S2000 Roof Conversions FAQs

Hi everyone, thought Id start a thread regarding S2000 glass roof conversions due to the amount of questions I get PM'ed, and general lack of info about this awesome mod.

I have completed 10 conversions now myself, and have changed my roof twice - more on that later.

The two roof brands I have worked with are Robbins and EZ On Topps.

Heres my rating of the two: (1 being terrible - 5 being equal to OEM Quality)

-Robbins-
Quality 5
Fitment 5
Ease of Install 3
Cost 4
Instructions 1
Supplied Parts 4

-Ez On Topps-
Quality 5
Fitment 4.5
Ease of Install 4.5
Cost 5
Instructions 2
Supplied Parts 3

The main differences are that Robbins requires 2 new straps to be mounted to the convertible frame, and Ez only requires one, which reduces install time by about an hour. The Robbins though included new elastics to replace your old worn items, the Ez does not, and this can affect the roof ability to retract properly, when folding into rear parcel tray. This can be remedied with the purchase of elastics from a fabric supplier, if your items are significantly worn.

Here is a picture of the elastic fitted that comes supplied with the Robbins top.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_9121.jpg

You have two options when selecting fabric HV denim or Stayfast Cloth, the Stayfast Cloth or Canvas is significantly better looking, its darker and looks more classy. Its the same material used on Porsche and Ferrari convertible tops. The Denim is OEM like and duller, and has a plastic feel. Water beads off the canvas, whereas it tends to sit on the Denim. The Denim would be a better option if your car sees alot of sun, and its not garaged as the Canvas is harder to maintain, and will fade easier than the Denim option.

Comparision Pics:

Denim
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_2088.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_2096.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_2491.jpg

Stayfast Canvas
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_9138.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_9152.jpg

Both brands of roof require spare rivets as they do not come with enough to complete the install strangely. Ez on tops also have a much better way to secure the top to the rain gutter.

There are two ways to fit the roof I have found, one is to fit the roof whilst the frame is still bolted in the car, the other is to remove the softtop and its frame/motors altogether. It takes about an hour or two longer when removing the frame but it means less fussing around with the corners near the side windows which are an absolute PITA. The only downside of removing the roof frame is you need two people to complete the install, and removing it is not at all necessary if you have the right tools to get to the corners.

either way involves stripping the whole car.....

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Picture005.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Picture001.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_9118.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...s/IMG_2474.jpg

Hope that sheds some insight into roof selection, the first one I did was a PITA and they get easier as you learn what goes where, and have the patience to see it through. If you are mechanically minded and like to get your hands dirty I suggest giving it a go.

With the current exchange rate you can get a roof from ebay ( I reccomend topsonline) shipped to your door from $650-750 depending on the spec i.e demister, canvas or denim.

Its an awesome mod, adds to the aesthetic of the car, and increases visibility. I changed my roof twice after installing a canvas roof on a forum members car, it is heaps better so that would be my advice shell out for the canvas.

No one likes a plastic window! :thumbdwn:
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...IMG_9097-1.jpg

Pinned for now until I get around to creating the all in one super duper thread.

ahhhh stripping whole car ;( how annoying lol.

awsome thread mate! Ive got an EZ ON top that Im looking for somebody to install at the moment. Ive called about 20 trimmers in melbourne and so far the cheapest quote I could get was $700 which I thought was really steep but now I see all that goes into it i.e stripping the entire car I can now see why it costs so much. My elastic strips are incredibly worn. You just touch them and they begin to strip to pieces. Is their a spesific kind of elastic strip that I should ask for when I go to the fabric store (spotlight or somwhere like that im guessing?) or should I just assume that the auto trimmer who installs it will have his own?

$700 is cheap as it takes approx 8-10 hours so thats a decent hourly rate. Most places I have seen are in the $1000 range. As for the elastic the fitter should have the appropriatte material, if not go to spotlight and buy a heavy guage elastic the stronger the better as the roof will fold better.

If anyone in Sydney wants a roof installed PM me for a price.

yeh I rang around alot of people to get that price and had to barter a bit. in the end I this dude in coburg agreed to do it for $700 for cash. theirs also a dude in beronia who quoted $650 so if anybody is from down that end of melbourne thats the absalute cheapest price going. but I got quoted as high as $1200. It seems the best prices come from the places that have done a few of them already and know exactly whats involved. I cant wait to get my new stay fast top on :)

I'm looking at changing my roof fairly soon, I live near Boronia... Do you have a contact or name of the place?

Thanks in advance.

I got my car back from the auto trimmers today and it looks great!!! It was such a weird feeling looking back and actually being able to see out my back window. Also i noticed the roof is reinforced with thick strips on both the common tear points on either side to stop wear and tear and thr best thing is the guy did somthing to my striker plates to make them freakishly tight...its almost an effort to unlatch them but it made a huge difference, now i have basicly no wind noise from my roof, sound wise when im on a highway you could swear i was in a car with a hard top. Im very impressed with this mod, it makes my car look brand new as well.

Dohctr : sorry mate, i didnt keep the name of that trimmer in boronia. It was actually the very first place i called for a quote so at the time i didnt relise how good a deal it was so i didnt take any note of it. Their cant be many trimmers in boronia so if u call them all im sure youll find it pretty easy. Good luck with it all

The trimmer did nothing to your striker plates, the new top takes a month or so to bed in and stretch, that tightness makes it hard to unlatch the top. Glad you like the mod, it is the first mod you should do to a pre 02 car.

