Bronco Hardtop Question

[srestum01]

Hi All,
I bought a used hard top for my 74 Ranger. I just dropped it off at the body shop to have it sandblasted and painted, but before I go through with everything, is there anything I need to know to ensure it will fit? I ask because when looking for new seals, there is a difference between the 66-68 hardtop and the 69-77 hardtop. The top I have has a metal roof. I feel like the Bronco I had years ago had a fiberglass roof? At the end of the day, is there a difference between early and late model tops that would result in my top not fitting? Thanks in advance.

 

[doghows72]

All bronco tops were metal unless they were aftermarket, factory was metal. The only difference is the holes for the windshield frame that are used to mount. The earlier ones are different locates from the later. Easy enough to just drill new holes for fitment.
Just a word of caution is DO NOT SAND BLAST THE TOP!!! It will warp the crap out of the metal and tons of filler will be needed to fix it. I'm not sure if even soda blasting is gentle enough for the roof of the top. Watch that closely.
Pictures are always nice too, keep us posted.

 

[DirtDonk]

As said, the holes on the windshield frame interface changed in '69 (vacuum to electric wipers) and the rear liftgate seal surface changed shape slightly earlier than that.
Very early tops had a different design on the rear reinforcing posts that stick down into the stake pockets. The bed rail holes "should" be the same.

None of these should pose any deal-breaker type problems, but it would be nice to verify the hole spacing before you go to the trouble of painting/coating anything. Just in case.

To get the right seals, check the upper rear corners of the liftgate opening. If the seal attaching surface follows the top shape and are roughly 90° then you use the early design. If they are more gently curved where they basically bypass the tight corners, they are the later ones.

Paul

 

[Gweiner]

Not to hijack this post but I also just bought a hardtop that needs some body work and minor rust repair. If you can't sand blast or even soda blast, what can you do to remove surface rust in hard to reach places?

 

[doghows72]

If your working on the drip rails, or even the sides you should be ok. Stay away from the roof. It's a large flat panel and I can guarantee it will warp.
I do this every day at my shop and my general rule is if I can move the metal with one finger and a light push I won't blast it.
For the roof use aircraft paint stripper and then sand it with very light pressure and it will be good to go.

 

[DirtDonk]

Paint stripper, as said.
And any time you need an example of how careful you need to be with Bronco tops, grilles and hoods (which are all quite delicate compared to most vehicle parts), just watch a few episodes of Fast n Loud and you'll likely see one screw-up or another where their blaster doesn't take enough care with pressure and media and temps and ruins a practically irreplaceable part from a rare vintage vehicle they're working on with a deadline of three days!%)

Yeah, I'm exaggerating somewhat, but I did see them ruin a good hood off of a 50's Ford or Chevy pickup in one episode.
In between blown engine rebuilds and fires in oil pans and such... Those old hoods were really stout and formed for strength compared to a Bronco hard top.

Paul

 

[srestum01]

Thank you both for the advice and good to hear my top should work. I'll make sure my guy keeps the sand away from the roof. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Hank Dodge]

Does anyone ever reinforce their hardtop in any way? Mine has the nasty habit of vibrating badly while going down the freeway at speed. The headliner was all rotted when I got the top, so mine is just bare metal with no insulation at this point. The top seems to flutter & bang worse as speed increases with the window open....really loud and annoying. I helped it a bit by wrapping some padding around the roll bar to kinda' push up on the center of the roof. I'm guessing it's the wonderful aerodynamics that these rigs have.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yeah, common issue. Even when they were new!
The factory was not very consistent with how the top panel was bonded to the cross braces, but that can be fixed and most hard tops can work very well with just doing that. I'll let others who've actually done it describe the details.

There are some who have added braces as well. I've tried sourcing the braces alone from the manufacturers (they're being reproduced by at least one company) but they (Dynacorn at least) did not want to help me through the channels it would take to get them to release just the braces as an individual part number instead of just as a full kit with drip rail and top panel for fully rebuilding a top.

I'm sure by now someone is making their own though, so check around for sure.

But if you have a '69 or later top you can for sure get it to settle down with a little tweaking here and there on the stock setup. Not sure if the earlier models were any more or less amenable to being fixed, but there are plenty of old tops running around still that don't make the tin-canning noises or any of the other stuff they're known for.

Good luck. I'm sure there will be some good suggestions. Quite a few around here have made their tops better than new.

Paul

 

[hankjr]

FWIW, i had my hood blasted with low pressure and crushed glass media. it came out factory smooth. That isnt to say that the hard top would follow suit, but just throwing it out there as the hood and hard top seem similar to me. I have a scrap hard top and was considering taking it to blaster to have them test their system on it before submitting actual top.

Hank

 

[okie4570]

Unless you want original or don't like the look, a shot of or roll on bed liner on just the ceiling makes a world of difference going down the road, as far a noise and vibration.

 

[Hopstr]

Here's a good thread on a hard top rebuild to stop the noise:

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248033

 

[taipeichris]

Hank Dodge,

Read my post in this thread, sorry I don't have time to type right now. Also, I'll snap some photos later this week of the 5 roof beams and post them. My hardtop is hanging in a garage about 60 miles away.

Have fun!

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272501