

Nick,

Which hard top pieces did you order? Seals for the glass? The piece between the sides and rain gutter? The piece at the top of the windshield (Toyota says doesn't exist anymore)?

I am curious what you bought and for how much. I'll be restoring my hard top next. Lots of rust to fix on the sides first.

 

[imabigbangkindaguy]

Brilliant move Nick, I ordered the CCOT Hardtop Weather strip package, and when I got it, I knew I had seen that wheather strip somewhere before, took it to home depot that night, and sure enough, looked i dentical to the Garage Door, weather strip, oh well. If ever i need a new one... How ever they did cut out corrugations so it would make the 90 degree turn more easily, that did not work by the way.

I also went to an RV repair shop and picked up 50 ft of 1 inch wide butyl rubber strip, put that between the fibergalss cap and the rain gutter, then rivitted together, then another butyl rubber strip between the raingutter and and the CCOT's Garage door weather strip, finally bolted back together, no leaks, yet......

 

[nicholastheczar]

Nick,

Which hard top pieces did you order? Seals for the glass? The piece between the sides and rain gutter? The piece at the top of the windshield (Toyota says doesn't exist anymore)?

I am curious what you bought and for how much. I'll be restoring my hard top next. Lots of rust to fix on the sides first.

I ordered a strip that sits on the tub where the hard sides rest down onto the tub. No WS for the glass on the sides. I'm going to have a local shop install my glass on the hard sides and rear hatch. The piece between the sides and rain gutter was the WS I bought at Home Depot. I bought the windshield WS from Cruiser Corps:
Seal / Weatherstrip Windshield Top Reproduction

I spent right at $300 with Cruiser Dan for OEM WS which included the rear tub to sides pieces, 6 felt runs for the front doors, passenger vent window WS, front door perimeter WS, rear hatch U shape WS, and rear hatch bottom WS piece. I think the WS itself was about $290 and $12 for shipping. Toyota no longer makes the drivers side vent window WS, so I had to buy that from cruiser corps as well.
Seal / Weatherstrip - Wing Vent - Left/ Driver - 1963 - 1974 - Reproduction


Nick

 

[CruisinFJ60]

Nice as always Nick.

 

[nicholastheczar]

thanks nick your truck locks

Sorry it took me so long for the pics. Its kind of hard to tell but I think you will get the idea.

 

[sambudo]

Nick, Great Thread I really enjoyed the write up! I felt like I was there for the whole process. Great looking FJ you have.

 

[nicholastheczar]

Installed the glass into the hardtop thanks to Casey (aka Potato Launcher).

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/437700-guide-installing-hard-top-windows.html

Nick

 

[Hoz FJ40 CO]

Your cruiser build is awesome...thanks for taking the time to post pics. I also would like part numbers for the Ford shock towers (front) and shocks.

 

[nicholastheczar]

Nick, Great Thread I really enjoyed the write up! I felt like I was there for the whole process. Great looking FJ you have.

Your cruiser build is awesome...thanks for taking the time to post pics. I also would like part numbers for the Ford shock towers (front) and shocks.

Thanks guys, glad you liked it.

Here is the part numbers for the Ford towers:

part number:
E5TZ-18183-A

nick

 

[Hoz FJ40 CO]

Thank you, much appreciate. Your 40 is awesome!!!

 

[KrishMedia]

Awesome Work!
You finished long before I did.

 

[Hoz FJ40 CO]

I was coming back from a cruiser meeting last month and it was chilly not having any doors, top, or heater. So, I decided to start working on my hard top. After doing the paint and body work, I swore I'd never do it again, I hated it! I found a shop that said they would sandblast, prime, & paint all the hard top parts and pieces and doors for $500, which sounded like a good price to me. So I took all my hard top pieces apart, as well as my doors, tore all the weather stripping out and dropped them off at the shop. A week later, I brought this home:

I called Cruiser Dan and ordered all new OEM weatherstripping for the doors and hardtop minus the weather stripping around the sides where it meets the raingutter. I couldn't justify spending $250 for a OEM U shaped piece of weather stripping.

Where did you get your running boards from? Are they custom fab? I like 'em and want 'em.

Thanks Nick...very helpful!!!

 

[nicholastheczar]

Awesome Work!
You finished long before I did.

I had some time to work on it w/ my schedule and a VERY patient wife!

Where did you get your running boards from? Are they custom fab? I like 'em and want 'em.

I made them myself. I bought some 2x6 either 1/4" or 3/8" wall. I used some 1x1 angle to mate w/ the rocker panel and tied them to the frame using 2x3 stock w/ gusset plates. Pretty inexpensive route to go and VERY stout!

 

[1Fine40]

So very much to admire here! Absolutely gorgeous work! Can you snap a pic of the passenger side shock tower inside the engine compartment? I'm wondering what to do with my coolant overflow and windshield washer bottle.....Looks like you figured out that issue!

Cheers and congrats on a sweet ride!!

 

[nicholastheczar]

So very much to admire here! Absolutely gorgeous work! Can you snap a pic of the passenger side shock tower inside the engine compartment? I'm wondering what to do with my coolant overflow and windshield washer bottle.....Looks like you figured out that issue!

Cheers and congrats on a sweet ride!!

Sure, I'll try to get you one tomorrow.

nick

 

[jefishing]

Nick, I was wondering how you liked the Corbeau retractable seatbelts. I am thinking about getting some for my rig. I was going to mount them to the cage behind the seat. Are they working out okay or would you go a different route? The wife said she needed a harness.