604Bronco’s Build Journal

[604Bronco]

Appreciate the idea about the chase lights inside the tire. It's not something I need/would use often out here (except dense snow and fog) but on trips out west it would def be useful.

No problem! I like the fact that they're more discrete and hidden, but they're bright as heck. To be honest, I don't use them a ton either - But we get heavy fog, can get intense snow, etc. here.

I've also used them when helping someone broken down on the side of a very busy highway in low visibility/fog. I realize I have hazard lights too, but this was much more impactful for cautioning drivers well in advance in the scenario.

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[604Bronco]

Paint Protection:

I took my Bronco to a local XPEL dealer this week, initially just wanting to get a ceramic coating applied. The shop was amazing, and walked me through their process and everything.

Started out with getting washed twice, followed by a stage 1 paint correction - Never had this done since owning the Bronco, however it really helped getting the chemical and road contaminants out of the paint. This was in preparation for what was to come...

I ended up getting the XPEL Fusion Plus Ceramic Coating for all the painted surfaces. They taped off and covered the vinyl wrap, and applied the XPEL Satin Ceramic Coating to these areas. It really makes a noticeable difference and I wanted to ensure I didn't lose the "matte" finish on the vinyl. They also talked me into the XPEL Ultimate Plus Paint Protection Film for the rocker panels. Although the rock sliders protect pretty well, I wanted something additional to help with potential rock chips on the doors. Using the body line of the Bronco, they cut it off here which I think looks awesome - You can't even tell it's covered in PPF.

Really happy with the outcome - It looks great, and should offer much better protection to my Bronco for years to come!

 

[604Bronco]

TR10 Series Hard Top (From Turn Off Road):

Hey folks,

As you know, I’ve been patiently waiting a hard top for my Bronco. I must give a shoutout to @TURN Todd and Cole at @Turn Offroad – They have been one of the best vendors I’ve dealt with for anything (not just for my Bronco accessories). Their communication, level of detail, expertise, commitment to customers, etc. is just above and beyond. I would feel confident in buying from them in a second, simply based off this. I do not get any kick-back from them on this, nor did they ask my opinion – But you know me, I’ll tell it how it is. I am truly blown away by both of them and their teams for the quality of product (albeit, it’s day one!) and their outstanding customer service. Thank you very much – It has been a breath of fresh air!

Now, onto the hard top!

Delivery was well arranged – Keeping in mind my top had to come a long ways up to Canada, TOR did a fantastic job selecting a reputable carrier and customs broker to work with.It arrived on time, for the most part. It was delayed a day due to a “weather delay,” and with the weekend, it showed up on the Monday instead of the previous Friday. No big deal. It arrived very well packaged! Not only was the hard top secured in the crate well, but it was wrapped in a black shrink wrap to protect it, but also to help to quickly identify if anything had come into contact with the pallet. Thankfully the shrink wrap was all intact.

One thing to keep in mind if you order a top to be shipped to your house: Measure your space! I clearly poorly measured and had to pull my Bronco out of our standard 2 vehicle garage to get the hard top in. Part of that was due to the pallet being too tall, and needed to be laid down in order to fit in the garage. That issue’s on me, but thankfully once inside the garage, I could JUST fit my Bronco back inside, next to the crate. It’s much larger than it appears in the TOR video! The reason for wanting to get both the hard top and Bronco back into the garage: I had proactively removed my soft top the Sunday afternoon (day before delivery). The weather was looking a little iffy today, so I didn’t want to leave my topless Bronco outside the rest of the day, as I couldn’t install the hard top right away.

Soft top removal was easy, thanks to the instructions provided by TOR in their installation video. I also found it helpful to reference the Ford soft top video, which can be found here.

Don’t forget: When you remove the soft top, if you’re going to sell it, remove all appropriate hardware from your vehicle. This isn’t covered in the TOR video, but it includes the brackets on both sides of the cargo area, near the door (where the soft top latches to). You also need to remove the black bracket on both sides, under the plastic trim piece, in the cargo area. This black bracket is what the soft top brackets mount to, so this is critical and something I almost forgot to remove. Lastly, you need to remove the plastic C pillar vertical trim pieces from either side, which is what the side soft top windows latch onto.

