Rear plastic screen replacement on NAs' (dodgy day style)

[Noodle]

Hi 1red5,

How is yours holding up?

Any scratches, leaks etc?

Thanks

[Steampunk]

Noodle, the repair is fine, not a single leak, or scratch. It aint pretty as I used Tarzan's Grip instead of proper silicon glue cause silicon glue is expensive.
That is one thing that you have to research on, is what glue is most suitable/compatible and that dries clear if you want it to look neat. I think there is another thread somewhere that asks "what glue for softop?"

I forgot to mention, use a very sharp and strong knife as the rear screen is very tough. I used my pocket knife.

It's pretty easy to do, but read my instructions properly.

good luck

Andrew

[Mr Morlock]

Comes down to what standard you are satisfied with or what you can afford. I would either do it myself ( wifes on the machine) using an industrial sewing machine or simply have a trimmer do it properly. Full points for ingenuity - not everyone has the disposable $

[Red Dragon]

Sylastic glass sealant is best to use for glass or plastic replacement
Cheers

[Noodle]

Hi Red Dragon,

Would you happen to know which grade of Silastic glass sealant is best?


Thanks.

[Disco]

This topic and with the final question answered in the last post saves me a lot of money and gives me something to do this weekend that doesn't necesarily involve boozing. Thanks guys.

[Red Dragon]

Hi Noodle
Just the cheap stuff from Bunnings does the trick, costs about five bucks.
Cheers

[Mr Morlock]

I would be doing some research on what material should be used for the rear window. Plastic is merely a generic term which can mean anything. Reality is that every type of plastic on the car is chosen for its properties and application. A cheap wrong choice plastic will be dead in no time. Bunnings are a hardware not a specialist supplier so you are probably taking a punt and the likelihood that they can tell you what you are buying is remote. Trimmers will certainly be able to source material ( maybe sell "you" the right amount) and you might also get the info from specialist plastic suppliers.

[fattima]

I have not done this myself but plan to give it a bash soonish, I don't use my soft top much as I have a hardtop. Anyway the material I was looking at using is from a marine supplies, lots of boats use a UV rated clear plastic on the canopies, pretty cheap to buy.

[Red Dragon]

Marine PVC is on my car and it is excellent, don't have to unzip the window and when the roof is up any creases in the PVC just dissapear.
Cheers

[Mr Morlock]

Marine that sounds like a good plan- that material should be ok.

[Noodle]

Hey Mr Morlock,

Did you end up tracking down the Marine plastic?

I went to Clark Rubber but they reckon the plastic they have there creases easily.

[Steampunk]

I just bought a sheet from Bunnings. They have 3 or 4 thickness types and I think I bought the 2mm one. It's not "Proper" softop/screen plastic, but it does the job and I seldom drive with the top up so I can compromise on visibility.

[Red Dragon]

Hi all, my PVC came from Mitcham Motor Trimmers it is what he uses on his own boats.
So I suppose any boat outlet would put you on the right tram with the right ticket.
Cheers

[sabretooth]

So I was driving along the motorway at 100KM/h when I hear a rattling from the soft-top. It's a cold night, so I think nothing of it. Next thing I know...

WHAM! Followed by lots of air whooshing.


The soft top had slammed down on top of the already-cracked rear plastic window which was still obviously zipped up. The result?




I've bought a replacement from Richard which I've cleaned up and had a few stitching issues fixed, for which I had to remove the top from the frame. I'll try and get it reinstalled this weekend though.