Coverking Topliner - Review & Install

[Sargegreen22]

For yall that have installed the top liner. Did your liner fit down in the lower ribs against the fiberglass or float over them?
I have mine layed out and if I try and push it down into the ribs it wrinkles because the material is not formed deep enough if that makes sense. That sound normal from what y’all experienced?

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[DesertRated]

For yall that have installed the top liner. Did your liner fit down in the lower ribs against the fiberglass or float over them?
I have mine layed out and if I try and push it down into the ribs it wrinkles because the material is not formed deep enough if that makes sense. That sound normal from what y’all experienced?

The material is fairly ridged, not sure how you’re getting wrinkles. Mine fit well and is formed to the contours of the top.

 

[Sargegreen22]

The material is fairly ridged, not sure how you’re getting wrinkles. Mine fit well and is formed to the contours of the top.

Take a look. If you push the material down into those lower ridges it’s gonna wrinkle due to the material not being deep enough.
Im curious if this is normal and it’s meant to float over those lower areas

 

[XraytecH]

Take a look. If you push the material down into those lower ridges it’s gonna wrinkle due to the material not being deep enough.
Im curious if this is normal and it’s meant to float over those lower areas

Normal

 

[XraytecH]

For yall that have installed the top liner. Did your liner fit down in the lower ribs against the fiberglass or float over them?
I have mine layed out and if I try and push it down into the ribs it wrinkles because the material is not formed deep enough if that makes sense. That sound normal from what y’all experienced?

Normal

 

[Sargegreen22]

Normal

Thanks man!

 

[omgoddard]

I installed mine back around May 2022. Noticed around Thanksgiving 2022 that the back was sagging and a few other parts seem to be as well.

I'll likely take it all off this spring and see if I can get another glue kit from CK or look for some high strength spray glue.

 

[staying_tuned]

I installed mine back around May 2022. Noticed around Thanksgiving 2022 that the back was sagging and a few other parts seem to be as well.

I'll likely take it all off this spring and see if I can get another glue kit from CK or look for some high strength spray glue.

Sorry to hear that, I haven't noticed any sagging on ours, wondering if they changed the brand of adhesive strips or something. I used quite a bit of additional tape but man that spray adhesive approach looks to offer great coverage.

 

[sizmtrz]

Normal

seems perfect if you install deadener and acoustical foam on the panel first? I know that is a band aid and it should fit right.

 

[Pikerunner]

Installed mine today. Certainly agree with other posts that the instructions are lacking, but just took my time and worked through it. Looks fantastic and the noise level is much lower, a huge difference!

 

[2kXJ]

I finally got enough decent weather to do the freedom panel liners. I started a couple days ago with the butyl rubber / foil liners. The first step was to pull the Mopar liners and the associated Velcro. I then wiped down the fiberglass with the denatured alcohol (Probably overkill but just in case).

I then used the heat gun to form the rough contour of the fiberglass before removing the backer.

Once the main portion was reasonably formed, I cut some relief slots / wedges where there was obviously going to be some level of overlap. I then slowly pealed the paper away as I applied the sticky portion to the fiberglass. The heat gun was helpful in warming both surfaces to ensure the material flexed enough and was sticky enough. I slowly worked my way across the surface pulling the paper out from under as I went.

I then used the scraps to cover more of the fiberglass that would be covered by the CK liner. I test fit it a few times to make sure I got good coverage on as much as reasonably possible, especially large flat areas likely to resonate.

I repeated this for both panels. I budgeted one sheet for each panel and it worked out pretty close. I did have some small but usable leftovers. The panels are not symmetrical so you can’t make a mirror image pattern.

The next step was to apply the spray adhesive instead of using the tape that came with the kit. I bought a fresh can of adhesive at HD.

I also taped the areas I did not want adhesive on the panel and for potential overspray. It is important to read the instructions because you need to spray *BOTH* the panel and the fabric cover. Give it two minutes to tack up and then you have about 8 or 9 more minutes to get it applied. Taping up and test fitting were important to make sure the right stuff gets sprayed and the wrong stuff does not. The sprayer is *relatively* controllable but it can get wild.

