New hard top - questions

[ejewels]

Hey everyone,

I just picked up a very clean hard top yesterday coming from a soft top. The guy I bought it from was a great dude and helped me install the dv8 brackets since I was coming from a soft top and didn't have the brackets installed from the factory. (dv8 brackets are a cheaper alternative to buying the mopar brackets for anyone that doesn't know). Anyways, everything seems fine so far, but had a few questions.

From reading around, I can make adjustments for lining up the panels by adjusting the brackets a bit, correct? I'm OCD with this stuff, and most would never notice... but I'd like mine to line up a little better. Also, are the freedom panel latches themselves supposed to have some tension to them when turning/locking them in and out? I would assume they have to in order to create a good seal, but mine seem pretty hard to lock/unlock. Not sure if this is normal or not, and if not... how to adjust?

Lastly, I reused the soft top bolts and 2 generic home depot bolts to install it, but I'd like to get a set of the real mopar bolts. Can someone help me with which bolts to buy? It seems the front 2 are longer than the 6 in the back.

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[Jakerb]

I just did this swap and reused all hardware from taking the soft top off. I had larger and smaller bolts when I was done taking off all the soft top mounting hardware/guides etc.. The smaller bolts fit just fine in the back and I used 2 of the larger bolts up front. No issues. I also bought the dv8 brackets and didn't really pay much attention to positioning. Just snugged them in a middle position, fit check with the panels, and tightened. There's some resistance but not too much which gives me a warm and fuzzy. I ran for about a week without the dv8 brackets in heavy Florida rain and had no leaks so I'm not worried about leaking. There is play when installing the brackets which means you could adjust as needed.

 

[ejewels]

I just did this swap and reused all hardware from taking the soft top off. I had larger and smaller bolts when I was done taking off all the soft top mounting hardware/guides etc.. The smaller bolts fit just fine in the back and I used 2 of the larger bolts up front. No issues. I also bought the dv8 brackets and didn't really pay much attention to positioning. Just snugged them in a middle position, fit check with the panels, and tightened. There's some resistance but not too much which gives me a warm and fuzzy. I ran for about a week without the dv8 brackets in heavy Florida rain and had no leaks so I'm not worried about leaking. There is play when installing the brackets which means you could adjust as needed.

Thanks man. When you say the middle position on the dv8, you mean the two bolts attaching the bracket for adjustment? And what did you do for a fit check? The official instructions say to use a 8mm gap check took to ensure all gaps are even but I’m assuming many don’t bother with that

 

[Jakerb]

Thanks man. When you say the middle position on the dv8, you mean the two bolts attaching the bracket for adjustment? And what did you do for a fit check? The official instructions say to use a 8mm gap check took to ensure all gaps are even but I’m assuming many don’t bother with that

As far as middle position I just mean mid-play between all mounting points. I snugged them up enough for me to put the freedom panel on and if there was excess resistance it would take some of the play out (in theory). But everything felt right and I gave a final snug. I wouldn't worry about it too excessively. If it feels too tight then adjust it. If it feels good just keep an eye on it and adjust as necessary. Mine didn't come with instructions so I just watched a vid and rolled with it. If you can do the gap checks and make adjustments to give yourself a warm and fuzzy then have at it. I'm more the type to grab a beer and relax after everything feels right lol. I feel more comfortable after having zero leaks or wind noise after not having the brackets at all for a week. I was nervous at first, especially on the interstate ride home. But we got a lot of heavy rain and I kept a close eye on it with no issues.

 

[laroo]

I installed the DV8 brackets when I bought a used hard top. I just installed them without much thought to alignment. I also downloaded the freedom panel adjustment instructions, where you measure the gaps on all sides of the panels. According to my eyeball test, all gaps looked even to me.

So basically I put no thought in the bracket install, or the adjustments in the panel latches. No leaks or noise, so good enough for me.

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