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Diabolical Slipstream install - recent experiences?

Jondrew

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I should be getting my bumper/lights/winch mods finished in the next week or so. I’m thinkng my next mod will be a Diabolical Slipstream. Last threads I had read indicated some fitment and finish issues with the product, especially when being used with a soft top.

Has anyone received and installed a slipstream within the last few weeks? Interested in hearing your experiences

Thanks
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jz19

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I should be getting my bumper/lights/winch mods finished in the next week or so. I’m thinkng my next mod will be a Diabolical Slipstream. Last threads I had read indicated some fitment and finish issues with the product, especially when being used with a soft top.

Has anyone received and installed a slipstream within the last few weeks? Interested in hearing your experiences

Thanks
I'm curious about this as well. I saw in one thread where Diabolical apparently said that the soft top notched cover would be available in March? I'm honestly going crosseyed trying to figure this out and have read a TON on the Slipstream system, but I *think* that's right.
 
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Jondrew

Jondrew

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They are currently delivering lids without the “notch” that may interfere with the soft top mechanism and are telling people how they can modify the lid if its a problem. They are also promising to ship a modified lid to you if you want at no cost once they finalize the fix in production.

I wont be ordering one till sometime next month and I’d expect the fix will have been made by then.
 

jz19

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They are currently delivering lids without the “notch” that may interfere with the soft top mechanism and are telling people how they can modify the lid if its a problem. They are also promising to ship a modified lid to you if you want at no cost once they finalize the fix in production.

I wont be ordering one till sometime next month and I’d expect the fix will have been made by then.
Thanks for the update! I'm still a few weeks away from ordering my JLU, so I'm hoping they'll have them done by the time I'm ready in a few months. Keep us posted when you get your modified version!
 

rdrjohn

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I ordered a Slipstream XLS for my 2019 JLU Sport S on Feb 8th and installed it last week. I am really happy with it and the install was pretty straight forward (~ 3 hrs). I don't have the sub woofer or a soft top but here is my learning's with the hard top.

The alignment of the actual covers was very easy but there is a bit of alignment with the wing cover. You put in two of your hard top screws and then there are two openings for the hard top pins (in red). One is completely covered by the wing cover and one is not. Just need to make sure the wing cover does not slide too far forward to partial cover the hole as the hard top fit is pretty snug. Also for the hard top there is a corner flange that attaches to the wing cover (in green) that is not installed with a soft top. One change I made is there a nice cover for the hard top rear wiper connections but the cover is held in place with one of the 7/16th nuts which require a wrench to remove ~ I replaced it with a wing nut instead. I would also recommend having a 7/16 offset ratcheting box wrench as some of the nuts are not accessible with a socket.

I drove it a few days without the hardtop but had to put the hardtop back on because of the weather. It is real flexible to use. Without the hardtop the Slipstream is a secure trunk and you have complete access to the back of the jeep. With the hard top on it provides a nice shelf to store gear on and the freedom panels fit underneath.

If you had any specific questions or want a picture of something just drop me a note.

rear view holes circle.jpg
rear view corner circle.jpg
wing nut.jpg
 

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jz19

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I ordered a Slipstream XLS for my 2019 JLU Sport S on Feb 8th and installed it last week. I am really happy with it and the install was pretty straight forward (~ 3 hrs). I don't have the sub woofer or a soft top but here is my learning's with the hard top.

The alignment of the actual covers was very easy but there is a bit of alignment with the wing cover. You put in two of your hard top screws and then there are two openings for the hard top pins (in red). One is completely covered by the wing cover and one is not. Just need to make sure the wing cover does not slide too far forward to partial cover the hole as the hard top fit is pretty snug. Also for the hard top there is a corner flange that attaches to the wing cover (in green) that is not installed with a soft top. One change I made is there a nice cover for the hard top rear wiper connections but the cover is held in place with one of the 7/16th nuts which require a wrench to remove ~ I replaced it with a wing nut instead. I would also recommend having a 7/16 offset ratcheting box wrench as some of the nuts are not accessible with a socket.

