Builds Won a '74 40 on a coin toss... (4 Viewers)

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Decided to start the hardtop project. May be regretting that. Rust everywhere! What a perfect place to collect water and cause all kinds of havoc. Sheared EVERY bolt off on the top except for the rear header that connects the two side panels and holds the hatch.

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Anyone want a half gasket? It's OEM!
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And free to anyone - sill in not so great condition:
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And sanded the paint off the top. I will post some close ups of the cracks. None go through but I'm wondering if this is salvageable.
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I re did my top last summer. I saved the good rubber from that gasket to make rubber washers and smaller gaskets for hinges etc. I was amazed how pliable that rubber was after all those years.
 
skidplate said:
I re did my top last summer. I saved the good rubber from that gasket to make rubber washers and smaller gaskets for hinges etc. I was amazed how pliable that rubber was after all those years.
Click to expand...

I better go rummage the good stuff out of the trash. The two pieces that weren't pictured were actually pretty supple still. The back stuff though is toast. Thanks for the idea!
 
Is the carpet primarily for aesthetics or does it provide sound dampening or insulation etc above and beyond the lizard skin?

I'm in need of a interior roof solution myself.
 
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joyRidaz said:
Is the carpet primarily for asthmatics or does it provide sound dampening or insulation etc above and beyond the lizard skin?

I'm in need of a interior roof solution myself.
Click to expand...

Should provide some sound dampening (at least I hope). All the surfaces are so hard in the cab so hopefully that will help. I plan on using backless carpet so it will conform very nicely to the curves. It is super easy to work with I used to cover speaker boxes with it.

Should look good too! I don't think it will help much with heat insulation, but that's the Lizard Skin's job.
 
Work on the hard top continues... replacing both curved windows with new gaskets from @Racer65. As usual, a perfect fit and quality is top notch! Also decided to fix a couple of big scrapes in the side. I did some more tin knocking and then put some filler to make it nice and smooth. I'm getting better at body work but I won't be quitting my day job, that's for sure.

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Also started attacking the rust. All the wonky fixes did not work and rust was pretty abundant. I poured some Rust Doctor in the B pillar and in the very back and sloshed it around. I think that will work for the above pictured driver side rear panel. I still need to do some surface rust treatment but that should be relatively easy.

The bad part is the passenger side panel. There is a lot of rust at the bottom, in the pillars (you can hear the flakes rattle around when you flip it), and there is some cancer/rust through in the back corner. Guess I will be getting the welder out again... :(

This is the top after having ground off as much rust as I could. There are a few pinholes rusted through.
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And here is the inside bottom corner. Not sure how best to handle this - maybe I'll pour some Rust Doctor in there and slosh it around and then just weld it up. Not sure how much metal is left though and getting a good ground is going to be interesting.
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I decided to do a little more work on the top - reassemble the hatch. All was going well. Got the @Racer65 gasket installed on the rear window. Fits perfectly - I know, shocker.

Then went to reassemble the latching mechanism - it was a bit of a puzzle as I forgot to take a photo of how it was before disassembly. But I was just about there when I noticed the handle being loose. Then I saw it had snapped. WTF?!!! Never put any undue stress on it. Just pulled on it to test if it was working properly. Ugh, this hard top project is not going how I had hoped. Guess that's why I've put it off for so long...
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Broken handle. Guess I need to peruse the classifieds.
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My top looked very similar to yours. I should be embarrassed to say this, but I did slosh around some Rust converter in that area, and then used my air compressor to blow it around to thoroughly coat the inside of that panel . I then repaired with epoxy putty, sanded smooth, primed and then painted. Am I the horrible P.O. ? Probably, but my son gets this rig when I assume room temp. Hopefully he'll have more skill, patience, and money than I do.:hillbilly:
 
Wow looks like the handle is still available?

69211-90300

Not cheap though. Hopefully they built this one a little better. It broke right at the little notch in the arm.
 
Yea I would go thru Racer also if I had to do it again. He is a great vendor. Yea so far it is holding up !! Your truck looks great btw.
JP
 
Asked my buddy to take photos of my 75 roof. I think I'm going to take a road trip to get that one to use on my 74. Looks in great shape!

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I plan on getting this for my 75... :)
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Despite getting the good adhesive remover that was a chore! That old yellow adhesive was not easy to remove. I spent at least 2 hours getting all of it off. I'll save the weatherstrip gluing for another time when I'm not irritated from that stripping process taking so long.

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