Hello everyone,

I know I know, another hardtop making noise thread....but this one may be a bit different than others. I have a Forbidden Mugen Rep Hardtop with Izzy front brackets and the basic rears that come with the Forbidden/Rockstar Garage tops.

After months of chasing down rattles and squeaks I thought I had finally made the top quiet minus one little annoying squeak/creak. I thought it was coming from my passenger side bracket but just recently have learned where it is actually coming from. The plastic trim piece that goes around the rear of the car where the hardtop sits (unsure of the name) is loose up around the door areas. This is causing that plastic trim piece to rub up against the body of the car and cause this horrible noise. I have searched through a ton of hardtop threads and couldn't find a single person with the issue. For a quick fix I shot some wd-40 in there to quiet it up which worked great for a week but the noise has just recently come back (as expected). I am trying to find out how I can fix this. I can't find anyone else who has ever complained of this part coming loose?


I have attached a video to show exactly the noise I am talking about. Ignore the extra weather stripping laid down, I got a bit carried away trying to kill this noise before I found out what it really was

 

Put the soft top up

Remove the door sill

Remove the b pillar garnish(vertical behind the door)

Remove the rear tray, and both sides of the rear tray

Unbolt the 3 sub frames for the soft top rear

Fold the soft top forward

Remove the rain gutter

Un screw the single screw for the soft top drain on each side, then pop the clip to give you a little bit of room.

Now that the bolts for the soft top rear moulding are exposed, press the moulding down and retighten all 11(I think or 13 can't remember) nuts on the frame of the moulding.

Reverse assembly.

Pop soft top drain clips back in, and replace single screw

put the rain gutter back hanging from its studs

fold the soft top back, and put it in between the flaps of the gutter, not the outside.

put the 3 frames for the soft top onto the studs to clamp, lightly tighten by hand, then torque from center out towards each door

replace the side pieces of the rear tray, and then the center of the rear tray

replace the b pillar, then the door sill


now you know how to access the moulding and realign it to the body to stop squeaks... if you ever have to paint your car, youll have to do this, plus remove the seats, rollhoops, soft top assembly , gussets, and soft top drains, to remove that moulding. Thankfully you don't have to go that far to realign it and access the fasteners for the rear soft top moulding

 

Thank's for the detailed walk through! can't believe I have to take off that much...

It appears its only loose on the passenger side and its only the first couple inches, no way I can easily get to the very first bolt there?

 

nope...

the bolts are hidden behind the rain gutter.