TJM Canopy installation - Help

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TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Mon May 07, 2018 11:03 pm

Hello NewTriton members,

Just wondering if anyone here has a TJM fibreglass canopy on their MN that they either installed or paid TJM to install?

I just bought a second hand TJM canopy without a fitting kit or instructions. Based on what I can work out, the installation uses 4 bolts and rivnuts that got directly into the tub. It's not held on by anything other than that.
I'm not sure whether there needs to be additional clamps, foam lining on the tub edges and where I should apply silicone.

If anyone has instructions or pictures of their installed TJM canopy, could you please send them to me.

Thanks a heap.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby shawty950 on Tue May 08, 2018 12:14 pm

MQ triton, tjm canopy installed 18 months ago...no instructions...but from what I have seen.

yes 4 bolts drilled thru with nuts and washers underneath, no rivnuts, no other clamps, but the whole canopy to tub interface has sikaflex or some type of bonding sealant to do the job. Not sure, but dont think there is foam there.

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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby Crackles on Tue May 08, 2018 1:17 pm

I have removed and reinstalled my TJM canopy on my MQ and concur with the above, however mine are fixed with rivnuts and a black sealant that is applied to both sides and the front (rear window end) of the tub.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Tue May 08, 2018 3:03 pm

Crackles wrote:I have removed and reinstalled my TJM canopy on my MQ and concur with the above, however mine are fixed with rivnuts and a black sealant that is applied to both sides and the front (rear window end) of the tub.


Thanks for the reply.
How did you reinstall it? Did you put down some new sealant along the edge of the tub and then sit the canopy on top of it? Or just used the existing sealant on there?

Do you think I could install it just using products from Bunnings? TJM want $61 for a fitting kit (requires a 2 - 3 week wait as it's on back order).
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby dieselweasel on Tue May 08, 2018 4:23 pm

I went to clark rubber and bought a few meters of heavy duty foam and stuck it to the underside of the canopy, nothing gets through and wont scratch my paintwork
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby dieselweasel on Tue May 08, 2018 4:24 pm

Sorry, should have said it was adhesive on one side. Can supply photos if you need.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Tue May 08, 2018 5:47 pm

dieselweasel wrote:Sorry, should have said it was adhesive on one side. Can supply photos if you need.


Cheers mate. Did you stick the adhesive side onto the tub edge or the bottom edge of the canopy?

I think how TJM do it is they have a strip of this adhesive silicone-like tape that they apply to the edge of the tub and then place the canopy on top which then squeezes the adhesive outwards. I've been stripping it off the second hand tub with a scraper and it is strong stuff.
Do you think I need to find something like this or will what you described suffice?
Just some heavy duty foam tape and the 4 bolts/rivnuts? A guy at TJM said that he just puts foam tape and then a bead of silicone along the foam tape and then places the canopy down and bolts it.

If you have pictures, could you please upload them here just for future reference for everyone.
Pictures of...
- the junction between the tub edge, foam tape and canopy edge
- how far forward the canopy sits
- how far back the canopy sits and a side profile of how the rear canopy window sits in relation to the tail gate
- the bolting mechanism
- anything else you think is important for installation

Hope that's not too much trouble. Cheers for the help.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Tue May 08, 2018 6:16 pm

After a bit of digging around, I have found the type of silicone-like tape TJM use.

It's called butyl tape and you can buy it from Bunnings.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/consolidated-alloys-butyl-48mm-15m-double-sided-tape-10266_p1090837

The only thing I can't decide on is whether to go butyl tape or foam. Butyl tape is really strong so the canopy is going to stick and stay onto the tub like no tomorrow. Downside is that it'd be a pain to remove if I ever needed to.
Alternatively I go the closed cell foam tape route but that has no adhesive properties whatsoever and will rely solely on the 4 bolts to keep it attached to the tub.
I can't imagine I would need to remove the canopy very often, and moving an oversized item is a once in a blue moon event. But when that day comes, I'm going to be in a bit of a pickle.

