Fitting the soft top - at last!

[MartyB]

Hello all,

Been a long time since I looked in on you.

Finally got frame and hood sorted and set about seeing if it will fit. Looks like it will.......But:

It looks like my car has never had a hood fitted, though I didn't think they were ever supplied factory fitted with a hard top?

There are no press studs and no holes where they might be fitted. I think there could be a kind of frame or seal that holds them and fixes to the bolt location points for the hard top?

If not then it looks like I'll have to start drilling and looking for something to cover up the bolt holes left by the hard top. Which sounds like a job for a pro!

Does anyonehave a close up picture of this area of the car so that I can see what it looks like, the location of the studs and the area at the back of the boot where a hard top mounts?

Any help would be most appreciated,

Thanks
MartyB

[tinytim]

Hi Marty,
I'm a bit confused, My hard top was fitted and secured by the same 2 clamps the soft top uses over the windscreen with a 3rd in the parcel shelf on the bulkhead.
If your car has never had a softtop on you may have to buy the press studs or if you're not going to use the tonneau cover a set of screws with washers will do.
Here are some pics:

[tinytim]

the screw

[tinytim]

the hole

[tinytim]

and the bracket the hole is in, this may be what you are missing

[MartyB]

Thanks for these Tim, I'm offshore at the moment so cant take pictures of mine. But my hard top fixes externally with two rectangular lugs either side of the boot wihich bolt flush into the bodywork in the area marked on your picture. I cant see a cap covering a similar cut out on yours though I find it hard to believe that this wasn't standard?

Are the press studs just fixed straight into the bodyworkand do you have a picture of the whole of the area around the parcel shelf with the hood unclipped?

This looks like a bigger job than I'd hoped - I really thought all beats were supplied with a soft top and it would just accept one no probs.

Any ideas?............Anyone?

Thanks,
MartyB

[MartyB]

Looking at the pictures again, it may be the the press studs across the boot may fix into the bracket you show - in this case I think the two lugs that loop over the lip may have been removed on mine - the bracket is definately there but I don't recall there being fixings on it - could be wrong. Anyway - to the side of the boot around to the window it may be that I'll need to drill - I could use some detail pictures around each area with the hood removed ........

Unless anyone knows of a soft top beat around Aberdeen?

Thanks,
MartyB

[adrianp]

It sounds like when the hard top was fitted, they took off ALL of the fixings that weren't needed.

What are you going to do with the hard top once it's removed?? I think Whiteleopard (or someone else, cant exactly remember...) was thinking of having a permanent hard top so they might be interested in it and let you have the fixings you need at the same time

Best thing I can suggest otherwise Marty, is to contact Oz out in Japan when you get back home and hopefully he should be able to get you the brackets that you need.

Hope this helps

Ady.

[tinytim]

Can you send your e-mail address Marty. I'm going into the engine compartment anyway so I'll whip the screws out and take some pics.

The covers at the side of the boot are just little cosmetic clip-in bits. Under them is the boot hinge and they simply clip into the hinge bracket to tidy it all up.

Tim

[MartyB]

Ady - thanks for that - It looks like I may be looking for a few bits from Oz. I really want to hang on to the hard top unless I can find a Mugen one to buy/swap as I think these go on over the softop which would be easier.

Tim - thanks for all your help too - address is martyb59@msn.com.

Marty.

[catbrad60]

Can anyone tell me where I can but press studs for the roof?
I have permanent fixings on mine and it is casuing the roof to tear- eek!!
Thanks
Cat

[ozsamurai]

In most cases when fitting a hard top the original side brackets have to be sacrificed, with the only exception I know of being the Mugen Hard Top, which bulges at the sides of the rear windscreen (a little unsightly I feel), therefore allowing you to keep your soft top intact and folded under it. All other hard tops I have seen to date remove the entire sub frame and only use the rear boot hinges and one bolt either side behind the door (the one that you can never close), and then the front clips. The good news is you can still buy the subframes from the local friendly Honda dealer,the bad news being that they don't sell it in parts as I recall, will do a double check when I am re-united with my data, but I think apart from rubbers and bolts etc it is sold as a unit.

Soft Top studs are fairly easy to come by, however there are different length bolts for each position 20,15 and 10mm bolts, so you have to be a bit careful or you may end up damaging the back window etc, when you fold it, anyone who has bought a stud set from me here in Japan has a little mud map of those lengths.

I have a DIY in the works so will attach the clearest pic I have for you, maybe it will help

Oz

[catbrad60]

Thanks for that Oz, can i ordre a set of studs from you? If yes, How much?

Cat

[ozsamurai]

At the moment being in Limbo I can't really get the studs for you until I'm settled back in Oz late Sept, but really if you can get to a haberdashery/tent store, they can sort out the eyelets, the bolts are available from most any hardware store (don't be cheap get the stainless ones) and then your off. The mud map for lengths someone else may still have, mine is on its way to Oz and I don't have a scanner or that good of a memory to quote it here, but in time, like I said when I'm back with my data, if you haven't sorted it out I can do it for ya then.. If the brackets themselves are missing then we'll have to look at how we can get those if they are available, maybe a wrecker in the UK?? In my neck of the woods, due to new govt regs, there are no more wrecking Beats so even I would have the same probs.

Cheers

Oz

[HBEAT]

Hello,
Thought i may dig up an old post.

Just wondering if anyone can help with the lengths of the press studs around the soft top. There are different length bolts for each position 20,15 and 10mm bolts from what ozsamurai has said.

Is anyone able to tell me how many of each length i need and there location????

thanx

[HBEAT]

can ANYONE help?????

[marcair]

If you reply with your tel / cel #, I'll call. Not sure what you're asking 'press stud length'. Did you just buy a new top w/out the snaps?

marcair1@earthlink.net