My new Armadillo Hardtop on 2-Door Bronco Build

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

It's been on for one week, finally time to post.

New Batch one, Armadillo Designs 2 door hardtop.
There were a few slight fitment issues, nothing major...they only had one 2 door available to do most of the design work.

I switched as I just do not believe the OEM top will hold up long term and I am keeping this Bronco to the grave. If you want something that will last, this is it.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, post them and I will do my best to answer.

If you are interested, I also have an excellent condition 2 door OEM top for sale in the Members Merchant section.

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[1bluedog]

Looks great!

 

[Iceman62]

Very nice & great looking rig!

 

[Blackcat]

That looks great.

 

[Copperhorse73]

Roughly how heavy are the 2 roof panels?

 

[Newbie]

What is the sound when it rains?

How do you feel in hot weather?

Any strange vibration sounds?

 

[Spiniker]

It's been on for one week, finally time to post.

New Batch one, Armadillo Designs 2 door hardtop.
There were a few slight fitment issues, nothing major...they only had one 2 door available to do most of the design work.

I switched as I just do not believe the OEM top will hold up long term and I am keeping this Bronco to the grave. If you want something that will last, this is it.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, post them and I will do my best to answer.

If you are interested, I also have an excellent condition 2 door OEM top for sale in the Members Merchant section.

The 2 door top looks good,but as a fellow two door owner . I would hate losing that side version you get with a window also it looks like you can't use the factory roof rack. Two red flags in my book. Maybe they will have a version later that has those features

 

[MayhemMike]

Although it is a huge improvement towards longevity I personally need a top that can easily be removed for summer use. Also,folks in this forum moan about the scratches on the interior plastic, and other issues concerning build quality. Those weld seams on that top look rather lousy. I am happy a company is offering an alternative top for the lonesome two doors.

 

[Mike's Bronco]

The 2 door top looks good,but as a fellow two door owner . I would hate losing that side version you get with a window also it looks like you can't use the factory roof rack. Two red flags in my book. Maybe they will have a version later that has those features

You can get glass on the side doors. They also have a roof rack. Links below.
Glass
Rack

It'd be cheaper to order the top with the glass than get them separately.

I like the top, for the most part. Not fond of the smaller rear glass.

 

[javelina]

wow, that looks awesome!

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

Roughly how heavy are the 2 roof panels?

I am guessing 20-25 lbs. each....but they feel like 35. If you are being careful not to scratch anything....I would use two people, one holding up from the inside and one lifting it off from the outside. They are wide, long and IMO awkward to lift. I also used about a 10" high stool. A 6'3"+ strong person could probably do it solo. The overall design is better than OEM (IMO) and almost impossible to leak around the perimeter of the panels.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

What is the sound when it rains?

How do you feel in hot weather?

Any strange vibration sounds?

It has not rained yet, that said, the headliner in this is over 1/2" thick....10X that of the OEM. I suspect rain noise would be less than with the OEM.
Hot weather, AC on......cool as a fridge. Again, the insulation should help keep the heat out. The panels are not going to warm up on the inside.
Zero sounds from the Armadillo top. It is (other than the roof panels), one piece. There are no seams as in the OEM. It is mounted to the body in 18 bolted on locations.....solid as anything! If anything, it is quieter inside. My OEM top always had air leakage sounds....none with this top.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

Although it is a huge improvement towards longevity I personally need a top that can easily be removed for summer use. Also,folks in this forum moan about the scratches on the interior plastic, and other issues concerning build quality. Those weld seams on that top look rather lousy. I am happy a company is offering an alternative top for the lonesome two doors.

Yeah....if you want to go totally top off, this is not for you. If an owner does not care about having the rear section off, basically, with the top panels out....the entire top is open.
As far as scratches on interior plastics....I have no idea what they could be speaking of....this top is not in contact with plastics and there are no scratches or what I even see as a possibility of scratches. I am anal (photos show it) about my vehicles and would not stand for that.
As far as welds....every weld on this is beautiful. Those seams on the top over the doors, I do not believe those are welds, it is more of a shallow trough.....for what purpose, I do not know....perhaps water run off. For me, they look like they should have been there. Early units had some weld issues along the lower length of the unit. They now have two laser welders and all that is resolved. As I said, I am picky, the quality on this unit is top notch, beautiful, aligned, everything is tight with a great finish. All of the rubber gaskets and such if anything are overkill. The headliner looks sharp too.
Weld seam:

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

You can get glass on the side doors. They also have a roof rack. Links below.
Glass
Rack

It'd be cheaper to order the top with the glass than get them separately.

I like the top, for the most part. Not fond of the smaller rear glass.

Looking out the rear-view mirror; I really do not notice much view loss. IMO, this glass is wider, just not as much in height. You do not see the rear tire or brake light at all so that is not obstructing vision. I personally do not see a negative here.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

The 2 door top looks good,but as a fellow two door owner . I would hate losing that side version you get with a window also it looks like you can't use the factory roof rack. Two red flags in my book. Maybe they will have a version later that has those features

The gull wing side doors, you can get them with glass as an option. IMO, because of where the side OEM windows were located and mine were tinted....and my old neck....I could not see out of the side OEM windows anyway. I opted no glass in the Armadillo....I do like that those side gull wing doors open, allowing a lot of side access to get into the rear cargo area.

Yeah, the OEM roof rack will not work, sold mine in 24 hours of posting it. If you look, I have the L-Tracks mounted on top (they have several sizes) that allow for mounting all kinds of things. They sell racks and have worked with other manufacturers items that will fit to their rack. With the L-Tracks....on and off will be very easy.

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