Thoughts?
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby grox on Tue May 08, 2018 6:48 pm

I helped neighbour install one last week . That Tape is dam strong/ sticky I would try a dense foam or a compressible rubber first . ( we had to install all windows as well) If it sucks not hard to change. We just used bolts instead of the 11mm rivnuts. Ended up using 6 . Just make sure you spread the load on the fibreglass with a long spacer. I was worried about the space between the cab with flex but once down on the black goop it's hard to move and wants to spring back. I have a flexiglass canopy on my ml only held by 4 nuts yes it's got a few cracks but not sure if it's the lack of adhesion or just wear ( over 300 k ) . Probably comes down to if you need to remove it more than once a year.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Tue May 08, 2018 6:54 pm

grox wrote:I helped neighbour install one last week . That Tape is dam strong/ sticky I would try a dense foam or a compressible rubber first . ( we had to install all windows as well) If it sucks not hard to change. We just used bolts instead of the 11mm rivnuts. Ended up using 6 . Just make sure you spread the load on the fibreglass with a long spacer. I was worried about the space between the cab with flex but once down on the black goop it's hard to move and wants to spring back. I have a flexiglass canopy on my ml only held by 4 nuts yes it's got a few cracks but not sure if it's the lack of adhesion or just wear ( over 300 k ) . Probably comes down to if you need to remove it more than once a year.


What do you mean by spreading the load on the fibreglass with a long spacer? As in a washer between the bolt and the tub?
I like how strong that butyl tape is but the foam is tempting too. Do you think your neighbour will regret the black goop?

Also did you guys use the butyl tape or go with the foam? Mine came with one crack on the edge that I'm trying to glue back together.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby grox on Tue May 08, 2018 7:10 pm

He went the black goop . Just under the nut on top of fibreglass they gave a rectangle shaped washer about 5 cm long 1 cm wide that ran along the rail of the fibreglass . Hope that makes sense like a washer but with a wider clamping factor. Hard to say he definitely will regret it when he tries to take it off . Maybe though it's important to have it glued all round to the tub . I can't see why though.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Tue May 08, 2018 7:29 pm

grox wrote:He went the black goop . Just under the nut on top of fibreglass they gave a rectangle shaped washer about 5 cm long 1 cm wide that ran along the rail of the fibreglass . Hope that makes sense like a washer but with a wider clamping factor. Hard to say he definitely will regret it when he tries to take it off . Maybe though it's important to have it glued all round to the tub . I can't see why though.


Was his car an MN Triton too? I'm just wondering if it's even possible to get a nut on the other side of the bolt if you drill down into the tub edge because from what I felt, there's another metal piece halfway between the top and where you can put your fingers. (SEE DIAGRAM BELOW)

I really don't want to have to use rivnuts.

So torn between goop/butyl or foam!

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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby DrewXT on Tue May 08, 2018 10:04 pm

I'd be using a butyl rubber like carryboy use... Guarantees that the cannot won't move

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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Wed May 09, 2018 6:13 pm

DrewXT wrote:I'd be using a butyl rubber like carryboy use... Guarantees that the cannot won't move

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Yeah I'm tempted but then is it really that necessary to have it glued down to the tub all around?
I like that butyl is really adhesive and it's not going to fall even if the bolts fail. But foam means I can remove it easily but does that mean it's more prone to cracking/breaking/falling off?
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby grox on Wed May 09, 2018 7:34 pm

Sorry didn't realise rail was different . Car was a Navara so you could get under it to get to bolt. On my ml (flexiglass) T bolts are used ( only 4 ) and are held by tube riveted onto the horizontal inside rail. ( like a cross rail holder for a toneu cover) I just have it on top of a 40mm wide rubber strip. No cracks near mounting points but has cracks at rear maybe due to rear door. Doesn't seem to move easy to take off been on 8 years. All I can add is that the butyl strip is crazy strong especially once squished down and I would say stuff it if I wanted to take it off . Just doing the Windows if you over did it the stuff was a stringy mess that stuck to everything. However as said it's probably used for a reason and it ain't going anywhere. So Hmmmm stuffed if I know.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Wed May 09, 2018 8:21 pm

I don't really have the need to move large items and if it's larger than the canopy, then it probably deserves to go into a trailer where it's safer to move.
I would have far more uses for a canopy than an open tub.

I think I'll go with the butyl tape for security and stability.

The only issue now is how to bolt the canopy down. Has anyone put a bolt right through the tub edge and screwed a nut on the other end? Or is rivnut the only way?
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Sat May 12, 2018 5:38 pm

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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby grox on Tue May 15, 2018 6:27 pm

Great job that's not moving anywhere. Those washer/spacer look just about the same as the in the TJM kit the neighbour used. As I said before we went the bolts also as didn't have the tool to pop a 11mm rivnut. Looks good.
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Re: TJM Canopy installation - Help

Postby TheSheepKed on Thu May 17, 2018 10:18 am

Just while we're here, has anyone repainted the inside of a fibreglass canopy?
What kind of paint should I be using?

I was thinking something like this enamel paint would be ok?
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Product/Dupli-Color-Paint-Enamel-White-1-Litre/324077
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