Soft Top Year Round?

[greytandy]

As the weather is getting nice, I'm considering getting a soft top. I would like to take my hard top off and replace all the seals and do some other refurbishment. This refurbishment, of course, depends on how much time and money I can put into it, and it may well take a while. If it takes a real long time, I may have the soft top on over the following winter. How do the soft tops do year round here? Does anybody only run a soft top and keep it parked outside all the time? Thanks.

[Herb]

I have a soft top on year round...it works well outside. I get a little water inside the cab from the spaces around the hard doors, but not bad at all. When I use the soft doors, the problem goes away because I can warp the doors a bit to make a tight seal at the tops.

Go for it! You may end up running that soft top permanently!

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Herb

I have a soft top on year round...it works well outside. I get a little water inside the cab from the spaces around the hard doors, but not bad at all. When I use the soft doors, the problem goes away because I can warp the doors a bit to make a tight seal at the tops.

Go for it! You may end up running that soft top permanently!

Thanks Doug. I was wondering how badly the soft top leaked around the doors. My hard top is a bit leaky, hence my need to "refurbish". What soft top do you have? With STC/Kayline being missing in action and Ehsan (?) not being timely, I'd likely go with the Bestop Supertop. I just gotta make sure those rails in the back clear the snaps the PO installed.

[Herb]

I have the Supertop, it is really nice. Go with the canvas...its tougher than the "crush" material. What is really cool is that you can zip out the rear window completely and roll up the sides to make a really good summer, family friendly, open air thingy.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Herb

I have the Supertop, it is really nice. Go with the canvas...its tougher than the "crush" material. What is really cool is that you can zip out the rear window completely and roll up the sides to make a really good summer, family friendly, open air thingy.

How quickly can you remove the whole thing to go completely topless?

[Felix]

I have the Supertop, too, and I agree with Herb, go with the canvas or denim or whatever they're calling it. I ordered the denim but received a "crushed" material top. I bought it new off a dealer on eBay for a pretty good deal, so I didn't feel like hassling with the return. Now I regret that. The top works just fine, but I think the crushed top looks "cheaper."

Why not just remove the snaps?

[Felix]

Originally Posted by greytandy

How quickly can you remove the whole thing to go completely topless?

Quick and dirty "fold-back" - 5 minutes
Remove the top from the bows and fold nicely - 8 minutes
Add about 3 minutes to pull the doors, too

I generally leave the bows on the truck, but taking them off, too, would probably take another 8-10 minutes. There's a rivet where the center bows attach to the brackets that bolt to the tub. If I really wanted to make life easy for myself, I'd replace that rivet with a cotter pin so I could pull it and go.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Felix

Why not just remove the snaps?

They're painted on and look as though they've been there a while. I can remove them if I have to, its just there are a lot of them.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Felix

Quick and dirty "fold-back" - 5 minutes
Remove the top from the bows and fold nicely - 8 minutes
Add about 3 minutes to pull the doors, too

I generally leave the bows on the truck, but taking them off, too, would probably take another 8-10 minutes. There's a rivet where the center bows attach to the brackets that bolt to the tub. If I really wanted to make life easy for myself, I'd replace that rivet with a cotter pin so I could pull it and go.

When you came over last summer did you just have the bows folded back or were they completely removed?

BTW, did you time yourself? Those are some damn specific numbers - thanks!

[Felix]

Originally Posted by greytandy

When you came over last summer did you just have the bows folded back or were they completely removed?

The bows were on and folded back.

Here's what that looks like:

BTW, did you time yourself? Those are some damn specific numbers - thanks!

No, I just guessed. But, having no garage either, I've done the whole on/off thing a lot, so I think those might be accurate.

[Felix]

BTW, can you see that picture in the post above? I'm not sure I can hotlink to a photo in shutterfly.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Felix

BTW, can you see that picture in the post above? I'm not sure I can hotlink to a photo in shutterfly.

Just saw it - thanks. Those bows that hook up to the top corners of the windshield fold back too?

[Felix]

Originally Posted by greytandy

Just saw it - thanks. Those bows that hook up to the top corners of the windshield fold back too?