As for the installation of the hardtop, I unwrapped the pallet and targa top – Always make sure that everything is in good condition, and you have all your hardware, before starting installation (a good practise for any new accessories!). The bolts and washers were in a plastic bag, taped to the targa top bubble wrap and was easy to spot upon opening the box. Unfortunately, I was missing the bracket required to be installed above the B pillar. This isn’t needed on all Bronco’s, but if you don’t have the OEM bracket installed (like I did, thankfully), you would need this. I am pretty meticulous on checking all the packaging, and it was not there. This OEM bracket is presumablyinstalled on any Bronco with the hard top prep package for the rear defroster/rear wiper.

Follow the TOR installation video – It’s very well laid out and easy to follow along with. I had it on my iPad next to me during the installation, and just paused the video during each step. I’m actually glad that no paper instructions were included, as the video is self explanatory. One suggestion for @Turn Offroad would be to add a QR code to the packaging, maybe the hardware bag, which links to your website with the installation videos. Or even a sticker on the black shrink wrap, which is obvious and helps people find the unboxing and installation videos.

The installation took two people, but it was pretty simple and no major issues. The most time consuming part was adjusting the latches for the targa top – They do seem very secure, and that was one of the concerning points for me initially. I’m happy to say that early days, they seem very good and secure. You may find the paint on the targa top latches prevents the nut from adjusting easily - This was a bit of a pain point, but with some elbow grease you can get it going. Once the paint starts to come off a bit, it's much easier. One suggestion might be to not paint the threads, since they're covered by the latches anyways.

Once the top is installed, you will find there's a bit of a smell - It's just your standard "newly made" product with all the fun glues and epoxies and whatever else is on it. It's not overwhelming, but you will smell it and I anticipate it'll dissipate quickly. Also, you will notice in my pictures below that the top is shiny and you can see some fingerprints from the installation. I did not wash the top after installing it, but pretty certain a lot of that sheen will come off with a good wash using soap and water, and some of Mother Nature's rain

Please note: I do need to adjust the latches a bit further, so I know some of the pictures below show the targa top not pulled all the way down yet.

A couple very minor concerns/questions for @Turn Offroad :

• The rubber angle pieces that stick to the door don’t seem to stick as well as one might have expected. I cleaned the area, and removed the adhesive backing. The one closest to the door handle is not nearly as secure as the inside one is. Likely will need to re-apply a better 3M tape. Pictures below. On a related piece, there was form attached to these pieces, but I’m unsure if it was supposed to remain or pull it off? It was folded under a bit, so it was not clear at all. Some clarity on this would be appreciated. Pictures below.

TOR Response:

**Rubber Pieces:** The rubber pieces use 3M VHB adhesive, which sticks well initially and becomes even stronger over time, especially after being exposed to heat. If you ever lose one, we'll replace it for free. The foam on the rubber blocks isn't necessary, so feel free to remove it. We used foam initially to see how the blocks fit against the seals, but the final product doesn't include it. If you'd like, we're happy to send you a new set without the foam.

• The rubber under the rear glass interferes with the cargo door, however, this was mentioned to me from Todd and a fix is already in the works and is being shipped out to customers who have already received their hard tops. This isn’t major, but you do have to open the door > 90 degrees to clear it. This will tear in pretty short order unfortunately, so hopefully the fix is just around the corner and easy to swap out. Pictures below.

TOR Response:

**Rear Glass Interference:** We've updated our design so that the tailgate only needs to be opened to 90 degrees to open the rear window, based on feedback. If you have the older design, we'll send you a new glass and lower fiberglass assembly for free. This update also reduces stress on the rear seal when closing the tailgate. All new hard tops will include this improved design, but we're also offering replacements to our early customers at no cost. The installation is straightforward, involving just two bolts, and we'll provide an installation video.
If you're considering adding defrost and wiper features in the future, we can offer them at a discounted price, saving you the cost of an updated glass set.

• The window tint on the hard top is a little bit lighter than the factory tint. You can see this in my pictures. I'm hoping I can have my local window tint place fix this by adding some additional tint. @Turn Offroad - Can you confirm if the glass is tinted with film, or is the tint built into the glass?

TOR Response:

**Window Tint:** The tint is built into the glass with a 20% level, matching the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) hard top. If you want to add film tint, a professional should be able to match the OEM rear door glass closely with little effort.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for! *drum roll*

 

[604Bronco]

Update:

So I ended up getting the hard top windows re-tinted, as you could see they didn't perfectly match the OEM tint on the rear passenger doors. I think this was compounded by the fact I have a bright white paint colour, so the rear "roll cage" shows through the windows a little easier.

