Home brew hard top

[Csm Davis]

Okay, the HET look is cool!!

Jeff, do you happen to have a couple of pictures of the top of the HET? It seems that it's flat, making me wonder what way water would go. I don't want it coming toward the doghouse. If the center has a slight crown, it would drain to the side. I definitely don't want a "pool".

If it were higher on the front (than the windshield), it might make an interesting place for some lights. Same thing in back (for lights). It sure would make forming easier if the front and back had a duck-bill and I used the square lines of the HET. I would still roll the back to match the cab. Making a side overhang would not be out of place either.

Do you happen to have a back window (military surplus)?

I think it is board flat, which is how mine will be with just an inch of drop to the front and the side slopes will have a inch or so over hang past the windows so no rain gutter needed. The back window on mine will not open and probably have a mesh wire or expanded metal cover. Mine will be taller than stock, tired of bumping my head, and to clear the ROPS kit I plan on doing, my front windshield will be taller than stock also and non-folding or opening. I do think I will put some lights under my visor area.



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[74M35A2]

Hats off to somebody doing that much cab work, but I do like the look of post #11 as a favorite. Back seat without 4 door, all of it, perfect.

 

[Csm Davis]

I looked at the 931 with the idea of a HET style roof. It would seem to fit well, but I'm wondering about incorporating a roll bar. One solid place that is available on both my 931 and 929 is right behind the cab at the top of the frame. It could be really solid there, especially integrating in diagonal bracing to the outside top corner, but there would be no flex. Something would give in the connection to the cab.

A good place to mount on the front appears to be the windshield hinge mount. I'm thinking to remove the hinge and make a plate to go in it's place (3/8 CR), has about a 10* angle, and the roll bar tube attached. Then the HET shape (straight lines) really becomes an advantage. The front windows would still open, but the entire assembly would not fold down. The fold down feature hardly seems worth preserving for a hard top, when it appears to be about the strongest point(s) at the front of the cab.

If we want to preserve the cab flex, I guess I will have to mount the top and roll bar to the back of the cab, not frame. I hope you guys have some ideas about mounting a top (roll bar) frame. Maybe a C shape at a cab reinforcement. I'm thinking the roll bar tube will mount on the outside of the cab, not inside, giving just a little bit of back head room at the height of the cab back.

Interestingly (perhaps to this tops detriment), it appears to use the window and door frames from the soft top just fine.

If you are going to build a ROPS dont try to tie it back into the frame, at some point in a crash you want the cab to rip loose from the weight of the rest of the truck it isn't like a 5000 pound car or pickup that the ROPS can support completely. You can build a heavy headache rack to help in a roll over situation. The Franken trucks and uparmored trucks weren't tied back to the frame but did use stronger mounts bit same types. They also reinforced the floors heavily.

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[red]

Those people in Europe doing the truck challenges with the Tatra's and all that, can't tell if their roll cage is tied into the frame or just the cab.

Either a reinforced cab or just a roll bar/headache rack attached to the frame would be a nice improvement. I really like the visor idea, interested to see what yall come up with.

 

[Jbulach]

...If I perfect it without getting too much $$$$ invested, maybe try to sell a few...

...I have a manual plate roll available that I need to bring home to make them look like OEM round, but the shape of a soft top, which would accomidate a bar, would just need broken corners.

Sounds like a lot of people like the boxier lines of the HET.

If nothing else, if you have a decent roll, and you could get it set up perfect, you could crank out a batch of the back, vertical corners, cheaper than the local shops trying to get the radius right, that would be the biggest, pain saver for most of us!
You could ship these out in a box vs freight for the entire top, then we can build the rest to suit.

 

[Jbulach]

Then again, I'm thinking maybe just square those corners as well, and make simple filler plates for the round cab to square top transition, then I could even simply box the corners of the cab to match, if it looks bad?

 

[Csm Davis]

Those people in Europe doing the truck challenges with the Tatra's and all that, can't tell if their roll cage is tied into the frame or just the cab.

Either a reinforced cab or just a roll bar/headache rack attached to the frame would be a nice improvement. I really like the visor idea, interested to see what yall come up with.

