Here it is! As per previous thread this is the one they custom made for me to accommodate the GM Luggage Rack. The standard Club Racer Hard Top has the back window coming out about three inches more over the trunk lid. This means you have to remove the luggage rack. As most of you are aware when you have this top installed you lose access to the trunk. When I went down to Smoothline in April of this year they took measurements and photos to build this one.
I love this top. It is covered in Haartz Black Vinyl with glass back window and acoustic liner. She gives the car a more aggressive stance. She looks like a "Racer" in my opinion. It is a quality item! Thanks to Jack and Brain at Smoothline for making this and for those of you with the GM luggage rack you can now use with this top!!! I have already had people come up to me and freak over the car!!!:thumbs::willy::thumbs:
Congrats NS, definitely looks like it was worth the wait. What's the biggest difference you've noticed so far between the new hard top and the vert top?
The cockpit feels bigger and has more light. You really hear music. The monsoon system comes across louder and crisper. My rubber in the weather stripping is still settling so I get a little bit of air noise but still way less noise than with the soft top. Smoothline told me to give the rubber time to compress.:thumbs:
Looks great! I have Smoothline top for my MGB. They do quality work. I see that you have what appears to be the "rain/gutter guard" around the side windows. Any chance you could take some close up pictures of that and either post or email to me? Also, do the same for the side window seals? I am thinking of adding those items to my EDAG hardtop, mainly the rain guard. Items can be purchased separately but they are a bit expensive...but isn't everything now-a-days! Very pleased to hear that they went out of their way to modify the top to fit your needs...now that is customer service!
I have a Smoothline club racer on order, should be here in a few weeks. Hopemine looks half as good as yours, which is awsome. Mine will be in primer, so it can be finished in mean yellow. It will be my winter look here in Colorado.
I was at their factory so I might of seen it being birthed!:lol: You will love it and I have seen pictures of them painted "mean" and they look really cool.
Have had her now for about a month. A few thoughts .....
1) I love the look.
2) I love it covered in Haartz Vinyl.
3) l love the extra head room and the acoustic liner.
She gets an A+ on the above.
My buddy and I removed it and stored it for about a week and a half. Putting it back on is a bit of a learning process but one gets better at it. We got it on with a pretty nice fit. It was a good job we did. I did a road trip to Niagara Falls and for the first and last time I hoped for rain as I wanted to test her for leaks. Coming home the next day I got my wish. It came down "biblical style"! I was on the highway and it was one of those rain storms that you can't really see what is in front of you as the rain is so heavy. You would like to pull over but you can't because you know you will get rammed when the next guy can't see you.:willy:
I got through it safely and am happy to report no leaks.:thumbs: Next day I took her to the coin spray wash and washed her as I normally do. Some water came in through he back. I had a damp patch about 3 inches long on the carpet behind behind each seat on both sides close to the outside behind door. Dabbed it up. I think it is coming down through the flip things on the tulip which are up to allow the fastening devices for the hard top. It was not much water but I still don't like it.:devil: I will have to be more careful when I wash it and try not to get water to pool near the back window. This situation could be unique to me as my top was custom to allow my GM luggage rack to remain on. As previously discussed my back window does not come out as far to accommodate the luggage rack on the rear deck lid.
I am happy that she does not leak when driving through a major rain storm and will have to work on my wash technique. I do notice a bit of squeaking when driving slow. Nothing, when going fast. Hopefully, all works out as the weather stripping compresses over time.
Overall, I love this Hard Top. I am going to give it an A!!!:thumbs:
Some water came in through he back. I had a damp patch about 3 inches long on the carpet behind behind each seat on both sides close to the outside behind door. Dabbed it up. I think it is coming down through the flip things on the tulip which are up to allow the fastening devices for the hard top.
I have to admit I didn't have installation instructions (the basics are extremely easy) and haven't adjusted it since buying used but I do have a small stream that comes in above the seat belt slots from the back window puddle area. I figure someday I'll add a bead of silicone along the tulip to help with the seal.
Mine actually leaks pretty bad from both from corners but I haven't really messed with trying to adjust it.
Looking very nice. I like that it appears from a distance like its the normal convertible top, but different.
Well done.
A word of caution, we had one of the actuating cables for the tulip panel flaps fail due to rust inside the cable housing. Make sure they are not capturing water inside the housing as over a long period of time it can cause failure of the wire cable.
Thanks Rob. I was after the "normal look". I wanted to the untrained eye and / or non enthusiast to not really notice it. I think I have "mission accomplished" on that front.:thumbs:
I appreciate your comment on the actuating cables. Going forward It should not happen again as I will wash the rear deck lid by hand not spray. I purchased the top for the look. My Sol will not see winter and when I do a road trip I always book at hotel with covered parking. When I store the car for the winter...which is coming soon:cryin: hard top will be removed and soft top up and on.:thumbs:
This top looks really great! I agree with the above comments about looking similar to the regular top, very clean! This is something I would like to purchase myself and have painted to match the car to appear as a true hardtop during the colder months.
Northern Sol.....Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I was wondering if you have any idea what the name of the "Drip guard" molding is that you have. It is way bigger than the garbage smoothline gives with their tops now, and I'm thinking if I could get whatever that drip guard molding is it would fix my leaking window issues. Please please I hope you know what it is! I'm desperate at this point!!!
The moulding is what I got from Smoothline when I picked up the top from them. They cut it and installed it as I watched. I have no idea what it is called. I sold my hardtop a few years back when I added the coupe to my family. Sorry I could not be of more help.
