I’d offer to give you mine if it were in better condition, but it isn’t. What part do you need replaced? Do you need to replace entire top or just the fogged/cracked plastic window in back?
When I first got the car, the top was fine, but the back window was fogged and cracked. So I replaced the back plastic window myself for like $18 using plastic vinyl from Yardage Town and some VLP glue from ace hardware.
If you need to replace the entire top, a good top will probably run you about $200 for the top itself, and about $100 for the rain gutter and about $300-400 for labor. You can do it yourself, I don’t think it’s that difficult. The other thing you can consider is look in craiglist, because there plenty of people that convert their NA to a full fledge track car, and they usually ditch the entire softtop, so you might be able to pick up one that is good condition for like $100-150 on an existing frame/rail….Installing that would be a lot easier than trying to install a soft top on a frame itself.
I’m still looking for a hardtop so I can ditch my softtop. But I’m having a hard time spending another $1000 for a hardtop on a car that itself was $2000…
If you just need to replace the back window, here’s the $18 FLU “ghetto” way of doing it.
You’ll need:
1. Clear vinyl from Yardage Town in Clairmont (the one in Mira Mesa closed 🙁 )
2. Electric tape
3. Clear packaging tape
4. A cutting board (preferably something you won’t use for cooking again)
5. VLP glue from Ace Hardware…
Here’s a rough idea of what you need to do if you’re only interested in changing the rear plastic window…
0. Take the back part of the soft top off. There’s plenty of web instructions on how to do this…
1. Scrub the old window well.
2. Use a razor blade and carefully cut the old window out. Use a cutting board on the backside to make a clean cut..
3. Use your cut out window as a template for the new window, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the new window. Use a pair of shears or razor to cut the new vinyl
4. Place new window on back cover of top. use electric tape on the backside of the window to create a seal between the top and the new vinyl. This does two things. a) it keeps the vinyl in place while you glue. b) it prevents glue from leaking to the other side of your top.
5.Get a piece of electric tape and tape your outer top, tracing the edge of the vinyl. The idea is you want to create a mask around the top, so any glue that seeps out doesn’t make a mess onto the rest of your top..
6. Get a piece of clear packaging tape ready. You will use this tape on top of where you are gluing, sealing the vinvl with glue to the top.
7. Apply a very tiny thin amount of glue to one side of the plastic vinyl, about 1/2 inch wide…Make sure it’s thin, but well coated..
8. Place your clear packaging tape on top of the vinyl and press down and smooth the plastic vinyl to the top…use the packaging tape to create a nice/smooth seal between the vinyl and the rest of your top…
9. Use something heavy like a dictionary, some weights and put those heavy things on the vinyl so when glue dries, it creates a nice tight bond with the soft top. Make sure you spread the weight evenly across the side you are gluing..
Glue only one side at a time, and make sure one side dries before gluing the next adjacent side. This will eliminate any sort of bubbling/wrinkle in the vinyl in case the vinyl expands/contracts wile gluing (ask me how I know)..
Repeat for the remaining 3 sides after each side has dried…
It took me maybe one night to do this.
IF you remove the back and ask someone to do it, it will probably cost about $100-200..Money well spent, unless you actually enjoy doing this like I do.
