Help with Soft Top

[navydevildoc]

All, I need some help because I am having one hell of a blonde moment.

I am installing my brand new exmoor soft top that arrived from our hosts yesterday.

I have the sticks all on, and 95% of the top on. However, there are 2 main problems I am having with, mainly because I am not getting what the instructions are telling me

Problem 1 - Step 5 of the instructions state "Inside the first of the vehicle there is a flap on the inside of the hood with two straps on it...." I am supposed to wrap this around the hoop to the rear and then tighten them to tension the front part of the hood. I can get it around the hoop no problem, but then I don't see how I am supposed to tighten it. If someone can please just take a picture of the inside of their truck where these straps are (midway along the top) to show me...

Problem 2 - The rear curtain top rope routing. This is simply beyond me, every way I try to do it makes everything bunch up and obviously wrong. Again, if someone could post some pics of where their ropes go, that would be awesome. I need to see it before it's all buttoned up, as most of the routing is on the inside.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out!!!!

[rbonnett]

There should be two of the large 'staple' fittings that go on the inside of the windshield gutter. The tensioning straps go thru those after wrapping the flap around the front hoop. Then obviously through the buckles on the straps themselves.

The rope at the back I ran thru the eyelets on the back flap, the ones up and outboard of the window. This puts them inside. Then I ran them back thru the eyelets on the side panels where they wrap around the back hoop. From there down and tied off to the big 'U' fittings on the back of the truck. Its still bunchy around the top corners, and I could be all wrong about how I did it - but it was no matter how I ran them and this made the most sense to me for pulling everything tight and gaps covered.

If no one else has I'll snap pics in the morning and post them

[navydevildoc]

There should be two of the large 'staple' fittings that go on the inside of the windshield gutter. The tensioning straps go thru those after wrapping the flap around the front hoop. Then obviously through the buckles on the straps themselves.

Ahhhhh. I was routing the straps even further back to the next hoop, not forward to the windshield. This all makes sense now.



The rope at the back I ran thru the eyelets on the back flap, the ones up and outboard of the window. This puts them inside. Then I ran them back thru the eyelets on the side panels where they wrap around the back hoop. From there down and tied off to the big 'U' fittings on the back of the truck. Its still bunchy around the top corners, and I could be all wrong about how I did it - but it was no matter how I ran them and this made the most sense to me for pulling everything tight and gaps covered.

If no one else has I'll snap pics in the morning and post them

OK, I know I have the ropes going through the back flap eyelet. I will have to check the rest once the sun comes back up.

Thanks!!!

[NickDawson]

glad I wasn't the only one who had a hell of a time with those instructions! Ran into the same issues you found.

once you have it on, we need pics!

[navydevildoc]

once you have it on, we need pics!

Ask, and you shall receive! Keep in mind it's not quite tightened down, it has been pouring here in San Diego, I just wanted to get something up on it before the next storm came in.

I put them on our club website....

http://www.lrcsd.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1122

[rwollschlager]

You should tighten them down relativley soon so no abnormal shrinkage takes place.

-Rob

[NickDawson]

good looking truck! I like the matching top and body color!
Nice d90 and lr3 too :)

[navydevildoc]

You should tighten them down relativley soon so no abnormal shrinkage takes place.

-Rob

Yeah, the problem is that I did the staple-like riveted deal that the front tension straps use wrong. So I have to fix that.

Hopefully next week. It's supposed to rain until Monday. I can't complain, we desperately need the water.

[scott]

doc wet it down on a hot sunny day, cinch it tight let it dry (shrink). do this a couple of times. mines about 3 y/o and looks tight and doesn't flap around much at speed. enjoy the visibility that be gone soon. i can't see crap through my windows. nice look'n truck