After the first panel I realized that it would be a good idea to tape the openings on the fabric to keep adhesive from blowing through the openings to the other side. I also reworked the wrap around the posts to ensure I could get the tape off more quickly. I repeatedly test fit the fabric to the fiberglass to try to get as much fiberglass sprayed as possible without going over.

I also noticed that the smooth rubber foam surface pulled off when I removed the painters tape. While it was just the smooth surface and not all of the rubber I adjusted the masking for the next panel to try to avoid any of the tape adhesive sticking to the rubber. I also found a few small areas of the fabric that needed to be trimmed slightly.

I sprayed both the fiberglass and the fabric with a healthy coat of the adhesive.

During the tack up time I pulled the masking as quickly as possible. Once tacked up I applied the fabric and worked methodically with the roller to squish it all down across the panel and work the fabric against the fiberglass. The driver’s side was first and went very well. The passenger side went well but I did find some spots where the fabric was not in good contact with the fiberglass, especially in some of the deep corners. However, the appearance is good and the adhesion appears to be very good.

I also found a couple edges that were not as tightly adhered as I wanted. I worked those edges away from the panel and sprayed a small amount of adhesive on both sides, let it tack up, then manually applied it.

I used a razor to carefully clear any overlaps that interfered with the rotating latches. Very little trimming was needed to make sure the handles moved smoothly. I did notice the turning took more effort since there is slightly less clearance with the fabric in place.

The adhesive obviously has a VOC odor to it but it was not too bad. I put both panels back in the truck and left the windows open for several hours. It seemed to dissipate pretty quickly.

I’m going to work on the rest of the top later this week, I hope. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the spray adhesive option.

So how did it all turn out? Is the spray adhesive holding up well?

 

[Viper501]

So how did it all turn out? Is the spray adhesive holding up well?

So far the freedom panels still look great. I think it is definitely a better way to go than the strips of adhesive. However, you have to remember that the covers do not completely conform to the fiberglass. In other words, if you try to press the cover down on all portions of the fiberglass you are going to have some areas that do not conform. This is especially true in the deeper recesses and around some of the curves. I think getting it 85% adhered is more than sufficient and it looks great.

If you do the spray adhesive just be aware of the potential for overspray onto the exposed portions of the top liner. Overspray on the fiberglass isn't difficult to clean up but it is a little more of a challenge on the fabric portion.

 

[2kXJ]

Cool, thanks for the input!

 

[TigerInFL]

Got my fronts finished a day ago. Adding in not only the butyl but also a layer of sound deadener on top of the butyl. I skipped the tape strips they provided and went with a 3M adhesive spray I got at HD. I did tape off the areas I did not want the spray to end up on.

I then applied it liberally to the sound deadener and the top that was left exposed where it was going to get covered. I then sprayed the coverking surface as well. be careful because that glue can come out crazy from the nozzle. it can get on the surface that you will be seeing and it's kind of pain to clean up. I used the rollers as well to make sure I got it down to the surface and hopefully it's going to stick for a long time.

Overall I am happy with the front being completed. I can tell a difference already and I still have the rear to do as well.

Do you actually need sound deadener as well as Butyl? That's a question you'll get to answer yourself. For me, if I was going to put the Butyl in, I figured I might as well go an extra step to help eliminate any noise I could. They are two different products that work better together than just one in my opinion. YMMV.

 

[Tom C]

Got my fronts finished a day ago. Adding in not only the butyl but also a layer of sound deadener on top of the butyl. I skipped the tape strips they provided and went with a 3M adhesive spray I got at HD. I did tape off the areas I did not want the spray to end up on.

I then applied it liberally to the sound deadener and the top that was left exposed where it was going to get covered. I then sprayed the coverking surface as well. be careful because that glue can come out crazy from the nozzle. it can get on the surface that you will be seeing and it's kind of pain to clean up. I used the rollers as well to make sure I got it down to the surface and hopefully it's going to stick for a long time.

Overall I am happy with the front being completed. I can tell a difference already and I still have the rear to do as well.

Do you actually need sound deadener as well as Butyl? That's a question you'll get to answer yourself. For me, if I was going to put the Butyl in, I figured I might as well go an extra step to help eliminate any noise I could. They are two different products that work better together than just one in my opinion. YMMV.

What sound deadener and butyl brand products did you use? I’m still in the planning stages since mine hasn’t been built yet.

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