[Adventurous]

I went to put my soft top on for the first time yesterday and found that there were several broken and missing parts. I ordered most of the stuff but there's one part that has me stumped.

I have a 98 TJ and there are are brackets that mount about half way up the rollbar. I'm missing the screws to those brackets - the ones that screw into the rollbar - there are 4 of them. Anyone know what size they are?

Also, I found a small tear in the top, it hasn't completely separated yet and is less than an inch in length. What can I use to repair it?

 

[RUBICONVICT]

I believe you are talking about these:

eBay Motors: 97-06 Jeep Wrangler TJ Door Surround Knobs for soft top (item 230052658291 end time May-14-07 18:44:37 PDT)

From what I have seen, this is a good price.....you should grab em! But Check under your back seat first, I almost bought a set when I first got my Jeep but luckily folded up my back seat before I did and found em under there.

As far as the tear, I will let someone else answer that....I haven't had the pleasure of dealing with that YET.

 

[Adventurous]

Nope, I have the door surround knobs. The bracket is the pivot point for the soft top framework. I'm guessing that it's hidden behind the rollbar cover in most Jeeps. Mine didn't have the cover and the previous owner detached the bracket at the rollbar and lost the screws.

 

[RUBICONVICT]

Oh, got ya....Yeah I don't know what size those are. Sorry.

 

[Dare2BSquare]

How old is the top you want to repair? If it will need to be replaced within the next couple of seasons you might try repairing it yourself. If the rest of the top is in good shape you may want to take it to an upholstery shop and have a professional repair it.

For a small tear I would try using clear silicone and fix it as much as possible from the inside of the top.

 

[Adventurous]

I'm assuming that it's the factory original - 9 years old. I had to order all of the windows and doorskins because they were ripped. The top is in OK condition but will probably have to be replaced in a few years.

 

[binaryking]

I'm assuming that it's the factory original - 9 years old. I had to order all of the windows and doorskins because they were ripped. The top is in OK condition but will probably have to be replaced in a few years.

Use black duct tape. The average life of a soft top is 5 years, so plan on replacing it soon.

 

[erickpl]

Adventurous, I dunno what size the screw is, but I have my TJ today at work and could try to find out. You could probably try a local wrecking yard for totaled TJ's and find one with these things still on there as they are not sought-after parts most of the time. You could probably get the brackets and screws for dirt cheap.

 

[Adventurous]

Use black duct tape. The average life of a soft top is 5 years, so plan on replacing it soon.

Glad I read this before my order shipped. I ended up ordering a new top since the windows and the doorskins are almost as much as the complete replace a top.

I'll use duct tape until it arrives. Now to figure out the screws.