Rampage Soft Top Question

[JimR]

I had my rampage soft top installed and the back corners have not closed correctly. Could anyone with any experience installing these look at the photos and let me know their opinion? I don't know if it is the top or the installation that is off. I am leaning toward the top - it looks like there is not enough "plastic" on the top to tuck into the frame. Thanks in advance.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/804877764693112462/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/804877764693112502/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/804877764693112497/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/804877764693112491/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/804877764693112487/

 

[Soylent]

The entire leather flap is to be tucked up and into the rail. Fold it in and up. I can get a pic after lunch.

 

[DirtDonk]

But you probably can’t do that with a new top unless it’s been sitting out in the sun on a warm day all day. OK, so not all day. But it has to be warm for a little while to relax.
If the warm weather hasn’t arrived in your area yet, you’ll have to improvise.

 

[Soylent]

But you probably can’t do that with a new top unless it’s been sitting out in the sun on a warm day all day. OK, so not all day. But it has to be warm for a little while to relax.
If the warm weather hasn’t arrived in your area yet, you’ll have to improvise.

Warm day especially for those snaps on the rear hoop. But there is also a tool that helps for that.

 

[JimR]

Gotcha - thanks all for the info!!!

 

[DirtDonk]

I did mine in the spring when it was still cool and wet. That’s when I found out how much vinyl shrinks!
I laid it all out, threw the top over the hoops, and while it was connected to the windshield frame and everything else is loose, I was literally 4 inches from being able to reach the snaps.
Aye Caramba!

So I threw a big blue tarp over the whole passenger section of the bronco, ran an extension cord and an electric bathroom heater into the cabin, then went off to work at Cepek. Of course, I worried all day that I’d set fire to my bronco with the old school exposed element electric coil heater. So kids, don’t do this at home!

Came back that night and the inside of the cabin was 75° and the top had relaxed so much that it was super easy to snap.
Obviously, since I’m mentioning snaps, mine was an old school one. Well before the advent of the rail system. But the concept holds.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

How funny, I installed my top today, and was having a similar issue. Coming from the Bestop world, I assumed that plastic strip slid into the channel, like you did. I even wrote Jeff's Bronco Graveyard to see if I got a defect. Then I searched this forum............ and found the answer in this thread: on the rampage, the whole darn strip gets folded over and stuff into the slots.......... mea culpa.

But the rampage design has you fold that whole sewn strip over on itself and slide it into the channel. I actually like that, EXCEPT it's problematic at the ends where the edging is sewn on: way too thick to fit in the channel or tailgate bracket. I can't be the only person w/ this issue: I had to notch the aluminum brackets.

I have to say, there's alot of design choices on the Rampage that I prefer over the Bestop.

1. Lower profile
   1. 
2. brackets and hardware are well thought out.
3. Now that I figured it out, I don't mind the way that Rampage puts their top into the slots, as opposed to bestop just using the plastic strips.
4. I love the ratcheting/tensioning design of the bows.
5. Price is great, although why not sell a complete kit vs. just the soft top as things age and wear out?????
6. Lastly, I can't believe it but even the bows fold down over my full cage. Although the solution for that is some cheap 1/4" pins that you can pop out when needed.

What I don't like:

1. Door frame and Tailgate Slots/channels are too small to account for the extra bulk of the welting/seams. Same issue on the windshield header (this took some massaging). I literally had to get out a die grinder and notch the aluminum for the seam. But what's odd to me is that they did trim the welting on the rear window where it slides under the tailgate bracket.
   1. 
2. The tailgate setup is very odd. Bracket aside, most notably why do they overlap the tailgate with top? That means to open the tailgate you have to dick w/ the top: they are not separate. And when you add to it the overlap b/t Rear window panel and the Top fabric, added to the gap in that weird tailgate bracket where there's not enough room to sandwich both the top and rear window fabric on top of each other, and slip under the bracket. I haven't quite figured out how to resolve that issue.
   1. 
3. I personally find the track clips at the bottom of the side windows hard to get into the brackets on the truck bed. It's like there's not quite enough space to get the clips to easily snap in.
4. no one seems to make a not tinted soft top, so that's not a Rampage thing.

