Do all upper soft doors fit poorly like this?

Vtx531

Vtx531

TJ Addict
Joined
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Messages
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Location
Kalamazoo, MI
I have had a Smittybilt softtop for 6+ years. Works good. I just switched half doors and there are gaps at the bottom corners on both sides.

I am using aftermarket door frames. I thought maybe that was the problem so I purchased some factory Mopar frames but haven’t installed them yet and now thinking maybe it is just bad soft uppers.

My picture from the inside- It looks like the weather stripping should have been sewed on closer to the edges?





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I have the same issues with my Rampage top and uppers. I'm curious to know what others have to report also...
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Vtx531 said:
Yours looks like the upper door edge follows the contour better but suprprised that you still have that same gap as mine where you can see through to the inside.
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Yeah, I was a little surprised when I did the install. I guess it is what it is. I really like the top and how it functions - compromises right? :)
 
Vtx531 said:
I have had a Smittybilt softtop for 6+ years. Works good. I just switched half doors and there are gaps at the bottom corners on both sides.

I am using aftermarket door frames. I thought maybe that was the problem so I purchased some factory Mopar frames but haven’t installed them yet and now thinking maybe it is just bad soft uppers.

My picture from the inside- It looks like the weather stripping should have been sewed on closer to the edges?





View attachment 236527
Click to expand...
the weatherstrip on my doors is just as far away from the edge as yours.
 
I've had a bestop, rampage and now smittybilt. Bestop was good but my zippers went to hell after about 5 years of sand and mud packing in them and finally someone cut my windows out to steal my stuff out and attempted to steal the jeep but failed. Rampage made the worst top I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with but the zippers stayed intact, my windows faded quickly, lived in a high uv area but 3 years and it was close to un-useable could barely see through the haze also didn't line up well at all. On my smittybilt now, 3 years deep with no complaints. My bow straps have dry rot to the point they disintegrated, have 2 ratchet straps keeping tension on it now, contemplating a frameless but not sold yet.
 
Vtx531 said:
I have had a Smittybilt softtop for 6+ years. Works good. I just switched half doors and there are gaps at the bottom corners on both sides.

I am using aftermarket door frames. I thought maybe that was the problem so I purchased some factory Mopar frames but haven’t installed them yet and now thinking maybe it is just bad soft uppers.

My picture from the inside- It looks like the weather stripping should have been sewed on closer to the edges?





View attachment 236527

View attachment 236528

View attachment 236529
Click to expand...
Bend the frame to match the opening more closely.
 
Shwiftypickle said:
I've had a bestop, rampage and now smittybilt. Bestop was good but my zippers went to hell after about 5 years of sand and mud packing in them and finally someone cut my windows out to steal my stuff out and attempted to steal the jeep but failed. Rampage made the worst top I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with but the zippers stayed intact, my windows faded quickly, lived in a high uv area but 3 years and it was close to un-useable could barely see through the haze also didn't line up well at all. On my smittybilt now, 3 years deep with no complaints. My bow straps have dry rot to the point they disintegrated, have 2 ratchet straps keeping tension on it now, contemplating a frameless but not sold yet.
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When I purchased my '01 the Jeep came with a nasty Smittlybilt soft top. I replaced the soft top due holes and the UV decomposing the soft top material. I also found one bow strap rotted through and the second had only a few strands holding it together. I went to Home Depot and purchased about 10' of 2" black cloth strap, drilled out the rivets attaching them to the bows, measured the strap lengths that I removed and cut the new ones to length. I used a electric rivet gun to install the new rivets. Worked like a charm.
 
I recall my smittybilt soft uppers fitting like that. You can clearly see how the soft upper is nowhere near fitting the OEM curves of the door surrounds.
 
My upper soft doors on my silver TJ Rubicon fit like that. No matter how hard I tried they just fit crappy as hell.

They also weren't OE Mopar door frames so maybe that has something to do with it. Either way, it pissed me off greatly.
 
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