Soft-top hole-preventer-o-matic?

[Canuck]

Hi guys,

It seems that the soft top can get holes punched into it, pretty easy, and a lot of these come from folding the top or having it shift after folding, in such a way that the rear clips punch through the fabric.

It would seem logical just to have something soft to put around the clips to make them not sharp and punch through.

Perhaps some round piece of soft but strong spongy foam stuff--a hemisphere on the top and a rectangle in the bottom for it to slip over the clip.

A short CAD model attached.

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Does this type of thing already exist elsewhere that can get reused for this purpose?
The stock soft top is doing well and hole-free would be nice to keep it that way. Any suggestions?

 

[VYPR BYT 94]

I never use the top... it just hangs on the wall. I did a search on the net and came up empty. However, I think you could use this. Go to SmallParts.com and you can navigate to this page... http://www.smallparts.com/b/3506670...-20&hvadid=13181075359&ref=pd_sl_87f4ihhow0_b
I think you can get a 3/4" sphere of different material types and plit it down the middle. Then you need to get creative on how to put the rectangle in the underside.

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It's a good idea, Good Luck with it.

 

[Canuck]

That is a fine idea, thank you!

I'll see what can be done with these kind of off the shelf sphere rubber parts.

For others who may not have a similar soft top on their Gen of Viper, here is a view of the problem.

It is not as bad when widely folded, like in the picture, but then it is too wide to fit in the trunk anymore.
The material has to be folded over more so that the soft material is right on top of the sharp clips.

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[jdeft1]

I made similar protective pads by cutting a slit in a round block of packing foam (one for each side). The clip slides into the foam blocks .... I think you get the idea.

The foam I use is similar to the protective padding used secure sensitive items for shipping, not so soft that it simply cruches and not so hard that it leaves a mark on the top material. I've used these for 10 years or so with no rub-through problems. No reason to spend any money of an item like this.