Is 58 degrees warm enough to install softtop?

[AmosMoses]

If you lay it out in the sun and have a scan thermometer it might make a nice writeup. I'd be interested to see how warm it gets.

I do have an infrared thermometer and can get some readings. I've got a good spot in my sun room as well that might be a good spot for sunlight that way it will get warmer than being outside in the sunlight.

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[Escape.idiocracy]

Why not just have the heater on full blast after you drape the top over…. Let it sit for 15 min or so to allow for it to get a bit mailable and then finish buttoning it down.

 

[AmosMoses]

Why not just have the heater on full blast after you drape the top over…. Let it sit for 15 min or so to allow for it to get a bit mailable and then finish buttoning it down.

That's exactly what I was thinking too. I can also unlatch the front header if the rear window won't snap in and then latch the front after the rear window is installed.

 

[Minty JL]

I have the softop on year round. There's no such thing as "too cold" for it.

Same, 55* and sunny, the top is off or back

 

[TheGerman]

I'm in Virginia and running factory soft top on the JT all year around, I didn't even get a hardtop. There's not issue with stretching the fabric, just be mindful with the rear window if it was folded, you want that to be warm/soft enough.

 

[AmosMoses]

Well I finally got it on. It was pretty easy once I got all of the trim bolted in place. The toughest part was getting the rear window snapped in on the vertical sides. By 3pm it had gotten cloudy and colder. I did not get chance to measure surface temps of the top. I closed the top up but didn't fully fasten the two front latches. I turned the heat on full blast for about 10-15 minutes and it took every bit of strength I had using my palm to push in the final vertical clip on the rear window.

So it wasn't as bad as installing the jk trektop nx in similar temps but 10-20 degrees warmer would have helped. The top is really nice and I like the larger field of view of the rear window. It's really a shame that jeep and bestop settled on having it fold back and look as hideous as it does. Iam thinking about making some knurled thumb screws to replace the 4 t50 torx screws that bolt the soft frame in place so it would be even quicker to take it off completely. We will see.

 

[AyeCantSeeYou]

The toughest part was getting the rear window snapped in on the vertical sides.

After you take it off and put it back on a couple times, it gets easier.

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