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ldj1002
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2015
Posts: 260
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 Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 5:45 pm Post subject: soft top install |
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| Got a soft top and put it over the top frame to ruffly check fit. Got it over and tried to put back grommets over the loops on body. They don't line up. What might be problem? |
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Semper_Dad
Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2005
Posts: 3510
Location: Indiana
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ldj1002
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2015
Posts: 260
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:46 am Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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| Semper_Dad wrote: |
| First question would be where you purchased your top. |
Kwiktops |
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NY thing
Samba Member
Joined: March 23, 2010
Posts: 100
Location: Queens New York
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 3:48 pm Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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| Do you have any pictures of it? I have never heard of that company. |
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Solomon Grundy
Samba Member
Joined: December 26, 2004
Posts: 747
Location: Silicon Valley
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:18 pm Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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This FAQ from The Thing Shop might be helpful.
HOW TO INSTALL A VW THING CONVERTIBLE TOP TO FRAME: Click on video to watch a demonstration on how you can install your top to the frame, open and close frame, roll up top and more. WARM UP YOUR NEW TOP PRIOR TO CLOSING IT THE FIRST TIME! THIS WILL HELP IT STRETCH FOR A GREAT FIT.
http://www.thethingshop.com/faq.asp
Link
_________________
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
- Dr. Seuss
VW 181 Archive: https://sites.google.com/site/jeffgilleland/vw_archive
| _______
| |_______| '73 Thing "481"
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http://vwthingregistry.com
https://doublecabshaka.wordpress.com |
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lindysurfer
Samba Member
Joined: April 18, 2016
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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You probably ended up with an ACME top, per their website. I had a horrible experience with ACME tops and will never try one again. The first one the rear wouldn't fit. The grommets don't line up to the car. Took it to their factory in Long Beach CA, and they admitted they sent an old design they now know to be flawed. The rear most grommet on either side of the top should be larger, roughly twice the size of the rest.
Ok, fine. They gave me a new top. Installed it on my frame and after letting it bake in the sun I was able to pry it onto the rear of the car, but now the top was cut about 4 inches to short and the side bars wont close. I cant even fold the frame out normal and then install the rear grommets to the car like in the thing shop video.
Just got a top from the thing shop last week. If I had only known I'd have spent the extra money in a heart beat. The top is 10x better than what ACME sent me. If you can, send it back and get the Thing Shop top. |
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ldj1002
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2015
Posts: 260
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:58 am Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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| lindysurfer wrote: |
You probably ended up with an ACME top, per their website. I had a horrible experience with ACME tops and will never try one again. The first one the rear wouldn't fit. The grommets don't line up to the car. Took it to their factory in Long Beach CA, and they admitted they sent an old design they now know to be flawed. The rear most grommet on either side of the top should be larger, roughly twice the size of the rest.
Ok, fine. They gave me a new top. Installed it on my frame and after letting it bake in the sun I was able to pry it onto the rear of the car, but now the top was cut about 4 inches to short and the side bars wont close. I cant even fold the frame out normal and then install the rear grommets to the car like in the thing shop video.
Just got a top from the thing shop last week. If I had only known I'd have spent the extra money in a heart beat. The top is 10x better than what ACME sent me. If you can, send it back and get the Thing Shop top. |
They are sending me a new top. I do notice an error in your post or I don't understand what you were saying. You said you couldn't fold the top out normal and then install the grommets like in the video. Their video shows the grommets being installed before top is complete folded out and fastened. |
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lindysurfer
Samba Member
Joined: April 18, 2016
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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| ldj1002 wrote: |
| lindysurfer wrote: |
You probably ended up with an ACME top, per their website. I had a horrible experience with ACME tops and will never try one again. The first one the rear wouldn't fit. The grommets don't line up to the car. Took it to their factory in Long Beach CA, and they admitted they sent an old design they now know to be flawed. The rear most grommet on either side of the top should be larger, roughly twice the size of the rest.
Ok, fine. They gave me a new top. Installed it on my frame and after letting it bake in the sun I was able to pry it onto the rear of the car, but now the top was cut about 4 inches to short and the side bars wont close. I cant even fold the frame out normal and then install the rear grommets to the car like in the thing shop video.
Just got a top from the thing shop last week. If I had only known I'd have spent the extra money in a heart beat. The top is 10x better than what ACME sent me. If you can, send it back and get the Thing Shop top. |
They are sending me a new top. I do notice an error in your post or I don't understand what you were saying. You said you couldn't fold the top out normal and then install the grommets like in the video. Their video shows the grommets being installed before top is complete folded out and fastened. |
Maybe I didn't explain myself well enough. The video does go very fast so I marked it out below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwIJ6ZqMmgw
If you start watching the video at the 6:00 mark, at about 6:12 they fold out the side bars and leave them out. In this position they attach at the grommets over the posts at the rear. They then walk up to the front of the car and attach the clips that keep the top attached to the side rails (My ACME top doesn't have them.) As they do this you can see the side rails are still completely folded out as they walk along the car. At 6:40 they pull the top down and latch the front.
