How do you take the top off a Bronco?

 

I know it can be done and I also know if you take it off that it will never seal right again.

You have to un bolt it. I think if you take the center picece in the middle of the inside of the bronco you will find some bolts
and if you pull the tail gat down look on both sides under the top.

just some guesses I am to lazy to go look.

 

the top is held to the truck via 18 or 20 tamper-proof torx bits. go to your local auto parts store and buy a #45 (i'm pretty sure), they look just like normal torx bits but they have a little hole in the middle.

1. take off the panels all around the top
2. remove the bolts (that was a bitch and a half....so get ready for some work)
3. disconnect the 3rd brake light
4. remove the top. it's about 100lbs, and big and awkward, so i got a friend to help.

store the top suspended from the ground.......take a look at my photopoint album to see how i did it (i put a bunch of pillows on a table, and put the top on topof that. when the top is suspended, the weather strips will not get crushed or dirty, and you'll be able to get a good seal.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1348053&a=12727583&f=0

as for the weather stripping, you will still have a good seal if you take care of the rubber.

when you put the top back on, buy a bottle of spray silicone (or gel, or whatever), and dump S H I T LOADS of it all over the weather stripping and all around the base - wherever the truck touches the top. make sure you get the stripping that's attatched to the top itslef.....let the silicone or whichever lubricant really sink into the rubber, as its sure to get dried out while the top is off

the rubber should be soft/mushy, and slick. if it's not, then you're not getting a good seal.

make sure you put the weather strip back on correctly, and make sure you and your friend get the top put back on right. if you do, and you screw everything in correctly, you will have no leaks.

i just sat through terrential downpours this week, and no leaks at all!

any questions? email me at phietasgma(No Email Addresses In Posts!)

hope that helped.

 

guidogabriele

nice

 

gg is da dawg for sure..also those fasteners seem to disappear, so get spares from your friendly dealer
we had top off our 78 many times, no leaks!
and I'm looking at these to see if they can be adapted to our late model broncos:
http://www.langeoriginals.com/products/kwick_top.html

maybe they're sim to dzus fasteners?

 

I have recently removed the top off of my 87 bronco and it was alot easier than I thought it was going to be. There where 11 bolts to pull out and it came right off. That is not including the small interior plastic pieces being removed though. Overall, it was really easy. I am enjoying the heck out of having the top off and I am currently designing a top that allows a back window to seal along the cab and be openable so that there can be an open pass through in the back. I am also going to implement into the design the ability to have passengers in the back and be able to secure the cab when you leave it somewhere.