I went with a 15% tint - I know it's slightly darker, but I felt with a black top/my theme, and wanting some extra privacy for the rear cargo area, it'd be the right choice to go with.

Anyways, tell me what you think!

Before:

After:

 

[j_marinelli]

Update:

So I ended up getting the hard top windows re-tinted, as you could see they didn't perfectly match the OEM tint on the rear passenger doors. I think this was compounded by the fact I have a bright white paint colour, so the rear "roll cage" shows through the windows a little easier.

I went with a 15% tint - I know it's slightly darker, but I felt with a black top/my theme, and wanting some extra privacy for the rear cargo area, it'd be the right choice to go with.

Anyways, tell me what you think!

Before:

After:

Looking good! I think you need to sit back and enjoy some fresh cookies while you bask in the glory of its awesomeness!

 

[604Bronco]

One Week TOR Hard Top Update:

Since having the top installed for about a week, I thought it would be worth a quick update on how things have been.

I've had the opportunity to drive it a fair amount now, in both sunny and rainy conditions. I've been on regular neighbourhood roads, highways, and very, very poorly maintained back roads. In the neighbourhoods/"regular" roads (about 50-60 km/hour), the top is good and much quieter than the soft top was - Which is obvious. I did have an annoying rattling sound, but I'll speak to that in a moment.

On the highway (100 km/hour), the top continues to be very quiet. No weird noises or creaking. The only thing I will note is a very, very slight wind noise on the targa top. It's still 1,000 times better than the soft top, and easily countered by turning up the radio by 1 volume setting, but I did want to note it. Everything is installed properly and sitting as it should. It's a non-issue and should not be a factor if you're considering purchasing this hard top. People with light bars and roof racks would have much more wind noise.

Lastly, on the very, very poorly maintained back road (30-50 km/hour). Filled with ruts and pot holes and hadn't been paved or maintained in a very long time. The top was great - Again, no issues with sounds, and the vehicle does feel more rigid, which I like. I'm actually curious to see if it helps with the annoying side windows flexing when they are down slightly, when going over bumps. Probably won't cure it, but may help improve it slightly - We'll see when temperatures warm up and it stops raining!

So, back to my rattling sound. It wasn't always happening, and was only occurring going over some (not all) bumps. I found out quickly it was one of my latches (front passenger side). I was a bit paranoid when installing the top, and decided to ensure the latches would close easily and not need much (or any) effort. This was my fault, as clearly I erred on the side of extreme caution with this latch, so I tightened it up slightly and now it seems perfect. Tested it out after, and problem solved. For a latch I wasn't overly fond of when I initially saw pictures of it, they've very quickly grown on me. I love the concept, they look and feel much better than you might assume, and they're so easy to adjust for the "perfect fit" - If you're concerned about them at all, don't be!

So I mentioned it's also been driven in some heavy rain - Happy to say, no leaks (*knock on wood*)! Everything feels good and snug, and it's been awesome from that front. If you are parked and water pools on the roof, and if you're at a specific slight angle, you can run into water coming into the vehicle when you open the door - No different than the OEM soft top or MIC top (I assume). Bit annoying, but not really anything you can do about it - Without installing ugly gutters on the top, which I think would ruin the look (Maybe this is something @Turn Offroad has already looked into? Not sure).

The smell of the hard top is still very strong, even a week after installation. I'm assuming it's just the adhesives and stuff they use during manufacturing. Not a big deal, and not something that stops me from driving the Bronco with joy, however I would recommend "airing it out." I park in a garage and still leave all my windows up, so that doesn't help for sure. I would maybe leave the targa top off or at least roll down your windows overnight (if you park inside a garage). This smell should dissipate, like any "new car smell" does over time.

When washing your hard top for the first time, it's probably a good idea to give it a little extra love. If you have a foam cannon and a pressure washer, it seems to be ideal for getting some of that grease/film off the hard top. Also, make sure you wash your entire vehicle, as that will just drip down onto your Bronco and make it look gross.

Overall super excited to have this hard top. I have had several people checking out my ride this past week - Although it's not uncommon, I have seen them specifically looking at the hard top as I drive by or I'm stopped at a traffic light or parked in a parking lot.

