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Full top conversion questions

RubberFloorMat

RubberFloorMat

1/2 ton status
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I've always wanted a full top blazer, my rig is a 78 and so I've located a full top, windshield frame, factory roll bar and pass side door for sale.

I know a few guys have done this conversion, these parts would leave me needing a drivers door and I'm sure some other parts.

So, is the conversion worth it or is it more trouble than it's worth? What parts am I missing?

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That looks to have most of what you need. Imo, that's a lot of money so the windshield frame should be rust free.

The door caps are the really tricky small parts in a conversion. You can cut a hard top door to fit a full top conversion. There are caps that cover the holes on a full top door, one is above the door handle and the other is at the top of the vent glass part of the door frame. Both of these seal against the top. They are available via LMC and such but OE is preferred because the aftermarket pieces are cheap plastic.

Aside from the missing door the only other parts I can't see are the the (3) 3"x5" tabs that bolt the top to the windshield frame but I imagine they are there since the frame appears to be attached to the top.

Difficulty level? For me, mine is an unfinished PITA but I hate / am not good at body work. I cut my windshield frame mid way up, measure 1000+ times and cut once with something that will make clean cuts. Also, be careful to get the cuts square to one another so they butt together closely. I thought the windshield frame would be the worst but the "B" pillar is a bit** . This joint has multiple vertical layers (GM's "built in roll cage") that once cut can be a pain to get the inner layers cut flush or below the bed skin level so they don't interfere with the patch. Again, I hate body work so I may be making more of it than it really is.

Is it worth it? I'm not sure yet, it's scary because it's the type of mod that will wither be the best you ever did to the truck or absolutely ruin it. LOL I really enjoy riding in my wife's open top Jeep so I'm looking forward to this mod I can survive it.

Rivman has finished his and wheeled at Dunefest a week or so ago so check his build thread. When I asked in the Dunefest thread about it he mentioned there was a lot of body flex now.

I would seriously consider an aftermarket cage kit over the OE roll bar, a full cage can be tied to the tub in several places to add strength and rigidity back to the body.
 
yeah ive read the few things on here about the conversion including the "how to" Im with you on it either being super awesome or basically ruining a truck. If I was to do it id probably re-sell the factory bar and buy a real bar setup and burn it in properly. i have poly mounts for body mounts now. I have the help and knowledge of a 35 yr body man at my disposal, i dont think the actual cutting off of the top would be that big of a deal, Im almost considering just doing the cuts and then getting a soft topper for it. Truck is not a daily and will be garaged. I also have a possible line on a complete donor truck (2wd).

Another part of me says screw it just finish the rest of the rig, and then think about this when its time for the paint and body work (next winter). Theres some other stuff id really like to do with the money, such as a standalone EFI, longer drive shafts etc.
 
Mine is also not a daily and it is garaged, as such I have no plans to buy a soft or hard top. I have read that a Jeep JK 4 door bikini top is roughly the right size for a Blazer so I plan to try that.

I can definitely see finishing the rest of the truck first, mine is a long way from being done and the top chop just created a big speed bump as it domino'd in to bedlining / roll cage / seats (with integrated seatbelts) and now possible paint. :doah:

Btw, if you decide to cut full frame doors to fit I have a few close up pics w/ measurements on my home computer I can post up.
 
blazinzuk said:
The one thing everyone forgets are the rocker boxes. Big boxes hidden by the rocker panels in the full vert models you gotta do some thing to stiffen the body.
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I'm hoping that by tying the cage to the body at every leg plus adding bolt on sliders I can accomplish similar rigidity in the tub.
 
awesome thanks nvenuf.

Really the whole impetuous behind this possible plan is the very first square body Blazer I saw was a full top 4x4 in a beautiful blue 73-75 that a guy drove around when i was a kid. I can close my eyes and see it now. Then my elementry school buddies mom drove a green and white 77-79 that was lifted.

Ive had a 91 K5, and now this 78, and I decided that i would build one really nice blazer incorporating all my favorite elements into one (full top, Green and white paint) and now possibly a full top conversion, and keep it the rest of my life (hopefully). I cant get the want for a full top out of my head. I couldn't find a decent full top Blazer in my budget although i did look long and hard. I personally will want either a hard top or a soft top for it due to the weather changing from where i live from perfect to HOLY SHIT its raining/cold/hot/snowing at the drop of the hat. If it was just me id probably go completely topless and never worry about it but I have a family that shares the Blazer experience.

At the end of the day, would you cut the top off again?
 
RubberFloorMat said:
awesome thanks nvenuf.

Really the whole impetuous behind this possible plan is the very first square body Blazer I saw was a full top 4x4 in a beautiful blue 73-75 that a guy drove around when i was a kid. I can close my eyes and see it now. Then my elementry school buddies mom drove a green and white 77-79 that was lifted.

Ive had a 91 K5, and now this 78, and I decided that i would build one really nice blazer incorporating all my favorite elements into one (full top, Green and white paint) and now possibly a full top conversion, and keep it the rest of my life (hopefully). I cant get the want for a full top out of my head. I couldn't find a decent full top Blazer in my budget although i did look long and hard. I personally will want either a hard top or a soft top for it due to the weather changing from where i live from perfect to HOLY SHIT its raining/cold/hot/snowing at the drop of the hat. If it was just me id probably go completely topless and never worry about it but I have a family that shares the Blazer experience.

