So after getting my first 1st Gen 4Runner I knew I wanted a soft top. I already knew they were expensive and I really wanted the Canback. The price was just really hard to justify. So, after thinking it over and because of an old thread on Pirate I decided to try modifying a factory hardtop. Below you will see a before and after. I have some pics of in between that I can post up. It really wasn't very hard, just time consuming. I had not worked with fiberglass or bondo a whole lot before so this was pretty new. I used an old road construction sign for the metal to fill in the rear window openings and used bondo hair and bondo to smooth it out. I left the bottom support on the bed rails on unlike the Pirate thread because I want to try and attach vinyl windows via snaps to this location on the bottom. Anyway, see what you think.

Chris

 

This is the exact thing I have been contemplating doing to my spare hard top. I?ll be interested to see how you cinch the vinyl down to keep it from flapping in the wind. Nice work.

 

I am going to talk to someone local who works with tops and see if I can get any betters ideas. But, I was thinking something along the lines of snaps, common sense fasteners, or velcro.

 

Looks good to me!!! nice work man!! Any regrets, things you would have done differently if you had it to do over again?

 

I plan on doing something similar except adding a frame inside the opeing with a removeable Lexan window in it. That way it can still be locked up tight and still be open when needed.

 

You'll need a gutter strip with an attachment strip with snaps coming out from under it.

 

I looked at this thread over and over again and based pretty much everything on this since I couldn't find anything else. I had in mind also trying to use some Lexan for windows, and may have come up with an idea tonight. I need to try and find some Lexan and see the different thicknesses. One thing I might do different would be to try and leave some of the angled piece that is in between the two windows. But really the whole point was to make it as open as possible, otherwise it would be just like taking the windows out only.

 

Here's a few more of that truck

 

I love that setup, very nice work.

 

whoa!..... <mouth drops open> very nice . unique

 

Has anyone else done this? Is there a write up on it somewhere? I tried to find it on pirate. any help would be appreciated

 

Hmmm. Interesting. I have a spare top that the glass is out off. I was going to cut it up. Maybe it's time for some experimentation.

 

did cdbridges1 ever finish this project?

 

Sure did. I actually just took it off this morning and was searching here for the order of bolt installation. I do have some pictures of the windows snapped on, I think they may be on my pc at work. I will look for them and get them posted. The windows turned out pretty well. It is getting cold here so I thought while it was a nice day I would go ahead an swith them out.

 

cool, post some pics when you can

 

That's nice....that was a big difference going from those first pics to those more current ones...haha.

Do you have any other pics of the truck now...just curious to see it overall.

 

I only had this one pic at the office. I couldn't find the panel end molding the guy used on shown above so it took me a while to figure out something I could use. I ended up using lawn edging, imagine that, had many uses! I wanted the part that goes down into the ground basically. I cut the pointed arrow looking bottom off and screwed it down the sides. This way the windows tuck up inside the point and the water runs with off. You can't really tell that from this picture. The windows also came out a little short as you can see there are no snaps on the ends, but that has been fixed now. Hope this picture helps.

 

looks good! I'm going to have to start mine soon.