Question before cutting metal...

[Seamus]

I need to trim the front height of my new bow kit, correct? It is sitting down as far as it can go in the door opening. It is supposed to be even front to back from the top of the tub to the crossbar, right? Also i reused two of what looks like the factory mounting points for the rearmost bow, does this positioning also look correct? Sorry for the probably dumb questions but i dont want to have to put metal back together if i can avoid it. I am stilll waiting on the actual soft top to arrive but trying to get things ready.

 

[Subterranean Nik]

Any obstruction in the pillars (front post location)? Possibly the bolts that run perpendicular are threaded in far enough to prevent posts from sliding all the way down. Would think should be level as you mentioned.

Nik

 

[Seamus]

Any obstruction in the pillars (front post location)? Possibly the bolts that run perpendicular are threaded in far enough to prevent posts from sliding all the way down. Would think should be level as you mentioned.

Nik

Bolts look fine and are removable, there is something on both sides that looks like if it were bent up the pipes could maybe slide through them, but there is no way to access them to bend them up. Let me see if i can grab a pic

 

[Seamus]

Any obstruction in the pillars (front post location)? Possibly the bolts that run perpendicular are threaded in far enough to prevent posts from sliding all the way down. Would think should be level as you mentioned.

Nik

Set screw is not an obstruction, both sides look exactly the same so the piece that looks bent to my eye may be intentionally like that? The bows are a brand new set of real steel ones and i have read that trimming is sometimes required.

 

[Living in the Past]

They is a fixed nut on the back side of the B pillar. A bolt with a nut on that is used to secure the post in the B pillar. Then lower is a plate with a hole that the post goes thru. With a hard top or factory soft top B pillar bow it the top of the tub that stops the bow from going further. With those bows should even go further down. Your probably hitting the lower plate and not finding the opening.

 

[Seamus]

They is a fixed nut on the back side of the B pillar. A bolt with a nut on that is used to secure the post in the B pillar. Then lower is a plate with a hole that the post goes thru. With a hard top or factory soft top B pillar bow it the top of the tub that stops the bow from going further. With those bows should even go further down. Your probably hitting the lower plate and not finding the opening.

There is no finding the opening, they are bent down it appears, my hard top fits fine. I cant get them through that opening even when they aren’t attached together or even having the b pillar off. The bottoms of the hard top are crimped a bit, ill take some measurements

 

[Living in the Past]

From the back side loosen the nut on the bolt and then back it out. Once the bow is seated all the way down the bolt it tightened against the post and nut is tightened against the B pillar to prevent the bolt from loosening.

 

[Seamus]

They is a fixed nut on the back side of the B pillar. A bolt with a nut on that is used to secure the post in the B pillar. Then lower is a plate with a hole that the post goes thru. With a hard top or factory soft top B pillar bow it the top of the tub that stops the bow from going further. With those bows should even go further down. Your probably hitting the lower plate and not finding the opening.

Hardtop b-Pilar extensions are 8” long and have a slight crimp at the bottom, the RS bows go in 7.5” and stop the same on both sides, if i put the tapered end in to check i can get to 8” but no further. There feels like a positive stop i am encountering. Even if i get the extra 1/2” to match the hard top depth there is another 2.5ish that has to come out somewhere.

 

[Seamus]

Hardtop b-Pilar extensions are 8” long and have a slight crimp at the bottom, the RS bows go in 7.5” and stop the same on both sides, if i put the tapered end in to check i can get to 8” but no further. There feels like a positive stop i am encountering. Even if i get the extra 1/2” to match the hard top depth there is another 2.5ish that has to come out somewhere.

 

[Living in the Past]

Just look at my 73 and see screws from the door catch are slightly in the way. I piece of 3/4" rigid conduit fit all the way to the bottom of the tub without a problem. I measure the lower plate iny 73 around 7". Easy to measure hard top sides including the 72 hard top that was on it when I bought it at 8". Your hard top possibly been bend to make it if. I take the approach to fix what preventing a piece from fitting verses modifying the piece that doesn't fix.

I am curious what do you do for the piece on the B pillar that fills the section for the doors? Does the B pillar have the bend to match the door? Also the bow in the rear would have gone between the bolts. Your using the forward bolts. Factory FST used a bracket held with four bolts originally that centered the bow. Around 71 switched to a two bolt style that may have worked with aftermarket bows. Here is a picture off the bracket on my 73.

At the top of the tub is uses a two hole strap to hold it tight. Other pictures shows the fixed nuts.

Easiest picture I could find of a B pillar bow. Back has a channel the top slides down to hold it in place.

 

[Seamus]

Just look at my 73 and see screws from the door catch are slightly in the way. I piece of 3/4" rigid conduit fit all the way to the bottom of the tub without a problem. I measure the lower plate iny 73 around 7". Easy to measure hard top sides including the 72 hard top that was on it when I bought it at 8". Your hard top possibly been bend to make it if. I take the approach to fix what preventing a piece from fitting verses modifying the piece that doesn't fix.

I am curious what do you do for the piece on the B pillar that fills the section for the doors? Does the B pillar have the bend to match the door? Also the bow in the rear would have gone between the bolts. Your using the forward bolts. Factory FST used a bracket held with four bolts originally that centered the bow. Around 71 switched to a two bolt style that may have worked with aftermarket bows. Here is a picture off the bracket on my 73.View attachment 2563890
At the top of the tub is uses a two hole strap to hold it tight. Other pictures shows the fixed nuts.View attachment 2563892
Easiest picture I could find of a B pillar bow. Back has a channel the top slides down to hold it in place.
View attachment 2563893

I have the b-Pillar section, it just isn’t attached right now because it is easier to deal with one thing at a time.