Roof Repair or lack there of....

[Cgbeachbum]

Afternoon Gents!
Seeking thoughts from the well of wisdom here! My roof is gone. I had all intentions of doing the right fix by cropping and welding, but alas, after grinding everything down, I think its a loss. When I bought the truck, I was not planning to make this a show truck, rather a beat looking mechanically sound beach truck, but living in the east side of Big Island HI means it rains.... a lot. So I am thinking of just laying in some fiberglass to seal it up for now until i can get my hands on full roof or cleaner body, thats probably going to be a couple years from now.... I hate cheap fixes but gotta keep the rain out... Thoughts? Beware the pics will want to make you cry... I know I did.

 

[3_puppies]

is that spray foam in the last pic? that is very bad as it holds moisture and accelerates rust.

 

[Cgbeachbum]

You are correct sir! Found that extra bit of fun as well from the PO....

 

[cruiserpilot]

see @Tapage build thread. I think that is the best route for you,

 

[Cgbeachbum]

That rig is pretty bad ass! You may be right! I'll still need to replace the pilllars though.

 

[bluehawk]

I can't remember what page of my thread it's on, but take a look thru it. I've cut the roof off of mine and replaced it with a better one. Did a few patch panels also throughout the build. Best advice is measure, measure and then measure. Take your time and just do a little at a time.

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Thanks blue hawk! I'll take a look. Most of the body is in great shape, still the rust battles, but do able! As much as I love these rigs, the damn roof system is a nightmare! It blows me away that I have more problems in the roof than under the chassis... Especially being in an tropical salty environment. At least to a guy that has zero body work experience.. so there is that! Its funny how i plan a project to accomplish and tell the wife it should only take a few hours... I know I'm not the only one reneg'n on that understatement! but sticking with the patch job for now..

Yes that is the same c-channel you buy for your shelves.. because I'm fiberglassing, it was there right size and function... Sorry to all you that do this job the right way! But hey, Im another new 60 owner and I gotta figure this out with trial and error, right? Got a feeling I'm going to regret the patch job, but....

Heres what I got done today... please feel free to bash the hell out of me!

 

[2mountainfish]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Those of us who would even attempt to fix it, are the minority. Most people would just spend $$$$$$ and have someone else do it. I to am addressing this same problem. You can check it out in my build thread,
Saving another FJ60!
Good luck , and keep going, the experience will be worth it.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

^^^ above is right on. We do the best we can. Not all of us have a bottomless wallet to have someone else fix our troubles. I have done my own share that I mostly keep to myself to avoid the bashing. One day I may spill it but not quite yet. Do what works. As long as you know its not gonna be the beauty you'd hoped then its all okay. Expectations will ruin us. Enjoy your cruiser and just make it work.

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Thanks Gents for the encouragement. @2mountainfish the rust encapsulator is a brilliant idea, where did you get that from? I imagine its similar to POR 15, price better?

@NeverGiveUpYota I can't agree more, ill beat myself up more than anyone else could! But Hey I want to use my 60 for what she was design to, not just have a pretty classic that i'm afraid to ding up on the trail....well maybe some she'll get the beauty manicure!

 

[Cgbeachbum]

As with any good project, no job ever goes without sacrificing some blood! Got a nice kick back on the grinder cut off wheel, glanced my finger and took some skin as homage. This is gonna make this job a little more creative being down a finger on my dominant hand...

 

[cruisedeisel]

If you ain't bleeding, you ain't working hard enough!

 

[cruisedeisel]

Nice rust repairs by the way.

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Thanks Cruisedeisel! i Concur, its one of my superstitions that if i have not bled even minimal (preferred) that a job is gonna fail! Not that i'm unsafe, just need blood to suffice the mechanical gods!

 

[2mountainfish]

Thanks Gents for the encouragement. @2mountainfish the rust encapsulator is a brilliant idea, where did you get that from? I imagine its similar to POR 15, price better?

@NeverGiveUpYota I can't agree more, ill beat myself up more than anyone else could! But Hey I want to use my 60 for what she was design to, not just have a pretty classic that i'm afraid to ding up on the trail....well maybe some she'll get the beauty manicure!

Just go to Eastwood.com and click on ,rust solutions.There are several different options ,depending on what kind of rust situation you have. They carry just about anything you could possibly need for body work and paint.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Did you do that stitch yourself too or is that how they do them in your parts? One tie across the middle? I so far have gotten very lucky with my 30 year old moms high speed dremel. As a female doing all this stuff I can't help but be a tad intimidated by the really big tools. The dremel has served me well already in a variety of situations. And my 3.5yo son totally digs being able to watch his mom make sparks regardless of the size of the tool. I've heard of that rust stuff too. My old truck was super rusty tho in the rear frame area mostly so I eventually just sold it for parts because it was too much of a chore for me at the time. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Did you do that stitch yourself too or is that how they do them in your parts? One tie across the middle? I so far have gotten very lucky with my 30 year old moms high speed dremel. As a female doing all this stuff I can't help but be a tad intimidated by the really big tools. The dremel has served me well already in a variety of situations. And my 3.5yo son totally digs being able to watch his mom make sparks regardless of the size of the tool. I've heard of that rust stuff too. My old truck was super rusty tho in the rear frame area mostly so I eventually just sold it for parts because it was too much of a chore for me at the time. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

I wish i had stitched myself, would have save me a ton of time! I laughed when the DR. told me to make a follow up appt to take the stitch out in a week... Seriously, snip, pull! Don't need a doc for that!

I use the dremel all the time, small and gets right into the spots my big grinder can't! Its awesome to see women dive into these trucks and do the the work themselves! Trying to get my daughter into helping me but hey, can't win them all! My wife is all into helping me as long as she dosn't have to use the power tools! Honestly, its in your head! They are powerful and demand respect and safety. You really only learn your limitations as you use them. SO like any new skill start small and build your confidence and always respect the tool! Positive Control and Safety gear!

Yea Im at the point where I gonna put more effort into the mechanicals and maybe when i get back to the mainland, I'll have more body solutions.

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Finally got some time to progress on the roof! Its not pretty and I wish i had put more time into the prep work before i sprayed on the truck bed liner, but lesson learned and I will probably redo some areas to be more ascetically pleasing. After laying in all the metal, I put a layer of fiberglass and laminating resin. Then went back and put a layer of sandable resin. I thought the truck bed liner texture would hide a lot, so i didn't put the proper time into sanding and light bondo. Unfortunately, you see all the lines. I still need to rework the gutter along the A pillar, and work new metal into both A pillars underneath were the seals, but heres where it looks now.

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Final coat, forgot to take pics of the fiberglass addition. But heres how it turned out!

 

[superdeeda]

Hey Beachbum, I've seen this cruiser hanging out at Port of Hilo! I've been eyeballing it quite a bit! Great looking rig.