carignad

So the tranny dropped out of my 3rd gen about a month ago and while i was staring at it as it sat in my driveway, I got this crazy idea. Ive been lurking yotatech, pirate, ttora etc etc etc and i have seen a lot of 4runner chops. They all come out looking really nice and they seem relatively easy to figure out and complete.

All those guys doing the rear end chop, but no one doing a full roof chop. Im gonna be the first one! YESSS!!! So, as I sit at home, work, etc and daydream non-stop about how im going to go about this, I think Ive come up with a pretty decent plan and wanted to run it by all the experts on here. So here goes...

I havent had a chance to do any real planning and figuring on the truck itself, but ive gone through a lot of scratch paper and done a lot of mind bending on how to go about this. Im thinking that i cut the front end of the roof just a little ways from the windshield (6-10" for example) and chop the rest at the door pillars and all the way down the sides under the rear windows.

Before everyone starts yelling about loss of rigidity and stability, hear me out. Like I said, I havent really looked at this in regards to actually going out to the truck, but im thinking that welding a steel box to the bottom of the door pillar on the chopped roof and having it slip inside the hacked bottom half, with tension fasteners on both the inside and the outside of the pillar along with some bolts or locking pins to keep it solid, could be a pretty good fix to this. So basically use the bottom half of the pillar as a sleeve that the boxed roof-side pillar would slide into.

Also, to secure the roof to the windshield side, one tension fastener on the inside, directly in the middle and one tension fastener on the outside of each a-pillar would secure that down pretty well. for the rear, 2 tension fasteners on each side of the cargo area to hold the ass-end in place.

So when the roof comes off, a tube rollcage will replace it. The windshield, door pillar and cargo area will all be set up exactly the same as on the full roof with the tension fasteners, so that we can still maintain the rigidity of the door pillars.

As for the sunroof controls and all the other electrical, i figure that by splicing some wire quick disconnects onto the affected wiring, i could still maintain the use of the sunroof, lighting etc. For the cargo hatch, some quick pin disconnects could be rigged up in place of the stock hinges so that when it comes time to take the full roof off, you disengage the pins and set the rear hatch aside.

Im also thinking of making half doors for the front and making some 3/4 doors for the rear (full door but cut out the glass and window frame). Its gonna take some time, skill and ingenuity, but i think i can make it work. If anyone sees any potential problems here, dont hesitate to post up your opinion and let me know, I want as much input and info on this as I can get to make it as successful as I possibly can.

Thanks and dont be afraid to be harsh! Ive got thick skin, I can take it!

jswizz

Gt'r Done , Sounds cool I'd like to see that . I love my 85 4runner with the top off .

stockwell45

iTrader: (1)

If your gonna be cutting the roof 6-10 inches from the windshield, how are you going to be retaining the use of the sunroof?

Just hack the sunroof controls out, and retain the map lights.

carignad

Thanks! I think Im gonna wait till spring to get started on it, but if it stays as warm as its been, I may just start sooner! When I get things going, ill post up pics as it goes along!

carignad

I might just do that. Like I said, I havent done any mock up or measuring as of yet. Once I get that done, I can decide whether or not to leave the sunroof alone or try to make it usable. In the end, Im only going to have the top on during the cold season, so the sunroof will be useless anyway. I actually hadnt thought of that till now, thanks for the insight.

ThatGuy1295

Thats the dumbest thing I've ever..... Just kidding. Sounds cool.

Like a convertible? Your gonna keep the windshield right?
You should do a roll bar and some camo netting like the jeeps on Jarasic park III but way cooler.

ThatGuy1295

YA Those thing were in serious need of.... well lots. Shackle reversal, better springs, less fenders (i mean were they goin for mpg's or cool), less frame sticking out the front, ect.....

carignad

Thats actually exactly what I was going for haha! I scrounged some camo netting when I was overseas in afghanistan and my plan was to make a roll up top to go over the roll bar!

BMcEL

*Waiting impatiently.

ThatGuy1295

Dude!! bad a.. Ive always wanted to build one, just have a.d.d. and not the type of diff,, and could never decide on the look. Somthin that makes most people wonder if theres an invasion or something when they see it goin down the road.
Just really like the tactical look. But not just the look, its gotta function to as capable.

With ya on this one, Ill put some thought into it with ya.

carignad

That settles it. Im gonna start measuring and mocking tomorrow haha! Im glad that theres so much support for this, i think its gonna turn out really great!

carignad

haha now that you mention it, maybe ill spray it flat olive drab

wii_tarded

To retain rigidity, why not build the full interior cage and do a bar (like on some of the old mustangs) from one side to the other. You could do one at the B pillar, one behind the back seats, and then angle it down to the corner of the cargo area
____
/ | |\ something like that.

carignad

thats a pretty decent idea and it might be a pretty good solution to the issue. Im gonna this in mind when I start

Numbchux

Rigidity? It's got a frame.....the body doesn't support anything but itself.


Cut away!

carignad

I guess i did word it incorrectly in the original posting. What im really trying to say is that Im not so much worried about integrity as much as I am worried about protection. If I chop it all off and make it a smooth line all the way down, whats to stop me from becoming a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a rollover haha! I guess what I mean is that I still want a hard point for a roll cage with the roof off and still be able to maintain the full roof lines when its on.

As Im saying this all i can think of is the early broncos haha!

ThatGuy1295

Ya interior cage sounds good. You could copy the design of the roll bar in the older 4runners and work forward to the windshield. Do a big X in the top. Somthin to zip tie all that camo netting to

And lights... lots of lights on the roll bar, piaa's or somthin. mount a couple of axes to the sides somewhere. Ya startin to look mean in my brain drawing.

carignad

bahahaha!!! yeah, i should find a few 5 gallon jerry cans and throw those on the sides while im at it haha!

seriously tho, ive got a sweet axe set that I also got overseas thats going to find its way on there

ThatGuy1295

Niice..You should post a pic of the rig. Bet you'll get someone on here to photshop-chop it for fun.

Fireball81

This conversation kinda reminds me of being 15 and standing on the bridge and all talking about what a great idea it is that one of us is gonna jump.

Just kidding man. I think it's a great idea my kids fight over the back seat when I have the topper off. And if your gonna put a cage in it that would be perfect. The only thing I have noticed as far as when I have my top off is when I go down bumpy roads the cab seems to shake side to side. It makes me worry about my windshield. It feels kinda like jello wobbling on a plate if that makes sense.?.?.

If you have welding skills and time I have no doubt that you can pull it off with the support on this site.