General Bumble's Bee

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General Bumble's Bee

Well the hardtop is fitted and I've been for a drive. The folded away soft top is rattling a bit so I'm going to have to remove the hardtop and make a better job of stowing it. Any suggestions?
 

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Have you used the straps to tie the soft top frame down?

I think the elastic on the straps must have come from Nora Battys' drawers. Yes, the straps are fastened but they dont seem to do much. I was wondering about putting an old towel in between the folds of the hood but I'm concerned this may get damp and cause problems. I never noticed the rattling with the hood down and open top motoring but then, it's pretty noisy.
 
I think the elastic on the straps must have come from Nora Battys' drawers. Yes, the straps are fastened but they dont seem to do much. I was wondering about putting an old towel in between the folds of the hood but I'm concerned this may get damp and cause problems. I never noticed the rattling with the hood down and open top motoring but then, it's pretty noisy.

They shouldn't be elasticated just the opposite in fact. On my hood they are pulled tight by the mechanism.
 
Are you certain its not the hardtop rattling?

I've been for a longish drive today and you may be right. The noise is a knock/creak from behind the passenger headrest. I have packed the folded hood with an old towel and dont think it is the problem. There is also a whistle from the front top corner of the drivers window and I wondered about putting some vaseline on the rubber seals on the hardtop to help them spread a bit?

Steve
 
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before putting vaseline, try to put those sof sealing stripes for windows on top of windscreen. there is some recess along the entire top of windscreen (when roof is down)... so just attach it there... i will show you pictures later... it reduce noise a lot.

i also use those for sealing windows... but it does not last long.
it looks like this, but it's soft and have adhesive bottom.
sealing_stripe.summ.jpg
 
I've been for a longish drive today and you may be right. The noise is a knock/creak from behind the passenger headrest. I have packed the folded hood with an old towel and dont think it is the problem. There is also a whistle from the front top corner of the drivers window and I wondered about putting some vaseline on the rubber seals on the hardtop to help them spread a bit?

Steve

Hi Steve,

It is almost certainly the hardtop rattling.

Do you have the hardtop locating brackets found behind the door pillars?

I suggest you move your seat forward out of the way, then un-clip one side at a time and put a packer underneath the clip as this will stop the metal to metal contact that is causing the rattle. You should also get something to pack the spike out from the side of the cars frame as this also causes a rattle.

I would also buy some black silicone and fill the gaps near the where the noise is coming from. This way you can always peel it off.

Ad.
 
Thanks mate. I will spend some time on Saturday sorting it out. The whistling noise is actually a gap between the top leading edge of the glass and the junction of the window pillar and roof rubbers. This morning I found that the whistling wasnt so bad but the rain water poured through the hole, ran along the underside of the roof edge and dripped down my arm. The drivers door window actually goes up past the recess in the hardtop rubber. I get a better seal if I lower the window a little and then shut the door. I know I can adjust the window but don't want to do this as the fit against the soft top was good. If I can sort the rattle, I will cope with the window seal and use your silicone suggestion. Many thanks also to F4. Incidentally, older guy at the filling station asked if it was a Lotus.

Steve
 
Thanks mate. I will spend some time on Saturday sorting it out. The whistling noise is actually a gap between the top leading edge of the glass and the junction of the window pillar and roof rubbers. This morning I found that the whistling wasnt so bad but the rain water poured through the hole, ran along the underside of the roof edge and dripped down my arm. The drivers door window actually goes up past the recess in the hardtop rubber. I get a better seal if I lower the window a little and then shut the door. I know I can adjust the window but don't want to do this as the fit against the soft top was good. If I can sort the rattle, I will cope with the window seal and use your silicone suggestion. Many thanks also to F4. Incidentally, older guy at the filling station asked if it was a Lotus.

Steve

When I adjusted my windows to fit the hardtop I found that they now also fit the soft top rubbers better too. I wouldn't worry about the soft top too much anyway, its going to be a very long wet season!
 
How far are you from Edin , My hardtop begins to lose its seal to the rubbers but not until motorway speeds , also without the cd on i hear a lot of creaks from the softop area . It would be good to meet and compare to resolve this , 2 heads are better than 1 .PM me if this sounds like a good idea .
 
Hi Ricky. I'm between Duns and Berwick Upon Tweed. I have sorted my rattle and its perfect now. Mine was caused by the locating spikes contacting the sides of the locating brackets. I unfastened the clips then inserted a large flat screwdriver and levered the spike away from the bracket. I used a small piece of the plastic insulation from a large electrical cable and, having fiddled it around the spike, removed the screwdriver and refastened the clips. An instant fix. Next time I remove the roof, I think I will slide a plastic/rubber tube over the spike. Something like a fuel line or the pipe from a gearbox oil bottle. Steve
 
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