I have had my car 18 yrs and did not know these exist.
Do they the go behind the latches or strikers? I'm trying to
get my hardtop to tighten down more. I know my strikers
are still good. Thanks in advance.

 

They go behind the latches. Factory hardtops come with 3 shims on each side. Removing them should bring the top closer to the ground. Adding them would actually raise it up. I messed with mine and settled that 3 shims is correct.

I've screwed with my top so much to get it where it needs to be. What exactly are you trying to tighten? Is it wind noise in the front or rattling latches because the latches don't have enough tension?

 

Wind noise they don't have enough tension. So if i remove one it should tighten down a little more ?

 

If you remove a shim, it'll lower the height of the hardtop which would make it sit tighter against the molding around the windshield frame.

 

Yes but I found that removing shims lost even more tension on the latches and didn't really accomplish what I needed it to accomplish. It recessed the front of the top down but I didn't really need that. Mine sat perfectly with 3 shims. Have you cleaned and greased the seals? Shin-Etsu grease will go a long way on that seal. If this is a new wind leak on a top that has been installed for a long time, I bet grease and getting proper tension in the latches will solve your issue.

The only way I've been able to get the proper tension in my latches is by cutting some rubber hosing and placing it in between my strikers and latches. I apply shin-etsu to the hose pieces and stuff them there. Solved all my rattling problems. I wonder if new strikers would do it but I didn't want to blindly spend the money on them.

The most significant adjustment is in the rear latch mounting. I think it's worth trying the fronts first and I bet that if you grease the seals and get tension in the latches, it'll seal perfectly. If you do take the front latches off, I recommend getting them set up with the proper amount of shims first. Then you'll need to blue loc-tite the bolts in. They don't stay tight until you do. I didn't want to loc-tite mine but the rattle comes back within a few days.

 

I grease the seals with Shin etsu regularly so i know that's not it. I looked at the latches but could not tell if there is any
shims under it, will take the top off and look. What type of rubber hose did you use ? I think that may be the key here.
And thank you for all the info....very helpful.

 

Just some black fuel hose from Ace. I forget which diameter, pretty small but most any would do. I cut a piece off with a razor blade approximately the width of the part of the striker where the latch sits. Cut that part in half so you have a half circle, crescent shape. Grease that up and hold it on the striker as you latch it. Good to go.

I tried putting the hose on the latches and didn't have much luck. It's awkward to get them on there and any hose that was flimsy enough to go on the latches got cut up pretty quickly. The fuel hose is much simpler, lasts longer, and doesn't look goofy like having translucent hose on your stupid latches.

 

Try shifting the rear latches backwards/forwards or downwards/upwards to see if you can get tension on the front latches.

 

Thanks guys, i'm going to try the hose thing first and
see what that does.

 

I just cut a piece of bike tire inner tube, fold it in half and stuff it between the latch and the striker before closing the latch. I've done this for years. You only need a small piece of inner tube. Less than an inch long works well.