middlecalf
SILVER Star
Those are gutter drain holes. When you reassemble the fiberglass and the drip rail, seal those “round” joints as best as possible with your lap sealant.
Rain Gutter and Top Restoration (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter jvincig01
- Start date
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I'd probably go at the bottom side gently with a scraper and get rid of all adhesive you can that way then use 80 grit on your d.a. sander to get the residue. If you see glass fibers you're going too deep. I'd use 50/36 grit roloc disc on 1/4" pneumatic angle grinder to knock the rivets off(obviously continue doing it from the metal gutter side) the red looks like red oxide primer. Current formulas have no lead content but who knows what/if that's actually what you have and what it may have contained 50 years ago. Standard PPE for sanding should be sufficient to protect you regardless. Sand in a well ventilated area to significantly decrease your ppm concentration.
jvincig01
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #23
Picked up some metric rivets on eBay. They got here pretty quickly from China. You can see these are an exact match to the original so I don't need to drill larger holes. I got the measurements from a guy in Australia's youtube channel. He even fabricated a tool out of vice-grips that I will attempt to make this weekend.
I am going to get to work on removing the metal gutter from the fiberglass rooftop tomorrow and will post pictures. Wish me luck.
I am going to get to work on removing the metal gutter from the fiberglass rooftop tomorrow and will post pictures. Wish me luck.
jvincig01
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #24
Made some good progress today. I started by building a frame for the gutter to be transported onto the place where I get things media blasted. I dont want it getting all twisted up so I figured this will help.
I put the frame aside and got to work on the top cap rivets. I wanted to knock down some of the old paint so when I punched the rivets through, it would damage the fiberglass. It sort of worked.
After that I sanded down the bottom side of the rivets using the 36 grit roloc disks to knock down the old aluminum rivets. Worked like a charm... thanks @Homey15 ! Then I moved on to punching out all 72 rivets... fun times. You can see it but I used a 2x4 to shore up the bottom before I punched the rivets out.
There is one spot you can see here that needs to be welded together. But the metal looks pretty good overall.
I put the frame aside and got to work on the top cap rivets. I wanted to knock down some of the old paint so when I punched the rivets through, it would damage the fiberglass. It sort of worked.
After that I sanded down the bottom side of the rivets using the 36 grit roloc disks to knock down the old aluminum rivets. Worked like a charm... thanks @Homey15 ! Then I moved on to punching out all 72 rivets... fun times. You can see it but I used a 2x4 to shore up the bottom before I punched the rivets out.
There is one spot you can see here that needs to be welded together. But the metal looks pretty good overall.
jvincig01
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #25
Two more photos of fiberglass with the gutter removed....
First... the rear corners are pretty crappy. I am going to see if I can have them built up by a local boat shop. While it's there I will have them prep it for paint and fix all imperfections.
The second photo is of the front. See how it's not flat... Should it be? If so, do you think this is something a boat shop can fix?
First... the rear corners are pretty crappy. I am going to see if I can have them built up by a local boat shop. While it's there I will have them prep it for paint and fix all imperfections.
The second photo is of the front. See how it's not flat... Should it be? If so, do you think this is something a boat shop can fix?
samatulich
SILVER Star
Great progress. I'll be doing the same thing at some point in the next year or so. I'll be sure to reference your thread and write up. Keep up the good work.
Seems like mine is pretty flat there, I can check tonight. Your original pics looked to me like someone hit something with the leading edge of your roof and had it vee'd up in the center. I bet what we're seeing here is remnants of the same damage. Should be correctable just make sure your fiberglass shop knows it should be flat(I will verify if mine is or isn't flat there tonight and post up comparison pics for you if someone doesn't beat me to it)
yeah, that section should be flat. when you set your fiberglass top on a flat concrete floor, it should lay flat (i.e., be touching the floor around the entire perimeter). I'm not a fiberglass expert at all, so I'm not sure what it would take to fix that.
But if you drop it off at a shop and ask them to fix it, make sure to leave the gutter with them and let them know that the rivet holes need to line up. The gutter can act as a jig of sorts. Obviously there's a bit of a chicken or egg problem here, so I'd recommend fixing your gutter first, then sending both the gutter and fiberglass top to the boat shop.
