*Wasnt sure exactly what section to put this in. Mods please feel free to move as you see fit*

So the other night I was driving a friend home in the rain when she says to me "Uhh Brandon... I think your car just leaked on me..."
I figured it was time to do something about the small tears in my top in the typical spots.
Not ready to fork over the cash for a new top just yet, so i got creative and thus this thread was born.
Im not saying this is the proper or the best way to fix your top, it's just the way i went about it.
I know alot of this is common sense but I figured if it helps 1 person its worth it.

I decided to sew the tears, then patch them.

First I gathered my supplies.

Black thread. Needle.



Scissors. Patch material. Black RTV.



A friend works at a shop and he gave me this material for free. Its a vinyl leather on one side and a cotton backing on the other side.
I went with this material as it seems more durable than just a regular marine vinyl and would hold up to the rubbing better.



I began sewing. Which is really tedious, time consuming and infuriating.

Tear on drivers side before...




And after sewing...



On to the other side, which was worse, and the one that leaked...
Before...




After...



Couldnt get this side to close up as tight at the drivers...

Next it was on to the patches...

I measured and cut the material down to size, rounding the edges a lil.



After that i applied the rtv to the back in circles from outside edges in, then used a piece of cardboard to spread and smooth it all evenly...



When that was done I very carefully pressed them onto the inside of the top over the sewn tears.

Driver side which didnt come out great as i had to slide it over a lil after placing...



And passenger side which came out good...



I placed one hand on the outside of he top and rubbed the patches evenly from the inside, tryin to push some of the rtv into the tear itself.


Now clean up and enjoy a tasty quality adult beverage to celebrate a job well done...




Be sure to go back every 15-20 min for an hour or 2 and check the patches for bubbles or peeling.

Let cure with top up for at least 24hrs and you should be good to go.

Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback, suggestions, whatever.

Sorry for the not so great phone pics.

 

would like to see updates on how it holds! my top is in rough shape

 

Way cleaner than my goop mess under my top. Still worked though.

 

I have the same tear on my 06 s2k. I'm going to follow your steps but I'm using 3M spray adhesive on my patch to seal it. I was told the rtv will make your outside of your top where you applied it turn white

 

good job man

 

good job. i did something similar and its still holding up

 

The spray glue didn't work for me. Decided to use your idea and it's working great so far.

 

Where is a good place to go to get the patch material, I checked my local AutoZone and of course they had nothing.

Is a piece of vinyl good enough or does it need to be heavy duty or leather?

My top hasn't worn all the way through yet and I want to keep it from doing so!

 

One step I meant to do but forgot to and you might want to is clean the area you want to patch before. Possibly with a wax and grease remover or a mineral spirit or something mild. Id test it on a small hidden area first to make sure it doesnt discolor the top.

As far as material: You can try any boating supply stores. They might have or can order you marine vinyl. Try askin at an automotive upholstery shop if they can give or sell you a have small piece of material. An arts and crafts store might also have what you are looking for. Last case scenerio go to a junkyard and cut a piece out of a cars seat or interior. Whatever you choose, make sure it is on the soft side and it will be able to flex and fold when the top goes down without creasing or cracking.

Thats also why i used the silicone. It wont dry hard and will fold and bend with the top without cracking.

I might have even seen someone in the classifieds here at s2ki selling some soft top repair material...

Good luck with the projects.

 

I've tried similar fixes, just seems that in the end it never holds (last fix attempt made the hole bigger). The issue is that those pressure points always get you in the end, always

vaya