Hard Top CutOut
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Hard Top CutOut
So my buddy is sitting right here with me...gave me the COOLEST idea ever. We're gunna cut the top( the actual top not the whole back section, just the roof) off my bronco and put a plexiglass window up there! Dude how kickin would that be? chicks would dig it too.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Wheatland, Mo
Wow....maybe I shouldn't of replied to your other post. How sturdy do you want your Bronco to be? Plexis glass? Why not just cut the whole roof off and be done with it. You know...I think I heard of these new fangled things that you can install. I think they are called Sunroof's or something like that. Even come with a piece of paper called ummm....Instructions! yea that's it!
Maybe it is a good thing you bought it at "El Cheapo Rides". At least if you butcher it up, you wouldn't have lost too much $$ if your "cutting" goes bad.
Maybe it is a good thing you bought it at "El Cheapo Rides". At least if you butcher it up, you wouldn't have lost too much $$ if your "cutting" goes bad.
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lol no man im putting a sun roof over the front seats....i think it woulda been cool with a bronco where you can look straight up at the sky ...like if its raining or something? ya know? eventually im gunna DIY linning through out the whole inside compartment. When cutting the roof i was gunna have about 6-8 inches away from the sides and have it sealed and proffessionally installed. We kno a guy who will do just bout anything for us at a decent price. its nott gunn be too hard, i dont think. and we arent really gunna butcher it just make it...custom? different... i dunno these are just ideas. What i really want to do is take the whole back off with a highly durable roll cage and new suspension with a new engine trany etc and turn it into a Baja lookin kind of 4x4. Thats what i really want to do to it. But johnny b and i are just throwing ideas out and seeing what kind of reactions we would get at certain ideas.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
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From: Bonita Springs FL
I think it's a pretty cool idea, as long as it doesn't leak. People take the tops completely off, and it's got a steel frame under it, so it's not as if you need the roof to hold the vehicle together.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Gateway to the West
Why bother with a piece of plex or glass or anything? I did this with a spare top for mine...
The aluminum ribs in the third photo are sewn inside the black vinyl tent fabric that makes up the rain cover. They keep it from fluttering in the wind when the truck is moving. There are more pics of this top in my gallery "Old TOPic... new twist"
The aluminum ribs in the third photo are sewn inside the black vinyl tent fabric that makes up the rain cover. They keep it from fluttering in the wind when the truck is moving. There are more pics of this top in my gallery "Old TOPic... new twist"
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New User
Joined: Apr 2006
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Well the idea is to still have the ability to look straight up and see the sky raining or not. I man how cool would it be to just chill in the back of ur bronco with ur girl look up at the night sky and still be comfy? I mean yea sounds sappy... but if it starts raining...you can still watch...or make out...or..do the dirty... see where im getting at?
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Gateway to the West
Oi vei! yeah, ok... word of advice, skip the plexi idea if you intend for it to last out in the elements. Any plastic exposed to the elements especially on a relatively flat surface like that will fall victom to the effects the crud in the rain, the tree branches, bird droppings, the dirt and subsequent soap washings have on such materials. A polycarbonate sheet will withstand the most pounding but an acrylic sheet will withstand being washed with rain and soap repeatedly without clouding. If you really want somethng that will not end up being impossible to get anything but light through after about a year, go for a sheet of Cast Acrylic. This is what is most often used in replacing windows. Its a bit heavier but it will withstand a lot more punishment over time.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Gateway to the West
Another option, and I can't take full credit as my mother mentioned it to me, would be to do the modifications as I did and instead of making the rain cover out of an opaque material, make it out of clear vinyl like the material used to make tent windows or bimini tops for boats. The material could be sewn the same way and you'd have the option of "stargazing" or whatever with or without the rain cover in place. Mom did all the sewing on the top shown above and is currently making the zip-out clear vinyl side windows for the same top. Heck you could even make the support ribs across the middle out of 1/4" clear acrylic stock so you would have a fully unobstructed view!
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 228
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From: USA_NY
I just got thrown from the rear of a Ramcharger so I know....I like the idea..Pics look fantastic..But I think your passengers would be too tempted to stand up in there...Id end up playing Paint ball in it.......
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Gateway to the West
Well, just so the record is clear, my passengers follow MY rules in MY truck or they aren't MY passengers. Its actually safer than running without the top if you consider that the Bronco in the photos is a 93 so the rear seat passengers still have their shoulder belts, Removing the top all together in a 92-96 negates the use of the rear outboard shoulder-strap seatbelts unless you have a roll cage or something fabricated to mount the shoulder link above like they are when the top is on. This was the primary reason for making this top. I have more than one friend (yeah, believe it or not, I do) and I wanted some way to keep them belted yet still have the open-road feel that comes with having the top removed. Its not the same really but its peace of mind and makes for easy covering if the weather turns ugly.
Last edited by greystreak92; May 1, 2006 at 12:32 AM.