My 2nd ACME top (the brand new one now living in the Thing Shop box) was so short that I couldn't even get the grommets to go all around the car with the top frame in the extended position.
Hope that helps clarify.
Good Luck! |
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ldj1002
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2015
Posts: 260
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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| lindysurfer wrote: |
| ldj1002 wrote: |
| lindysurfer wrote: |
You probably ended up with an ACME top, per their website. I had a horrible experience with ACME tops and will never try one again. The first one the rear wouldn't fit. The grommets don't line up to the car. Took it to their factory in Long Beach CA, and they admitted they sent an old design they now know to be flawed. The rear most grommet on either side of the top should be larger, roughly twice the size of the rest.
Ok, fine. They gave me a new top. Installed it on my frame and after letting it bake in the sun I was able to pry it onto the rear of the car, but now the top was cut about 4 inches to short and the side bars wont close. I cant even fold the frame out normal and then install the rear grommets to the car like in the thing shop video.
Just got a top from the thing shop last week. If I had only known I'd have spent the extra money in a heart beat. The top is 10x better than what ACME sent me. If you can, send it back and get the Thing Shop top. |
They are sending me a new top. I do notice an error in your post or I don't understand what you were saying. You said you couldn't fold the top out normal and then install the grommets like in the video. Their video shows the grommets being installed before top is complete folded out and fastened. |
Maybe I didn't explain myself well enough. The video does go very fast so I marked it out below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwIJ6ZqMmgw
If you start watching the video at the 6:00 mark, at about 6:12 they fold out the side bars and leave them out. In this position they attach at the grommets over the posts at the rear. They then walk up to the front of the car and attach the clips that keep the top attached to the side rails (My ACME top doesn't have them.) As they do this you can see the side rails are still completely folded out as they walk along the car. At 6:40 they pull the top down and latch the front.
My 2nd ACME top (the brand new one now living in the Thing Shop box) was so short that I couldn't even get the grommets to go all around the car with the top frame in the extended position.
Hope that helps clarify.
Good Luck! |
I will let everyone know how my new top works out. If I have bad luck with it everybody should know. On the other hand if I have good luck with it then everybody should make up their mind on what to do. The ebay seller I bought it from has 100% positive feedback. They were very nice about my top problem and are not charging any shipping for the new one or return of the old one. I haven't left feedback yet and I won't till I see how this top fits. If this top fits I'll give positive feedback but will note that they had to send a 2nd one. |
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ldj1002
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2015
Posts: 260
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 6:29 pm Post subject: Re: soft top install |
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| ldj1002 wrote: |
| lindysurfer wrote: |
| ldj1002 wrote: |
| lindysurfer wrote: |
You probably ended up with an ACME top, per their website. I had a horrible experience with ACME tops and will never try one again. The first one the rear wouldn't fit. The grommets don't line up to the car. Took it to their factory in Long Beach CA, and they admitted they sent an old design they now know to be flawed. The rear most grommet on either side of the top should be larger, roughly twice the size of the rest.
Ok, fine. They gave me a new top. Installed it on my frame and after letting it bake in the sun I was able to pry it onto the rear of the car, but now the top was cut about 4 inches to short and the side bars wont close. I cant even fold the frame out normal and then install the rear grommets to the car like in the thing shop video.
Just got a top from the thing shop last week. If I had only known I'd have spent the extra money in a heart beat. The top is 10x better than what ACME sent me. If you can, send it back and get the Thing Shop top. |
They are sending me a new top. I do notice an error in your post or I don't understand what you were saying. You said you couldn't fold the top out normal and then install the grommets like in the video. Their video shows the grommets being installed before top is complete folded out and fastened. |
Maybe I didn't explain myself well enough. The video does go very fast so I marked it out below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwIJ6ZqMmgw
If you start watching the video at the 6:00 mark, at about 6:12 they fold out the side bars and leave them out. In this position they attach at the grommets over the posts at the rear. They then walk up to the front of the car and attach the clips that keep the top attached to the side rails (My ACME top doesn't have them.) As they do this you can see the side rails are still completely folded out as they walk along the car. At 6:40 they pull the top down and latch the front.
My 2nd ACME top (the brand new one now living in the Thing Shop box) was so short that I couldn't even get the grommets to go all around the car with the top frame in the extended position.
Hope that helps clarify.
Good Luck! |
I will let everyone know how my new top works out. If I have bad luck with it everybody should know. On the other hand if I have good luck with it then everybody should make up their mind on what to do. The ebay seller I bought it from has 100% positive feedback. They were very nice about my top problem and are not charging any shipping for the new one or return of the old one. I haven't left feedback yet and I won't till I see how this top fits. If this top fits I'll give positive feedback but will note that they had to send a 2nd one. |
I got my replacement from them. Ive got it on and it fits. It is tight but I've had convertibles before including a brand new one. After you drive it down the hi way in the summertime it will be sagging a little. After a few days it will be tight again, not like it is when new but tight. |
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