Unfortunately, our options were limited in sourcing a soft top and tonneau for the Bugeye. We had a Robbins top on the car previously and we would’ve liked to have used the Robbins top for this restoration. However, Robbins does not make a red top and we definitely wanted to use red. We like the Robbins material and the excellent fit, but we ended up going with a top from bugeyeguys.com. Their top did fit reasonably well.
As we approached the installation of the top, we began to think about the potential for the top scratching the painted surface of the Bugeye. Although we had just completed polishing and ceramic coating the car we determined that it was best to use a paint protection film (PPT) on the portion of the rear shroud covered by the soft top. This meant we had to remove the ceramic coating before we could install the PPT, but that is the subject of another post.
To get on with the installation of the soft top while the PPT was on order, we purchased a clear vinyl shower curtain liner to place between the body and the top. The placement of the clear liner and the complete installation of the top and side curtains is shown in Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-Seventeen. A new two piece soft top frame also purchased from bugeyeguys.com was used.
Two Piece Soft Top Frame
The steel bars used to provide rigidity for the top for mounting at the windshield, and on the rear shroud were removed from the old top and used in the new one.
Soft Top Support Bars
The soft top requires three different types of fasteners: four Tenax fasteners, two “common sense” fasteners, and two lift-a-dot fasteners. all of these fasteners were provided with the soft top by Bugeyeguys.
Our first step in the process was to install the two chrome “teardrop” fasteners that secure the top’s rear bar.
Rear Top Fastener
We made a pair of rubber gaskets to fit between the painted surface and the fastener. The process is shown in the accompanying video. The installed fasteners are shown in the image below.
Rear Top Fasteners Mounted to the Car
There were no instructions provided with the top; however, Rimmer Bros. in England does have an installation instruction document on their web site. We followed their guidance and found it to be helpful.Sprite Soft Top Installation Instructions
The side curtains we already had were in fairly good shape. We polished the metal surfaces and the plexiglass, lubricated the sliding tracks and installed them on the car.
Soft Top Installed
Finally, we purchased storage bags for the soft top, the soft top frame and the side curtains from Bugeyeguys.com. These bags are quite nice. They are made from a high grade vinyl and should work very well to protect the components.
Soft Top Bag with Envelope for Bar
Side Curtain Storage Bag
Soft Top Frame Storage Bag
The entire process is shown in Bugeye Restoration Video Episode One Hundred-Seventeen:
https://vimeo.com/1121702983/5849373995?share=copy
The timeline for the video contents:
0:00 – Soft top rear retaining clips
1:20 – Soft top installation temporary paint protection
3:28 – Front and rear body center lines
4:13 – Soft top frame installation
5:09 – Soft top’s center lines
5:59 – Securing the top’s front mounting bar
6:18 – Securing the top’s rear mounting bar
6:22 – Adjusting the top’s frame
6:39 – Tenax fasteners installed
8:28 – “Common sense” fasteners installed
8:55 – Soft top installation complete
9:36 – Side curtains cleaned, polished and installed
10:49 – Side curtain thumb screws
11:36 – Storage bags for the soft top, side curtains and soft top frame
11:45 – Soft top frame storage bag
12:06 – Soft top storage bag
13:00 – Side curtain storage bag