I finally found the testicular fortitude (and a break in the weather and in my work schedule) and did the unthinkable, replaced my convertible top on my own. Many thanks to ZRsaad for posting his step by step guide. I didn't stick to it step by step, but I wouldn't have attempted it without it. I used a top from Autotops.net. The top fits like a glove, it's so tight it sounds like a timpani drum.

Before


After


Okay, here's my question. The 5th Bow section is so tight that the bow won't seat properly. You can see some daylight through the weather strip.




Has anyone experienced this? I thought I came across a thread about this but I can't find it.
Do I need to loosen the 5th Bow trim and try to loosen the fabric a bit?
Will it just fix itself over time?

Thanks guys.

 

this part is 5th Bow cover its staying little bit high mine also. but does the 5th Bow trim close completely ? cause mine leaves a gap along the 5th Bow trim and does not close completely..is that what you mean??

 

Yes, that's what I mean. The 5th bow is not sealing to the rear deck. It closed completely on my original top. It's just not closing all the way with the new top. It's open enough to allow water to get in.

 

ok.so what i did is' take of the rubber and water seal retainers not the rivets and close the top completely(also switch of the front latch header) it will stretch the cloth and the plastic area from the rivets, it will pull that place in front so it will release the top..if still you have a problem let me know..

 

Thanks for your help. I gave it a shot, but the motor doesn't seem to be strong enough to pull the 5th bow down with enough force to stretch the material from the rivets. I'll let it sit for a few days and try again.

 

I read in a thread here recently that your supposed to leave the top in the up position for about a full week so it will stretch, and that it should slowly get better and then be a flush fit to the tonneau cover.

 

Thanks for the advice. I thought I read something along those lines here at one point, I just couldn't find the thread when I needed it.

 

I installed the stayfast cloth top and it took a few days for it to stretch. It's a good idea to allow the top close sequence to be completed before closing the latch in the front. I installed my top in May so the Texas heat helped with the stretching. This winter is unusually cold. It's snowing in Houston and I'm use to dropping the top this time of year.

 

Let it sit. Mine took a good COUPLE OF WEEKS to go all the way down. It is touching the tonneau now.