Sunrider owners - MY mess-up, or theirs?

[JonMN]

I'm going to, as well as a sunshade. It just gets too bloody hot in there with that black fabric, it's noisy, and with it open, you fry.
So them's the plans. But I'm not ordering anything until it's sorted out. And I believe Bestop wants it resolved as well..... from the messages I've received from them, they are wanting it resolved as badly as I do.

Great! Hope they offer the new clamps to the rest of us once they finalize the design.

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[jav_eee]

Once you have your fitment sorted out, you might want to try a Hothead Headliner. Just added one myself, and my wife and I both noticed that it's way quieter. (I do wish Hothead offered one with the sun-resistant Marine cloth on both sides, but that's a different subject)

I asked for the same thing. they told me that would make the price go up significantly. They offered to send me one with the velcro strips sewn on to the headliner fabric side leaving the marine side looking clean. well except for the white stuff on the thread they used.

 

[JonMN]

I asked for the same thing. they told me that would make the price go up significantly. They offered to send me one with the velcro strips sewn on to the headliner fabric side leaving the marine side looking clean. well except for the white stuff on the thread they used.

One option they did offered for someone on a Wrangler forum is this: Provide a unit with no velcro at all. The velcro we install sticks to the exposed headliner fabric, so the velcro on the headliner would not be needed if you wanted to keep the Marine fabric exposed. Not sure how it turned out, or if they even did it. (Seems like once they had the products introduced, the stopped replying to email questions--at least to me anyway )

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Another message, another part being sent out.
Hopefully the humidity isn't 60% with a 90 degree temperature so I can swap things out without getting soaked.
4 years of drought and now we can't shut the rain off.

 

[Trollboogie]

Another message, another part being sent out.
Hopefully the humidity isn't 60% with a 90 degree temperature so I can swap things out without getting soaked.
4 years of drought and now we can't shut the rain off.

Sounds like here in the Texas gulf coast but with less humidity

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Sounds like here in the Texas gulf coast but with less humidity

I asked Alexa - but I have a feeling that 60% is a general number. I can't wait to see the real localized numbers due to our corn sweat. We actually tied Florida a couple of years ago - 91/91 dew point and actual temp = 100% humidity.

I am by my shop changing oil in the Kawasaki on my JD lawn tractor and I'm soaked in sweat, it's not even hard work!
Unfortunately, in the winter the Canadians send us their blessings and in the summer Texas sends us theirs. Please, keep it!
(I started the oil draining then popped back into my shop where the AC is kicking out a stream of water. - will pop back out and close the drain, and so on - I ain't staying out there long)

 

[Trollboogie]

Mom said it is considered polite to share.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Mom said it is considered polite to share.

Alexa pulled Des Moines figures - wow, wish I hadn't looked it up myself, made me feel worse.
While I appreciate all that TX does for the country as a whole, once in a while, it's ok to be selfish LOL

Anyway, supposedly the part/parts are to arrive tomorrow. I assume they'll just deal with the right side.
It will be interesting. At least I know I can simply pull the bolts out, unclamp it and don't have to remove the whole thing to swap the mounting clamp.
If it comes down to something else, that's another matter.
It's too danged hot and humid and the constant rain means I can't really use it right now anyway.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Another clamp, modified another 2mm, arrived today. Sweat band installed around my head, grabbed a cold bottle of water and went out and swapped that right side clamp.

Now I'm REALLY baffled!! I don't see any difference at all. Ugh, that's WEIRD! I should at least detect some difference - maybe the heat has made me blind?

For review - this is the left side with the modified clamp - acceptable (actually pretty good). Some seal deflection but the door works normally, seal isn't pinched or distorted, it will work as Jeep intended -

Now the right side with the first replacement clamp (same modification as on the left above - about 2mm height change) -

Now the right with the 2nd replacement clamp - this one should raise the front of the right side of the top by 4mm, but I don't see any 2mm difference! The seals touch the sunrider side rail in the same way as before. What the heck? Not possible? How can that be?

I used feeler gauges of sorts to measure the gap between the top of the door and the bottom of the sunrider rail - I detect no difference, but that can't be, can it? Should be 2mm more.

 

[JT1]

Another clamp, modified another 2mm, arrived today. Sweat band installed around my head, grabbed a cold bottle of water and went out and swapped that right side clamp.

Now I'm REALLY baffled!! I don't see any difference at all. Ugh, that's WEIRD! I should at least detect some difference - maybe the heat has made me blind?

For review - this is the left side with the modified clamp - acceptable (actually pretty good). Some seal deflection but the door works normally, seal isn't pinched or distorted, it will work as Jeep intended -

Now the right side with the first replacement clamp (same modification as on the left above - about 2mm height change) -

Now the right with the 2nd replacement clamp - this one should raise the front of the right side of the top by 4mm, but I don't see any 2mm difference! The seals touch the sunrider side rail in the same way as before. What the heck? Not possible? How can that be?

I used feeler gauges of sorts to measure the gap between the top of the door and the bottom of the sunrider rail - I detect no difference, but that can't be, can it? Should be 2mm more.

Do you have the original and the +2 inside the house from that side? I'd like to see where they changed them.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The one on the left here is the original that the sunrider came with.

The one on the right is reduced 2mm to pull the side rail UP since the rail attaches to the botto edge that you see facing you in the photo.

Left - original // right - modified 2mm to raise the rail​

 

[JT1]

Thats a pretty obvious difference, is the +4 you have different from that +2? Can you put a layer of fuzzy velcro on the +2 and gain another mm?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Thats a pretty obvious difference, is the +4 you have different from that +2? Can you put a layer of fuzzy velcro on the +2 and gain another mm?

The one on the left is original.

The one on the right is the 2mm shave to pull the rail upward.

They actually reduce, not add to. Any spacers would pull the sunrider rail down because the rail screws to the underside of the clamp.

Their engineer said he's going to have to sleep on this after I did another experiment for them.

I'm beginning to wonder about 2 different issues combining to cause one problem.

 

[Gatorized]

You’re going to have so many pictures you won’t be able to tell one from the others! Get a silver sharpie and mark each one then label each picture after you take it.
since those clamps attach from the bottom, have you tried leaving them unbolted then padding under the drip rail to raise it up to mimic what they are doing by shaving the clamp so the rail is lifted.. not sure how that would impact the windshield clamps when you tighten them down But if you can vary the gap by 2mm at a time it might give you an idea if they are moving in the right direction.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

You’re going to have so many pictures you won’t be able to tell one from the others! Get a silver sharpie and mark each one then label each picture after you take it.
since those clamps attach from the bottom, have you tried leaving them unbolted then padding under the drip rail to raise it up to mimic what they are doing by shaving the clamp so the rail is lifted.. not sure how that would impact the windshield clamps when you tighten them down But if you can vary the gap by 2mm at a time it might give you an idea if they are moving in the right direction.

I've been working with their engineer on some other things - tests - as well. And one of them was actually pushing up on the rail.
However, if the rail is held up high enough to clear ok and not distort the seal (much, anyway) then you can't clamp it or the clamp pulls it right back down. In fact, securing the front clamp pulls the sunrider down really hard and distorts the piece that the clamp secures to, pulling it up a lot (literally bending the piece that the freedom panel clamps to)
If you were to remove enough material from the clamp, there'd be almost nothing left to screw the rail to, and the front clamps wouldn't secure.
I have a feeling there's another part "out of whack".
Those front clamps really pull the sunrider down HARD, flexing parts in the process. And there's no adjustment for that.

(I have the original clamps marked as "or" and the others marked as BT1 and BT2)

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