securing a rt 10 hardtop

[whitebluevipe]

hello,
has anyone ever used anything beside the roof latches to secure a hard top? my latch keeps working loose and i am always paranoid it is going to blow off the car. thanks, todd

 

[RAYSIR]

What keeps working loose?? The screws that hold the rotating latches can be Loctited. The rotater can't come loose if the spring and ball bearings are there. Never heard of a top coming off if the latches were rotated to the correct inset spot on the window frame.

 

[BruceW]

I had that problem too. I made pins, about 1" long, that fit into the slots (where the allen wrench goes). The exposed half of the pin is then velcro'd to the underside of the top (using the sticky-backed velcro). It works well.

 

[ViperJoe]

"It's the year that matters"

Might try new latches......Chuck Tator or Partsrack

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

There are only a few threads for the screws to turn into so they get stripped out easily. I have one on each side stripped and haven't used the top since.

 

[whitebluevipe]

the front latch works loose on the driver side. i will tighten it then go for a ride and find it working loose again. i plan to buy a new latch, but was wondering if there is any way to back up the latch?

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Both my latches on the front work loose, but the driver side is much worse. The reason is the spring and ball bearing are missing (long story as to why). Does anyone know where you can buy the latches without the Viper tax (or just the spring and ballbearings)? The latches are almost $500 each from Dodge!

 

[99 R/T 10]

Yeah,
I have the same problem on the driverside. Had it want to come up during a run down the quarter a couple of years ago(try driving, shifting and holding onto the top to keep it from coming up ). Anyway, after that, if I was to go on a long drive or to a race, I would tape the latch in the closed position with duct tape. I like BruceW's modification. Might use it myself. It would be an ugly site to see a hardtop come flying off at hwy speeds.

 

[whitebluevipe]

brucew,
would you be able to snap any pictures of your fix? i am trying to visualize in my head but can't. thanks, todd

 

[BruceW]

I put a picture in the member's gallery, it's dirvers_side_latch.jpg..didn't catch the spelling error..I used a piece of threaded rod for the pin and wrapped the "loop" side velcro around it (that's the white stuff in the picture). I stuck the "hook" side (black stuff) to the top edge of the hardtop..that way nothing's on the windshield frame when the top is off.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Here ya go guys: