Rawml's 64 Daily Driver Build

[Swerve]

So loving this build, on of the best builds for a long time !!!!! Well done on doing your own FG top.

[bosque]

Bumperettes do look stout.
Nice job on it all.

[RiverPatrol]

That's some amazing stuff! The custom hard top will be awesome.

[rawml]

I haven't built the mounts that attach to the bottom of the rollcage. Right now it is bolted to the tub with 1/2 grade 8 bolts. I plan to do that last because I want to make sure everything is aligned.

I have looked at different techniques to build the top piece. I will probably build a shell out of wood and bondo on the vehicle, coat it in aluminum foil and spray a mold release on it. This piece will look exactly like the final product. It won't matter what it's made of. I could then lay fiberglass over the aluminum foil. After the fiberglass hardens I can break up the plug and throw it in the trash. Using this technique would be faster and I would know it fits. I plan to spray a textured finish on the top piece which will save time with sanding.

The section that I find the most challenging is where the top attaches to the windscreen. The tops of the sides and the rear are all flat but the front is not. The top of the Patrol windscreen has a curved shape to it. This curve will make it necessary for me to build the top while sitting in place on the vehicle. I can coat the windscreen in a plastic sheet and aluminum foil, spray a crapload of mold release on it, then lay fiberglass over the top trying to keep it as smooth as possible. Once it hardens, I can do any buildup on the underside where it doesn't have to be smooth.

On my original hardtop, it is attached with a few large sheet metal screws from lip on the top of the wind screen to top. I am going to attach it from the hardtop to the windscreen. I found a company that makes hardtops for Land Rover Defenders. Their hardtops attach this exact way. Using this method I can run stainless steel bolts through the top and windscreen and bolt it together. Fiberglass will be a little more forgiving and easier to seal. The following picture is from their website. It shows the top bolted in place along with the texture I want. I can spray resin with a bedliner gun to get this texture.

[rawml]

I test fitted the fiberglass side pieces today with the original hardtop and it fits great. In the picture it looks like the top is riding too high but its because I have a large piece of cardboard on my rollcage to aid me in sliding it on. If I build my new top with the same height, I won't have to remove the rollcage padding. The black color on the white top is POR15. I used that to try to stop the rust but the rust was in the seams. I am going to try to build the base next weekend. I am going to flip the top over and use its base as my mold. That will ensure that the footprint of the top is exactly the same. There is a little shrinkage with fiberglass as it cures so I can make the base a little larger to have a good fit.



I found this picture on the internet of the Patrol used in the Simpson Desert crossing. I like the shape of the hardtop and its design is a little more simple to copy than the stock top.

[moore_rb]

Very cool project, and progress...

But ugh, fiberglass... itchy. takes me back to my Corvette days {shudder}

[rawml]

I wore tyvex coveralls when I sanded these side panels today. It kept everything from the neck down good, but my forehead is absolutely itching. Feels like a peeling sunburn. Robert, where in Arizona do you live? I grew up in Mesa.

[moore_rb]

I lived in Mesa for a long time - graduated Mountain View High in 87, and just moved to Gilbert last year.

[Esteban]

So loving this build, on of the best builds for a long time !!!!! Well done on doing your own FG top.

X2

Very interesting build, and a must follow one. You are a brave man. Congratulations, and thanks for sharing all your techniques. Good luck.

[rawml]

I started the top portion today. Built a mold out of OSB and sheet aluminum. I used the Coremat and tri-layer fiberglass material with matting on both sides. I is going to be heavy but solid. We got slammed with rain here in the Denver area and the temps dropped to the 50's, so the resin is not curing as fast as I had hoped. I am going to leave the top in the mold all night and break it apart and trim it in the morning.
I decided against trying to build the entire top section at once. The material is expensive and I think it would be easier to screw it up if I tried to do everything at once. I am going to build it in two pieces with this section as the rear. I think the forward section will be a little more challenging. I'm still trying to figure out how I can use the forward section as a pickup type cab.

This picture shows the rear half of the top (61"x47") with the rear on the right side of the picture. I didn't consider the bends when I bought the material. With the bends the surface space was 78"x 47" I ended up using half of the material dedicated for the front piece.