Thanks again, @Turn Offroad!

 

[604Bronco]

Rear Seat Back Covers (From Mabett):

I ordered these rear seat back covers from @Mabett the other day, and they are a great addition to my Bronco!

I found I have my back seats partially laid flat, and stuff would slide around on the carpeted seat backs or I’d have to vacuum it regularly.

These installed within minutes - the Velcro is pre-installed in the backs, and all you need to do is line them up and push down so they stick firmly to the carpeted seat backs.

They look great too, and appear to be high quality. My only thing to note is they are shipped in a smaller box, folded up inside. You need to lay them flat and put a heavy object on them so they flatten out. Not a big deal, and I plan on putting my portable battery pack on it for a day to address the small bend in the product.

Highly recommend!

 

[604Bronco]

Two Week TOR Hard Top Update:

I wanted to provide one more update, now that its been about 2 weeks since installing my hard top.

The strong smell when I first received it has dissipated quite significantly over the past couple of weeks. You can still smell it, but on day one it was a bit overwhelming. Like I said - Keep the targa top off or roll down the windows overnight (if you park in a garage) and the smell will likely disappear much quicker for you. I've kept all my windows up this entire time.

Check the tightness of your bolts! TOR outlines this on their installation video, but I waited about a week to check them and assumed they were just being over cautious. Nope - Almost all of them needed to be tightened a bit, including the two up top, above the B pillar. Don't forget to check the nuts on the targa top latches too.

Other than that, the top has been good and I continue to love it. Looking at getting a half roof rack in the near future, which I'll share here on my built journal.

 

[604Bronco]

Ford Bronco 4 Door Hard Top Half Roof Rack (From Turn Off Road):

Hey folks,

As many of you know, I recently received and installed my Turn Off Road hard top and have been loving it everyday since installing it! You can check out my review post on it by clicking here.

Last week I ordered the Turn Off Road Half Roof Rack (4 door version), and installed it this evening. They also sell a 2 door version as well. I wanted to provide an unbiased review of my thoughts on the install and the product itself - Albeit I've only had it installed for an hour or so. Again, I have zero connection with TOR, and am doing this because I enjoy their products.

The shipping was fast and arrived in less than a week. The product was very well packaged, both inside and out. When you open the box you'll find everything is individually wrapped in foam and shrink wrap - It probably took me 15-20 minutes just to unwrap everything. It was all in perfect condition. As always, check to ensure you have all your hardware before you start. Unfortunately, I was shorted 2 lock washers and 2 flat washers, and that's with double checking everything before throwing it out, and the hardware packaging was not ripped and was well sealed shut. I had enough bolts thankfully.

Once unwrapped, I started watching the install video by TOR. It's very well done, and I simply played it on my iPad and paused it along the way. I am not a handy person at all, however I found this installation fairly easy but I wanted to share some tips and some issues I ran into along the way.

First off, in the video they explain sticking these foam pads on by cutting them. However they updated this, and provide full coverage pads, which is great to see. They are self explanatory on how they go on, but I've provided a picture just in case. I ran my fingers along the edges to ensure it was tucked in perfectly, and well adhered all around.

When installing everything, follow the videos instructions and do it finger tight to start. I installed everything and noticed that there was a pretty bad overhang on the back of the Bronco. This is very likely a non-issue with a standard MIC top, as the slanted back TOR hard top loses a couple of inches. Simple fix - Just slide it forward a bit, and then tighten it all down. I've shown a comparison below of it overhanging in the back, then correcting it. The rear glass clears the half rack no problem!

One important thing as you're going along: Make sure the two cross member pieces are in the right spot/right direction! This was a major pain point for me. I had the front in properly, but the rear cross member I had to flip around. You'll know immediately when you put the side piece up, and the two bolt holes won't both line up. Do a quick check if you want before you place it on the vehicle - It'll save you some frustration.

One quick tip: They provide locking washers and flat washers, but I put a tiny bit of blue thread locker on each bolt just to be safe. Took me a bit longer, but I feel better having it on there as an extra layer of keeping the bolts in place long term.

I also took it for a quick drive around - The maximum I got up to was 80 km/hour, and zero wind noise. Didn't hear a thing, and I had my music turned off!

