I have a pickup truck gate on my K5, The back window pannel will be able to work with both stock and pickup tail gates, Atleast thats the plan.
CK5
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Intrested in soft tops for K5's? looking into Manufacturing them. update post 118
- Thread starter rdn2blazer
- Start date
I have a pickup truck gate on my K5, The back window pannel will be able to work with both stock and pickup tail gates, Atleast thats the plan.
supersize75k5
OrganDonorRacing.com
I cant see why people are so against drilling the tailgate, you can seal it with a multitude of products, it really would be the most attractive way to do it, most blazers on here and in general do not fall in the pristine category..
Subscribed. Also interested in one but cost is a big deal.
I got my top off for the first time since building my yet, still uncompleted cage. I can atleast get the soft top on now and document the changes, and take photo's to sent to the top manufacturer. Yet another small step forward. Going to get the top shipped to the company in the next week or two to start disection it for paterns and what not. Top will go on tomorrow. A couple pics of the top off.
rjpastor
1/2 ton status
Nice looking cage. Keep us posted on the top.
Anybody here with one of the fancy factory K5 soft tops of the 70's? How did the factory attach the top in the rear gate area?
I used to know a guy who had a sub 20k mi 1976 K5 with the factory soft top. Actually, I still know him, I just havn't talked to him in many years, he was my boss at a job I had 20 years ago, whenever I'm around there, I stop in and say hi, mabey next time I'm up there, I'll ask him if he still has his K5 and how it was attached there.
If you look at how alot of tonneau covers are attached to pickups, they generally have a alum. from that goes all around around the bed with the snaps in it, if you get a piece of channel there to bridge across the tailgateopening, that might work. Just some ideas.
I used to know a guy who had a sub 20k mi 1976 K5 with the factory soft top. Actually, I still know him, I just havn't talked to him in many years, he was my boss at a job I had 20 years ago, whenever I'm around there, I stop in and say hi, mabey next time I'm up there, I'll ask him if he still has his K5 and how it was attached there.
If you look at how alot of tonneau covers are attached to pickups, they generally have a alum. from that goes all around around the bed with the snaps in it, if you get a piece of channel there to bridge across the tailgateopening, that might work. Just some ideas.
Actually, looking on Dr. Emu's site, there's a decent picture of one, it looks like it was drilled into the gate.
Bringing a channel across the top of the tailgate may not work to seal against the top of the tailgate and still let the tailgate open. It would work better with a truck gate because that windown never goes down all the way on a K5 and you have the weatherstrips to deal with. If the channel is "fixed" to the bedside rails, then you can't really load large items into the back without taking the rail apart.
One solution is a channel attached to the tailgate with 3M body molding foam tape. This stuff stays attached very well, but can be removed with some heat and patience later.
Something could also be integrated into the rear window portion of the top that stiffens that bottom edge and presses weatherstripping against the tailgate. This bottom edge would have to attach to the side of the top after you close the window.
What do you guys think of color options for the Bow tubes? there is Red, Blue, Orange, Green, Yellow, Black, Silver, and White. Or I can just go across the board Black, or Silver.
Never Satisfied
1/2 ton status
Black
carpeonnel
1/2 ton status
Silver or Black personally, but I don't know how many people would really be interested in the wide variety of bow tube colors. I say keep it basic with silver or black. I think both would look equally good
I probably will just go with Black unless Silver is cheaper for some reason.
Silver or natural finish would probably be better. Then you don't have to paint it.
Are you talking about using steel tubing or some sort of aluminum or stainless. If steel, it has to be painted and I would only give two options to this to keep costs down and go with a painted BLACK or leave it unfinished and let us paint or powercoat to our liking. IMO, the fewer "custom' options there are the less expensive it is to produce and to buy.
Hoby
The tube I will use is EMT Electrical Conduit Steel tube. That's what Specialty Top Company used. I will be using one size up bigger tube for better rididity in the top. The EMT tube comes Galvanized usually. The EMT tube I want to use comes in what is like a powder coat finish allready. The Silver is like a Silvervain finish. The Black is like a Semigloss Black or a Mat Black, It hard to tell from the picture what it actually is, but either way it look cool.
rjpastor
1/2 ton status
Keep it simple. If you get into colors, the wives will want input!
Well I finally got the STC Soft Top installed on my K5. Im very disapointed in the fit of the top. How it fits around the upper corners of the driver and passenger doors. The way the Zippers are a PITA to get to. How there is no Velcro for the Top overlapping flap to velcro to the side once its zipped in place. Obviously the tail gate mounting point is an issue and has been discussed. It must not have if possible no drilling required to attach the back window pannel to the tail gate.
This top is fairly old and in worse shape then I thought. It has more tears then I expected or realized. The plastic Channels sewn to the top that lock into the Aluminum Channels are stiff and kinked so they are difficult to get into the channel. They have been folded so some are closed shut which again makes it tough to install. Ofcourse new plastic will be much better.
The door framing is going to be a challenge to get fabricated up. I want to have a much better design this this for sure. The Bow mounting holes dont line up at all with anything. I would have to drill all new holes for the bows.
I want the Bows to be installed first to the mounting hardware, the top put on and attached to the edge trim, then the bows raised to where they make the top taught then attach to the top. then the framing for the doors installed. I hope it will be that simple.
This top is fairly old and in worse shape then I thought. It has more tears then I expected or realized. The plastic Channels sewn to the top that lock into the Aluminum Channels are stiff and kinked so they are difficult to get into the channel. They have been folded so some are closed shut which again makes it tough to install. Ofcourse new plastic will be much better.
The door framing is going to be a challenge to get fabricated up. I want to have a much better design this this for sure. The Bow mounting holes dont line up at all with anything. I would have to drill all new holes for the bows.
I want the Bows to be installed first to the mounting hardware, the top put on and attached to the edge trim, then the bows raised to where they make the top taught then attach to the top. then the framing for the doors installed. I hope it will be that simple.
more pics
Cant have snaps at the corners. Needs to fit better so the door can open and close without having to hold the material up. 3rd pic, need velcro to hold down the flap. 4th/5th pic, door binds on the framing.
Cant have snaps at the corners. Needs to fit better so the door can open and close without having to hold the material up. 3rd pic, need velcro to hold down the flap. 4th/5th pic, door binds on the framing.
Looks like a PITA for the full tops.
I gotta know about the wagon on the roof though.
I gotta know about the wagon on the roof though.
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