At the end of the day, would you cut the top off again?
Click to expand...

Trust me, I understand the top thing. Sometimes I think I've lost my mind because I live in a city that ranks in the top 2 in the country for the most rainfall annualy - no roof or doors, of course. :doah: I don't think my wife and kids realize what they're in for. LOL Heat isn't always fun but we don't have much of a winter here so cold isn't an issue.

Would I do it again? Probably. I haven't driven it yet like this so I can't say for sure but I do love the open top feel in my wife's Jeep.
 
I'm a little warped here. I had a 75 for over 10 years and not once did I take the top off. Part of the issue is the rest of the tub was so rusty, though the rocker boxes were ok I thought it might implode with the top off. The other issue is a previous owner bored a 9/16 " hole in the driver's side A-pillar for a cop style spot light. It had been removed and the hole filled with silicone, but the crack that went almost all the way around bothered me.

I can tell you without a doubt my old 75 with the top on creaked and groaned way more than my 91 ever has. I'd bet I would have had a hard time closing the doors with the top off.

Mine did have the factory roll bar and the one in the picture does not match what I had. The factory bar has the kicker/diagonal bar much lower and could not be seen in the rear window directly from the side like that one would.

I ended up selling the top, doors, windshield header and door caps for $300 when I parted it out.

I'd definitely go for a full cage to get a better structure for the body.
 
I had a 73 and wheeled it for years. I replaced the rockers with 3x3 square tube welded to the body, and the rocker boxes. The body flexed about the same as my 89. Except no top to pop and scare you.

Mine did have a factory or period correct roll bar in it though, that may have helpef
 
I also used square tubing to rebuild my rotted rocker boxes on my 74. I tied them int what was left of the original boxes where they attach front and rear of cab.

Something else to look at is the condition of your front cab mount supports.

You will need additional support from front of cab to behind the front seats for support when you cut the top off in some form. A to B pillar.
The steel top is a double wall structure that adds regity.
Would be a good idea to add some A to B pillar support before you start cutting even if it's temp to keep all straight until you have the top on and weld the windshield frame.
There is some info in the tech section on a Vert conversion or was.

Yes when I took my top off before I rebuilt the rocker boxes the doors would sag.

The full Vert doors have different rear window tracks that mount different.

The aft door caps have a support inside the door to attach the caps to and add rigity.

I have not done a conversion but have done extensive rust repairs to my 74 that was like a wet noodle do to rot. Took some time to get it right again.
 
All I have rust wise is some dime size holes in drivers side rocker and at best a fist size hole on the floor, a smaller one on the pass side. Rest of the truck is rust free as I can tell.

If I was to do this conversion it would be in conjunction with floor patches and a full repaint and body repair job.

Appreciate the comments, keep em coming.
 
I'll be undertaking the same project soon. I just acquired the windshield frame but now I'm trying to find 73-75 doors and top but that's proving impossible around here. I may just go to the yard and find some decent doors and cut them. I'm just leery about doing it. I read somewhere that GM used to give templates to people when they bought replacement doors so the cut was correct. Has anyone ever seen one of these or better yet, does anyone have one of these templates?
 
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Cntymnty77 said:
I'll be undertaking the same project soon. I just acquired the windshield frame but now I'm trying to find 73-75 doors and top but that's proving impossible around here. I may just go to the yard and find some decent doors and cut them. I'm just Leary about doing it. I read somewhere that GM used to give templates to people when they bought replacement doors so the cut was correct. Has anyone ever seen one of these or better yet, does anyone have one of these templates?
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i heard the same from a older guy I know that has one, he had a template years ago, he said it was a thing but were talking 45 years past now. Probably impossible to find.
 
Cntymnty77 said:
Has anyone ever seen one of these or better yet, does anyone have one of these templates?
Click to expand...
There was someone on here MANY years ago that gave out some templates that he made, forget who it was. I had a set mailed to me. Unfortunately they're at my cabin 6 hrs away. I'll try to remember them next time I go.
 
For the 67-72's, the factory service manual has the steps for cutting down a set of truck doors. I'm guessing that isn't the case for the 73+ trucks?

I haven't dealt with a full vert 2nd gen yet, but it seems like most of the stuff has been covered. Body mounts in good shape, rocker boxes (or something close) windshield frame, doors. IIRC, there are a set of brass wedges/strikers on the door/b-pillar too.

For help doing the windshield frame, look to the 1st gen crowd. Pretty common rust area on those trucks. Not exactly the same, but the process is.


FWIW: I sold my 76 K5 and got into a 70 Jimmy. Haven't driven it yet so no comment on the convterable aspect....dove right into a frame off. Once the body goes back on and I get to the point where I can remove the top, it won't be going back on. Soft top....maybe but no hard top again.
 
rampage said:
There was someone on here MANY years ago that gave out some templates that he made, forget who it was. I had a set mailed to me. Unfortunately they're at my cabin 6 hrs away. I'll try to remember them next time I go.
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So did you say you were going to this cabin this weekend? Haha!
 
I'd consider cutting the factory roof off, capping what's left and running a soft topper. I don't think the softopper requires the factory '74 profile at the top of the windshield. When I did mine it turned into a "something else" too quick and I never did doors or even capped the top cut around the windshield frame.
 
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