I'm embarking on a new project, thought I'd share.
making a targa-tyle top for my 4Runner. After noodling wit hseveral soft-top ideas, this seemed like an easy compromise between topless, convertable, and cost.
The idea is to have a fabric outside that can be rolled back on teh top and sides, leaving only an open frame in the rear.
There are many ways to fab up a frame, but for this one I'm using an old Runner shell. Scored one in rough shape w/ the sliding glass already removed (broken out) very cheaply.

Here is a sketch of what I plan to do to the top:


Yellow is where I will cut to get the top open, and trim around teh windows etc for more space. The rear windows will be gone also, so that the whole end will be open save a big loop in the back for fabric to attach and the window to roll in to.
Red - I'm debating slicing it her eto make it 2 parts, so that (1) I can easily put it on/off myself, and (2) I could remove the back part and leave the front to ru na half-cabin (kinda like Staceman).
Blue - I will probably put a flat bar across here to serve as extra support for the fabric soit won't sag, esp at high speeds. Plus in could come in handy as an attachment point if the rear is removed as above.
Regarding ^^, one option would be to leave the fiberglass here as the bar. However I think if I use a seperate metal bar it could be rmeovable when the fabric is rolled back. Not convinced though.

Looking forward to thoughts/ comments.
One question - is the top all fiberglass? AKA will I get any surprises when running through it w/ the saw?
Re: saws, i'm thinking eitehr a sawzall or jigsaw, is this teh best route for a clean cut?

I didn't find any surprises, all fiberglass, except for the thin metal trim around the inside top portion to keep the perforated sound deadener in place. A cheap 4" angle grinder with a metal cut-off wheel sliced it up like butter. Alot of dust though, maby get one of those masks to wear while cutting.

I say "go for it". Home fabbed ideas put into action make some of the coolest mods for everyone to check out. I get questions on my top while driving along I-10 yelling thru the windows while driving <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />.

This afternoon I got the top panels cut out. Here's a pic:



I don't have a lot of faith in the section I left in the middle of the top. Even at 5" wide, it's very flimsy and wobbly. The fingerglas is very thin there. I think a 1/4" flat steel bar would do better.
Besides, when I started cutting I had a major brain fart and accidentally cut through it on one side <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" />

Next step is to go around the former window areas and trim off the ledges where the windows/frames used to bolt on, generally clean it up.
Did all thsi w/ a jigsaw. My only cutting tool is pneumatic, but my comrpessor.tank is small so I can only run it 45 seconds at a time, lol. FWIW, jigsaw w/ metal-cutting blade does fine.
Question - what's the best technique/grit for sanding and cleaning up the edges? Never sanding fibgerglass before.

Shoot CJM a PM if he takes 'em, and send him the link for this post. I bet he's got some good tips for fixing your faux pas and reinforcing some of those areas. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

I'm following this also.. I've got a spare top destined for some cutting.

Some dude on pirate4x4 cut out the sides full and made roll down windows.. never seen a roof cut tho...

So all the trimming is done, over the weekend I should get it sanded around all the edges and ready for painting. Plus that will give me soem time to think about how to atatch the fabric etc.

Re: painting, I don't need a super fab job, but do want it to look decent. Never painted over fiberglass... regarding the now exposed edges (which will eb sanded), does that require anythin gspecial, or can good ol' spray paint harden them up?
I'm thinking of going over all of it w/ that black "Hammered" stuff from Rust-O-Leum.

All the cutting and sanding done, wen tahead and split it into 2 peices.




After cleaning it up, decided to hold off on paint until the end, since I'll inevitably think of places I need to drill/ cut as I go along anyway.

Got the fabric for the top on hand, need to acquire clear vinyl for the sides. Here 's a sneak peak of the rough idea



The fabric top will probably go a little farther back, close to the end, that was just a rough clamp on to get the pic.
The sides will be seperaate peices of clear vinyl.

Current debate in my head is the method of attachment - snaps versus velcro.
I know snaps are easy to intall (a real snap! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />) on both mediums, but I wonder about my ability to get them to really line up so that it comes out tight and stays that way. Plus, b/c of the height of the snaps, it seems that's more chance for air/water flow between the fabric and mounts.
I've used "industrail" velcro before in the 3/4 to 1" wide strips, and it is VERY strong. I'd think that would give a nice tight bond, and make it very easy to slip the parts into place and pull it tight. Donwside is being harder for initial install, would have to be sewn into the fabric <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> and firmly secured to the fiberglass (via counter-sunk screws maybe?).

Nice idea. I have cut down and painted 2 tops for bobbed runners and currently am working on a hardtop bikini out of a top that matches my exo-cage. I am curious to see how you attach the fabric since I will be adding side fabric to mine in place of the windows.

As far as paint. my last bobbed top I tried the hammerite black on one of my tops but it ended up to "Shiny", I have had the best results from plain old Flat black. Semi gloss even was to Shiny for my liking.

Sorry for the lag, folks.
After some sketching and noodling, I have a slightly different idea for attaching the fabric for the top and sides at the top rim.
Here's a *rough* sketch....



This is a profile as if you're looking right at the lid.
The top fabric will overhanf the sides by about 3", and snap to the sides there. The side fabric will also use snaps (yellow in pic), attaching just below this, then stretching down to the bottom rail at the truck bedsides.
Since this leaves a gap between them, this will be covered with an additional strip of fabric (abyne 1.5,2" wide) sewn to the top peice and overhanging the side... idea being that rainwater will flow over it and down teh side, and not inside.

Thoughts? The point of doing it this way is to make it easy to removet he side panels and leave the top on. My only concern with this setup is that the bit hanging down past the snaps might flap around when driving on the highway etc.