And here's the final look once it's complete - My apologies it got dark out, so I had to find a lit parking lot

Let me know what you think, or if you have any questions! Thanks @Turn Offroad & @TURN Todd for another awesome product and outstanding customer service!

 

[604Bronco]

Just for additional clarity, the below picture shows the rear cross member incorrectly installed the first time. The nut insert should be closer to the rear of the vehicle, thus I needed to unbolt and flip it around.

Knowing this would have saved me quite a bit of time, as I had already started to bolt up the side pieces.

 

[Bigred86]

That hard top looks so good! Much better with the tint you added as well!

 

[CarbonSteel]

Baja Designs Lights:

Wanted to post an update on my Baja Designs lights that were installed this week. These are the Baja Design 6XL Linkable Modular Bumper Light Bar (Baja Design Part # 447750UP) & Baja Designs Amber SAE Fog Pocket Kit (Baja Designs Part # 447762UP).

The light bar is hooked up to one AUX switch, the amber fog lights another, and then the other two pocket lights to another AUX switch. Love the look of them, and looking forward to testing them out at night one of these days.

Let me know what you think!

I poked around a bit on the Baja Designs website, but was wondering, for the XL bumper light bar, were there options for the XL light shape? BD makes a round XL and a rounded corner square model (that you have). I wanted to go round to be symmetrical to the headlights.

On another note, how do you like them? I had BD lights on my Wrangler, and they were pretty sweet. Just curious how you like yours and how well they work at night.

 

[604Bronco]

I poked around a bit on the Baja Designs website, but was wondering, for the XL bumper light bar, were there options for the XL light shape? BD makes a round XL and a rounded corner square model (that you have). I wanted to go round to be symmetrical to the headlights.

On another note, how do you like them? I had BD lights on my Wrangler, and they were pretty sweet. Just curious how you like yours and how well they work at night.

@Nick@Apollo-Optics helped me with these lights, and can probably... shed some light... on your question. I only saw the ones I purchased at the time, however that was about 2 years ago. Things could have changed.

I love these lights! Although they aren't round, they do match with my pocket lights and I think they are round enough to compliment the vehicle, but also be different. They aren't your typical light bar, but they're not your typical "round" AUX lights too. They stand out more, IMO. They work phenomenal at night - I have nothing bad to say about the quality or light output by this setup. Highly recommend.

 

[CarbonSteel]

@Nick@Apollo-Optics helped me with these lights, and can probably... shed some light... on your question. I only saw the ones I purchased at the time, however that was about 2 years ago. Things could have changed.

I love these lights! Although they aren't round, they do match with my pocket lights and I think they are round enough to compliment the vehicle, but also be different. They aren't your typical light bar, but they're not your typical "round" AUX lights too. They stand out more, IMO. They work phenomenal at night - I have nothing bad to say about the quality or light output by this setup. Highly recommend.

I had BD on my Wrangler and even though they were the Sport models (XL on the cowl and standard on the light bar), these things would light up the night and made driving the backroads so much safer.

I cannot imagine how bright 6 of the XL models must be. Thanks for the information. I am reaching out to BD directly to ask them.

 

[Nick@Apollo-Optics]

@Nick@Apollo-Optics helped me with these lights, and can probably... shed some light... on your question. I only saw the ones I purchased at the time, however that was about 2 years ago. Things could have changed.

I love these lights! Although they aren't round, they do match with my pocket lights and I think they are round enough to compliment the vehicle, but also be different. They aren't your typical light bar, but they're not your typical "round" AUX lights too. They stand out more, IMO. They work phenomenal at night - I have nothing bad to say about the quality or light output by this setup. Highly recommend.

Thanks for the tag, man! Glad you're still enjoying your setup!

I had BD on my Wrangler and even though they were the Sport models (XL on the cowl and standard on the light bar), these things would light up the night and made driving the backroads so much safer.

I cannot imagine how bright 6 of the XL models must be. Thanks for the information. I am reaching out to BD directly to ask them.

No need to reach out to Baja Designs directly, happy to help.

Two options:
1. We can custom order a kit for you with XL-R bezels instead of the standard XL bezels for the round look - but note, this will incur a lead time.
2. We can offer the XL-R bezels as a separate line item for purchase and you can replace the stock bezels that come with the lights.

Happy to help if you'd like more info!

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