Soft top experiment

[Tweetdriver63]

You guys are more ambitious than I am. If I don't think I can DIY something and have it come out looking professional or factory, I don't do it.

I'm pretty handy with a needle myself, but when my rear window started breaking loose from the top, I got a new top on eBay for a little under $300, then paid a convertible top repair shop to install it. $500 for the install, which was the lowest bid by far. I haven't looked back. Well, sometimes in the rearview mirror, but you know what I mean. haha

[ike84]

Originally Posted by elgyqc

As a shade tree mechanic myself I was disappointed to see that your experiment failed. Personally I have limited confidence in chemical bonding.



My first experiment at changing the window was an attempt to glue the new plastic in place. I cut the old window out, leaving about an inch all the way around then glued the new piece in using the inch of overlap and VLB glue. Unfortunately the glue would not adhere to the old plastic (it worked on attaching 2 pieces of the new material together).



So I changed to mechanical attachment. I sewed the new material in place by hand, with the roof in the car using the same 1 inch band I had tried to glue to. Basically I placed the new window, with a sealant between the two layers and attached it with a few rivets in the middle at the top and bottom and the two sides, just to hold it in place. I then used a soldering gun with a small tip to make holes through the two layers of plastic, pulling it tight as I worked my way around. I then sewed the two pieces together by passing the thread through the holes. I did this alone so it took some time. Once the sewing finished I sealed the joints and the holes made for the thread (I think I used the VLB for this), then ran a piece of insulation foam around the perimeter to hide the sewing and glue.











Despited the ripples (which almost disappeared with time) I counted this as a success. I could see through the window and it was waterproof. Unfortunately after two years the window was again opaque. I am going to have to do this again with a better material.

I think that looks pretty good overall

If you're gonna do it again, I would use the strataglass. It's probably the best product on the market in terms of resisting fading and cold cracking. It's popular on house boats among owners who really give a **************** (and who have deep pockets lol).

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[ike84]

Originally Posted by Tweetdriver63

You guys are more ambitious than I am. If I don't think I can DIY something and have it come out looking professional or factory, I don't do it.



I'm pretty handy with a needle myself, but when my rear window started breaking loose from the top, I got a new top on eBay for a little under $300, then paid a convertible top repair shop to install it. $500 for the install, which was the lowest bid by far. I haven't looked back. Well, sometimes in the rearview mirror, but you know what I mean. haha

Hah! If you think that's ambitious, check out the 3.5" short ram intake mod I did. Many call it blasphemy to do such a thing, but I think it's beautiful. You can find pics in the diy section if you're curious.

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