I never installed the ones I received with my hardtop, they're so thin I'm not sure how well they'd work. Plus I like it without them for a clean look.
Northern sol when they were cutting the molding was it circular and they pinched it to the edge of the hardtop or was there a round part and a flat part then the flat part is what went to the underside of the top?
MattM I'm the guy that bought Northern's hardtop. If there's any pictures I could take to help you just let me know. It still happens to be on my car so it wouldn't be a problem to take some if you think it would help. I've always been able to get the top to seal really well on my car ever since I bought it from Northern. I put it on in the late fall and usually take it off around this time of year. It's likely to be on quite a bit longer this time but that's a whole different story.
Hey CRiggleman. Thank you for the help! If you could open the door and turn the flash on on your camera...I need fairly close up pics of the weatherstrip areas including the underside of the top where that drip rail is stuck on. I need to see if it's L-shaped or not. I'll be honest it's harder than hell trying to find anything L shaped that size for a "drip rail" on the internet! Thanks for any help you can give!
Thanks. I did love it. Once I bought the coupe I had to find a soft top to go with. I was lucky on two fronts....
1) Sold my Smoothline top to Criggleman ....he was a pleasure to deal with and meet.
2) Found a coupe soft top .....a very difficult thing to now get. Took it to JPM and had Joe recover it in black sail cloth. The proceeds from the hard top went towards the soft top. ?
Also criggleman could you get close up picks from under and behind where the weatherstrip goes into the cars windshield weatherstrip? I need to know if your weatherstrip is not fastened to the top for the last 4 inches or so before it goes into the windshield weatherstrip...
Hey MattM, I think these three shots might help you out. It looks like that last bit that you can't figure out how to put on was adhered on my top with some clear RTV. As you can see in the one close up it looks like mine is starting to wear a little and I need to redo it. I never had leak issues before this winter but now that I think about it, when I had it out a couple of months ago it did leak some and I'm pretty sure that's why.
This first shot is how I always tucked the smoothline seal into the seal on my car. Also you can see the RTV used to adhere the last bit of the smoothline seal.
Probably a better shot of the RTV.
Window up but you can see how the RTV is a little loose and the seal is a little low. I need to fix that.
I hope these help. Let me know if you need any others.
Ok so the first pic I've circled in white the first thing I need pictures of. This is the Drip Guard/rain guard/drip molding etc. I need to know how it's on there. Like, is it just stick on flat molding or is it L shaped and wrapped around the corner along the open (by corner I mean the corner made when the side of the top turns into the bottom of the top.
I'll need close up pics of that molding at the front corner, the open the door and get a pic from the underside of the top near that area (so I can see if it's wrap around molding).
Then the second attachment I've circled what I need in white as well....Basically, I need you to get me really close pics with flash on for all these pics of the area where the weatherstrip goes into the windshield weather strip. I need a close up from the outside of the car then with the door open sit in the car and point the camera from under the top to that area where the weatherstriping buts into the windshield weather strip. As many angles of that pic as you can give because I can't understand how it stays fastened for that last 4 inches (since there is nothing for the weatherstripping to tape to!
The third pic is what my weather stripping looks like right now because I can't attached it to the top (again nothing to attach to). The third pic I've circled where my problem with leaking (on both sides is) and I drew an arrow to show how those last 4 inches hang loose sort of because there is nothing underneath at that point to attach it too.
The last pic I'm posting to show people what I'm talking about regarding (no place to attach weatherstripping).
This last pic shows the top without weatherstrip on. You see for almost all the run of the top there is a rail for the weatherstripping (I drew an arrow and said rail) then the last four inches or so are completely dead space (i drew an arrow and said no rail). In that dead space there is nothing to attach the weatherstripping to.
That's why I need to see those areas from Criggleman so I know how everything is installed and what i need to do to fix my major problem with my top!
P.S. Criggleman, I could really use your help as soon as possible! My car cover blew off the car last night and it poured, and my interior is soaked!!!!
So here's what Smoothline sent w/my hardtop. I can't lay it out straight due to it being below freezing in the garage. Even though it is one piece I'm assuming you're meant to cut it in half. It's hard to get unclose detail due to the light and low quality cell phone.
Now that I see the pics of the area of the seals that you want I will take some pics tomorrow. The car is still in storage, and it's currently raining, but it's suppose to be sunny tomorrow so I should be able to pull it out of the garage. BTW, I don't drive the car in the rain, and I didn't adjust the side windows to better seal with the hardtop. I do know that when I wash it water will come in around the side windows and under the back seal. So I minimize directing the hose nozzle toward those areas.
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Hey MattM, I think these three shots might help you out. It looks like that last bit that you can't figure out how to put on was adhered on my top with some clear RTV. As you can see in the one close up it looks like mine is starting to wear a little and I need to redo it. I never had leak issues before this winter but now that I think about it, when I had it out a couple of months ago it did leak some and I'm pretty sure that's why.
This first shot is how I always tucked the smoothline seal into the seal on my car. Also you can see the RTV used to adhere the last bit of the smoothline seal.
Probably a better shot of the RTV.
Window up but you can see how the RTV is a little loose and the seal is a little low. I need to fix that.
I hope these help. Let me know if you need any others.
Hey guys, have an update. I bought a bunch of different types of the "fender flares" for a rain/drop guard for the top. One of them came in and I'm liking the color of it (it perfectly matches the color type of carbon fibre on the top now)! It also stands far out from the window which I think/hope will if not eliminate all the water hitting the weatherstriping and leaking in at least slow the leake down to a very slow drip. I've attached to pics of my wife holding the "rain guard" to the hard top.
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