Switched from Hard top to Soft…told harness can be retrofitted

[NyVetteGuy]

Hey all…I switched my order for an Outerbanks Bronco from a hard top to soft top this week and am told that my order will be picked next week.
I will buy the hard top when available but I really want the wiper and defrost functions to work. My salesman is telling me it will be able to work but I’m not 100% trusting his answer.
Im a pro when it comes to Vettes and the order process etc…new to Ford and Bronco and will be selling my JL Wrangler Safari when I get my Bronco.
Any insight on if this is true is appreciated.

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[HotdogThud]

The current scuttlebutt is that it is 100% not possible to retrofit the plumbing into the truck after the fact. But like all things in this process, I'm sure that'll change because Mike Levine had a taco instead of a burrito next tuesday.

 

[codydb19]

I would not believe your dealer on either count. There is no way he can guarantee that your order will be pulled next week or any week actually. AFAIK next week is supposed to be an FE week, if there is any scheduling at all.

 

[604Bronco]

The current scuttlebutt is that it is 100% not possible to retrofit the plumbing into the truck after the fact. But like all things in this process, I'm sure that'll change because Mike Levine had a taco instead of a burrito next tuesday.

To be fair, I don’t think any of us know what’s actually behind the trim… Maybe things are plumbed in to a certain extent? We also saw a post a week or so ago that included a new “kit” added for dealers to select for folks who wanted the soft top but the plumbing included for future use - Not sure what came out of that thread, but I remember someone posting a screenshot showing this.

But you’re right, if there’s nothing there you’re likely up a creek, unless you have a lot of time and money to rip the vehicle apart that is.

Edit: Thank God for the search feature; I found it before @ZackDanger could post the damn link - https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-hard-top-prewire-for-retrofit-install.17475/

 

[Contact]

I would imagine the cost to ship the hardtop and the wiring price would be very costly. My thought is that if you're paying for an Outerbanks then the ht should be free and just pay for the soft with the order. You should get what you pay for.

 

[Headsong]

At the minimum, you would need to swap the pump motors. On a model with the rear wiper it has two outlets on it (haven’t confirmed if all models have two outlets and one is plugged or not but I’d assume they wouldn’t do that), one for the windshield and one for the back glass. Then you just need that tubing (very cheap to DIY) and it runs passenger side into the vehicle through the bulkhead, along the rocker and then crosses over under the rear seat and zips backwards to the connection for the hard top. It’s actually one of the more simpler things to do. At a maximum level there are three separate lines for wiper fluid to be sprayed: rear wiper, windshield, and front camera (tees off the windshield feed as far as I remember).

Wiring up the rest is relatively straight forward unless you want absolute oem look and feel then yes it’ll be a bit of a grind.

Don't forget the steering stalk has to be different.

 

[Headsong]

I would imagine the cost to ship the hardtop and the wiring price would be very costly. My thought is that if you're paying for an Outerbanks then the ht should be free and just pay for the soft with the order. You should get what you pay for.

I think the shipping thing is nothing. Ship to dealers, come get it.

 

[Compta38]

Your salesman has a 50% chance of being right.

 

[swooshdave]

Salesman would lie to complete the sale with zero regard for you. Good for you to verify first.

 

[RustySeatbelt]

Your salesman has a 50% chance of being right.

I've always found that trusting most dealer info is equivalent to someone saying "she said she was clean, so I didn't have to wear it".

 

[Chrism81]

Who knows. Ford themselves have said things and the months later we find out what they said was not true like the transmission, sasquatch at $5k, reservation date is important etc. I wouldn't be surprised if when people take delivery of a soft top the hookups are there. Seems ford doesn't even know what the hell is going on with the bronco

 

[Daktari]

I'm sure it can be retrofit, you can buy a kit for the Wrangler. No clue how much work it'll be to install, or if you have to tell the computer that runs everything that it's now there. Also need the switch for the defroster somewhere.
I wanted dual top, now I'm sticking with the MIC, I have zero interest in tearing my truck apart to install stuff later, I don't plan to mod anything myself, not something I enjoy doing.
You can order the top later, but it'll be quite expensive, I'd budget at least $3k if not more including shipping such a bulky thing.

And there's no way your dealer can know that your order will be pulled next week, I think we're still in either the clean up weeks or FE week is coming up, noting else will be scheduled as far as we know.

If you think you want both tops, get the MIC now, wait a bit longer. Getting a soft top later will be zero headaches, just some 10-16 or so bolts, probably less than an hour work. And you'll have a selection of tops available in the aftermarket too.

Now, if Ford would wake up and offer all that wire/hose stuff pre-installed (and I'd be happy to pay a reasonable amount for that), then I'd probably go soft top now as well, as that's the one I want in summer anyways. But some penny pincher still seems to nix this simple idea...

 

[PrepVet]

It may be possible but there is absolutely zero chance I would believe your dealer if they said that.

 

[swooshdave]

Who knows. Ford themselves have said things and the months later we find out what they said was not true like the transmission, sasquatch at $5k, reservation date is important etc. I wouldn't be surprised if when people take delivery of a soft top the hookups are there. Seems ford doesn't even know what the hell is going on with the bronco

I don't know when they said which transmission would be used. Sasquatch varies in price based on the package. Reservation is important (just not the only thing that is important).

 

[Chrism81]

I don't know when they said which transmission would be used. Sasquatch varies in price based on the package. Reservation is important (just not the only thing that is important).

1080 transmission was said a while ago, Sasquatch was said it was a steal at $5k last year and many other things were said last year that they went back on. This and many other things they have said since the reveal have been different. Those of us that have pretty much watched all the bronco vids. and have been on this forum since the reveal know what I am talking. Hell, there have been people on here longer than that and know all the shit ford has messed up. You sound like one of the rockstars that work for ford

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