IAG EZ-Pull for soft tops, with Diabolical Slipstream

[coreymd]

This is the solution I've been waiting for! I've had the Slipstream security enclosure and the EZ-Lift struts both installed on my soft top for over a year and a half now, but they never worked very well together. The Slipstream made it difficult to reach and release the soft top latches, and the EZ-Pull struts made it difficult to close the soft top with the Slipstream in place.

If you're handy and don't mind irreversibly modifying your expensive accessories, here's a solution to consider: replace the factory soft top latches with the EZ-Pull, and then modify it and the Slipstream so the two products don't interfere with one another.

NOTE: completing these mods may reduce the effectiveness of the original Slipstream design. The position of the EZ-Pull cover does prevent the Slipstream lid from being opened when the windows are out, but anyone with a Torx bit can remove that cover and eventually open the soft top. From there, the pins (or levers) that secure the Slipstream lid are made more accessible. But honestly, the security could have been defeated in basically the same way before these mods, thanks to the corner holes exposed by the soft top version of the Slipstream.

This isn't a mod everyone's going to be comfortable with, but I MUCH prefer this solution over what I had previously.

Bonus: the Slipstream lid fully opens without contacting either the soft top frame or the rear speaker pods!

Here was my process:

1. I started with the Slipstream and EZ-Lift struts already installed.
2. I installed the EZ-Pull system next.
3. @AdamF@IAG already mentioned this in the EZ-Pull thread, but I also needed to mod parts of the EZ-Pull due to how the Slipstream mounting brackets push the factory soft top catches inward:
   1. Mod #1: I ended up trimming the actuator rod about 1/4 inch.
   2. Mod #2: The lower cover of the EZ-Pull needed to be trimmed - this is the flat panel that attaches to the soft top frame and covers the actuator rod from below. I used metal snips to cut away about an inch of material from each side of the lower cover panel without cutting off the two screw holes that attach the lower and upper covers together.
4. I made final adjustments to the EZ-Pull mechanism to be sure it all functioned properly. Prior to final adjustments, the soft top had a tendency to open by itself if the frame shifted laterally.
5. I modified the Slipstream lid to prevent it from contacting the EZ-Pull actuator mechanisms.
   1. Mod #3: I removed the "tail" piece from the Slipstream lid - this is the flat piece that underlaps the soft top frame when closed - by removing the three bolts that attach it to the lid. I kept the rubber U-channel edge trim for later (see below).
   2. Mod #4: Using a cut-off tool, I cut away both rear corners of the Slipstream lid. I made the depth of the cut flush with the edges of the Slipstream side rails (about 1.25"). The width of each cut was based on how much clearance I needed for the EZ-Pull mechanisms on each side. The driver's side needed a wider cut (about 8") than the passenger's side (about 5").
6. I finished the look by shaping and super-gluing the U-channel edge trim over the new cuts I made into the Slipstream lid. I imagine this will also help protect it from the elements, as there is no longer any powder coating there.

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[AdamF@IAG]

Nicely done! Glad to see you got it to work. Do you happen to have a pic of the mods to the lower cover? I'd like to roll the mods into the production version (eventually) and possibly create a template or instructions based on your mods, with the credit obviously going to you. Very nice write-up!

@IAG Performance @IAG Support

 

[coreymd]

Nicely done! Glad to see you got it to work. Do you happen to have a pic of the mods to the lower cover? I'd like to roll the mods into the production version (eventually) and possibly create a template or instructions based on your mods, with the credit obviously going to you. Very nice write-up!

@IAG Performance @IAG Support

Thanks! The cuts to the lower cover were nothing special - just a trim and file. I did sacrifice the two end bolts that connected it to the channel in the soft top frame because it made for an easier cut. Seems sturdy enough without.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Thanks for this.
I've had the EZ Pull sitting on a shelf for a few months now.

 

[tock13]

I already took the hacksaw to my slipstream because of the design when used with the soft top and how hard it is to get to the clips. Diabolical should have build some sort of custom release clips to make it easier to between hard and soft too so the buyer doesn’t need to hack up a really expensive enclosure.

I hate that you can’t flip the top all the way back because of the speaker pods so this looks like a really great add on to fix that flaw

Thanks for posting this!

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