Supertop Upgrade

I love my Supertop. Hands down the best aftermarket softop I've seen to date for the ECJ5. I am, however, starting to have a problem with the Velcro that holds the flaps tight above each door. I think they are just plain getting old now, and when I go down the highway they come undone and flop around and beat against the JEEP. I would like to replace these with snaps. I noticed that the main roof panel overlaps the door flaps enough that I think I could put a row of snaps on each side that wouldn't even be visible when the top is up. Does anyone have upholstery experience that could instruct me in the proper method to install them? TIA.

 

I did the snaps a few times also. Very simple process. My tool is hit with a hammer to "buck" the rivet. I really like the looks of the vice grip looking tool.

 

Yep , snaps are good. When I worked with the material and snaps I went to a boat canvass shop. I had my choice of chrome plated , brass , or stainless steel. It was nice to have options but I went with the least expensive chrome plated version and they held up fine. I used natural Beeswax to lubricate the internal snapring of the snapset and any excess Beeswax was very good and clean way to waterproof the installation area. The installation tool was an inexspensive Channel Lock type of pliers ,of which the jaws consisted of an anvil base and a striking head. One would position the snap and material where desired and strike a solid blow on the tool head with a hammer( tool anvil resting on a firm base ). Simple but very effective in fastening the snap to the material in a permanent manner.The boat shop had snaps with large backing area , less likely to pull out of the material.

 

i bought a bestop softop repair kit from walcks, it comes with a ton of snaps and buttons and the tool to install them. I highly recomend it

 

My Velcro still holds after more than 10 years of being on. In fact my snaps on the tailgate are starting to get stiff and I'm afraid there gonna pull thru the fabric soon when I undo them.

 

I'll check that out and the link Steve gave me. Thanks, all.

 

Don't know why I never got around to posting this, but this was one of the easiest and most beneficial mods I've done to the JEEP. Took me all of maybe 20min to complete. Did it last fall and the top hasn't come undone on the highway since. Doesn't change the outside appearance at all (Do it high enough to let the drip edge hide the buttons!), and really doesn't detract from the inside appearance too much, afterall, its a JEEP. Thanks for the great advice!

 

Just curious why your velcro above the doors get's "used on a regular basis" ...

 

Top on, top off. Top on, top off. Top on, top off. Top on, top off. Top on, top off...