Soft top advise...

[74cruiserintexas]

I am thinking of getting a soft top to replace my hard top. &nbspoes anyone have any reccomendations on any that are better than others? Also do folks have a problem keeping warm in the winter with a soft top. I am in Central Texas so we don't have the real cold weather like up north. &nbspo the tops get alot of wind noise? leaks? Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated. By the way I am gonna keep the hard top, but it needs a new rain gutter and some work on a couple of small rust spots where the weatherstrip goes that meets the tub. Soft tops just seem alot easier to go topless quickly.

 

[78fj40badger]

I installed a Bestop Tiger Top on my 78. It seems to work fine. Lightline of Louisiana has them for pretty cheap. I think I may wish I had bought the supertop later on as it has the channel to lock the top in place instead of snaps, but at the time I didn't want to spend the extra $ to get the supertop.
If you are going to get the soft doors as well, make sure to compare the angle of the front of the door to the angle of your windshield. Yoo may also have to do some serious fiddling with the spacers holding the windshield in place to match the measurement the instructions call for.
Also, make sure you install it in a heated garage or wait until spring. The top will not stretch enough for installation below about 70 degrees. I left a space heater running in my garage all night Friday and then put it inside the vehicle Saturday morning for a few hours to get the max flex out of the fabric.
Do yourself a favor and get a pre-made lower panel for the back if your hard top included ambulance doors. After buying the scrap metal to make mine, as well as hardware, it would have been less than $15 more to have one shipped from CCOT.
Good luck and if you do get a Tiger top, contact me and I can give you some hints on getting the damn thing to fit the first time.

 

[Design311]

I wheel with a couple of guys that have the Kayline softop. They seem to like them very much. In fact, they love them so much I've contemplated buying one for my Cruiser. I love the idea of having rain protection that you can pull down quickly when the sun comes back out. I live in Arkansas so I'm like you in that we don't have really cold winters here either. Here's a couple links for CCOT's selection:

http://store.yahoo.com/coolfj40/softtopfj40.html
http://store.yahoo.com/coolfj40/softtopbesttop.html
http://store.yahoo.com/coolfj40/softopsupertop.html

 

[helocat]

Kayline is now Specialty Top. Same stuff, most of the same people just a dif. Name. http://www.specialtytopco.com/

I have one of their tops, this sucker fits tight! No more leeks than the hard top, and I was able to order it custom in the color I wanted and two different shades of tint for the windows. (front doors are a lighter tint than the back)

Just bummed :'( I ran a stick through the side two weeks ago! But you want’a play you got’a pay!

Mark

 

[BC_cruiser]

I have a Bestop supertop with 2 piece soft doors, they fit great. It has a quick and easy adjustment for when the top is cold or hot, so it always fits tight.