Converting my 90 to a Soft Top

Hi All, looking for advice. I have managed to pursaud management that I can spend money with Exmoor and convert my 90 to a soft top - btw, the winning formula was that I never repaired the hole in the roof - every time it rained, the passanger side of the car got very wet with accumulated water in the roof lining. Maybe I should have replaced the rivet......

I would be interested to know how long it takes to get done, hoping to have a go over the Christmas break - any tips would be :welcome2:.

Anything likely to go wrong, so I can plan for it?

Cheers

Hi there what sort of 90 do you have at the moment?
Cheers Eddy

just make sure you get the roll bar as well so you can have 3 point seat belts and have a better chance of suriving a crash.

Look forward to the pics
Take some as you go as well as the finished article
i quite fancy a ragtop meself

Hi, the wagon is a 1988 90, 3.5 CSW out of the factory.

It now has a 3.9 and ZF gearbox.

Good idea about the pics, I'll do it step by step and post.

Out of interest, is a roll cage really needed, I understand the seat belt problem, but I don't read about many Landy's actually rolling over.

robrennie said:

Out of interest, is a roll cage really needed, I understand the seat belt problem, but I don't read about many Landy's actually rolling over.

Click to expand...

:doh::doh:

Only if you want to SURVIVE if it does roll....

You never no when it might roll. You could have a blow out and it veer to one side and roll. Be on the safe side and get one fitted or to fit yourself.

im not talking about the full roll cage just the military style roll hoop. Its a must. Dont quote me on this but insurance may be an issue without. look cool too of course.

So the story is clear, if I have paid into a pension fund all my life and wish to have a sporting chance of taking some of it back - put at least a hoop in.

Else, live for the moment without one as you cannot afford to retire....

Anyone know where I could buy one that would fit inside the standard Exmoor Trim cover - I had asked them previously but didn't get an answer.

Them being who? You might be able to get an ex MOD one.

I asked one of the companies supplying Exmoor Trim - cannot remember which one.

I'll have a look for an Ex Mod one - good idea.

I have a work mate whos ex army. Will ask him tomorow where they get the roll bar/cages from if its still the same company.

Cheers, I'm on the road for the week, I'll pick up the thread on Thursday.

Just had a look on google and found that "safety devices" do a roll cage for a soft top. http://www.safetydevices.com/images/products/4x4/2008 catalogue - defender90.pdf Heres the link!
Hope this helps!!

Go for it! i've had mine as a soft top for over a year and before that my series was always soft top, it's not as cold as you might think, but a fume curtain is worthwhile so the heater warms up the cab quicker.
As for a roll bar, both safety devices and exmoor trim sell one designed to work with a soft top and they look pretty much identical. It would be a good idea to fit one or even a roll cage depending what you use your landy for. I bought my soft top complete with all fittings, sticks and a roll bar from ebay. Fitting is very easy, few bolts and screws, some rivets to attach the rope fittings and depending on the type of rollbar, a hole-saw to cut the holes in the cappings. The roll bar i fitted is an mod one, which did need holes cutting but my series had one that just bolted onto the cappings.

Harry

Cheers, so the MOD roll bar fits neatly under the Exmoor Trim Canvas roof - correct?

I did my 90 about 10 years ago and used a safety devices hoop. Fits perfectly under the tilt and the seat belt work nicely as the hoop has screw holes for the belt at the same place as in the body work.

Easy job to do. Only 'challenging' bits are, you have to cut the bodywork a bit to fit the hoop but a jigsaw does that ok, you have to drill the cappings to fit the hoop, you have to drill above the windscreen to fit the front clip for the hood - otherwise it is a case of lots of bolts to undo/do up. Obviously take care when taking off your current roof - especially headlinings as they're worth a bit on ebay.

I use a bikini top all summer - easy to take off and put on with changable british weather but cannot be beaten. Keeps you surprisingly dry when it rains - came from Exmoor. Replace it with a full hood in winter - very snug.

Cheers Gary. 123- Eddy hoghlighted the Safety Devices product, good to know someone who had used one to good effect.

I am a bit of a magpie, everything I add to my wagon, I keep the old bits, amusing myself with cleaning it and painting it in case I refit. So I will keep the roof as it is.

Hi,

I converted my 90 a couple of years back with a kit from All Wheel Trim - sticks, hood and military style rollbar.
It was a bit daunting when I opened the parcel as there was a huge bag of nuts/bolts/fixings and no instructions !
But - get stuck in and you'll find it's really straightforward.
If you fit the military style rollbar you will need to modify one of the long upper hood rails - basically you need to cut it where it meets the rollbar and make a short piece to sit in front of it, I attach a picture which should show this clearly.
One other word of advice, don't **** about with rope and knots - get yourself 10metres of good quality black shock cord (the stuff they make those bungee straps out of ) off e bay and use that instead, you'll get a nice tight fit that stays under tension, and it's faster when you need access.

Hope this helps!