[Brian]

my top has been rattling on my windshield ever since i bought the car in april. i tightened all the screws i could think of and even had another mechanic look at it, but it's progressively gotten worse all summer. it hasn't been too big a deal to me since the top is down 90% of the time. however... it rained yesterday for the first time in a month and i just couldn't handle the feeling like my top was going to fall right off. so...

i took off the wide plastic trim piece with the pull handle in it. it was only four screws plus one in the pull handle. i looked at the two ball bearing clamp mechanisms and noticed that they were just hanging there. the three bolts that hold them tight were completely loose. i pushed the clamp thingies down that little bit allowable and tightened the three bolts on each side. i reinstalled the wide plastic trim piece and the pull handle. after a test drive, the driver's side is tight as a drum, but the passenger side still makes an occasional bump or clap sound. i think tonight i'm going to take the trim back off and see if i can adjust the clamp thing any more. i got some clear plastic tubing to put on the pegs, but it was too small. i read somewhere that that might help. i'll pick up some bigger stock tonight. i even picked up some weather stripping from home depot, but i don't want it to look hokey.

any other suggestions? if i can't move the clamps any tighter, is it possible to bend them just a tad?

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[flash]

take a look at the sheet metal where the mechanism mounts - it tends to bend out of shape and allow free play



little rubber plugs on the pins helps too

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[Darryl]

Brian,



My 92 Cab has a similar problem. Upon further investigation, I noticed that the ball bearing was missing from the passenger side lock down. It works but doesn't "click" in like the drivers side. I just picked up a pair of lock downs on e-bay from a 92 cab, so I'm hoping that will do the trick. I'll keep you posted on the fix. It does rattle quite a bit and I thought it was an interior trim piece but I had already fixed that - the screw was stripped that holds the visor and headliner piece in place.



- Darryl

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[Brian]

thanks for the tips, guys.

i worked on it a bit this weekend.

after tightening up the hold down mechanisms, most of the rattle went away. there's just an occasional clap when i hit a large bump or go over a rough stretch of road. i tried adding a weather strip across the windshield, but that was overkill and still didnt' help. i tried a piece of rubber tube over the pins, but it was too thick and wouldn't fit in the hole on the windshield. i'll try to find a thinner piece of tubing tonight.

i think the problem is that my pins aren't lining up with the holes on the windshield. i kind of have to force the top down onto the windshield to get it to engage. so i think the top wants to be in a different position than it is.

does anyone know if you can adjust the position of the top? i looked at it for a while on saturday and had no luck. the thing lined up perfectly when i first got it, but i took it in for service at one point and somehow it hasn't lined up correctly since then.



thanks!

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[flash]

you can, but it is a fairly tricky thing - i think the top manual that explains it is in the DIY section here

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[Brian]

sounds like i should take it back to the shop that misaligned it in the first place!!!



thanks for letting me know. i'll do a search.

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[Brian]

i got the top to quiet down finally.

first thing was to tighten the bearing hold downs on the top. three bolts on each one. hardest part was just removing the black plastic trim piece and that wasn't even too bad.

next was to find the point where the top was rubbing against the windshield. i could see that the paint was wearing off just behind the pin holes and on the corresponding part of the top frame. 5 minutes of sanding with a dremmel and touching up by hand to smooth it all out. i need to get a little black enamel to make it disapper now that i know i removed enough material.

finally, like flash said, i got some 3/16" i.d. clear plastic tubing. i microwaved it for 90 seconds, put a little dawn soap on the top pins and then shoved the tubing onto the pins. it is a very snug fit. after it cooled for a minute, i took a utility knife and bevel cut the end of the tube so it would slide into the windshield a little better. one of the little tubes didn't want to stick on the pin, so i wiped off the dawn and put a tiny dab of glue on it. works great now. microwaving was the key. that tubing never would have fit otherwise. once it cools, it is perfectly conformed to the shape of the pin.

tight as a drum. no complaints. very happy i didnt' have to adjust the frame!!!

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[Ebo]

Hi there, my cab top is rattling on the driver's side (very annoying on a bumpy road) and I was thrilled to hear there may be an easy fix tightening the screws on the front end of the top. I checked and indeed, there is a bit of play on the mechanism. The problemen is that I can't seem to get the plastic strip with the handle in it off. I took out the 5 screws but it is still stuck, especially in the middle. I am afraid to break off an expensive piece of plastic by using more force. Ideas anyone?

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[Ryan]

Ebo, did you remove the screw inside the pull handle recess? That would be holding the center on for sure. The handle will come out completely.

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[Ebo]

Hi Ryan, I did take out the centre screw but did not remove the handle itself. I suspected it could come out but was not sure and was afraid to break something. It sticks somehow and is not easy to get a grip on. Will apply some good old brute force then <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[tamathumper]

Just resurrecting this old thread to say that I also completely fixed my cab top rattling, but the holes weren't all that sloppy to begin with, and there was no way I was going to be able to fit tubing into the holes, so I had the cab top installer lay a very thin piece of sealer strip along the channel where the front of the cab top fits, and that creates just enough pressure (and stickiness) that the cab top is now very firmly clamped down and doesn't wiggle in the least - it certainly quieted the ride - and it probably adds a measure of leak-proofness as well.

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[Ryan]

You should take a picture of this strip to give others an idea of what to look for as a sealer and how thick it is.

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[Langley968]

[quote name='Ryan' timestamp='1337871160' post='127328']

You should take a picture of this strip to give others an idea of what to look for as a sealer and how thick it is.

[/quote]



Please do <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/excl.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[tamathumper]

It's a half-round strip, about 1/4 inch wide and 1/4 inch deep, adhered flat-side down at the front-most part of the channel. Pic to follow.

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[Grandpa#3]

Hello, What is the product name of the 1/4 round strip used as channel filler? Sure would be great if you can post the picture of the repair.



Cheers,

Larry

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[Gotter]

Yes, if you could post a pic, I would like to attack this problem this week before a trip to Myrtle Beach. Thanks!

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[tamathumper]

Apologies, I've been overwhelmed. I'll take a pic and post ASAP.

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[SILVY968]

I also am waiting for the pic. Placement is probably critical. i have tried adhesive backed foam, but it crushes and after a short while does not work.

thanks in advance.

Brian

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[tamathumper]

The cab top installer got back to me with some details - it's an Auveco product, and this is a link to the current catalog page it appears on. It's at the bottom, item 4736.



https://www.auveco.com/eSource/ecom/comm...df/328.pdf



It looks like Auveco is a company I've wished I knew existed a lot of times in the past few decades.



I'll post a picture of it installed on the car, too.

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[tamathumper]

OK, here's the photos. First, an outside one to show there's no deflection when latched.







And one showing the inside of the channel, where the strip is contact-cemented in place, round side up.





And one showing some deformation of the strip on each side of the channel - I moved the top ahead quite a bit trying to fix the leak I had when the car was sitting. If it was really pouring down, there would be a few drops at the top of each A pillar. I think the strip has taken care of that, but I moved the top ahead too far and now I want to adjust it back to where it was originally. It's pretty easy to do. Getting the rear covers off with the cab chassis brace installed is probably the only "involved" part of the process.







The deformation on the passenger side appears to be worst, and it is even lifting the contact cement just a bit, although it's still quite firmly attached. The foam *really* sticks the cab top down - if you've ever used weatherstripping before, you know how it has that "Post-It" note feeling.

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