Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: crowbait]
#2242663
01/28/17 04:54 AM
01/28/17 04:54 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 553 LA & L.A.
MoparPosterChild
mopar
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mopar
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 553
LA & L.A.
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I don't think anyone makes them. You may have to get creative. I have a 74 truck that's a project and I'm looking to buy a 70's one that's already done.
2018 Dodge DEMON #18 1970 Plymouth Duster 406" Stroker 1969 Charger 500" Stroker 1964 Dodge Polara 426 GEN III HEMI 1970 Plymouth Cuda Hellcrate Project car 1974 Dodge Ramcharger Project car 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited 2017 Ram 3500 2012 Dodge Caravan R/T 1972 Charger Mopar 392 HEMI Stolen 2008 Challenger SRT-8 Gone 2010 Challenger SRT-8 Gone 2006 Charger SRT-8 Gone 2007 Charger R/T Gone
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: MoparPosterChild]
#2242680
01/28/17 09:58 AM
01/28/17 09:58 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,728 places
79powerwagon
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,728
places
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Do not despair about "impossible" rubber seals. Creativity helps a lot, but some vision goes a long way! At the time (2000, 2001) I needed new rear quarter glass rubbers for my 64 Fury wagon. No new ones had been made for decades, and any that were old but "looked good" were hard as rocks or otherwise UV's to junk. Just having my car fully stripped and painted, I was thinking I's have to have the glass channel flanges increased and have the quarter glass glued in like a modern car, a very pricey (albeit kind of cool) solution. Then I called a real auto glass shop. They came out, looked the car over to see the actual scope of the project, and took a chunk of the original gasket back with them. About a week later, he called me and said they found the perfect solution! It was a new, modern windshield gasket for a large Caterpillar product that had the exact correct profile to hold the glass properly! Yes, it wasn't molded in the shape of the original, but once the pro's had it installed, you had to be pretty intimate with a 64 B body to see it wasn't "correct"! Less than $200.00 for the parts AND installation, too! Moral of this story? A little research goes a long way!
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: crowbait]
#2242793
01/28/17 02:19 PM
01/28/17 02:19 PM
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 742 Southern Alberta
Uberpube
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 742
Southern Alberta
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Does anyone know where you find seals for the top,hatch,and tailgate?(74-80) If you find some, please post up where.. I have a 78 roof virgin, the top has never been off, but it needs the box to roof seals, the seals are rotten and the truck needs to be repainted.
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: Uberpube]
#2242815
01/28/17 02:56 PM
01/28/17 02:56 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666 On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
amxautox
Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
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Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
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If I had time I'd post the complete install, with pictures, and what rubber, and where to get it, Lowes or someplace like that provided it's still available. As it is I'm going fishing.
Tom
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing."
-Henry David Thoreau
Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths
author unknown
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: amxautox]
#2242817
01/28/17 02:58 PM
01/28/17 02:58 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 18,880 -
RSNOMO
Moparts Torchbearer
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Moparts Torchbearer
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 18,880
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As it is I'm going fishing. LMAO...
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: amxautox]
#2242825
01/28/17 03:06 PM
01/28/17 03:06 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666 On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
amxautox
Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
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Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
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ok 4
and of course the stupid text page won't load, you're on your own there.
try it this way;
not my truck;
not my pictures;
not my article:
from 2002;
Subject: top
For months I have been waiting to replace the hard top on my Ramcharger but could not find a suitable gasket to replace the old dry, rotted out seal. The old one was stock from the factory and when new, would have worked great but twenty-two years of sun, rain, and wear had reduced it to a brittle mess. In the local Home Improvement center, Lowes, I found some fatigue-matting. It was a light gray, five sixteenths inch thick, water resistant, easy to work with, and inexpensive. It comes in a 3-foot wide roll and sells for $4.00 per foot. I bought 9 feet and used about 3 inches X 6’6" on the Ramcharger bed rails. I ended up with plenty to do 6 or 7 more vehicles.
First, I roughed up the bed rails to clean off any debris, old paint, rust and crud, then, I laid down a coat of primer and one of gloss black paint. I measured and cut the matting with a utility knife and a straight edge. Next, I placed the matting on the bed rails for fit. I positioned them exactly where I wanted them to sit then from the underside of the bed rail, I marked the position of the holes. I removed the matting and cut holes where the bolts would pass through the matting, about the size of a dime, so I could easily locate the boltholes while the hard-top was in position.
Next, I used a spray adhesive on the smooth side of the matting and set them aside for about 15 minutes to get tacky while I worked on the hard top.
I scraped and wire brushed the under side of the hard top to remove all the old gasket material and any loose dirt and rust. Most of the loose crud came off with a paint scraper but I had to resort to more power with a wire wheel and electric sander/polisher. Once all the old gasket material was off, I hit the underside of the hard top with a coat of black gloss to protect from future rust. I also cleaned the front lip of the hard top and painted it too.