Tatra's have a lot more room in the cab than we do also.

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[tobyS]

I liked the photoshop #11 also. Looks like a small sleeper and had me looking at the spare tire spot and maybe moving the muffler.

 

[74M35A2]

Yeah, except I'll take it in left hand drive please (not right).

Here it is, not done with a mouse: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?126253-5-Ton-HET

I would pay bucks to have this grafted onto mine in a heartbeat. He did a beautiful job. We have some artists here.

 

[red]

Tatra's have a lot more room in the cab than we do also.

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That they do. On our trucks (especially the older 5 tons and deuce) there's really not enough room in the cab for a roll cage. Personally I think a roll bar mounted behind the cab, attached to the frame, would be the best option economically. Like the pipeline trucks. Would require modification of the spare tire carrier if installing one of those. on the wreckers it could be built into the bed pretty easily.

The visor idea would be very nice, as would some extra head room. Maybe keep the height of the hard top the same as what is in the rear, no downward slope at all. Extend about 6-8" past the front of the windshield with a light bar mounted to the underside of the visor. That would keep the light bar from obstructing the main line of sight, better rain protection, and keeps with the body lines better.

 

[Csm Davis]

Why are you guy's against a small slope to the front? It will keep water from standing and will avoid looking like the Franken trucks.

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[tobyS]

I'm not Jeff. My plan includes a front visor going down and I'm trying to have a bend line, not a piece welded to it. I do plan a crease in the middle (front to back), so the forming is a one shot deal and one fold must be made before the other, I think.

The taper that the cab has will result in a big overhang at the front of the (side) window on mine, because the top formed steel is going to be near parallel on the outside, front to back. The cab tapers about 4" front corner to back corner, I think.

I'm starting with a 5 x 10' sheet of 10 gauge for the one piece top.

I've just finished rebuilding my clients shear which had to be done while they were on vacation, so don't have pictures of parts yet. First parts are my top's four corners, then tube that makes the frame in an arched support with about 1.5" higher than the left and right outside. Hopefully a one piece sheet formed (perfectly I hope) to fit that frame.

If I were to duplicate the concept for a handy welder to purchase, I could have the corners and top steel tube in knock down and provide a to-scale pattern for the sheet steel top....with instructions to form a customer supplied sheet steel... or even a pattern for laser or plasma cut.

 

[red]

Some slope would be fine. I'm just picturing that if the stock slope is continued to the visor then it will be hanging down in front of the windshield, blocking visibility.

 

[tobyS]

No red, not the stock slope. I thought about the stock slope (about 15*) but after Jeff's photoshop HET/939...I like the HET look too. I will not make mine flat...it's going to shed rain on it's own. The "visor" will not come too far down to allow for lighting under it, front and back.

 

[red]

No red, not the stock slope. I thought about the stock slope (about 15*) but after Jeff's photoshop HET/939...I like the HET look too. I will not make mine flat...it's going to shed rain on it's own. The "visor" will not come too far down to allow for lighting under it, front and back.

It was in response to CSM Davis's post, your comment hadn't popped up yet when I replied haha.

Either flat or a reduced slope like you are talking about would look good in my opinion. The upper section of my hard top has rust issues, typical dent in the middle, and a couple holes in it (front corner rust hole and the convoy light was mounted through the roof instead of on a pole). Will be next year at least before I mess with it and looking forward to seeing your design.

 

[tobyS]

If there is anything over-priced on NOS military goods...it's the OEM hard top. Where is the surplus?

Would they slow down a bullet? Hardly. Stop you from being crushed? Don't think so. Keep water out of hinges and side window? Nope. Have a big oil can dent after a soldier B steps on it...yep.

 

[Csm Davis]

Hey guys if you have a stock hard top, rework it and sell to get money for HET style!

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[red]

Will probably do that with mine when the time comes.

 

[Csm Davis]

Here is another thead,
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?t=126253

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[tobyS]

Here is another thead,
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?t=126253

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Excellent thread. Read cover to cover. After that (with great pictures), my project seems small!