Yep. In that photo, you can see three bars stacked on top of each other. The bottom bar hoop is the one that forms the "C pillar," holding up the rear window. It slides up and down the b pillar. The middle bar forms the B pillar hoop. The top bar isn't a hoop. It's attached to a fixed point on the B pillar and folds up to attach to the windsheild with a bolt and a wing-nut.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Felix

Yep. In that photo, you can see three bars stacked on top of each other. The bottom bar hoop is the one that forms the "C pillar," holding up the rear window. It slides up and down the b pillar. The middle bar forms the B pillar hoop. The top bar isn't a hoop. It's attached to a fixed point on the B pillar and folds up to attach to the windsheild with a bolt and a wing-nut.

Thanks Felix. BTW, how long did it take you to install the top?

[Felix]

The first time, a while. Probably an entire Saturday afternoon of removing the hard top and installing the soft top. But after having done it once and with all the holes already drilled (several along the top of the windshield and a couple along the top of the tub), it's about a 4 hour process for hard top removal and soft top installation.

Having an extra set of hands really helps. And those times include dismantling the hard top into 3 pieces.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Felix

Having an extra set of hands really helps. And those times include dismantling the hard top into 3 pieces.

Three pieces? I thought it was four? When I get the rig back I have to see how bad it's going to be disassembling the hard top. There's a bit of rust up there. I'm not even sure I can take it apart safely.

[Felix]

Originally Posted by greytandy

Three pieces? I thought it was four? When I get the rig back I have to see how bad it's going to be disassembling the hard top. There's a bit of rust up there. I'm not even sure I can take it apart safely.

Well, if your refurbishing it, you'll need to, but if it turns out you're not going to fix it up and you have the means to store the top whole, don't take it apart. I haven't rebuild mine, just had to take it apart to store it. Now everytime I take it apart, I break a couple more bolts holding the sides to the top.

The three main pieces are side/other side/fiberglass top. It comes apart in many other smaller pieces, of course.

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Felix

The three main pieces are side/other side/fiberglass top. It comes apart in many other smaller pieces, of course.

What about the back part? I say back part because I have the pop-up window and I think you have the amby doors. Thanks.

EDIT: Nevermind. I answered my own question.

[Felix]

Originally Posted by greytandy

What about the back part? I say back part because I have the pop-up window and I think you have the amby doors. Thanks.

EDIT: Nevermind. I answered my own question.

Yep, good point. I guess the swing up window would be considered part of the hard top. I have 3 pieces plus the 2 rear doors.

[colangut]

Felix, you should have bought my Kayline!

Dave, when I first put a Kayline on a FJ40 I was surpised by how much more water tight, quiet and nice it was than my worn out factory hard top.

I should say though, that you have to tweak a soft top a bit to get it to fit perfectly. Especially a Kayline. Lots of things to adjust and tinker with.

I'd love to try to run a factory softtop - I understand that the bows are now available from the guy who makes panels in Panama? I bought a set used and sold them to Tom Thornton after my last project ended.

However, I doubt that the factory soft top would be as quiet as the Kayline/Specialty Top or the Bestop. Anyone say from experince if they are quiet and dry?

-Stumbaugh

[greytandy]

Originally Posted by Stumbaugh

Dave, when I first put a Kayline on a FJ40 I was surpised by how much more water tight, quiet and nice it was than my worn out factory hard top.

John:

I really like the STC/Kayline tops, but they are MIA. The phone number is defunct as far as I can tell. So sad.

- Dave

[Felix]

Originally Posted by Stumbaugh

Felix, you should have bought my Kayline!

-Stumbaugh

I know. I knew it two weeks after I passed on it, but you had already sold it.

Just another in a long line of mistakes. ah, well.....

[colangut]

That's too bad, try calling around. Quadratec up in PA might have one in stock.

Bestop's top of the line model is really good too.

-Stumbaugh

[fjman]

that a new/differnet tire carrier on the back there, Felix?

[Felix]

Originally Posted by fjman

that a new/differnet tire carrier on the back there, Felix?

No, that's the old piece of crap that came on the truck when I got it. Really heavy and mounted to just the body. It also stored the tire several inches out from the body (to fit jerry cans), which gave the weight of the tire some good leverage to rip at the holes in the sheet metal.

[Blue77FJ40]

Ya got some large washers in back to help spread the load/avoid more tearing?

[Felix]

Originally Posted by Blue77FJ40

Ya got some large washers in back to help spread the load/avoid more tearing?

Nope, 'cause I got rid of it and picked up a stock tube style carrier.