Pickup Conversion, using pieces of a Hard top shell.

[HuwJones]

When I bought my 1989 soft top SJ410 Santana it had already been converted to a pickup cab. The job was a good one, several years ago, with wood .
It is now starting to leak and the wood on the roof and back of the cab is rotten.
I have seen pictures of the rear 6 inches of a hard top being welded onto the back of a SJ and the front part of the roof being welded on top.
I know someone that is scrapping a 1988 hard top SJ 410. Would this be a suitable donor for the back panels? I'm hoping it will end up looking something like this (i found this on Google, no idea whose it is)
I'm hoping it will end up similar to this, but with a normal exhaust and in Nato Green.


Has anybody here done this conversion before? Is it difficult to do? I have experience in welding and working with metal.
I'd prefer to have an all round steel SJ. Don't like wood on cars, I’m not an organic engineer!

[OllieSJ]

Sounds nice mate any more details on this 410 ??

[Jordi]

That is a cut down hard top in the photo. Its quite hard to graft a hardtop door into a soft too as the roof lines are different shapes.

The majority of hard top pick ups i've seen were cut down hard tops. Mine was going to be one but the rear floor and arches were so badly rotten i just chopped it off.

It can be done but may be easier to swap bodies and cut and repair the hard top.

[dan_2k_uk]

Weld the hardtop rear door in behind the seats and get a removable hard top front part. Easy to do and you can go topless in the 'summer'

[HuwJones]

So where can you get the removable hard top roods? Are they made by aftermarket manufacturers or do you just hope they pop up on ebay and the like?
Many Thanks
Huw Jones

[turbo-tom]

they pop up on ebay time to time, or just people who you know

[Jordi]

Don't know of any removeable hard top manufacturer. Just ebay, the forum and word of mouth i think.

[Ladaman]

Would it be possible to weld a rear door in behind the seats and use a bikini soft top for the front?

A bit like these.

http://www.monsoon4x4.co.uk/Suzuki_SJ_S ... t_Tops.htm

Just another idea.

[Jordi]

To weld the rear door in would require a frame making to sit it in as the apertures are a different shape.

[HuwJones]

I've seen a build thread somewhere of someone doing a pick up conversion in the way I described. It was a white SJ 410 soft top being merged with bits from a yellow hard top. I can't for my life find the bloody thing!
I think I might just pop rivet / weld a sheet of 2mm steel / aluminium on to the back and if I can get a hold of one, a removable hard top on the roof, If not another piece of sheet steel / aluminium.