Soft-top bow side attachment symmetry? (1 Viewer)

[SteadiCruiser]

I rigged up for testing my soft-top bows and realized that the two front-to-back support attachment points are offset vertically by about 1 inch.

At first I thought it was simply a welding mistake ( and it may be).

However, I noticed that the rear is offset with the passenger side lower while the front's driver side is also one inch lower which ultimately results in the middle cross bow being correctly even across on both sides as well as the same height as the front and back cross bows.

It might still be a mistake but it did leave open the possibility this could of been done by design for some unknown structural reason.

Is this normal or welding error?

If it is a welding error would this cause any issues?

I don't currently have my truck on-site and my soft top has not arrived yet so thanks for any insight before I paint these bows.

 

[whitey45]

Should all be even side to side?

 

[Cromagnon]

Check my math:
1) The right rear is 1 inch lower than the right front
2) The left front is 1 inch lower then the left rear
3) The front, middle, and rear bows are all on the same plane
4) The middle bow is exactly half way between the front and rear bows

If 1 through 4 are correct then I would believe that you could change the geometry on either side (raise the right rear and lower the right front or raise the left front and lower the left rear) to make it symmetrical. It would hurt my small brain to believe that this is done by design but there are many strange things in the FJ40 world. If this were mine I would see how it looks on the truck and make adjustments (cut and re-weld) then.

 

[Cromagnon]

After thinking about it for a few minutes there is another possiblity. All corners cold be off and the ones that are low need to be raised by 1/2 inch and the ones that are high need to be lowered 1/2 inch. That would keep all three bows in the same plane and the side stretchers (support attachment points) would be "level" with regards to the top of the bows.

 

[B y r o n]

Have you tried contacting the manufacture of the bows and if so what did they say?

 

[Pin_Head]

It is a manufacturing error because the OEM bows are not like that. It is pretty easy to cut the tabs off and weld them in the proper location, even if you have to pay someone to do it.

 

[Engineer8000]

The Pakistan bows have the tabs at the same height in all 4 corners.