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I'm looking to get a soft top for my '90 302. i looked everywhere on the net and couldnt find a place that sells them. do i have to get them specially made and does anyone know about how much they run. thanks
For you guys thinking about a soft top, please consider doing your own. A couple of years ago I made one for my '79 and it turned out absolutely perfect. It cost about $75 for the vinyl (pick your own color) and snaps. It took about 1 1/2 days to completely lay it out and attach it. When I was done I took it back to the upholstery shop to have the edges hemmed for a nice finished look. Believe me guys- If I can do it- so can you. The prices some of these outfits charge are outrageous. Perhaps I could go into business for myself making these darn things. My only problem is making a kit. I custom fit mine so it fit tighter than #####'s hatband. I used .250" steel rod for the bows. I drilled opposing holes on both sides of the bedrails, bent the ends of the rod ninety degrees to fit into the holes and slightly arched the rods so water would roll off. The only word of caution is-when you drill your holes for the snaps, be sure to paint the bare metal to prevent rust. I live in AZ so rust isn't a problem here but I was living in Michigan when I made my first cover and road salt will seek out every little bit of bare steel.
Sorry, but I didn't have enough forethought to take pics. I can tell you that I layed out the vinyl over the opening, taped it down with duct tape to get the general idea then started at the cab with snaps. I originally installed 3 snaps at the roof. One in the center and two more on each end where the roof curves down to meet the bed. These were actually installed ON the roof just above the channel where the hardtop installs. I worked my way down the sloping section till I got to the bedrails installing I believe three snaps per side. WORD OF CAUTION: At the section where the roofline meets the bed I had a bit of trouble with the snaps popping off while at highway speeds so I removed the snaps on both sides in this area and installed grommets. I then ran a screw through the grommet into the hole that held the snap at the body. It prevented the unsnapping problem and was a cheezy theft protector as well. If someone was gonna steel the top they had to have the correct screwdriver with them. I used a square drive screw.
I just picked up an '89 last week and will be fabricating a top for this one also. I will take lots o'pics of this one and post for you guys to see just how it is done and how nice it turns out.
what I want to do is make the soft-top that goes straight from the cab top to the tailgate. almost looking like the tops they have in the F-150 rally truck. and then add a window in the back. i dont think too many bars, if any, would be needed and you would also be able to use the back seats. galaxie, you might have a better thought on how to go about doing this. any thoughts?
I think that your idea would be even easier to fabricate but I don't particularly like a fastback truck. I would think that one bar on each side running from the cab to the extreme end of the bedrail would do the trick to hold the shape. If you are leary of even starting a project like this before you spend money for vinyl and stuff get ahold of a good size sheet of craft paper. Lay it out on your truck and use painters grade masking tape to see how it will fit. You will be surprised at how many thoughts will go through your head! What if I do this? How will this look? GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!
yea thanks for the idea. but my only problem being i have a really expensive stereo system in my truck and im a little weary about getting a soft-top for security reasons. any ideas?
If a thief wants into your truck badly enough he is gonna get in with or without a soft top. I suppose if I were worried about stereo theft I would mount it just as securely as possible using bolts/screws with an uncommon head pattern. Perhaps an alarm that detects a voltage drop when the doors are opened? Park in a sight that is as secure as possible? Get ya a Mastif to keep guard of your rig?
for your stero and small valuables.try a tuffy security console..about $220 for our broncos..but well worth it!
some are sold in e bay..i have one and it is very good Q and neat!..get the 12.5" wide one for buckets:
http://www.tuffyproducts.com/consoles/deluxe.html
yea galaxie i know what you mean, like take my faceplate off and do whatever i can to hide my other stuff and mount it very securly. i just dont like the thought that someone can just unsnap my soft-top and get easy access to my rig. the only other thing i can think of is to set my alarm's motion to about how much the rig would shift if someone was to hop in. the only other thing i could think of is instead of using snaps at the corners use some sort of a hex screw and then use snaps to make the top flush.
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