Question about soft top on a 2000 TJ

tcgobucks

tcgobucks

New Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
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21
Location
NW Ohio
Picked up a 2000 TJ with a soft top a month and a half ago or so. Took the top off the day after I got it. It's in the garage....so haven't put it back on. The windows are almost impossible to see out of...and the zippers were bad so I ordered a new Smittybuilt top. Got it yesterday....took the old one off the frame, installed the new one....no issues. Went to put it on today and man is it tough to get on. Is it just because it's new? What is your procedure? Lock the front first, then pull the back down.....or the other way around. I hooked the back first and there was no way I could latch the front. I actually had to latch the front....then really pull down on the back frame to get the back to slip under the rail.

When I was switching the frame to the new top, I noticed the webbed strap was twisted. I tried to untwist it, but it seemed like whichever way I went it still had a twist. Is this normal....or did I not try hard enough. It seems like if it wasn't twisted, maybe the top wouldn't be so tight?

Any help? Am I an idiot....or will it just stretch out over time? I have no plans to put it up and down often...but I'd rather have it folded down than sitting in my garage....just in case I ever get caught in some rain.

Thanks for any help
 
Leave it out in the sun for a while to soften it... It will get much easier. If you have it on now then just leave it for a while...
 
The sun will definitely help. I have always latched mine first and then tucked the sides and zipped up the windows.
 
Thanks....kind of figured it was just that it was new. I just went out and latched it back up again....it actually was quite a bit easier than the first time. I'll back it out of the garage when I go to work tomorrow and let it sit in the sun all day. I hate not driving it to work on days that are 85 and sunny, but work is so damned dusty I'd have to wash it every day lol
 
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The sun will help but it's not even close to early spring or late fall. The twisted straps are telling me something ain't right. I think mine are held on with screws at the back. Probably worth straightening them out before trying again.
 
Yep, the strap is definitely twisted. I'm assuming at some point when they had the top off the back frame just got flipped. I was changing it out in my back yard and it was starting to rain. I tried flipping it to untwist it....but I was trying to stay dry so I may have tried to twist it the same way twice lol. It's on now....but I'll take it back off and see if I can get it untwisted.
 
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