soft top flip up corners

[Alf]

Over time my soft top rear corners have gone from a snug fit to the body work to a flip up effect as you can see in the picture. Has anyone here got any advice how to fix this and stop it happening again?

[thelews]

Can fix with steaming.  Will happen again on storage.

[J. Huber]

My top is now going on two years old (can I still say new?) and I start to get a semblance of a curl but when I pull the top out I give the corners a "reverse squeeze" and hold it for a few seconds. It then is just fine. Note: the top is not in there for more than a month or two at any given time.

I recall Cees (I believe) had a technique for turning the corners down as he stored the top -- I try this and all I get is a squished hand so I may not be doing it right. Cees? can you elaborate?

[Bob G MN]

I think  I may have a n answer that works for  me.  When I put the soft top in the enclosure Ifirst put a piece of fairly heaye plastic between the top and the enclosure.  bhis keeps those flaps from curling  up and seems to make it a little easier to put the soft top in.
Bob

[Alf]

Can fix with steaming. 

How do you steam that area John? Do you use some special equipment? I can't quite see a kettle doing it

[Bernd]

A good way to steam things is to flip the lid up so you don't have to worry about paint, then use a thick cotton cloth, wet it, lay it over the area to be steamed. Then use an iron. The water in the cloth will a) keep the temperatur from rising so much that you damage the fabric, and b) it will make plenty of steam to give you the heat you need. Practice first with a wrinkled pair of pants or something like it. I's very easy

[hauser]

Try to tuck the corners under while stowed in soft top compartment this should fix the problem.

[thelews]

How do you steam that area John? Do you use some special equipment? I can't quite see a kettle doing it

Being a veteran of the retail clothing business, I have a steamer that we used to steam out clothes before they were placed on the sales floor.  I can take a picture.

[Alf]

Thanks John. A picture would be helpful.

[Alf]

Try to tuck the corners under while stowed in soft top compartment this should fix the problem.

Have you got a technique for doing that? I have tried but the floor of the stowage compartment directly under that part of the hood is not flat but domed and I can't get the corners to stay tucked. Maybe this will be possible once I have straightened them out as there is a lot of spring forcing them to untuck at the moment

[Cees Klumper]

Hauser and I have the perfect solution but you need to be careful with your hands when you tuck the corners in as you lower the softtop in the well. Basically, one side is easy (the side you are standing on as you lower the top - just don't lower it quite all the way and you can just tuck the corner underneath the frame). The other side: after you reach the other corner, you lift the top bacck up just an inch or so, then 'do' that corner, and you're all set. Following this procedure cured my softtops corners that had been curled up for several years, after just one 'treatment' (top sitting stowed properly for a bit of time in the well).

I believe Richard Madison refined the technique, and saved his hands, by crafting out of the corners of a plastic one-gallon-milkjug some kind of 'shoe-trees' that he would put underneath the top as it went into the well. I stilll have to try this out for myself.

[Alf]

Thanks Cees. I'll try it out on Friday when I'm back home and let you know how I get on.

[thelews]

steamer pictures

[Alf]

Hauser and I have the perfect solution but you need to be careful with your hands when you tuck the corners in as you lower the softtop in the well. Basically, one side is easy (the side you are standing on as you lower the top - just don't lower it quite all the way and you can just tuck the corner underneath the frame). The other side: after you reach the other corner, you lift the top bacck up just an inch or so, then 'do' that corner, and you're all set. Following this procedure cured my softtops corners that had been curled up for several years, after just one 'treatment' (top sitting stowed properly for a bit of time in the well).

Hi Cees. thought you'd like to know that I tucked in the sides & corners as you described and 1 month later erected the soft top to find the flip up cured! Great tip thanks