Stretching a FJ40 hard top, want to see what others have done with the fiberglass (1 Viewer)

[stumpy]

heyo-

i am stretching a 40 by about 10 inches. i have the sides done and i am now working the fiberglass. for the amount of time i've stared at my 40, i never realized the fiberglass top doesnt have a section that is a constant shape and it's giving me a headache figuring out how to add in 10". I have two complete tops.

i searched a fair iteration of terms and didn't find any threads with pics on how anyone did this. i know they've been done. need help finding a build thread with some photos.

TIA

 

[A10Driver]

Builds - Frog's FJ159

Body is epoxy primed, it's been a long time coming.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[stumpy]

Builds - Frog's FJ159

Body is epoxy primed, it's been a long time coming.

forum.ih8mud.com

thanks, brrrrrrrrt!

i was trying to match the shape so as to not have to do a bunch of thickness blending. looks like you didnt worry about that and just got after it. did you have much of a mismatch among the three segments? did you do anything inside the sandwich of fiberglass for strength? somehow i just cant accept that glass and resin will make up enough strength to do it.

 

[A10Driver]

thanks, brrrrrrrrt!

i was trying to match the shape so as to not have to do a bunch of thickness blending. looks like you didnt worry about that and just got after it. did you have much of a mismatch among the three segments? did you do anything inside the sandwich of fiberglass for strength? somehow i just cant accept that glass and resin will make up enough strength to do it.

There was some mismatch, but it is fiberglass and can be easily manipulated to get the desired shape. The joins were about 3-4 inches wide, and about 3-4 layers of tape. After the joins were completed, the whole top got 2 complete layers on top, and 2 layers on the bottom. I am confident that it is way stronger than original

 

[stumpy]

fantastic. that’s what I wanted to hear. my plan was to stitch it together enough to get it to a fiberglass shop and have them do a good gel coat. maybe my fiberglass skills will be adequate to do better than screwed with wood for the drive.

 

[OldRocDoc]

See post #20 on this thread:

Another Old Red Farm Truck - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

I shortened a 40 roof, but the technique pioneered by Jeremiah Proffitt is the best way to do it, IMHO

 

[gpfj40]

I did this a few years back. The thread is called my first cruiser. I cut 2 and put them together to make a FJ43 length, the link is in my signature, assuming photo bucket hasn’t screwed it up.

 

[Mark W]

FWIW, looking at the two troopys I have had here to wok on, Toyota sectioned and extended the regular '40 series roof to get the longer troopy roof. The only way I could tell was two barely detectable seams. Just a tiny difference in transulence of the fiberglass on the inside when the headliner was out.

So, there is a point where the curve is so minimal that the change to the line of the roof is minimal to the point of being undetectable.

Sadly I don't have ready access to either of those rigs currently to measure just where they were sectioned.


Mark...

 

[stumpy]

See post #20 on this thread:

Another Old Red Farm Truck - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum

I shortened a 40 roof, but the technique pioneered by Jeremiah Proffitt is the best way to do it, IMHO

@Mark W, thanks for the insight. I figured there must have been a simple process to do the troopies. Makes no sense to jig up an entirely different mold. I’ve never seen one in person without the liner present, but I’ll look for pics for reference. Seems like the crest is about 10” or so behind the joint between the parallel rails and the over-door “angled” section.

@OldRocDoc, the photos are blocked on post 20.
i’ll look for references with Jeremiah mentioned. thanks for the lead.

@gpfj40, I’m not seeing a signature. Wondering if it’s my phone view. I’ll browse the title you mentioned. Thanks!

 

[gpfj40]

'74 FJ40 Build: My 1st Cruiser

Post 52

 

[stumpy]

'74 FJ40 Build: My 1st Cruiser

Post 52

Beautiful. Thanks!

 

[J Mack]

the photos are blocked on post 20.
i’ll look for references with Jeremiah mentioned. thanks for the lead.

I copied this over from the old red farm truck thread for you.



FJ45 roofs are stamped metal with a number of raised ribs to provide some stiffness. I was not smart enough to figure out a way to stretch the original roof, so I elected to shorten an FJ40 roof that I had in my collection of FrankenCruiser parts (thanks LT). Here is the rear section of the 40 roof. Jeremiah Proffit taught me how to cut fiberglass in a sawtooth pattern in order to end up with more strength after the gluing process.

After gluing and sanding:

 

[aandy767]

I haven't gotten around to stretching the roof yet. Mine's gonna be 18" longer. My plan is to cut fingers 4" or 6" apart, 22" long. slide the two halves apart and start glassing back together. Think of your fingers interlocked, then just slide them apart, fill-in the gaps.

Thought I would make a buck, contouring the inside. maybe 22"-24" long to support the fingers when separated. Not sure where start the cut yet.