hard top to soft top

[robbo5121]

hey ther ei cant find this anywere so dont flame me, i was wondering if i buy a hard top (removable fiberglass pannels) will i be able to just simply clip these off and put on a soft top or is there more work invoved ie parts?? please any info would help
regards

robbo5121

[ofr57]

the fibreglass panels are made FOR a soft top

[alien]

i believe youll need the channel on the top of the front window - should be ableto get it from a wrecker, or even genuine cant be that expensive (i think?).

[Gutless]

hey ther ei cant find this anywere so dont flame me, i was wondering if i buy a hard top (removable fiberglass pannels) will i be able to just simply clip these off and put on a soft top or is there more work invoved ie parts?? please any info would help
regards

robbo5121

Short answer ...yes. Although it is a bit time consuming to take the hard top off, and very difficult to do by yourself, as the back section is quite weighty.

[Highway-Star]

I bought my Sierra as a softop, bought a 2nd hand fibreglass roof, and keep it on the car. I take my fibreglass roof off normally when I go 4wding or when i feel like messing up my hair...

Robbo5121, just so you know if the vehicle has the fibreglass roof, its technically a softop, a true hardtop has a fully integrated roof and body, which cannot be seperated without butchering the car beyond much good.

Short answer ...yes. Although it is a bit time consuming to take the hard top off, and very difficult to do by yourself, as the back section is quite weighty.

The normal mountings on the back section are a PITA to take on and off, I've modified mine, I can take my entire roof on and off in under 5 minutes by myself; without any tools. 2 people make the job quite easy though.

[Longbaser]

A slight thread hijack here; Highway Star, how about some details and pics of your modification?

Removing the fibreglass roof really is a PITA, and I will still need an extra pair of hands because the rear section for a LWB Sierra weighs so much, but something easier than bolts does sound interesting!

Cheers - Longbaser.

[Pinball]

Mines a similar sit to Highway Star, soft top to "firm" top.

In doing so the sailtrack is removed from the b-pillars and the top of the windscreen.... usually also lose the support hoop for the rear of the softtop.

having said that on/off is not a major hassle, i put nutserts into the tub sills to replace the four nut/bolt combos and large head bolts with alan key drive.

Looked at half turn panel clips (DZUS) but general advice is they wouldn't handle the load and they're a pain in the butt to locate properly every time.

Spock

[Highway-Star]

I'll try again, my PC just crashed

Here is a photo of one corner of my rear roof part. My basic theory is that the roof is held in place by the black alumium angle which prevents the sides spreading apart. Then the box section (part of the roof structure) has rubber attached to the bottom which helps create a seal and also increases the friction between the roof and the tub. This is all tensioned down by 4 stainless cam latches (adjustible rod type).

Thats all, nothing attaching to the targa bar etc, the roof never originaly had this, and I havn't changed that. Its weather proof (no worse than the softop anyway), and has not moved on me or come lose. I have carried around 4 31" muddies piled up in the back of my car, doing an emergency stop and the tyres all hit the roofs rear door. I checked the roof it hadn't even moved. (For all those concerned I do not intend on repeating this again.)

Really getting off topic here: The idea of using the alumium angle to hold the roof inward (anti-spread) came about because when I bought the roof 2nd hand (from Dee on this forum), there was this silly bar that was with the roof that was supposed to go from one side to other behind the rear seats. We looked at it, couldn't figure out WTF it was for, and I think I left it at his place after I bought the roof. Anyway over the next week or two the roof gave me the shits constantly spreading apart and not sitting on the tub where I wanted it to be. Hence the black angles were screwed to the roof before I even came up with the quick release Idea. From this point it didn't take much to progress to fitting the cam latches(very hard to find them in this size I must say!) and this is what I have had on my car since about christmas now, and I'm happy with it; gives me all the function i needed from the hardtop roof, and I can still go 'topless' when I want to.

If anyone wants anything clarified about this, just ask.

Picture:

[Dee]

Really getting off topic here: The idea of using the alumium angle to hold the roof inward (anti-spread) came about because when I bought the roof 2nd hand (from Dee on this forum), there was this silly bar that was with the roof that was supposed to go from one side to other behind the rear seats. We looked at it, couldn't figure out WTF it was for, and I think I left it at his place after I bought the roof. Anyway over the next week or two the roof gave me the shits constantly spreading apart and not sitting on the tub where I wanted it to be.

hey mate, didnt realise you left any parts here, and i dont remember removing it when i pulled the hard top off my suzi... what did it look like? I can go take a look around see if i've still got it if you still want it?

[robbo5121]

yer kewl, i had a soft top and then unfortunatly had to sell it and now i want another but i can only find fiberglass soft tops,

ps any1 selling a soft top sierra???

robbo5121

[Highway-Star]

hey mate, didnt realise you left any parts here, and i dont remember removing it when i pulled the hard top off my suzi... what did it look like? I can go take a look around see if i've still got it if you still want it?

Its alright I like my solution better. I rememeber when we were trying to fit it to my car, you had those funny little bracket things that went on top of the rear bolts, thats what they were for anyway. I do not explicitly remember seeing the rod itself though... Only made the connection about what it was about a month after I did the angle thing anyway.

Its all good, glad it happenend that way. Nesecity is the mother of invention

i can only find fiberglass soft tops,

And when I was looking for a fibreglass roof they were like hens teeth for about 3 months, then I came accross about 4 within 2 weeks. Ha, Murphy's Law.