Hi everybody...just bought this 88 sami.  Got a good deal, only catch is it used to be a hardtop.  The previous owner cut it off. 

When I  look for soft top stuff (bikini or complete soft tops) It state I must have the Factory windshied channel...Obviously I dont have that.

1. can an aftermarket windshield channel be purchased?  Haven't found one online.

2. if not, can a wrangler channel be cut down or modified to work with a bestop bikini?

Here is a picture to help out.

mine in the front is just a plastic piece the bolts or screws on the top of the windshield,you will also need the two metal pieces that go on the back of the targa bars and a flat area on top of the bed for your hoops to mount and snaps around the bed and each side of the top of the windshield. I think that you could make it work depending on your skills.

looks like the previous owner needs a slap for that one

or you could go to the junk yard and buy the parts the previous owner cut off and do some body work to make it a tin top again . Too bad you dont live in California, there is a 1986 at a scrap yard that is a tin top for 450.00(although it doesnt have any engine or trans.

there are a few places that sell samurai windshield frames/maybe channels.  check out rods samurai salvage.  so a search for it. 

or you could go to the junk yard and buy the parts the previous owner cut off and do some body work to make it a tin top again . Too bad you dont live in California, there is a 1986 at a scrap yard that is a tin top for 450.00(although it doesnt have any engine or trans.

i agree.
if oyur looking for something that looks decent fopr the street, this will never be it. if oyur looking for osmething that your just going to hack up the body and tube the shit out of, then this will work.


i would put it back to a tin top if it was me.

Thanks for the advice guys.  I checked out rods samurai salvage, they will be useful. 

How about new hardware for a soft top...all the new tops from popular 4x4 stores do not come with hardware (the bow and retainers etc..)

Looks like rods salvage has some used ones, can they be bought new?

If so, what parts do i need?  If anybody out there has a soft top, please list them here.

Thanks

you do know that more body work will be required to mount the soft top hardware right? The cut along the back is nowhere near the right spot to get a factory top to fit.

hey if your interested i have all the snaps and SOME of the stuff to mount a soft top, i have a removable hardtop on mine that requires wayyyy less mounting hardware for it, you might wana look into a removable hardtop... you get rid of the windshield track, the rear hoop, and the snaps. it might be easire for you...just throwing it out there

Yep, you first need to find a convertable Samurai to get an idea of exactly what you are getting yourself into!

If it was me and I lived in California (at least the parts where it don't snow like crazy), I would fab (or have fabbed) a fabric top.  If the metal part of the top that crosses overhead behind the driver's seat has been removed, I'd first fab a replacement for rollover protection AND to support the fabric top at that point.  Unless you are planning for folks to sit in back, I'd get a bikini top fabbed at local boat cover shop using snaps around the edges to hold it in place.  You might be able to use snaps across the front windshield with some sort of hard insert sewn into the leading edge in order to get a decent seal.  Then you also have to seal the vertical edge behind the door in some fashion. Again, check a convertable Samurai to see ho it is done there.

To me your big problem is trying to make a functional top -- and adapting a Samurai soft top is not going to work very well.

Hope this helps!

Okay...thanks everybody.  I got the answers I was looking for.  I will think this through a bit and keep you posted on what I do.



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