Single or dual wall top

[Meangreen1]

Advice on Blazer tops. I happen to have one dual and one single wall tops. Both are in okay shape but the single is bowing. Which top is better? And why.

I will look to the collective knowledge on this site to help me out.

Thanks

 

[ekajkrats]

I think the collective response you will get is that single wall top is better. The main reason I see is that you can bolt it down from the top. So if you have sides with speakers, or just to give the interior a finished look, you don't have to take that off each time you want to bolt/unbolt the hardtop. Other reasons, less important to me, is that they have interior lights, they weigh slightly less.

Overall single wall tops are more desired by 1st gen owners, but what is really hard to get your hands on is a hatch in great shape.

You'll also get the response from other owners on here to just ditch the hard top and go softop and convertable. There are stages to this theory, as I am sure someone will share. I'm still in denial and have my single wall stowed on the side of my house. But it has not gone back on since I took it off, and also bought a soft top.

-Jacob

 

[Meangreen1]

What do people do with the top bowing? That's what bothers me the most to be honest.

 

[ekajkrats]

How bad is it bowing? Just read that single wall tops have "strips" (one guy reports they are wood) running through the top to keep it from sagging (none-the-less it still does happen, just less so than the double). Maybe something was set on yours for a time and caused the wood to crack and the sag to be there? Mine has a square hole cut in it, and a cheap repair. So I can't speak to how bad it sags naturally, but I see waves in it from a bad fiberglass repair.

Here is a thread on 67 about the tops that may interest you:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=518847

Post 4 has schematics and Post 12 is a repaired single wall that he just decided to coat as best as possible and live with a little sag.

Some of the guys on here might have more ideas. Also a couple guys (not first gen owners) work on boats and are familiar with fiberglass repair.

 

[Meangreen1]

How bad is it bowing? Just read that single wall tops have "strips" (one guy reports they are wood) running through the top to keep it from sagging (none-the-less it still does happen, just less so than the double). Maybe something was set on yours for a time and caused the wood to crack and the sag to be there? Mine has a square hole cut in it, and a cheap repair. So I can't speak to how bad it sags naturally, but I see waves in it from a bad fiberglass repair.

Here is a thread on 67 about the tops that may interest you:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=518847

Post 4 has schematics and Post 12 is a repaired single wall that he just decided to coat as best as possible and live with a little sag.

Some of the guys on here might have more ideas. Also a couple guys (not first gen owners) work on boats and are familiar with fiberglass repair.

Thanks for the info. I wonder if body fill would work. I'll take a picture to show how much its sagging.

 

[bp71k5]

Single wall should sag less and is worth more. You sure you don't have them mixed up?

 

[Meangreen1]

No, there is 2 spots where it's done about a half of an inch or so.

 

[bp71k5]

No, there is 2 spots where it's done about a half of an inch or so.

Ok, a half inch is nothing. Usually the double walls sag a couple inches over big areas. If it's a small spot, you can use fiberglass filler. Neither top is worth all that much except for people kinda "new" to k5's. I gave away my double wall top for ~$25 and it had a working hatch. I sold the single wall to a guy who said he was going to cut it up to make a half top out of it.