Sorry if this is an easy question, but I couldnt figure it out. (torn up stitching doesnt help either)

so i figured out how to use the soft top as a 'rag top', with just the front seating area uncovered, but beyond that, I dont know how to keep the top from flying away at highway speeds. are you supposed to just remove it entirely?

Ahhhh.

Pronoun disease!

I prescribe the use of "Samurai" or "Sidekick/Tracker" in place of "it".

Bye now!

aha. im sorry.

sidekick/tracker is what i should have been writing

Dang, My son just drove off with the softtop!  I call on my putty-like memory for an image of that top...

Are you saying that the top tends to want to "fly off"  at highway speeds with the front part retracted?  Or are you referring to the sides?

This sounds a bit difficult to grasp as the front part of the top is attached to a forlding framework that latches to the top of the windhield frame.

The sides at the door post should have a piece of stout plastic sewn into the leading edge which fits into a vertical slot which keeps the sides in place.  The bottom edges, I believe, are held into place with the same plastic hem/slot method.

BTW, mine is a '96 - the big changover year.  We need a model year so someone else with experience with an earlier model can comment.

I hope that this helps!  ...a bit...

sorry for lack of details.

its a 91 2dr 4x4 soft top tracker

soft top is old and lots of the stitching is giving or gone already. im slowly stitching it back together by hand, but its going slow as its kinda dull... i just need it ready by snow

my question was more for when I want to run the top 'all down'

kind of like how it is in this picture i just found on google.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/images/95tracker_con4x4.jpg
not sure if they have the soft top totally detached or not though.

originally i was under the impression that I would be able to 'drop' the top of the tracker without totally detaching it and drive it as a convertible.
is this not true?

I feel real stupid...

Here I am, the webmaster of Ack's FAQ where I have a '96 Tracker Factory service manual online containing the basic info that you are looking for!

Try this direct link:

http://www.acksfaq.com/96-FSM-v1-10-9-pdf.htm

You can also find it (an a lot of other neat TracKick stuff) by doing a search for factory service manual at Ack's FAQ.  The link is in my signature, below...

Mea Culpa. 

whoa awesome! thanks a bunch!

i'll be browsing around there for a while it seems.

but still, no way to ride around without a top unless i remove it entirely?
it wont fold nicely at the back like a miata or something?

sorry no....the soft top does NOT just fold down like a standard convertible.  it must be removed completely.  you CAN fold the front part back, as it has it's own little folding frame as ACK already mentioned.

I flip the front back on my 91 tracker all the time.  I love it.  Takes like 2 seconds.

ah thats too bad.
i also flip the front back a lot... but i have to be careful as the door top seal's stitching is almost all gone... i need to stop driving on highways with the top down as the wind keeps tearing it away...

the cheapest replacement soft top i have found so far is around $160.
are there any known cheaper sources aside from a lucky snag at a junkyard?

also, are there any bikini tops that are actually weather proof and not just resistant?

again...sorry mate.   I think 160 dollars is the best you'll do for a new top.  Mine's a bit knackered around the back window and that zipper is all buggered up.  Still holding together though....for now.     Keep checking local junkyards for a decent one, while you save up the cash for a new one.  And buy a good one......you'll want it to last more than one winter.

Oh and....as for bikini tops.  I'm not sure.  You might find one....but it will take some searching and it may be pricey.  Not much market for a variation on the factory soft top....and not a lot of demand either...sadly, everyone just buys Jeep.

 Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

After removing the top apart a couple of times you can get it out of the car inside 5 minutes if you are alone. Putting it back is done easier with somebody to help tho.

I usually just tuck everything behind the rear seat if I take the entire thing down.  BRD HNTR has a strap that goes between the two handles on the targa bar then hangs the top over the strap.  It gives him a place to store things out of the sun while on the trail.

sorry no....the soft top does NOT just fold down like a standard convertible.  it must be removed completely. 

Mine just folds down but there are several different types.