I have done a good search about this topic but there is no specific procedures, I have seen the maual instruction but still, not very clear.

just got a hardtop and put it on with no problem.

but Im a perfectionist, so how do you adjust it to have a perfect fit?
whats the best way?

do you clip on the front to the windscreen first? than adjust the holder plate mounting bolts? which bolts to tighten first? Im guessing the 3 first?

when the hardtop is just resting on the car (mounting bolts still loose) with the rear pins in the mount, I can still move the mounting plate around, should I move it forward/ backwards before tighten them?

anyone have a good discription on how about to go at it?

cheers,
eric

 

u just gotta play with it to close the gap as much as u can on the side also feel the force of the striker that is attached on the hardtop

 

when you say "feel the force on the striker", does that mean I should NOT lock the front striker before I tighten the plate bolts?

 

MC21: It sounds like you already have it on the way it should be. The manual says to fit the top in place on the pins, in back, with the front strikers open. Then tighten the three bolts on each side for the back plates and try latching the front strikers for a snug fit. It also gives some instructions about measuring in several points around the base of the top against the car, but I also found these to be difficult to visualize from the photocopied photos in the instructions. The requirements for my hardtop fit were:

1. Looks straight and feels tight when I try to lift or move the top after the bolts are tightened and the top is latched secured in place on the four holding points.

2. No wind noise or wind current around the edges of the hardtop at the speeds you will drive. A passenger will help determine this and it'll be a plus this time if she's really really picky.

3. No water leaks around the top. Put her in the car and blast it with the hose. The Honda rubber grease help seal-out water. I can't remember the name of the Honda rubber grease, but it is safe on rubber ... maybe KY lubricant would work too, but I don't love my car that much and believe that it is intended for a different kind of problem. A tube of the Honda rubber grease is $20, but it will probably last a lifetime.

4. No rattles or squeaks driving over bumps. The Honda rubber grease fixed this one for me.

When my hardtop looked and felt straight, stopped squeaking and didn't leak air or water, I stopped worrying about the fit. If you get to this point and you're still worrying about the hardtop fit, it might be good to remember that perfection is more a state of mind than a reality. Good Luck

 

thanx for the input mad-dog-one, did you tighten the vertical 3 bolts first or the horizontal 2 bolts first?

and when you install your hardtop everytime, do you do up the front strikers first or the b-piller first?

its buggin me while its not PERFECT!!!!

 

One of the most overlooked things is to make sure that you get some silicon grease on all of the rubber seals (either GM Silicon emulsion, or Honda's Shin Etsu grease will work).

I try to lube up all of the rubber seals every couple of months to stop as much of the squeaking as possible

 

thanx koala, do you do your front up first or back?

 

ALWAYS do the fronts first when putting on the top and undo them last when taking off.
This is clearly stated in the hardtop installation manual. I don't know how much clearer it can be.

 

I always do the fronts first, as xviper said, it says to do it this way in the manual.

 

MC21: I agree with xviper and koala. The installation manual says to lock the back latches first and the front strickers last, although the strickers should be line-up up when the back latches are tightened. If the strickers don't line-up, there is an adjustment screw on the hardtop, although you cannot get a Phillips screw driver in straight when the top is installed.

As for the order used to tighten the bolts on the back plates, I only remember 3 bolts on each side (two on the horizontal surface and one vertical). This was a couple of months ago, but that's the way I remember the configuration. I put the top in place with everything loose and lined it up. Then I removed the top, snugged each of the three bolts on each side down and then torqued them to specs without concern for order. I repeated this process twice before I was satisfied that it was OK, although, in hindsight, it was probably fine after the first time. The silecone grease stopped the squeaking that caused my concern.

Good Luck and enjoy your hardtop.