Experiences with Softopper on a K5

[79vette]

Does here anybody run a Softopper on a K5? I'd like to get one, but I need the AC to work in the summer heat and I dont really want too much more road noise. Does your softopper let in much more heat and noise than the fiberglass top? I drive this rig cross-country from SoCal up to NorCal, into northern Nevada, and all over Utah every year camping and exploring so it needs to still be somewhat nice on the highway, but when I get to the mountains I would really like to be able to roll up the top.


Also, the stock top on my particular truck has been very frustrating. I've spent the better part of 2 years fighting the top and tailgate on my K5, and I just can't get it to work right. I'm over $700 into new seals from Precision for the tailgate and the shell, new regulator, sash and rollers, new crank (old one was broken), and many days/hours spent fighting adjustments and it still just won't work.

The glass is really hard to roll up and down and I am afraid the crank is going to break off again, the seals on the top dont line up to the tailgate so it lets dust/exhaust in, the tailgate itself weighs probably 120 lbs and somebody has removed the little springs that help it close, and there are a couple small cracks in the top that let water leak in. Overall its just a disaster, and I am thinking I should have bought a softopper in the first place instead of wasting all this time and money trying to fix the stock parts...

Anyone have experience with the soft tops they'd like to share? I'm at the point now I dont really care what it costs, but the truck needs to work. A couple of the smaller people I wheel with are not strong enough to close the tailgate without the helper springs, and I dont trust anyone except me to roll the glass up and down because it binds/sticks and the crank has already broke once.

[Willowrun]

I purchased one new about 5-6 years ago for a '79 K5 I had until last year when I sold it. Loved the soft topper and plan on getting one for my next K5 project. The install will take the average person 3 hours I'd say but as long as you take your time and install it properly you will love it. Rolling up the sides is great also. It seemed well built also and an additional benefit you'll notice is the weight difference between the hard top and soft top in your acceleration.

I'd highly recommend.

[79vette]

Originally Posted by Willowrun

I purchased one new about 5-6 years ago for a '79 K5 I had until last year when I sold it. Loved the soft topper and plan on getting one for my next K5 project. The install will take the average person 3 hours I'd say but as long as you take your time and install it properly you will love it. Rolling up the sides is great also. It seemed well built also and an additional benefit you'll notice is the weight difference between the hard top and soft top in your acceleration.

I'd highly recommend.

The weight savings is a big part of why I like it. Both from removing the fiberglass top and switching to a pickup tailgate. I have a n/a 6.2 diesel, so there isn't much power to spare lol.

Did you do much highway driving? If so, did you notice more road noise with the soft top than with the factory top? Also was the AC able to keep up in the summer?

[Willowrun]

You're asking about road/highway noise with a 6.2? Sorry...I've had a few 6.2 CUCV's and still have a 6.2 G30 van so I'm familiar with the clatter the 6.2's give off. I love 6.2's.

I drove it a few times on the highway and can't say I noticed a difference but I wasn't really thinking about the noise either. They don't wind buffet at all if installed correctly.

Regarding AC, I'm in MI so that doesn't get used much in old trucks so no experience there.

[79vette]

This truck is a CUCV I am in the process of civilizing. It has a sm465 swap with a 2 speed manual overdrive trans in front of it, NP205, vintage air AC, as much soundproofing as I can jam into it, and I have a 6.5 turbo in the garage waiting to go in. I love the truck as it is and would just drive it forever if it was up to me, but I does make a lot of noise.

It's loud enough I can't talk to a passenger on the highway, so I have an intercom system out of a Cessna and everybody wears aviation headsets. None of the women in my life enjoy the headsets however (apparently about half the people in the world spend a bunch of time on their hair and don't like matting it down with headsets ), and the truck is often used for long highway drives to camping and rock climbing areas. I've been told it doesn't matter that we're going camping and everyone's hair is gonna be messed up pretty soon anyway...

So I've either got to quiet it down, sell it and buy a new Jeep/Bronco, or get a trailer and a tow rig. Of those options, making the K5 quieter sounds the best to me

I spend a lot of time in Death Valley and elsewhere in the high desert, and even there did fine with no AC for many years. An open window and a damp towel on my neck was all the AC I needed. But again, it's not up to me lol