Misc notes

1. the wiper motor lowering bracket is a little bit tricky in that you wouldn't think it, but if the wiper is just a wee bit too low, it causes the wipers. This guys video helped me sort that out.
2. The door frames took the most time to get sorted out. in fact I'm still tweaking them.
   1. the bend on the bottom of the door frame was way off.
      1. 
   2. the adjustable slot is large, and the bolt needs a larger washer to keep from getting cockeyed. And a lock washer keeps it tight.
      1. 

 

[SeaVee]

Looking at that exact color top. My canvas guy says he can replace the tinted isinglass and replace it with clear. I agree, tint is not OG. Love my old Kayline soft top, but it’s pretty trashed

 

[DirtDonk]

Cool. Let us know how it works out

And by the way, JimR, love the color of your Bronco!
Is that Hunter Green by any chance? Or something else?

 

[JimR]

My top is still in the same spot as when I posted this. I have driven it a few times but just have not had a chance to mess with it. With the upcoming heat in Charlotte I am hoping it will be easy to stretch.

Dirtdonk thank you! The color is woodland green, which I believe is a GM color but don't tell anyone. The original color was a lighter green (almost teal) but one of the previous owners had painted it this hunter type green. When I had the funds to get the rust repaired and painted they asked me if I wanted a color change. I was so used to the hunter green I had to stick with it. The woodland green was about a perfect match.

 

[DirtDonk]

Secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone!

I think I have a little bit of the same color under my hood. I was going through different OE greens, and found a couple that I liked that were both GM based.
One of them looks very much like yours. I’ll have to check the can and see what it says.
On the color charts, it could be close to Scandia Green for early '70's years Broncos. Not sure which year had "Hunter" Green, but either one is nicer than my Holly Green.

 

[Meddle]

I too am fitting the Rampage soft top. I have a very good fit around the doors and tailgate, but what I noticed is the tension of the top, when fully tightened, is pulling my windshield back to throw the doors out of alignment when they’re shut, so much so that the upper corner of my driver side actually contacted the edge of my rear quarter. I have some windshield stiffeners from BCB on the way and am going to see if that keeps the windshield from creeping back (I have 4 point cage).

On a different note, how are Rampage owners storing (in the Bronco, in case it rains) the long metal piece on the front of the top that seats into the riser? It looks like it’s just a tad too long to store horizontally behind the seat. I thought about shaving an inch or two off but don’t want to compromise the fit.

 

[DirtDonk]

The stiffeners should do the trick. At least for the basic problem. Sounds like you may have more at work here though
Bikini tops and soft tops will pull the windshield backwards. I have never seen, or had trouble with the doors pulling back and hitting the B-pillar though. Sure, the windshield frame pulls back and the top corner contacts the top corner of the door.
But to pull the door back, means that your A-pillar could be compromised.
Can you post up some pics of this interference?

 

[Bajabrewer]

Here's a couple things I did to upgrade my Rampage install.
First I didn't want to attach anything to my tailgate & I wanted the tailgate to open with the top on. I took a 1 1/4" piece of angle to go across the back & welded a piece of flat stock to it to create the channel for the rear window to slot into it. You can see where I opened up the slot at the ends to accommodate the seams & 2 layers of overlapping fabric. For the ends I made brackets using 1 1/4" angle & created slots for the rear angle piece to slide into making the rear angle piece removable. These side brackets bolt in using the existing holes from the hard top. Right now the bungies hold the rear piece into the slots - with the rear window installed the window holds that angle piece in. I hope to work on this to make it so I don't have to use bungies but it's not a high priority project.

For the Door window frames I didn't want to drill a hole to attach the frame so instead I used a 1" piece of flat stock & drilled holes to use the existing bolts from the hard top. The flat stock extends over the door opening & has a hole for the removable window frame to go in - I just had to cut the bottom of the window frame to fit. I also put a strip of foam between the flat stock & the body to fill the gap. The giant chrome nut is a bushing to keep the frame from being pulled down - I may replace that at some point but for now it works. I did these modifications 2 years ago & they've worked out fine so far. I only drive the Bronco in the summer around town so the windows don't get installed very often.

