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2012 JK Soft Top Question

3K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  radioscooter 
#1 ·
I just removed the hardtop for the summer and got the soft top installed on my 12 JK for the 1st time. I got it on but with some wrestling, and it works, but I did run into 2 issues.

1st one is minor. I installed the plastic runners and cranked down the 2 screw dealies on each side. The front screw dealy tightens things down nicely. The rear one leaves a good amount of play so the runners wiggle a bit and even rattle when the top is down. I cranked the screw dealies all the way down till they bottom out and there is still some play. Is this normal? I was thinking I might figure out some shims to take the play out.

The 2nd issue is definitely more of a PITA and may be related to my 1st issue. With the top down I pull the top over the Jeep and I align the center knuckle so that it clicks into the plastic runners. I then pull the rear corners down to tighten the back of the top. As I pull the rear down the left knuckle ends up popping out of the runner. It takes about 4 or 5 tries playing around with the knuckle/runner connection to get it to stick. Any ideas why the knuckle won't stay locked in? Could it be because the runner has too much play in it? Is there a better technique?
 
#2 · (Edited)
I would double check to make sure your door surrounds (plastic runner) is installed properly.
It doesn't sound like it is. The screws should both be tight. Check that the roll bar padding isn't in the way and the door surround is seated properly and lines up with thw screw holes.
 
#4 ·
I don't know. I removed it and re-installed it 3 times. There's not much to it. Just align things and bolt them down. Everything seems to align properly and fit. Its just those 2 rear screws don't secure things to the roll bar properly. The front ones are perfect.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, I had the same problem, or at least it sounds the same, when I did mine this week. They just ended up actually not being threaded right. Well, first I had the 2 different length screws switched, but after swapping, I experienced the play you're talking about, and it ended up being that the rollbar fabric was blocking some part of the screw.
 
#7 ·
Figured it out. I pulled it all apart and noticed that on the roll bar around the front hole was some thick clear tape of some sort. There was none of this tape around the rear hole. So I took some packing tape and layered it up 3 or 4 times on the rear roll bar hole and now it's nice and snug.

This also fixed my 2nd problem!

Thanks for the help fellas!
 
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