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Soft top window issues
Hello,
Recently I picked up a used jku soft top and went to install it for the first time last night. Everything went fine, but I have a slight issue with the side windows. I have the 90° channel in the door surround and channeled across the bottom, zipped, but the Velcro at the top left corner of the window near door surround simply isn't tall enough to Velcro together. I tried removing the window completely, zipping velcroing and then Channeling along door and bottom last but as soon as I channel the bottom, it pulls the window downwards and the Velcro disconnects again. I have posted a few pictures below. I have tried stretching the window upwards or putt the top down more at the frame but it will not budge. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...95e58861a.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...71369c6ef.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...ff459b06f.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...52baf3beb.jpeg |
That is a huge gap. Possible that the frame is a bit damaged there at the last crossbar.....which is pulling the actual top higher than it should be? That looks like more of a frame issue than a window issue to me, but might be a bit of optical illusion. I am definitely no soft top expert, but most of them I mess with are older/cheap units that I just use as trail tops.
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I don't think I'm seeing it right- is it an acrylic top with the premium windows? I have seen where the rear sail panels will be incredibly short until they warm up but that piece you've got there is pretty well a fixed piece.
The other thing I might try being in the predicament you are is to open the sunrider and attach the windows, then try to close the sunrider and see what happens. |
Originally Posted by karls10jk
(Post 4340169)
I don't think I'm seeing it right- is it an acrylic top with the premium windows? I have seen where the rear sail panels will be incredibly short until they warm up but that piece you've got there is pretty well a fixed piece.
The other thing I might try being in the predicament you are is to open the sunrider and attach the windows, then try to close the sunrider and see what happens. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...866f2886a.jpeg |
So on your TJ, you had the standard top, right? It's almost plasticy, that's the standard sailcloth (which was much better than the other option on the TJ, I don't recall what it was called). The JK/U in 2013 introduced us to the luxury of a premium top. It's got a fabric feel to it and it'll look closer to your luxury car convertibles. Looking at the pictures again, maybe you do have the standard material because 'usually' the premiums don't stain. The standard is easy to stain by looking at it the wrong way.
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That is definitely the basic (non-premium) twill. I wish I had my pos soft top on for comparison rather than it hanging from the garage ceiling. I've had 3 old pos tops now, and none of them have had a gap like this. On the pic below, everything I've had runs fairly close to the red line as you'd expect. That makes me think the top is being pulled in direction of the blue arrow and is what made me question that frame support there. Also, and this could just be the picture, the top's seam shown by the green dots, kinda looks like it's a bit c0ckeyed compared to the frame there.....but that might just be an illusion. The gap there at the door (orange arrow), looks larger than normal too....which again makes me think it's def the top/frame and nothing to do with the window. No velcro is gonna hold a gap that large....so something is def not right. From the inside of the jeep, does everything look correct with the rear most (above the tailgate) frame and the way the top attaches to it, and then also the next frame support over the roll cage cross member?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...b364ef428.jpeg **working with this material sux royally as it is. If I ever go to a soft top for anything more than just a junky "in case of rain" cover while wheelin, it would have to be the premium twill. |
Originally Posted by resharp001
(Post 4340181)
That is definitely the basic (non-premium) twill. I wish I had my pos soft top on for comparison rather than it hanging from the garage ceiling. I've had 3 old pos tops now, and none of them have had a gap like this. On the pic below, everything I've had runs fairly close to the red line as you'd expect. That makes me think the top is being pulled in direction of the blue arrow and is what made me question that frame support there. Also, and this could just be the picture, the top's seam shown by the green dots, kinda looks like it's a bit c0ckeyed compared to the frame there.....but that might just be an illusion. The gap there at the door (orange arrow), looks larger than normal too....which again makes me think it's def the top/frame and nothing to do with the window. No velcro is gonna hold a gap that large....so something is def not right. From the inside of the jeep, does everything look correct with the rear most (above the tailgate) frame and the way the top attaches to it, and then also the next frame support over the roll cage cross member?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...b364ef428.jpeg **working with this material sux royally as it is. If I ever go to a soft top for anything more than just a junky "in case of rain" cover while wheelin, it would have to be the premium twill. |
So, long story short, we have extreme weather moving in tonight. My jeep was elected (since it has full coverage insurance), to risk the night outside so we can protect 3 cars (liability only) in the garage. I through my POS soft top on figuring if it got shredded, I'd come out on top. You benefit by seeing some comparison shots. This is an old black diamond top, and I'd figure very comparable to what you're dealing with -
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...dc22abf1cf.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...751dd2cb33.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...d327aaa2ce.jpg Mine does peak up there a bit more than I recalled rather than being more of a straight line, but there's a huge difference compared to yours. ******Pay close attention to where the stitching on my window is compared to yours. My stitching is about level with the top of the door. Yours is much lower. Karl - could that be a mismatch of older window with newer top? Mine is a spring assist top.....but probably an earlier model of when they started those....I'd guess circa '13/14?? |
Originally Posted by resharp001
(Post 4340295)
So, long story short, we have extreme weather moving in tonight. My jeep was elected (since it has full coverage insurance), to risk the night outside so we can protect 3 cars (liability only) in the garage. I through my POS soft top on figuring if it got shredded, I'd come out on top. You benefit by seeing some comparison shots. This is an old black diamond top, and I'd figure very comparable to what you're dealing with -
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...dc22abf1cf.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...751dd2cb33.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...d327aaa2ce.jpg Mine does peak up there a bit more than I recalled rather than being more of a straight line, but there's a huge difference compared to yours. ******Pay close attention to where the stitching on my window is compared to yours. My stitching is about level with the top of the door. Yours is much lower. Karl - could that be a mismatch of older window with newer top? Mine is a spring assist top.....but probably an earlier model of when they started those....I'd guess circa '13/14?? |
I don't know that I can differentiate the top piece but a picture of the rear window down by the tailgate bar will at least tell us if the rear window is 07-10 or 11+. Also, your soft top should have little spring loaded buttons on the sides to open up the sunrider portion. Do you have those or does the soft top need to be manually clipped into the drip rail over the door? I'm not 100% familiar with the 4dr soft top but it should have some of the same features of the 2dr. In regards to spring assist- we've all got springs right there where the pictures are focused. Do you also have an odd oval shape box at the rear, upper attachment point? This is the easy open/ spring assist that came in later models. I'm just looking for pieces to help identify what year it is or isn't.
Russ- you're on track with what I'm thinking, maybe someone cobbled it together from leftover pieces. |
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