JstnRyan

I'm right in the middle of my '00 plastic window to '06 glass window soft top swap. I'm doing a full frame swap so that I don't have to modify my old frame or deal with removing/attaching the fabric.

The new frame did not include the end plates which bolt to the car, nor the motors, so I'm trying to figure out how to swap the two onto the new frame. My dillema is in the two allen "bolts" which attach through the fame then onto the end plate. Simply trying to unscrew one of these with a standard allen wrench I managed to partially strip one. I then noticed that the other side of these (I'm assuming the threaded bolt side) are welded.

How do I remove these?

This is the donor top with hardware. I've marked the offending screws/bolts with arrows.



This is the new frame, and what I have to work with.



There's no top frame DIY and I haven't invested in a shop manual yet, so any help is very much appreciated.

HondaS

wow that sux man i got an extra top in my yard that has the plates and motors so if you fubar yours up ur welcom to have mine, as for your problem u probobly have to grind that weld down to get it off im guessing


also if you can get ahold of the previous owner id ask how he got them off

JstnRyan

I appreciate that offer. I could just drill out the bolts, but then I'm not sure how I'd reattach the plates to the new top, unless I found comparable hardware somewhere.

*Update: the service manual does not describe the removal of this part from the actual frame, it's all referred to as the "Soft Top Frame Assembly." So unless anybody else has some experience with this, or has other ideas, it looks like I'll be drilling out and looking for alternate hardware.

Anybody know where I should look for hardware that will work?