Erecting your Frogeye Hood

We’ve recently received some requests for top erection instructions. Here’s a re-post that will help anyone unfamiliar with their Bugeye top.

Top up and ready for a trip North of Toronto

This week, we sent our Bugeye “Miller” to his new home in Ontario. The client chose to have his car travel North on an open trailer, which meant that the car had to travel with the top and windows in place.

While preparing this car for departure, I thought I would shoot some pictures in case anyone is having trouble putting up their top.

Here’s the top bow locked in the down position, locked in the detent, which makes life a lot easier

Often overlooked are the springs in the top bow. They need to be compressed to put on the top, especially when it’s cold and the vinyl top contracts. Make sure your bow springs work, they are often seized. When pushing them into, for example, your garage floor (safely away from your car), the bows should move up and down about 1.5 inches. If not, use your favorite penetrating oil and free them up.

Above, the bow in the “up” position, release the thumb lock and the bow should pop upward, adding tension to your top (this is the last step, once the top is on the car)

Next put the bows into the holders in the car and lock them in the down position. Lay the top over the bows and fasten the top bar on the back deck hooks. Then fasten the common sense/twist fittings to center the top.

Start with the twist fittings to align the top, then pull the tenax fittings over their studs

Once you have all the rear fittings attached, you can drape the top over the bows, which are still in the down position. Both bars are still parallel too.

Now you are ready to tackle the windshield mounts

Next stretch the front of the top over the windscreen. This is a bar type top, so I like to start with one lift dot on one side of the windshield and then fasten the other side. Once the two lift dots are attached, I will then roll the thin front bar (inside the top pocket) into the groove on the windshield frame.

Here’s one lift dot fastened, once the other is attached, I will then roll the metal bar into the slot on the windshield frame

That front top bar is crucial, as it stops the front of the top from ballooning upward above 21.8 miles per hour. I spent a lot of teenage years driving with my top scooping the rain since I never had one of those bars. Now, I celebrate every one I install. (Click here if you’re late to the party too and want to order one). The bar doesn’t have to go deep into the groove in the windshield, it just has to stop the leading edge from becoming a parachute.

Now that the top is secured, you can spread the two parallel top bars, and release the springs to raise the top bow upward, for a nice tight fit

These tops are pretty simple but everything has to be just right or they can be a real bear. Sadly, most tops are too small to begin with, and they shrink over time, which means that it can be extremely difficult to fit them in cold weather. We sell a top in our catalog that is not only stretchier but it also cut better and thus easier to fit (even in the cold) and will also last longer. They cost a little more, but they’re superior. Check them out by clicking here (we havelots of colors).