Cracked Hardtop Fix?

tbk115

Nov 01, 2022

Soooo, bought a hardtop removal lift, installed it (yeah, that's freaking painful to do by the way...) and was so excited to use that I hooked it to the hardtop and started lifting off the hardtop (2 door)...well, I forgot to remove the top bolts so the back end pitched up and put force on the driver front corner of the hardtop, cracking the hole where the front driver bolt goes. Y'all think fiberglass repair will work to hold it?

Deano Bronc, BuckYeah

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 01, 2022

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Nov 01, 2022

tbk115
Soooo, bought a hardtop removal lift, installed it (yeah, that's freaking painful to do by the way...) and was so excited to use that I hooked it to the hardtop and started lifting off the hardtop (2 door)...well, I forgot to remove the top bolts so the back end pitched up and put force on the driver front corner of the hardtop, cracking the hole where the front driver bolt goes. Y'all think fiberglass repair will work to hold it?

Is the damage on the front panel or the rear clamshell section? You may be able to get a replacement panel at some point. This is not a great situation. the Fiberglass repair may cause a reaction with the original top material

tbk115

Nov 01, 2022

TK1215
Is the damage on the front panel or the rear clamshell section? You may be able to get a replacement panel at some point. This is not a great situation. the Fiberglass repair may cause a reaction with the original top material

I think you have little to lose by trying a repair, either with resin or Epoxy. Depending on the damage, you might want to use some cloth to reinforce the repair.

Bschurr, tbk115

Nov 01, 2022

TK1215
Is the damage on the front panel or the rear clamshell section? You may be able to get a replacement panel at some point. This is not a great situation. the Fiberglass repair may cause a reaction with the original top material

Interesting about the potential for a reaction and appreciate that heads up. Essentially the front driver side securing bolt hole is cracked. Tried to get it in photos attached. Thinking some JB weld glue and a super thin rubber washer on both sides may do the trick to prevent further cracking...thoughts?

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TK1215, Bschurr

Nov 01, 2022

tbk115
Interesting about the potential for a reaction and appreciate that heads up. Essentially the front driver side securing bolt hole is cracked. Tried to get it in photos attached. Thinking some JB weld glue and a super thin rubber washer on both sides may do the trick to prevent further cracking...thoughts?

I have seen JB Weld hold some very unique items together - best of luck!

- 2023 Raptor / Shadow Black / MGV (DOB 8/30/23)
- 2023 Heritage Limited Edition / Robin’s Egg Blue / 4dr / (stolen from my dealer 11/15/23)

Nov 02, 2022

If you don’t care how it looks, I would cut a piece of metal to surround the area, drill holes for the screws, use longer screws if necessary, and liberally apply epoxy between the metal reinforcement and the top. That should make the repair pretty strong, but it’s not going to look great.

Deano Bronc, Bschurr

Nov 02, 2022

3Dogs
If you don’t care how it looks, I would cut a piece of metal to surround the area, drill holes for the screws, use longer screws if necessary, and liberally apply epoxy between the metal reinforcement and the top. That should make the repair pretty strong, but it’s not going to look great.

^ good call and appreciate the advice. It's on the inside so I'm not as concerned about the look as the longevity of the top!

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