Turn Off Road Hard Top - Self Installation & Review

[604Bronco]

"Plus since I'm OCD and have them lined up all facing one direction," If you used a paint pen to index mark them you might be OCD+ . Honestly I was very very close to the same thing but my need for equal tension won out.

The tension is pretty similar amongst them all, even facing the same direction. I think I'd lose more sleep if they were facing different directions more

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[Panmort]

Any additional concerns over the indentions in the rear window seals shown earlier in the thread?

 

[604Bronco]

Any additional concerns over the indentions in the rear window seals shown earlier in the thread?

The fact that there's a slight tear in one of mine is the biggest concern thus far. If it doesn't get worse, then it's not that big of a deal. As long as the water remains out, it's fine. Haven't heard much more other than one or two folks who mentioned they saw a large indentation forming in the corners like mine was showing.

 

[kingcon99]

Just so everyone knows we are following along here but it is really hard to diagnose noises heard while driving!

In general we've noticed that it usually ends up being something simple or something unrelated to the hard top but we are more than happy to listen and learn!

First thoughts would be:

-Lube up all of your seals/ gaskets- This may sound odd but when the tailgate or rear window gaskets get dirty they make noise when the tailgate moves a bit over bumps.

-Check that the hardware is all properly tightened

-Put a moving blanket over suspect areas, if the tone changes it's likely coming from under the blanket (repeat with smaller and smaller areas until you've isolated the noise.

-If you still can't isolate the noise it never hurts to have a passenger ride in the back on listen while you replicate the noise.

If anyone has questions about anything specific please reach out to us!

Thanks!

Thanks for the continued involvement, Cole. Any thoughts on the indentations the rear window is making on the weather seal?

And since you're here; is there a particular order in which you guys suggest the latches up front are tightened and latched? For instance if someone were to tighten the back too much, could that potentially cause sealing issues with the front latches?



I tried the phone in the back video deal. The quality of sound was too poor so next up is trying the window open deal to see if it's that. Checked bolts in the back too, all seem snug!

 

[Kjbeggs]

Mine's not a rattle, but more of an almost "thump" when going over bumps. All my bolts are tight, so if it's anything to do with the top, it would have to be the back glass (but I don't think it is).
I thought one of the rear seats was maybe loose, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Maybe the subwoofer?
I need to get someone to sit in back and press on things while I hit bumps.

 

[Turn Offroad]

The fact that there's a slight tear in one of mine is the biggest concern thus far. If it doesn't get worse, then it's not that big of a deal. As long as the water remains out, it's fine. Haven't heard much more other than one or two folks who mentioned they saw a large indentation forming in the corners like mine was showing.

If this becomes a problem please let us know. We can send out additional seals/ gaskets. We have not had any tearing, just a small indentation where the bracket sits. Sometimes the seals have a tendency to fold over a bit right where that curve is, this can be fixed by pushing lightly in that corner to reseat the leg of the seal that hugs the window opening.

Thanks for the continued involvement, Cole. Any thoughts on the indentations the rear window is making on the weather seal?

And since you're here; is there a particular order in which you guys suggest the latches up front are tightened and latched? For instance if someone were to tighten the back too much, could that potentially cause sealing issues with the front latches?



I tried the phone in the back video deal. The quality of sound was too poor so next up is trying the window open deal to see if it's that. Checked bolts in the back too, all seem snug!

Yes the indentation is normal where the bracket sits against the seal. Over time that bracket kind of nests into the seal and creates its own little pocket. Any tearing is not normal.

We usually tighten the rears first and then adjust the fronts. You kind of want the targa to "tuck in" up front and sit against that seal so that the latches are pulling both down and forward for the best seal. The biggest indicator is if you look across the top that there is consistent contact with the seal and no visible gaps or places where the seal is bunching up.

Driving with the rear window open is a limited test as when the rear window is shut the pressure from the struts holds everything firmly in place, when the window is open there is no pressure so anything that has some give to it (hinges mainly) will make new noises that they won't make when the window is shut.

Mine's not a rattle, but more of an almost "thump" when going over bumps. All my bolts are tight, so if it's anything to do with the top, it would have to be the back glass (but I don't think it is).
I thought one of the rear seats was maybe loose, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Maybe the subwoofer?
I need to get someone to sit in back and press on things while I hit bumps.

Definitely having an extra ear never hurts!

 

[604Bronco]

Thanks @Turn Offroad - Can you also comment on how "firm" the latches should be? I know it's kind of a vague to provide direction on this, but I assume some of us have them just firm enough that they won't unbuckle but not so firm it's pull things down too tightly. But there's probably some folks who would need "some" effort to latch, vs. the next to none some of us (like me) have them set to.

 

[Turn Offroad]

Thanks @Turn Offroad - Can you also comment on how "firm" the latches should be? I know it's kind of a vague to provide direction on this, but I assume some of us have them just firm enough that they won't unbuckle but not so firm it's pull things down too tightly. But there's probably some folks who would need "some" effort to latch, vs. the next to none some of us (like me) have them set to.

Thanks for the question! The closest thing that compares to the pressure it should take would be the pressure when you closed the OEM soft top. That is the same pressure as it takes to compress that front seal on our targa.

 

[604Bronco]

Thanks for the question! The closest thing that compares to the pressure it should take would be the pressure when you closed the OEM soft top. That is the same pressure as it takes to compress that front seal on our targa.

That’s helpful - Thank you. Looks like I could tighten mine up slightly.

 

[H0pelessOpus]

Just so everyone knows we are following along here but it is really hard to diagnose noises heard while driving!

In general we've noticed that it usually ends up being something simple or something unrelated to the hard top but we are more than happy to listen and learn!

First thoughts would be:

-Lube up all of your seals/ gaskets- This may sound odd but when the tailgate or rear window gaskets get dirty they make noise when the tailgate moves a bit over bumps.

-Check that the hardware is all properly tightened

-Put a moving blanket over suspect areas, if the tone changes it's likely coming from under the blanket (repeat with smaller and smaller areas until you've isolated the noise.

-If you still can't isolate the noise it never hurts to have a passenger ride in the back on listen while you replicate the noise.

If anyone has questions about anything specific please reach out to us!

Thanks!

Haha I feel like this might be directed at me.

 

[Kjbeggs]

This afternoon I shoved a length of 1/2” pipe insulation between the two gaskets along the front of the Bronco roofline.
You can see there is definite contact there now.
it was a tight squeeze and I had to loosen the latches in front a couple of turns to get it latched. Only got up to around 55 on my short test drive, so I’ll have to see how much difference (if any) it makes on the freeway.

 

[kingcon99]

This afternoon I shoved a length of 1/2” pipe insulation between the two gaskets along the front of the Bronco roofline.
You can see there is definite contact there now.
it was a tight squeeze and I had to loosen the latches in front a couple of turns to get it latched. Only got up to around 55 on my short test drive, so I’ll have to see how much difference (if any) it makes on the freeway.

How's the contact looking from the outside on the windshield gasket?

 

[Kjbeggs]

How's the contact looking from the outside on the windshield gasket?

Pretty much the same as it did before. I’ll be washing it in the morning, so will see if I created any leaks

 

[kingcon99]

Pretty much the same as it did before. I’ll be washing it in the morning, so will see if I created any leaks

Awesome, thanks for the update. I'm liking the thought of an extra seal in there myself, so I'll be watching out for any updates post-wash!

 

[Slick85]

Thanks for the question! The closest thing that compares to the pressure it should take would be the pressure when you closed the OEM soft top. That is the same pressure as it takes to compress that front seal on our targa.

What is the current wait time for a hard top?

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