Cruising the coast, hitting switches, and tucking rim as the sun beats down and the cool breeze blows through your truck's cab -- it's a pretty cool feeling to roll a ride that spins heads and drops jaws like there is no tomorrow. But something is amiss in this perfect cruising picture.
Even if you have some great jams blasting and a group of friends rolling right along, there is one thing that would make this Saturday rail-dragging session complete. A full-length ragtop opened wide would allow sunshine to pour in on passengers and create a cockpit that people will be begging to jump in. There are only two issues associated with performing this type of modification on your ride, and that is how it is done and where to get it done. Our advice is to take this modification extremely seriously. After all, you are cutting a rather large hole in your roof, and if measurements are the slightest bit off, leakage and a poor fit will result and miscalculations could be drastic.
We took a trek to Street Beat Customs in Phoenix to install a custom-made 56x50 ragtop in an '85 Chevy Crew Cab dualie, and by the time we were done, it was like cruising in a convertible limo that just happened to drag body. The crew at Street Beat specializes in building ragtops to spec and can build a ragtop as large or small as you like it. A full-length ragtop opens up a whole new world to cruising that makes you want to take the long way home from work. In fact, this staff even packed the dualie with six fullsize adults and cruised to lunch one afternoon with the ragtop in slide-back, full-on pimp mode.
Having a ragtop in your ride adds excitement to the cruising experience, and it's especially worth having on extra nice days. Follow along as we show Street Beat Customs installing an extra-large custom ragtop in our mid-'80s dualie.
1. Street Beat began by disassembling...
1. Street Beat began by disassembling and removing the headliner from the inside of the truck by first loosening the trim panels that attach to the outside to hold the headliner in position. Using an electric screw gun or a Phillips screwdriver, the mounting screws were removed so the headliner could be dropped out of position.
2. After the headliner was...
2. After the headliner was disassembled, it was carefully removed from the truck with two sets of hands.
3. The next step was to take...
3. The next step was to take the appropriate measurements to make the metal incision in the roof of the truck. Street Beat carefully measured the roof and marked the area for which the hole was to be cut.
4. Next, they drilled a 1/4-inch...
4. Next, they drilled a 1/4-inch pilot hole near the edge where the opening was to be cut on all four corners.
5. Using a uni-bit, the 1/4-inch...
5. Using a uni-bit, the 1/4-inch holes were enlarged so the air shears would fit in next to start making the cuts.
6. Cut out the ragtop opening...
6. Cut out the ragtop opening using air shears. We used air shears because the roof was two pieces containing inner and outer skins.
7. After the outer roof skin...
7. After the outer roof skin was completely cut out, it was removed from the truck and discarded.
8. Here is a shot of what...
8. Here is a shot of what the inner roof skin looked like before it was removed.
9. Once the outer roof was...
9. Once the outer roof was removed, we used a cut-off wheel attached to a die-grinder to cut the inner bracing away from the roof skin.
10. From the inside of the...
10. From the inside of the cab, we cut out the inner roof skin to match the outer one using the grinding wheel and die grinder.
11. After cutting the two...
11. After cutting the two roof brace bars out, we discarded them to prepare for cutting out the inner roof skin.
12. Here is a photo of the...
12. Here is a photo of the inner roof skin after it had been cut away.
13. The inner roof skin was...
13. The inner roof skin was lifted out through the hole in the roof. Do not attempt to take it out through the doors because it will not fit. The only way to remove the inner skin is out through the new opening in the roof.
14. The frame of the ragtop...
14. The frame of the ragtop was then placed inside of the hole in the roof, and a series of holes were drilled in the roof through pre-existing holes in the frame.
15. In order to hold the frame...
15. In order to hold the frame in place, self-locking threaded studs were placed through the frame and into the holes in the roof.
16. Next, the supplied flat...
16. Next, the supplied flat aluminum braces were placed on the inside of the roof over the top of the previously installed studs. These braces were installed to help give the roof support and to maintain its shape.
17. With the inner braces...
17. With the inner braces in place, self-locking nuts were placed onto the studs, and the frame was tightened into position.
18. The headliner was now...
18. The headliner was now placed on a table and cut with a razor knife to fit around the ragtop.
19. Next, we reinstalled the...
19. Next, we reinstalled the headliner and secured the previously cut edges with the pinch molding provided in the kit.
20. The original interior...
20. The original interior trim paneling was then reinstalled to finish off the headliner.
21. Completing the job, the...
21. Completing the job, the sliding part of the ragtop was slid into the frame, and a billet handle was added on the inside and secured to the latch.
22. This is what your new...
22. This is what your new Street Beat Customs ragtop will look like when open wide. Imagine the type of attention you will get cruising with this extra-large window to the sky.
23. When you are done making...
23. When you are done making the neighbors jealous with your pseudo convertible, close it up and latch it at the front for security.