Does my soft top fold up?

ghayes420

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Probably a dumb question from a newbie but...

I bought my 98 RT/10 and it came with a Mopar hardtop and softtop. I was told that the softtop will fold up and fit into the trunk. Is this easy to do? I can't seem to figure it out very easily and I don't want to f-up my soft top. Advice or how-to is appreciated. Thanks
:confused:
 

ryan94rt10

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hey ghayes

i have a gen 1...but i think they are the same. there are tiny black clips (they are bent so you can use your thumb) that hold the pilar arms to the front of the top...when i say front i mean the part that would go on the windsheild. you will see these under the side pilar arms...the clips are pushed in to hold the top tight...so all you have to do is pull the clips down...or torward the back of the top...the part that sits on the rear saftey bar. mine are tough, and take a lot of force to get them loose...so you may have to pull hard.

once they pop loose all you have to do is fold the arms in toward each other and the top will calapse on itself. make sure not to bang any of the peices around once you have the pilar arms loose...they will scratch each other or will tear a hole in the canvas...so watch out!

just fold the canvas over itself...with the little arm stabalizers and put it in the luggage bag and put it in the trunk!

any more questions pm me!

ryan
 

ViperGTS

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If you get used to it (folding/unfolding) it is a 2 minute job.

Watch out for sharp tips (to be covered!) -> they will punch holes in the canvas!
 

VENOMAHOLIC

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I only went through that process 2 times. Now I prefer to treat it as hard top and leave it in the garage whole on perfect days. There are a couple handknobs to unscrew and that starts the process. The sides hinge in and the ribs fold together. Over and over again, this will wear out the fabric.
 

Randy

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i have a gen 1...but i think they are the same. there are tiny black clips (they are bent so you can use your thumb)
As of 1995 (still Gen I), the clips were replaced with plastic head thumb-type screws. Otherwise, they are basically the same. As of Gen II, the thumbscrews were replaced with captive spring-loaded screws, so they don't require that you keep track of them, as you had to do with the '95 and '96 tops.

Otherwise, what Ryan says is correct, with a couple of caveats: Put the softop on the car upside down and turned 90 degrees, unscrew the two thumbscrews, fold the two arms in, and it collapses. There are different ways to fold it, I prefer a rolling motion which is NOT recommended due to the tendancy for the ends of the steel support arms putting pressure on the canvas (vinyl in '92), so I always fold a towel up inside to pad the ends.

Now, putting it together is a little more interesting and perhaps non-intuitive, as you have to remember to do some non-obvious things. First is how to fit the ends of the metal arms into the side arms - this will become obvious after a few attempts. Second is even less obvious; after putting the top completely together - arm ends properly seated and screws (clips on '94 and earlier) fully in place - go ahead and put the top on the car and lock into place. THEN.... on each side, turn the plastic strip along the canvas edge inward back and pointing up, and press into the channel made for this purpose - this tightens the top down across the top and reduces flapping, etc. I've seen a number of owners forget to do this last step.
 

LETHAL GTS

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I thought that top was only for shipping. I threw mine in the garbage. It looked like a bad toupee.
 
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