This is the second in a “how to” series from AdventureMotorCars. In this video I walk you through the installation of a Defender 90 Soft Top and windows. This video features a 1994 AA Yellow Defender 90 Soft Top (Bestop) and will work for any 1995 – 1997 NAS Defender 90 Soft fitted with the Land Rover (Bestop) vinyl soft top. This video will also work for ‘94’s that have been fitted with a belt rail system. The cloth snap soft tops made for the 1994 Defender 90 (Tickford) is slightly different.
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Great video overview!
Having dealt with the OEM Bestop and newer tops from US providers (Badger Coachworks and Rovers North) for over 20 years, there are a few tips and tricks that I will offer in addition to this process to make fitting the top a bit easier, especially if you are in colder climates where the tops tend to shrink:
1. Open all doors and leave them open to start the top installation
2. Always work from the front to the back.
3. When inserting the belt rail at the top of the windscreen, make sure to button the corner to the windscreen before moving to the other side, this helps prevent the side from moving out of the rail. Continue to insert the top into the belt rail on the other side and snap that corner in place.
4. Proceed to wrap and/or button down the sides of the top above the door top and wrap the top around the roll cage just behind the door top corner – fasten with the Velcro and/or button(s) at the top of the window. Note: I suggest you DO NOT attach the top to the belt rail behind the front doors until the end.
5. Proceed to wrap/button down the top to the middle roll bar (5 buttons)
6. I usually leave the alpine bow in the top when removing it (unless I am using my Surrey top) – it snaps in/out of the roll cage and serves no other purpose when the top is off (Remove those alpine bows when you remove the tops!), but if you left it in – now is the time to wrap/Velcro that back on.
7. Move to the back and stretch the rear top portion over the rear cage and snap in place (5 snaps) and pull the sides down to attach the belt rail at the rear first, then the sides. If you are leaving the 3 back windows out, pull the sides down behind the front doors and attach at the belt rail at the bottom ensuring that the side of the top is overlapping the front door tops. If placing the 3 windows in, do NOT put the sides into the belt rail yet, go to 8.
8. Window assembly will be far easier with the sides not attached to the belt rail. Start with the side windows first – start to zip in the side window from the zipper from the back on the side – but only start it so it stays in-place (don’t zip it up all the way), connect the window top zipper (again, don’t zip it up all the way, and connect at the front side nearest the front doors – this will be far easier to do with the side panel not attached at the belt rail). Once all 3 zippers for the side window are connected, zip everything up 100% and begin the belt rail attachment of the side window starting at the back moving forward toward the front of the truck and continue to attach the side panel belt rail behind the front doors, ensuring that the side of the top is overlapping the front door tops. Do the same on the other side. Next – partially zip in the rear window at the top zipper just to hold it in place and do the same with each side. Once each zipper is partially started – zip everything up 100% and slide the retainer bar into place. Close the rear door.
9. Final suggestion – Don’t close those front doors yet. I mean, you can if you want, but you’ll probably notice a significant gap at the top of the front doors and along the door top sides. If you want a cheap hack, get yourself some pipe insulation for 1/2” or 3/4” pipe. What you will want to do is cut and place to length (allow for some overlap beyond the doortop) the pipe insulation to wrap around the contact points on the top where the door top “seals” to the top. I leave this loosely on the top but it forms a far better seal for those door tops than what the OEM top and other aftermarket tops provide, but they may fall off when getting in/out of the vehicle – so you may choose to glue in place (I couldn’t bring myself to do that – slight annoyance having them loose when they fall off, but the system works). I also place another piece of that pipe insulation at the rear window retainer bar and I drilled holes in each of the side retainer clips and the bar to put a removable pin in the bar on the sides to keep it in place. This creates a far better seal all around.
10. Close your front doors and enjoy your ride.
Cheers – Roverin' Chuck, @AAYellowD90 on FB and IG
Steve – Thanks for taking the time on these videos…Just bought my first D90 and your video really helped get me started correctly.