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Originally Posted by violametallic-S-
I have an 01 S and I just ripped my top doing the chop! Anyways im looking for a glass top. Do I need to get the complete top or can I take the skin off and replace it with an 03 Skin with glass?
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You can actually get an aftermarket glass windowed soft top made by GAHH, which is made to fit over your older version 3 bow frame. It is not as good as finding a factory 03 or 04 complete top and frame like what I did, but it will work if it is the glass that you just must have.
The reason why the GAHH aftermarket top now advertises a lifetime warranty against the glass separating from the seams is because their initial version of the glass window used to come undone from the canvas when you folded down the top. This is because the older version tops with the plastic window sewn in them were really not made to accomodate a glass window that does not fold in half as the plastic window does when you put your top down. GAHH and other companies had to therefore make a smaller glass window fit in that canvas top to allow it to fold under when the top is in the down position. Since the pressure put on the glass was so high when the top is put down, the glass separated from the canvas seam.
They now have figured out a way to tightly position the glass in the canvas (I think by designing a window pocket) so that it no longer comes undone, but that doesn't mean that there still isn't a lot of pressure being put on it as it folds because there still isn't a 4th bow in the frame (like in the factory 03/04 top frame) that allows for a pressure-less clean fold of the glass window. When I hand folded my factory 03 top and frame prior to installing it, I noticed that there was no pressure put on the window area at all because the 4th bow in the frame permits a pivot point for a clean fold. So with the factory top, you get a bigger window than the GAHH for better vision out the back, more access to the engine from the top (since the glass window completely folds up and out of the way when tilted up- there's also a built in strap in the top canvas that holds the back of the window up for full engine access), and no risk of the glass window separating. It's truly the best option if you can source an 03 or 04 top for your 01 model yr. car.