While the paint on the hard top was drying, I laid the new gasket matting on the bed rails exactly where I wanted them to stay. Next, I removed the soft-top snaps and screws along the upper side of the windshield rail and sanded down the area where the hard top would contact the top of the windshield. Once that was clean and smooth, I laid a couple coats of gloss black along that surface to prevent future rust. Some how, the factory neglected to apply a good layer of paint and there was minor surface rust along the top of the windshield rail. I wanted the maximum seal possible so I first laid down a 2-inch strip of gasket matt along the top of the windshield rail to keep all water out. This turned out to be a bad idea since the ¾ inch bolts would not reach up through the rail, matting and into the hard top. This area was not where the water seal was intended to be anyway. I removed the 2-inch strips, cut them into 7/8-inch strips and laid them down along the outer parameter of the windshield rail about 1.5 inches above the actual glass. In this picture the two inch strips were removed. The black strip just in front of where the matting is in the picture was where the final 7/8-inch strips were placed.
The front lip of the hard top had a 2-inch gap so I filled it with a 2-inch strip the entire length except where there was raised metal for the anchor bolts.
If you have a couple of buddies and a 12 pack the task of positioning the hard top will be relatively simple. I was flying solo so I had to engineer the whole process. I had used 3-inch PVC pipes to roll the hard top off the Ramcharger and onto the bed of my 72 Powerwagon. Once the new gasket matting was in place I headed to the hardware store for some new bolts and washers. I could have used the old ones but they were rusted and beat down and I wanted to install Stainless Steel to avoid the rust in the future. I used four ¾" X 5/16" bolts for the front, and eight 1" X 5/16" for the side rails, four on each side.
I positioned two PVC pipes on the bed of the Ramcharger and slowly rolled the hard top from the bed of the Powerwagon to the bed of the Ramcharger. Once it was in position, I stood in the bed of the Ramcharger and placed my back in the center of the hard top and with my legs, pushed up enough where I could move the PVC pipes out of the way. The rest was small adjustments to line up all the holes. I started with the front of the hard top and ran all four bolts up just enough to get some threads into the hard top. Next I went all the way to the back to seat those bolts. The holes would not line up so I had to use a C-clamp to pull the hard top and the bed rail into position.
Once all the bolts were in loosely, I tightened down the front 4 then made sure the lift hatch would open and close without scraping the sides. After the hatch was checked, I tightened down the bed rail bolts.
Where the windshield and the top came together there was a 3/8 inch gap that I filled with Double Rubber tape. I used to use the stuff to seal splice enclosures when I worked for the phone company. It is thick rubbery tar like stuff that I pushed into the gap and around the upper part where there was some possibility of leaking. Double rubber tape is designed to seal telephone splice cases in underground manholes that fill up with water, so, it’s an excellent sealant.
The tape conformed to the gap and made a water-tight barrier. It never hardens and will come off with some WD-40. Here is a picture of the tape sealing the drivers side gap behind the metal joining plate. Original factory gaskets are no longer available from the dealer so unless yours is in good condition, this might be a good way to seal your Ramcharger. Here is the finished product. It is not factory, but, it’s close enough, and it keeps the water on the outside of the vehicle where it should be.
Where to find the materials:
Foam matting or Fatigue Matting Home Depot, Lowes, or most Home Improvement centers.
Sealing tape: Here is the 3M site for the sealing tape I used, it explains about what the tape is and what it looks like.
To find a distributor near you 3M offers these numbers:
Where to Buy
Locate a distributor: ? Call us for 3M Electrical Distributors: 1-800-245-3573 ? Call us for 3M OEM Distributors: 1-800-676-8381 ? Call us for 3M MRO Distributors: 1-800-245-3573
Last edited by amxautox; 01/28/17 03:10 PM.
Tom
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing."
-Henry David Thoreau
Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths
author unknown
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: RSNOMO]
#2242832
01/28/17 03:12 PM
01/28/17 03:12 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666 On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
amxautox
Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
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Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
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I don't know, it isn't my truck, or pictures, or article. It looks like bad paint. I got the info from Ramcharger Central back in 2002.
Tom
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing."
-Henry David Thoreau
Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths
author unknown
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: amxautox]
#2242838
01/28/17 03:17 PM
01/28/17 03:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 18,880 -
RSNOMO
Moparts Torchbearer
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Moparts Torchbearer
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 18,880
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Re: pop top ramcharger weatherstrip
[Re: RSNOMO]
#2242846
01/28/17 03:20 PM
01/28/17 03:20 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666 On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
amxautox
Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
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Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,666
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
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Too tall for my short butt.
Tom
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing."
-Henry David Thoreau
Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths
author unknown
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