Rampage & Speedy Trac - How do they seal?

[ft bronc]

I know this has been discussed at length on here, but no one ever just comes out with a concrete statement of how well these tops seal - especially around the door frames. I'm very interested in one, but not if water is coming in all the time.

So please tell me, how well do they seal?

 

[Heus33]

Not well enough to drive in a downpour or leave the truck out in the rain and expect it to be perfectly dry inside.

 

[brocken]

Do any of the tops seal the rain out well? I live in Washington State and was thinking about going full soft top for several reasons.

 

[Heus33]

Its just the nature of the design and a 40 yr old truck. If you had everything in spec and all weatherstripping in place I'd bet you could get it to seal pretty well. But those are big "ifs".

My cage is a bit too tall for the Rampage top and as a result I have a few spots in mine where there are gaps. If you've got a windshield frame out of wack you'll have problems too.

It can be made to seal well but I doubt you'd get it perfect unless you're starting with a straight Bronco to begin with.

 

[rekoj71]

I drove mine in the rain quite abit (hard doors and soft top) and I didn't think the leakage was too bad, but I didn't have carpet or anything that I couldn't let get a little wet. It wasn't like it was comming in from all over or even getting me wet at all, it kinda just seeped in at some of the places you would expect like where the doors and top meet or at the rear window to tailgate corners.

I still like driving with no top on the best, and the hassle of the hard top was too much for me so I got rid of it, but I like the option of putting a soft top on when I want some coverage.

 

[ep67bro]

It all depends on how straight your truck is and how much time you spend on the install. I have an old STC top on my 67 and it does not seal well at all but I have driven it in the rain and not gotten wet but the floor and area around the door and tail gate get wet. I also have a new Rampage top on my wifes truck. It seals much better but I spent more time on the install and also added some weather stripping around the doors. I dont think you could ever get it as good as a hard top but you can certainly get it good enough that you wont get wet!

Hey I just hit 1,000 post!!

 

[blakerj10]

I had a STC top on mine for years. I think it was the same as the current rampage ones. It was not bad. I used to go through the auto car wash (touchless) with it on. I would get a quick squirt as the jets went past the doors and thats about it. In the rain I never really had a problem. maybe a drip now and then.

 

[zeeman1]

I'm right down the street from you and I have an old kayline soft-top. It seals up fairly decent if you get it adjusted right. I park mine outside and the seats aren't wet when I go to drive it or anything. If your worried about the floor getting wet you might want to stick with a hardtop though.

 

[brocken]

That might not be a problem if I get the floors replaced and sealed up one day.
I still can get water inside with the crappy top seals(and missing in some places).
I know the soft tops can still be a pain to take off and put on but it would be nice that I can do it myself.

 

[Buckin74]

Wow -- my Rampage top seals pretty well. I also take it through the car wash and it only leaks slightly through the tops of the doors. Hard rain seals out well and there is very little wind noise.

I guess if you take a little extra time with the installation, it helps greatly with the overall end experience.

Good Luck

p.s. --- will never go back to a hard top.

 

[muskrat]

I don't know, because I still don't drive mine in the rain, but.... it is the easiest top to drop and put back up. Buddy of mine has the Best Top, and he says it seals really well, but it's a bitch to get off and on.

I used extra gasketing around the doors to seal out the cold air. Worked well.