I have been searching the forum for threats about different brands of replacement XJS convertible tops, but the majority of posts seem old and some of the manufacturers are no longer in business. From doing a google search, I found German Auto Tops, which look good and the price looks really good ($325 for Stayfast canvas). Has anyone tried them and if so, what was the experience like?
Have used “Diamondmall” {ebay} for both top and seat covers. Very happy with quality and prices
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Thanks. Did you go with the ‘Stayfast’ or original German canvas option?
Wow Diamondmall price is very low. GAHH is nearly double.
Well I have gone with Diamondmall, so 3 weeks and counting until it ships. Will let you all know how the installation goes.
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Paul,
Would be interested in where you are having your installation done and ballpark cost.
Craig
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Is anyone doing the top yourself??? I’m tempted badly to order one of these and try a self install, but the giant piece of Flex Seal on the old top is still holding up great!
John, I am doing this myself. I received 2 quotes in the Tulsa area and the labor was $1,200 from one and $800 from the other. They both also quoted $800 for the top (don’t know which brand), so for the $350 I paid from diamondmall, I think it is worth a shot. This will be the 2nd top I have installed, with the first being on a 2001 Miata around 5 years ago. From what I recall, biggest thing to watch for was that nothing snags the top during installation, since there are lots of moving parts and it is easy to get the top in the wrong place and then accidentally stretch it before every part is secured appropriately.
I got my top and headliner from Dimond mall two years ago, it’s held up very well.
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So here is the result. Took me around 18 hours on and off over 3 days to get the old top off, remove glass from frame (nastiest part of the entire job), clean everything up and then fit the new top (including cutting canvas to install original window). It hurt, it was quite scary at points, but overall, I would do it again and I am very happy with the results. Judge for yourselves, I won’t be offended.
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Paul,
That looks great from where I’m sitting - I am impressed. A couple of questions:
Did you also replace the headliner? Did you re-use the rear window seal? As my top is disintegrating, I have a bunch of pieces of material and other fibrous stuff leaking from the rips - appears to be some sort of bolster padding. Did yours have this and, if so, did your replace it and with what?
Thanks.
Congrats, looks great. I did my Alfa Spider with a Coburns top and it worked well, once you figure out the gluing process and the tensioning wires. But I didn’t have to deal with a solid rear window, that does look like a tricky job.
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Craig, thanks. No, I did not have to replace the headliner, since the existing one was in pretty good shape. There is what I would call horse hair on top of the liner, which I believe is the noise dampener, which has degraded a little over the years, but the new top seems to be keeping the ‘dust’ at bay. From what I can see of the headliner, it would be quite a complex job to replace due to the sowing and mods required to make it fit (follow YouTube video of 94 XJS which includes this) since it doesn’t look like you just install as-is. Regarding the glass, yes, I used the original gasket on the inside and outside, since they were both in good shape. Good luck!