Howdy all. I'm buying a '72 that's in really good shape but the hard top was damaged in shipment to the current owner. Mountain West Customs in Vegas did the resto in '99 and put vinyl over the fiberglass and a headliner inside. There are two cracks: one near the driver's skull and one just about in the middle of the top. The curent owner pulled all the vinyl off to find the cracks and now it looks terrible because of all the adhesive (though it would look pretty good on my '91). I know quite a few of you are going to tell me to ditch it for a soft top! It has one but I just don't want to trash the hardtop. Any ideas on prices, techniques? Or should I try to snag one from the Island of Misfit Hardtops? How much and can I find another one? Thanks!
CK5
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Hard top repair
- Thread starter rhino389
- Start date
stallion85
1/2 ton status
Maybe post this in the body shop forum /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif I would think there would be some sort of puddy or bondo type stuff for fiberglass and you could fill in and sand down. Don't know, sorry /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
bouncytruck
1/2 ton status
Is it a single or a double wall top? If it is a single wall, it will bolt down from above the bed rails, a double wall bolts from under the bed rails.
Double walls are notorious for separating. If it is a double wall in bad shape, I'd hunt for a single wall to replace it. If it is a single wall, someone that repairs fiberglass should be able to fix it. A lot of people have taken their tops to boat repair shops.
Also, the vinyl on the top is not stock. Someone probably put it on there to cover the cracks. The top shoud be a textured, painted fiberglass surface.
If you don't thing the cracks are structural, you could try your hand at Fiberglass repair. If your thinking about dumping the top anyway, what do you have to lose?
Post some pics when you get a chance.
Double walls are notorious for separating. If it is a double wall in bad shape, I'd hunt for a single wall to replace it. If it is a single wall, someone that repairs fiberglass should be able to fix it. A lot of people have taken their tops to boat repair shops.
Also, the vinyl on the top is not stock. Someone probably put it on there to cover the cracks. The top shoud be a textured, painted fiberglass surface.
If you don't thing the cracks are structural, you could try your hand at Fiberglass repair. If your thinking about dumping the top anyway, what do you have to lose?
Post some pics when you get a chance.
js4x4
1/2 ton status
I dunno...I had a ramcharger, which had a steel top, but the rear lift gate was cracked. I tried to fiberglass it, and it just split again at the edges of the fiberglass patch. I thought about being clever, drilling out a trench of sorts and glassing in a stud to add friction while i had some sort of clamp on the outsides of the lift gate keeping it tight while it dried...but never got around to trying it. I think anything you do, if you off road it, the body flex will make it want to crack again in the same spot.(being the weakest link) I wouldn't take it someplace and spend a bunch of $$ on it personnally...heck, if nothin else make a channel 1/8+ deep and screw a plate in, and bondo over it....that was another thought i had for that lift gate.
