Hey guys, the rain in the bay looks like it's starting to die down but I decided to repair the hole in my top recently after sitting in a small puddle of water on my seat after leaving the S out in the rain for about 3 or so hours. This DIY was not for the actual hole where water leaked onto the seat, but this DIY is the same process I used for that hole and I feel this area is more useful as it is a common rip area. This may not be the prettiest way to repair the top, but it sure it does it's job.

Products used:
Soft top cloth (Could be bought from a member, dealer, or possibly and upholstery shop)
Alcohol Pads
Heavy duty thread and sewing needle
Loctite Vinyl, Fabric and Plastic Flexible Adhesive
Black Shoe Goo (some random silicone sealant I found at OSH)
Painter's tape
Disposable rubber gloves

This is how my top looked before the repair



The rip was about 1.25" long in the typical area where the rip forms.

First I cleaned around the area of the rip as well as the soft top cloth with alcohol wipes and a microfiber with water to allow the adhesive to properly adhere to material. Make sure to let the both the top and the patch to dry before handling. I ended up used about a 2"x3" patch to patch this rip.

At this step, it is your choice to apply the patch and sow or just sow and then apply the patch. I decided to just sow the rip first as I found it was a little easier to find the areas to stab the needle through the top.

I have a little experience with sewing so this the sewing part was doable for me. It is easy to learn and you can practice on something useless before doing it on your top. I am an amateur so if you have a better way to sow the top, please share with us. I sowed the rip together starting about .25" from the edge of the rip to hopefully prevent future spreading. Not sure how to explain the sewing process but I stuck the thread through the needle and evened it out so I could get a double thread going for a stronger thread. Here's an idea to get that double thread, I apologize for the paint pictures. Hopefully you get the idea.



I like to used an extra amount of thread just in case I run out along the way because I can always cut off the excess.

Start from the inside of the top and pull all the way out so that the knot that is made at the end of the thread stops at the top, and continue to sow the rest of the rip. Try to tighten the threads by gently pulling along the way so you pull together the rip nicely. To end the sew, what I did was end in the underside of the top (inside the car) and place the needle in one of the previous threads to make a loop to put the needle in to make a knot. Then cut the excess thread.





Put needle through the loop and around to make a knot.

Here I taped around the rip to prep for the silicone sealant.



To apply the patch, I used a rubber glove to spread the Loctite adhesive around the whole patch, making sure I get the edges especially so that the soft top frame doesn't pull out the patch overtime. I recommend using the gloves or some type of applicator so that the adhesive does not stick to your finger, which can be really annoying! I also applied a little more on the area of the soft top to get more adhesive on and placed the patch on the rip.



I also placed more loctite adhesive around the edges of the patch just in case and then applied pressed to both sides for 5 minutes. You can also see my preventative measures to prevent the top. I just sanded the area under the black tape and put that tape on for the heck of it.

Next I used the silicone sealant and put a thin layer over the rip and threading, enough to thoroughly cover the whole area. Spread with glove or applicator.



Let the sealant sit for about 5-10 minutes to let dry. Then pull the tape off slowly.



I pushed around the dry sealant to try to blend the edge in more with the top.

I wouldn't try putting the top down for the few days to let the product fully dry. So far everything is looking good, no leaks as the sealant work quite well.

Here is a picture of it a little bit further away.



Like I said, not so pretty, but also not too ugly. Does the job

 

Does look so bad. I think this is what Chris and Christine did. It holds for some time.

 

Im too lazy to fix mines lol.. But good DIY
I was told before to stitch the vinyl cloth along with the rip..

 

Nikki showed me how to stitch mine. Chris gave me all the tools needed.

 

More or less the same idea lol

 

 

Sweet I didn't know that