soft-tops and snow? (1 Viewer)

[THEIZZARDKING]

i'm looking at picking up a killer toys or soft topper soft top for the '89 i have, only problem is it sits outdoors in the snow for the better part of the year out at my cabin, you guys think it'll hold up alright for years to come? i'd likely throw a tarp over it when i leave the rig for the winter, but im worried about the weight of what is likely to be a few feet of snow sitting on top of it, thawing, then icing up, and rinse and repeat.

i'm in this bind because the truck was broken into and they smashed out the large tailgate window to get in, i've been struggling to find the glass and the glass i do find is almost half the cost of a soft top, i also will likely need the guides, new seals and a bunch of other parts to get everything back to working condition, at this points i'm thinking it's almost equivalent or possibly more economical to just get a soft top....but if it won't hold up to the conditions, then maybe just fixing everything would be better for long term.... i really do like the whole idea behind a soft top and it's what i'd prefer to do...i just need it to last.

again, this is a summer time drive around the forrest roads rig for me, it sits all winter long....

i really need to build a shop out at the cabin, but that's obviously way moer expensive than buying a soft top or fixing the hardtop/tail gate glass issue, lol

 

[KLF]

Could you put a piece of plywood on the roof for the winter?

 

[PAToyota]

I wouldn’t store it with a soft top. Expanding on KLF’s idea, caulk a piece of aluminum into the hardtop and store it with the hardtop on. Then use the softtop for the summer when you’re using it.

 

[THEIZZARDKING]

yeah, thought about that, but it seems that you'd still get a bunch of snow building up in the rear window area and wasn't quite sure about the hard top...or anything really sitting on top of the cover for extended periods of time.. i.e. the 5 months of winter, lol.

or do you think it'd be fine, just weary of contact wear and mildew build up in that sort of situation....

if there's little to no issue with putting a buffer on the cover, maybe of some closed cell foam or the like on the soft cover and then put the hard cover over the top of that, i may just get a sheet of acrylic and use that as the lift gate glass during storage in the winter....

either way thanks for the feedback and sounds like storing them over the winter and exposed to the elements isn't going to work..

that said, i spent hours on the phone with the safelite glass company yesterday...it took me talking to 3 different people to convince them they could find the glass and part number without having a vin number....sure it'd be easier, but it's not like if they are talking to the dealership they couldn't just say an '89 4runner...they eventually found the glass and quoted me $341 for it installed...after i already told them i just wanted the glass and no install and that the vehicle was 114 miles from the nearest place to get it installed...lol, my god those people are like stupid robots...can't operate outside of their programming to save their lives... /rant. lol, anyhow, thanks for the help.

 

[PAToyota]

I meant to take the softtop off and put the hardtop on for winter storage. I wouldn’t just place the hardtop over the softtop or you’d have the issues you mention. As such, seal up the rear window area with other materials if you’d only be using the hardtop for storage and not driving around with it.

I just had the windshield replaced on my Yukon by Safelite. The cost to have them come out and install it was really about the same as any prices I could find for just having the glass shipped to me. Granted that one needed to be glued in place and all, so I was happy to have them mess with it.

Is the glass flat? Another option would be having a local glass shop cut a piece for you. You could have them use laminated glass so you didn’t have the cost of having it tempered after being cut. You wouldn’t have the defrosting elements, but that may not be a concern.

 

[ReformedJeeper]

So a lot of people gut their 4runner tailgates to save weight. I bet you can find someone on pirate that would be willing to trade you, or you might find someone with the parts you need from when they gutted theirs.