Available soft tops for 95 RT10? Aftermarket and factory please!

[PaulGebhardt]

Looking for replacement side rails for a soft top on a 95 RT10. Owner claims top does NOT fit in the trunk, and original source of top is unknown. I'm under the impression that the factory soft top DOES fit in the trunk. Could it be that doing so is so difficult the owner believes it will not fit?

Can folks please list any and all known soft tops that could fit a 95 RT10, and list source and estimated used price, and whether they know if side rails are available as repair parts?

Thanks so much!

If anyone knows of a foolproof way to ID the top, that would be great too!

And also... anyone with a good used condition (not perfect, unless you want to pretty much give it away) soft top that WILL fit in the trunk for sale (owner said something about buying a 'folding' soft top...), please reply by PM with asking price.

And yes, this is a situation... don't really want to talk about it, just need the info and FS offers.

 

[FrankBarba]

The soft top will fold up & fit in the trunk. Unless the side rails are broken from a "fly off" you do not need another top. It takes some time & patience to do this. If you looking for a top though i do have a NEW in The BOX Top.

 

[Randy]

Looking for replacement side rails for a soft top on a 95 RT10. Owner claims top does NOT fit in the trunk,...

I'm only aware of one soft top made for the 1st or 2nd generation RT/10s; the one that came with the car and is made by Dodge. Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't another, but I've never heard of one. If the factory soft top, it most certainly does fit in the trunk.

You could just try posting a picture of your top to verify it is the factory top. General features are three metal transverse ribs under the cloth, the outer edge/frame of the top is some sort of synthetic material (not metal, but stronger than mere plastic and there is a metal reinforcement bar inside the synthetic - don't ask me how I know ). The flexible material of the top is usually a canvas type cloth, although the 1992 tops were some sort of textured vinyl.

To fold it up to put it in the trunk: you take it off the car, turn it upside down, inspect the front end of the two side rails for how they are attached to the front piece - some years they used sliding clips, some were plastic-headed thumbscrews; if the clips, you slide them back to release the pin, if the screws, you unscrew and remove them. Once released, you pivot the front end of the side rails inward, and then basically bunch the top up (according to the owners manual) or roll it up (which most of us do, but you have to be very careful the ends of the metal ribs and other parts don't cause an indentation or rub the cloth while folded), then put in the trunk.

 

[PaulGebhardt]

Ok, thanks! This is just what I was looking for. Looks like I'm dealing with a factory top.

And yes, the side rails are broken.... Too bad they didn't see fit to continue the metal reinforcement all the way to the back of the rails.


Anyone successfully had the side rails repaired?

 

[Randy]

And yes, the side rails are broken.... Too bad they didn't see fit to continue the metal reinforcement all the way to the back of the rails.

I have no idea how to fix them - I doubt it can be easily done. You might try something like JB-Weld, but it would likely not work well or look very tacky. As most of the parts for the Gen I cars have been discontinued, I doubt if you could get them new, even if they were ever offered as a separate part (which I doubt).

Too bad they didn't reinforce the side rails - I may have mis-wrote, as the only place I know there to be metal reinforcement is across the front piece that sits on top of the windshield. I know this, as I've gone through four tops total on my RTs, and I used one that broke (when it came off at speed) as a test project for a track camera mount. My attempt didn't work (I found a better way to mount a camera on an RT), but in the course of it, I sawed through the front piece, and ran into the re-bar.

I know there's no reinforcement on the side rails, for the same reason - my first top actually semi-melted and *sagged* in the middle - its fairly common on older vipers with tops that are used in hot climates (Nevada summer, for instance, where my '95 came from); I've seen a number of 1st gens with the side rails that are no longer straight, which plays hell with the sealing against the window if you get caught in the rain - I drove through New Mexico in a driving rainstorm late December of '97 with a towel on my shoulder because of this issue; above 60mph it was OK, below 60mph, I had a constant drip due to the sagged side rail.

 

[PaulGebhardt]

Thanks Randy! I did discover a part listing at the dealer for left and right side rails... superceded by a new part number for a 'repair kit for leaking' which seems to include both rails... at a significant premium over the two separate parts. Originals listed 495 each, new 'kit' lists around 1700, my cost 1400... and I don't yet know for sure it is available. National warehouse shows about 400 in stock, but in my turbo dodge days, I found that the national warehouse often shows parts that are not really there anymore, especially after 10 model years have passed.

I suspect I'll end up getting a complete top used from EBay or such, just saw one go for 760. Hopefully I could sell the fabric and unused parts again.

 

[Randy]

Right after I bought my current 2000 RT/10 in 2004, I bought a new soft top from our local Dodge dealer, who supports our club in at least one way by giving club members a fairly decent discount; so the top worked out to $1600 (again, this was two years ago). If Dodge still stocks Gen I tops, you might want to check if your local club has any such deals with your local dealer.