[hk2r]

I have a '63 FJ40 that I have been exploring top options for. Ours came with that funny looking top with the ribbed sides. Here's where I am having trouble. After removal of the hard top I found that the channels just beyond the doors where the front tubes for the hard top slide into are not flush with the body. In fact they are about 2.5"-3" tall. Has anyone ever seen this? If so, are there any other options for changing the top? I thought about simply cutting the channel off so that it is flush with the bosy so we can run a regular soft top. Any insight on this would be appreciated. I don't know if all of the cruisers with this type of ribbed top had this elongated channel or not, I've certainly never seen anything like it. Help.

 

[60seriesguy]

Yup, that's normal for early Cruisers, not just the hardtop but also the softtop ones. What you may want to consider doing is trimming those posts so that you can run a later-model hardtop, that way you don't limit your options just to an aftermarket top.

 

[texican]

I installed a soft top on one like you are describing, I cut those sections off, and fabbed a plate with a hole for the soft top bracket to fit into. Migged it in place....
Butch

 

[orangefj45]

corrigated tops kick ass!

 

[hk2r]

Texican, what soft top did you put on? Just for reference, do you have any pictures? Does it fit snug, etc.? Thanks.

 

[Landpimp]

Yup, that's normal for early Cruisers, not just the hardtop but also the softtop ones. What you may want to consider doing is trimming those posts so that you can run a later-model hardtop, that way you don't limit your options just to an aftermarket top.

Whats odd is my 65 w/ corrigated top does not(as far as I can tell) have the post(like on a fj25) the top has never been off mine.

 

[Landpimp]

corrigated tops kick ass!

there are 3 for sale in the WA Auto Trader this week, one looks pretty sweet. The other comes in a package deal of 3 fj40's, a 63, 71, 77 all for $4k. I forget the other one. But there sure are a shitload of Cruisers for sale right now in WA, tons of fj60's and 40's

 

[rick d]

(john- see this is where yours helps out)
Toyota pn FJ25LD-63101 is the FJ40 RH upper with cut out for high jamb tub.
this is based on Mr Holmass' June 1962 parts book which is currently on loan here at the Toyota Part Number Information Centre (TPNIC).
Toyota pn FJ40LD-63101 is RH upper WITHOUT cut out from Nov 1962 parts book. Poor revision codes don't show which frame number change. I can tell you from the Nov 1967 final book that the corrogated non cut out ended with frame number FJ4036364 whence the top became the smooth side version.

who cares, cut the pillar off and use a regular hard top or ehsan top.

 

[60seriesguy]

Can y'all picture Rick D. holed up in a cave-like room, computer on one side, microfiche reader on the other, stacks of old, obscure Toyota parts books scattered around him, post-it notes and frame diagrams on bar napkins all around him?

You know you're a Cruiser guru when Marv Spector calls to consult, and you know he can get some deals when he recently hooked up the manager of a Toyota dealer parts department with some rare stuff! :flipoff2:

 

[Landpimp]

(john- see this is where yours helps out)
Toyota pn FJ25LD-63101 is the FJ40 RH upper with cut out for high jamb tub.
this is based on Mr Holmass' June 1962 parts book which is currently on loan here at the Toyota Part Number Information Centre (TPNIC).
Toyota pn FJ40LD-63101 is RH upper WITHOUT cut out from Nov 1962 parts book. Poor revision codes don't show which frame number change. I can tell you from the Nov 1967 final book that the corrogated non cut out ended with frame number FJ4036364 whence the top became the smooth side version.

who cares, cut the pillar off and use a regular hard top or ehsan top.

Frame # on my 65 is FJ4036041, so what that mean?

John h

 

[Landpimp]

Can y'all picture Rick D. holed up in a cave-like room, computer on one side, microfiche reader on the other, stacks of old, obscure Toyota parts books scattered around him, post-it notes and frame diagrams on bar napkins all around him?


LOL....I sure can picture that


But you pretty much discribed my dinning room, which is wall papered in high quailty color copies(scans) of old Cruiser literature, piles of old lit, parts books, manuals, the computer monitor is covered with business cars and numbers of Toyota suppliers, there are phone and part numbers writen on the sides of the monitor, Cruiser toys are mounted to the top as well, my remote controll fj40 sits under the table so I can chase the god around when I want.....I moved the HUGE printing fisch to the back room just recently.....

On my cell phone(only phone) #1 speed dial is my Toyota parts guy!

John H

 

[rick d]

JH-
if you have FJ4036363 you should have a corrugated top.
If you have FJ4036364 you will have a non corrugated top

having FJ4036041 you have a corrugated top.

that breakdown in terms of a cut version (tall pillar) vs non cut (like yours) is not shown in any of the books of the period. We can say that sometime between Jun and Nov of 1962 on the assembly line they stopped the tall pillar type tubs. If you have a june production (like morgan fletcher's or somewhere in there) you have the cuts. By November of same year you won't find the tall pillars.

When you can find revision codes they nail the changes down to one frame number on the assembly line. 1983 LHD bolt in dash FJ40359793 will have it, ...792 won't from the Honsya plant. (Toyota VIN's for US trucks have the JT3F40...precode- we are only talking the frame here.)

and HC-
I have a 18th century beat up desk that's 4' x 6' with and imac, bills, pencil/pen cup, and a telephone and cheap ass lexmark (junk) 3 in 1 printer- and the room is well lit. The books are sitting on a Walmart bookcase in the corner next to this ole dark, dark, green tool box with Holmass' et al business cards in it. There is no room for the fiche reader on the floor.

 

[proffitt'scruisers]

question

Has anyone ever seen a stock, or dealer option, hatch on the back part of the fiberglass of an early top?

A rig that I am working on right now has one and it looks stock. The opener is the same as the early "bug catcher" wing window.

I've got three other early tops and none of 'em have one.

 

[Landpimp]

Re: question

Has anyone ever seen a stock, or dealer option, hatch on the back part of the fiberglass of an early top?

A rig that I am working on right now has one and it looks stock. The opener is the same as the early "bug catcher" wing window.

I've got three other early tops and none of 'em have one.

No not in any of the early parts books I have or in pics, sounds intereresting however. I think Rick D told me it's a pretty easy swap, latter hatch in place of Bi-fold)

Speaking of the rear hatch(bi-fold), I have seen one(on ebay last year) that had the upper and lower windows, not just the upper, it looked stock but I can't find any info on it, my guess was someone just took an extra upper glass and cut the bottom and installed it...looked nice.

 

[60seriesguy]

That's a fairly common modification, John, but it's not stock, the bifold upper hatch only ever came with one window, on the top section. Since visibility pretty much BLOWS, people added either a second OEM upper glass or an aftermarket window, I've seen some pretty cheesy ones including a half-glass, on the driver's side of the bottom section of the bi-fold.

 

[proffitt'scruisers]

No not in any of the early parts books I have or in pics, sounds intereresting however. I think Rick D told me it's a pretty easy swap, latter hatch in place of Bi-fold)

This hatch is on the roof, like a sunroof, but only about 6"X10"

I have two hatches with the dual windows but didn't know that wasn't stock... interesting

 

[60seriesguy]

Jeremiah, you mean the little pop-up hatch on the top (near the back) of the old corrugated hardtops? I've seen a few of them up close, on a 1962 and an 1963... I was under the impression that the latch is unobtanium, but I could be wrong.