I'm a fairly new owner of an S2000 (LBP, 06, stock, can be seen auto crossing at the stadium), and I've been lurking the forums for the couple of months I've owned the car.

Anyway, some of the patches on my soft top have been poorly done by one of the previous owners of the car, so I decided to redo it myself. Just wanted to share the technique I'm using and hoping to hear some better ideas.

This is the shitty patch as it was. Looks like it was patched with umbrella material. Every time the top cycles through going down and up, this patch likes to peel off at the front and flutter on the freeway.


I had to put a piece of Gorilla tape underneath to keep the water out. The adhesive is too sticky and just gets smeared around when the top actuates. It eventually folds in on itself.


Here's what the tear looks like.


Step 1: sew the tear back together. I was unable to close the tear without the thread ripping through the vinyl. Seems the vinyl is too far stretched in this position. Perhaps I should have used thicker thread. The point of this is to make the surface better for the adhesive to bond to.


Step 2: apply patch material to underside of the top. I'm using ballistic nylon that is cut quite a bit larger than the tear. This is glued on with E6000 fabric adhesive.


Step 3: apply a smaller patch material to cover the stitching. I probably would not do this if my stitching didn't look like shit.



That's about it. I'm allowing it a week to fully dry before I attempt to put the top down. It's not the prettiest solution (this top is beyond saving in terms of aesthetics), but it seems like it will at least be durable. Guess we'll see in time.

 

let us know how they hold up howard. my01 has no rips (knock on wood)

 

Will do. I'm noticing some tender spots on the inside of my soft top too, I'm thinking of reinforcing it with the ballistic nylon before it rips through.

 

Very Nice. I stitched mine similar to yours and just put some VLP sealant over it. So far so good. Its shiny since its a clear resin but does the job keeping rain out.

 

Preventive maintenance is preferred mandatory.

Here's a photo from elsewhere on the forum that I used to check my roof, sand off sharp points in the frame edges, and reinforce the inside of the roof where I could see a scratch in the fabric right where the rip shows above. I see no marks on the inside reinforcement area (no scratches) in 10,000 miles of driving. I nearly always put the roof up when parked so it can cycle several times a day.

--Chuck

 

^You should also sand (and maybe wrap) the flat spot of the cross bar (just above the second and third arrow). That area caused my small tear.

 

Good info on the preventative maintenance. Thanks!

 

how much miles does your car have? might be my old one lol

 

Currently 93k miles. If it's any telltale sign, an AP2 front lip was added to cover up a blemish on the front bumper, and an OEM style lip spoiler on the trunk. Had Eibach drop springs.

 

Update on the patches. They are generally holding up well, but I've found that the E3000 adhesive is not the least bit UV resistant and degrades in sun light. This is not a problem if you are patching a small hole from the inside only, but can be a problem for exterior patches, especially larger ones. Besides that, no leaks to report.