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answerman Member
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OK, one of the many things on my rapidly expanding "to do" list for Ms. Jenavieve is to figure out the soft top. It's in very nice condition, obviously not the original unless the POs took really good care of it. However, it doesn't seem to fit quite right which lends precedence to my thoughts that it's an aftermarket. It's way tight in back, to the point where I can't even get it to stay secured to the horizontal Velcro strips... it just pulls off when I latch the front. I have studied the way it is supposed to secure in the rear with the press studs (or "snaps") and Velcro. The studs in particular seem to make no sense to me as they really don't offer much "shear strength", meaning that they come unsnapped very easily. Plus, they are a real pain to get snapped in the first place. I was looking over my boat a few days ago (also getting ready for spring) and noticed the spinning latch studs used to secure the cover. After doing a bit of Googling, I found that they are apparently called "curtain fasteners" in the industry: http://www.sailrite.com/common-sense-fastener-2-screw-stud Now these make more sense to me, as the ring which would be crimped to the top would just slide over the stud, and then a quarter turn to keep them from popping off. Anyone ever considered such a thing? It seems way more secure than the snap and Velcro method. I would replace the 5 snaps on the car with the curtain fasteners, and also maybe one or two on each of the horizontal part of the top where the Velcro currently is, assuming that they wouldn't cause clearance problems with the moving parts. Last edited on 03-27-2013 08:19 pm by answerman |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator 
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A shrunken vinyl top will never fit properly. Most aftermarket tops are copies of shrunken original tops so they don't fit either. The only top that fits is the Robbins top. It is sold at the club store on this website. My Ebay canvas top is a lousy fit and impossible to stow completely due to the rollbar. Kurt |
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DDrake Member
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I agree that you most likely have a shrunken top .My 10 year old Robbins was shrinking width wise ,length was not a problem as it gets put up everyday so stayed stretched . My New Robbins top doesn't fit all that well either ,doesn't come down low enough to trap the side glass .(but that another story ) The fasteners you were considering I have know as "Common Sense Fasteners " a term I thought appropriate .The big disadvantage I see is that they stick up so high and installing them in that thick vinyl would be a bear of a job .I'm a boater as well and have a couple of these in the cockpit holding up a sheet bag and have lost some ankle skin to them from time to time . I would suggest that your current snaps are worn out and it might be easier to renew them |
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Dan (Florida) Member
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I just replaced an old shrunken vinyl top on my 73 with a Robbins Canvas top (Rockauto.com) . The front of the top never seems to be wide enough to cover the front bow but overall it came out pretty nice, even with no soft top experience. What I don't understand is my top has a curved steel bar sewn into the rear edge of the top that catches under two chrome fingers that hold it down. There are no snaps along the rear edge of the top, only on the sides and around the windows. The top cover has this bar installed as well. The new top does not have this bar installed and must be removed from the old top and installed in the new one. I can't imagine not having that bar and catches and trying to secure a top with just snap buttons and velcro. A top can be loosened by unglueing the top from the front bow and reglueing it a bit looser ( allthough it might not look the same along the front edge). Use contact cement and let it dry out a bit before applying. You can also remove the top frame and elongate the mounting holes to allow the frame ot sit lower on the car. This also allows you to adjust out any sags later on. FYI , I made a snap button installer out of a metal c clamp that works very well installing the button part of the snap. The base part that the button sits in was JB welded (epoxy glue) to the foot plate of the clamp and the little rod driver was welded to the screw part of the clamp. It makes a nice job of riveting the button parts together, and can be used with the top installed on the car. At any rate I would look into installing that bar and hold down fingers on the back of the top. Dan |
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answerman Member
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Oh. I think you misunderstood. I have the bar and holddown fingers... that's all that's holding the rear of the top on. The snaps and Velcro only hold down the inside to snug it tight, and that's where the problem is. Though the bar is there, it doesn't do anything for the corners and sides of the vinyl. I may look into lowering the top a little, though. Problem is I'm already hitting my head on it (I sit tall) so I really don't want to make it any lower than I have to. |
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DDrake Member
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Great idea about elongating the tops side mounting bracket holes . As you mentioned the header rail seems wider than the top fabric by approximately half to three quarters of an inch Cheers David Drake 73 JH |
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Spaceman Member 
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So my question is, on the Robbins, Vinyl top, how do you actually get the back brace in? If you slide through one of the catch holes, it never slides far enough to get the other end in. Do you have to open a seam? Or cut a slot in one side? cheers dale |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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It should under normal conditions just slide in from one side or the other, no cut at all . Brett |
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DDrake Member
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I havent had any issue sliding the bar into the pocket .Perhaps they have overcsewn a seam by accident |
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noomg Member
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Dale, Regarding the back brace install, I have a canvas top from Caribou, I had to put a slit at one end of the rear pocket to slide the brace in. I made the slit underneath and it's not visible. I don't recall how I got the brace out of the original. |
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Spaceman Member
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I thought the seam was stiched over, but was able to get a coathanger to push thru, so my technique will be, lube the bar with soap and water like you put on bike handles, and heat up the vinyl top where it has to bend, it will be tight but i think I can get away without opening up anything. I might be easier to cut a slot and slip it through. |
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Spaceman Member
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So I have everything in place, need to add the snaps at the back, and rivet the velcro strips on, but I am wondering what is the trick to getting a Robbins tops stretched and glued properly to the front rail? |
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