What condition is my gutter in? (1 Viewer)

[jvincig01]

Quick question for the crowd...How bad is my gutter? I am thinking about restroing it but not sure if I am opening a can of works. I will be installing a new headliner soon but curious to know if I should go through the efffort of restoring the gutter while I am at it.

The PO must have tied something to the roof which caused the front of the gutter to bend upwards when it should be flat. Do you think I need to remove the gutter get this right again? Or how should I approach it? Also, here are some pictures of the ugly spots. What condition is this in?

 

[jvincig01]

Here is a picture of the front gutter. Notice how it's not flat...

 

[1969FJ]

To me it is obvious what needs to be done ? Metal work, get a new gutter etc... Or , put new headliner in and forget about the issues ?

 

[igotta40]

It looks great compared to mine. Find a way to flex that gutter back flat and seal it, otherwise it looks okay

 

[1969FJ]

The problem is NOT what you see , it it what is hiding ?

 

[M1A1cruiser]

Some of the separation between the gutter and the cap look like it'd let water in and spoil your new headliner.

I'm one of those who thinks "I'll never be this deep into the truck again (hopefully - haha) so let me make it right (or as right as I am capable) right now."

The metal of the gutter doesn't look terrible. As @igotta40 says you might be able to bend it back. But I think it probably needs to come off the cap for some diagnosis and repair then you can re-rivet it, or use some 4mm nuts/bolts to reattach, seal, paint. I did one from CCOT and am happy with it (no affiliation, I don't get a commission on sales!).

Anyway, yeah whatever bowed the front also crinkled the corners and you're just asking for more water inside, dangerously under that headliner that you mentioned.

Good luck,
TDC.-

 

[flx]

I think your current gutter is not the original one, probably replaced by a PO.

 

[SteveH]

With a block of wood and a hammer, I think you can get that deformed gutter back into line. You could even weld that crack shut. But long term, you need to re-seal the gutter to the fiberglass and it looks like there's already a layer of drip-check or some product that is no longer working. So (sadly) you might drill out all the rivets, remove the gutter and (importantly) get all the old sealant and gunk out of there) and re-seal it properly.

 

[bhsdriller]

I wouldn't want it out in the rain like that.

 

[tahoe40/45]

From what i can see the rest of your Cruiser looks really nice! Dont skip on fixing the top, you will be happier if its done correctly. Summer is almost here so you can take your time with it and having the fiberglass part off makes it easier to do the headliner.

 

[airon23]

At the very least I would do like some have already mentioned in bending back and treating the spots you can, but then you should fill it back in with some fresh seam sealer. Depending on your time, and if you are planning on doing a headliner already, then I would probably just take it all down and apart to as much as you can and get it all right. It'll be worth it imo.

 

[zerotreedelta]

It's not a particularly hard job...but does depend on your goals/desires. It does look like it's been off before based on the rivets and repaint.

If you're already pulling it for the headliner, I'd personally do a "while I'm in there" and pull the gutter off, clean and straighten it up, rerivet, and reseal and repaint...but does depend on how the rig is used and where it's stored.

 

[jvincig01]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Fortunately, my oldest son is going to start driving soon so if he wants to drive it, then he needs to help. I will document the restoration and post photos as usual.

I am going to do this right and remove the metal gutter, repair or replace it, new liner, new paint, etc.