But if you drop it off at a shop and ask them to fix it, make sure to leave the gutter with them and let them know that the rivet holes need to line up. The gutter can act as a jig of sorts. Obviously there's a bit of a chicken or egg problem here, so I'd recommend fixing your gutter first, then sending both the gutter and fiberglass top to the boat shop.
jvincig01
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #29
The PO used it as a grounds vehicle at a campsite, so he was throwing stuff on top of it all the time. I wonder if he hooked a tie-down on the lip? Either way, I am taking it to a boat shop to get fixed pretty soon. I need to bring the metal gutter to get media blasted first, though.
I think the ratchet strap sounds like a very plausible cause of that damage. Looks like my top has about 3/4" of what appears to me to be a natural curve, so either mine is bent as well -or- they SHOULD have some curve.... hopefully we can get another mud member to replicate our front lip/flat edge pics because now I need to know if mine is bent or not....
Regardless of the outcome of the front lip curve debate, I second this advice. I would absolutely make sure the gutter is done first and take it to the shop with the top and drop them off as a set. For what it's worth to those that are curious, my experience has been Once fiberglass has been bent to the point of cracking it will use the crack as a hinge of sorts, and will generally not ever quite spring back to original position without persuasion. That said, you can pull it back to square/flat/whatever and make your repair with new matt and resin, along with re saturating the broken/furry fibers at the damage point and when cured it'll maintain whatever shape you have it jigged into. (Within reason)
Checked the curve / bow to the front of my top...approx. 3/4 inch at center. The bolt up plate to the windshield frame is straight / flat with solid fit. From all signs the top has never been pulled from sides...OEM crusty bolts, weatherstrip etc. Took it into boat repair shop last week for eval and quote. Found no fiberglass failures or cracks. Once summer arrives will pop the top, sand to boat shop satisfaction and they will prep and paint. Cygnus White
A one person survey is good enough for me, 3/4" is what I had as well. I'd get your gutter blasted/repaired, then get the front lip curvature formed exactly to your liking and have the boat shop bring the cap curve in to match your perfectly straightened gutter. Then there's no guesswork on their end/ potential for non fitment issues later. Maybe even take in a printed off copy of @Buckaro pic, it shows the curve very well. Also wouldn't hurt for them to know the 3/4" measurement.
middlecalf
SILVER Star
Don’t boat shops do gelcoat anymore, which is what’s original?
The boat repair shop (highly recommended here locally) told me that they would gel coat… but all old layers of paint, prime, any filler, etc. would need to be completely removed and the original gel exposed and prepped for new gel application. Then they indicted it would be best to prime and topcoat paint the new gel coat to fully protect. Lots of removal to ultimately finish with a painted top.
Told me that my top’s been repainted years ago and that paint / prime is still solid so sand it down to a uniform, smooth surface and just prime / paint. My original intent was to go w/ gel coat but they talked me out of it - save time, effort and money to get same result. Found the factory fiberglass and gel coat solid w/ no cracks so leave it and prep over then paint. Today’s paints are premium protection. Also checked out the Classic Cruisers fiber/ gel caps in Poncha Springs CO, they recommend a topcoat paint over their gel coat fiber caps as well if I read their website description correctly. “Gel coat is white, however it is highly recommended that the roof cap be painted to protect against degradation from harmful UV rays”
Told me that my top’s been repainted years ago and that paint / prime is still solid so sand it down to a uniform, smooth surface and just prime / paint. My original intent was to go w/ gel coat but they talked me out of it - save time, effort and money to get same result. Found the factory fiberglass and gel coat solid w/ no cracks so leave it and prep over then paint. Today’s paints are premium protection. Also checked out the Classic Cruisers fiber/ gel caps in Poncha Springs CO, they recommend a topcoat paint over their gel coat fiber caps as well if I read their website description correctly. “Gel coat is white, however it is highly recommended that the roof cap be painted to protect against degradation from harmful UV rays”
Just to add, my top has a nice, even bow on the front edge, just under 3/4".
I literally just finished doing this so I have lots of insight and opinions. My rain gutter was completely destroyed so I went the CCOT route. It comes in pieces and the fitment wasn't great to be honest. I had a guy weld it together and then took a lot of time to grind and fill where the drip rail is smooth along the edge. In the end it looks great but its def NOT plug and play. I took the rivets out with a angle grinder and then a center punch to clean the holes out.... if you are repainting it might as well make it easy on yourself. I then had some fiberglass work done to repair some areas, primed and resprayed and the top turned out really great.
Looks awesome, nice work!
That does look Great! Very well done. What final top coat paint color did you go with? Did you go OEM Toyota weatherstrip, packing, mounding and seals? I’m starting to budget / price out all the rubber seals and it’s pricey! Ideally get it sealed right this time and keep most of the water out.