This may not be the right way to do it but it's the way I did it & hopefully it will give someone else some ideas for ways they can modify their top to work better for them.

 

[Qumanchew]

Looks good. I've been wanting to do something similar so I can open the gate like you did. Nick from northeast classic ford parts sells a setup for this, I might end up just buying that..

 

[Meddle]

Can you post up some pics of this interference?

Here is where the driver side door nicked the quarter panel (I’m in the process of touching up). Without the top tensioned the door clears perfectly and the gaps and alignment of the door are very good. Bottom hinge has a 1/16 shim, top hinge has no shim.

 

[DirtDonk]

So is the vehicle fully assembled? Or are the front fenders, hood, and other attachments yet to be position?
It’s not that I didn’t believe you, but I’m still shocked to see the detail of what you were saying before. The door should never pull back with the windshield frame.
The windshield frame should pull back easily into the front of the door, but not what you’re experiencing. At least not that I’ve ever seen.

 

[Meddle]

So is the vehicle fully assembled? Or are the front fenders, hood, and other attachments yet to be position?
It’s not that I didn’t believe you, but I’m still shocked to see the detail of what you were saying before. The door should never pull back with the windshield frame.
The windshield frame should pull back easily into the front of the door, but not what you’re experiencing. At least not that I’ve ever seen.

It is fully assembled, no looseness in the panels. I do have the removable door hinges, but those are tight as can be. When I press where the windshield would be pushing on the door frame, I do not see any slop in the door, now granted this is with the door partially open. Normally, the top of the door/rear quarter are close, too close in my opinion. I am thinking I may need to shim my body mounts at A, B, and C pillars (or remove a shim from D if there is one) to adjust out the gap at the jamb.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yeah, I suppose I never had a problem because perhaps my gap was bigger to begin with?
Maybe, but I still never noticed any forward or backward movement of the door itself.
And that was while I was daily driving the thing and had the soft top for years.
Was always annoyed about the paint chipping off the windshield frame side gutter/diverter every time I closed the door, though.
But I didn’t have a front cage and never got around to making long strut rods to support the frame.
Still seems bizarre that you can twist the door that much. Definitely get some strut rods supporting the windshield frame. Theoretically that should stop all rear movement when you tighten the top hardware.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

how are Rampage owners storing (in the Bronco, in case it rains) the long metal piece on the front of the top that seats into the riser? It looks like it’s just a tad too long to store horizontally behind the seat. I thought about shaving an inch or two off but don’t want to compromise the fit.

You just fold it back, like the crude instructions say. That windshield strip will definitely fit behind the rear seat. And I splurged for a soft bag for the windows which can also be stuffed behind the rear seat (the windows are faberge eggs so soft bends aren't a problem, but they do scratch easily, hence the bag).

Here's a couple things I did to upgrade my Rampage install.

View attachment 944028

I really like your idea about the Tailgate. I'm going to think on that. I see Michigan ORV stickers. Does that truck show up at Silver Lake? My family has had a cabin about 45min NE in Freesoil for decades, and I usually drag our little stock CJ-7 down there each summer to put around. Although these days putting around the dunes is literally all it can do.

my windshield back to throw the doors out of alignment when they’re shut, so much so that the upper corner of my driver side actually contacted the edge of my rear quarter.

I'm with DirtDonk, pulling your doors back doesn't seem right. That said, pulling the windshield back is the norm, and if you have the means, any kind of stand-off between the windshield and the rollbar is a definite recommendation (even if you do 2 long ones to your 4-point cage. i like turn buckles. and there's a million bolt on clamp options on amazon these days). Otherwise, you'll always need to compromise between tension and pull on the windshield. But the rampage top should have 3 holes/options on the rear tensioner, and 2 slots on the center bow.