I drove it a few days without the hardtop but had to put the hardtop back on because of the weather. It is real flexible to use. Without the hardtop the Slipstream is a secure trunk and you have complete access to the back of the jeep. With the hard top on it provides a nice shelf to store gear on and the freedom panels fit underneath.

If you had any specific questions or want a picture of something just drop me a note.

rear view holes circle.jpg
rear view corner circle.jpg
wing nut.jpg
Perfect - thanks for the detailed reply and pictures! I'll be running soft top only, but very good to know about the need to position the wing covers.
 

dblack222

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I got my shipping notice yesterday so hopefully I'll have some input soon.

Hardtop with subwoofer, FWIW.
 

jz19

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just watch the video about the sub woofer assembly, there is some pre assembly to do prior to putting the wing cover on that side
EDIT - I found the video - just wasn't on the product page with the others. Thanks for letting me know about it!
 
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Bkenyon53

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With the hard top on, can you open the cover at the hinges?
 

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swimman

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Anyone have the stock soft top and have issues with unlocking? Just installed the soft top today. Unfortunately, the top will not unlock to unfold over the roof as the Diabolical cut off the area where the back soft top support should sit. Therefore, as the soft top is not sitting low enough, it will not unlock, therefore making it unusable.

Just stopped at the Jeep dealer and confirmed this is the issue as we looked at how the soft top should sit.
Recess driver.jpg
Recess passenger.jpg
Sitting flush.jpg
Recess driver.jpg
Recess passenger.jpg
Sitting flush.jpg
Recess driver.jpg

Here are some pics of the recesses the soft top should sit in when there is no Diabolical being used.
 

Bkenyon53

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Hmm. That would be a huge dealbreaker for me as the point of me getting this is to have some security with the top down.

Hopefully there is an easy fix.
 

swimman

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I emailed Alan and am awaiting his reply. I also bought it to have some type of security when using the soft top, whether up or down (also keep it installed with the hard top). I'm hoping there is an easy fix otherwise this was an expensive mistake.

Someone else on the forum said he had the same issue and had to press down on the top to get it to unlock. I'm not sure how hard he pressed but I put almost all of my 180 pounds on the top while my son tried to operate the lock buttons and it did not work. We even uninstalled the Slipstream tie down brackets to give us another inch but same disappointing result.
 

stick

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Anyone have the stock soft top and have issues with unlocking? Just installed the soft top today. Unfortunately, the top will not unlock to unfold over the roof as the Diabolical cut off the area where the back soft top support should sit. Therefore, as the soft top is not sitting low enough, it will not unlock, therefore making it unusable.

Just stopped at the Jeep dealer and confirmed this is the issue as we looked at how the soft top should sit.
Recess driver.jpg
Recess passenger.jpg
Sitting flush.jpg
Recess driver.jpg
Recess passenger.jpg
Sitting flush.jpg
Recess driver.jpg

Here are some pics of the recesses the soft top should sit in when there is no Diabolical being used.
@swimman I had this exact problem. I locked my soft top, removed it completely then installed the wing skins etc. Put the soft top back on and it won't unlock. The issue is that the wing skins prevent the top from going down far enough to engage the locking assembly. What I had to do was remove the wing skins and frame bars (thank goodness I hadn't tightened everything), put the soft top back on unlock it then reinstall the wing skins etc.

Jeep has designed the soft top to go down into the plastic recess wells behind the roll bar and then engage the locking mechanism, with the slipstream covering those it won't engage. The top goes down just fine it just won't lock. I keep a couple of matching bungees in the back to secure the top to the tie down rails so it doesn't come flying up. I might get the jtops boot cover but not sure yet.
 

swimman

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I talked with Alan today. He was unaware of any issues with the soft top as most people use it with the hard top. Regardless, I had a good discussion with him and he's going to come up with a way to keep the top held down and also prevent the top from rubbing on the tie down brackets. Stay tuned...
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