I thought that might have been the case with the top still having room to stretch but I was really hoping I wasnt right because its so good not having to deal with all that wind noise. all of a sudden my stereo sounds 500 times better. I installed dynamat just last weekend and that did nothing in comparison to the difference having this tight top has done to sound deadening

Ive had a problem with my new top already =/ it was pouring rain in melbourne today and a little bit of water managed to make it through the rubber seals on the passanger side. Im not sure if I just need to get new rubber seals or if they just need to be readjusted? has anybody else had this problem?

That is normal, you need to readjust the rubbers so they seat properly against the window.

Just a little p.s i would highly recommend not to have your roof conversion done at motor craft motor trimmers in coburg! Im having problems already. When i picked it up i noticed that the window seal on the passanger side didnt quite look right and i mentioned it so the guy fiddled with it and told me it was all good. Thd first time it rained water came through it into my car. I called the guy and told him what happend and he told me to come past on thursday morning and he would fix it. So i organise to get the morning off work to drive from geelong to coburg, get there at 9 only to be told he wont be back till 11 and im advised to wait at a cafe down the road. 11 comes round and they call me saying he wont be back till 12. 12 comes round and they call to say he came back but had to leave to see another customer and now wouldnt be back until 3 in whic time im "guarenteed" he will fix up my roof that should have been done right in the first place. So due to horrible service im forced to miss a whole day of work there for the "cheap" rate of $700 for the conversion isnt so cheap anymore

sorry to rant, i just wouldnt want to see anybody else going through the same thing

That is a shame Jamie, experience is vital for this conversion I think. I would confirm installers have completed the work on an S2000 before.

yeh, I guess I learned my lesson. you get what you pay for. After wasting a whole day of work waiting around for this guy I finally got everything fixed. He had also "forgotten" to connect one of the springs that are needed to keep the glass window from cracking when the roof closes as well. Fortunately I stuck around and watched everything he did so the job was done right the second time around. I think we should get some kind of "sticky" for the forums with reviews on mechanics,trimmers,panel beaters etc etc that are worth recommending and also worth staying away from for fellow s2k drivers to help insure quality service

:thumbsup: this thread should stay up there

F*CK ! My plastic window just cracked from the cold + roof opening. :(

Now I have to pay $900 odd dollars for a new roof

Has anyone is Adelaide done it yet???

You can get one shipped for just over 700 atm. Mad when you getting back?! I cant wait to burn my plastic window.

Back on the 26th.

just over $700, i just had a look and it will cost just over $900AUD?

where are you looking?

Topsonline ebay. But i got mine when the aud was really good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ferrari

$700 is cheap as it takes approx 8-10 hours so thats a decent hourly rate. Most places I have seen are in the $1000 range. As for the elastic the fitter should have the appropriatte material, if not go to spotlight and buy a heavy guage elastic the stronger the better as the roof will fold better.

If anyone in Sydney wants a roof installed PM me for a price.

---

Hi Ferrari,

Im most probably bout to buy a roof fairly soon. Do u know anyone that can instal it properly for a good price?

I do it, pm me as it says in that post you have quoted ; )

PM'd u. Not sure if u got it!

Great write up Ferrari. First clear pics I've seen of the elastics.

BTW, I visited Spotlight last week and bought some.

Cheers Aus, I'm starting on my 12th roof conversion tonight. I can help out with yours when you need it.

hey ferrari. i have a plastic roof. 2000 model.
how much will u charge? im in parra..
also, how much can u get the glass roof in for and how long will it take?
my email is nat123x @hotmail.com or sms

Edited by Ludecrs
Reason: Phone number removed ; space between email address to avoid spam bot emails etc

pm'd you Nat. Maybe you should take down your mobile number from the above post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ferrari

pm'd you Nat. Maybe you should take down your mobile number from the above post.

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how do i do that? lols..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nat123x

how do i do that? lols..

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there should be an edit button on the right bottom corner of your post

ferrari! your inbox is full! pm me which area you are from.

hey I pmd u but not sure if it got through.. I wanna get my roof done next week by u.. can u let me know the price and all the details?
cheers.

have u bought the roof already? because you need that before you can change it :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Engin09

have u bought the roof already? because you need that before you can change it :)

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yeah i got the roof in on friday. gonna tint the glass and hopefully ferrari can install it for me.
i tried to PM him but it says his inbox is full. =[

props on thread ferrari,

Can i ask before i order which one u use/recommend or if anyone can recommend which black.

Black Twillweave Vinyl
Black Stayfast Cloth

IM going to open my console later today coz i have a defroster button in the middle already, hoping it has stock wiring harness *fingers crossed*

anyone else in sydney looking to get a set from toponline soon? maybe double order to save on shipping?

Hey XP02ED

Im looking to get a glass window top off ebay from topsonline.
Where r u located in Sydney?
How would we organise a double order?

Great review Ferrari, learnt a lot. I'd be into doing this in the SE Qld area. Pm me if need done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ray_Dogga

Hey XP02ED

Im looking to get a glass window top off ebay from topsonline.
Where r u located in Sydney?
How would we organise a double order?

---

PM sent.

For everyone else looking to get a top online glass conversion i can get a discount for a quantity of 2

I will be buying :

Top with Defroster / Heated Glass Window Options - 6 year warranty
EZ On Brand Top - Black Stayfast Cloth $ 589.00

They charge $200+ USD for shipping to AUS, so if you want to save some $$ nows the time!
EDIT: ebay has it for $120 shipped. ebay it is ;S

Also the AUD is high so it will be good!

Are there any other Sydney members experienced with roof conversion that could help me with an EZon conversion??

Cheers!

hey guys jus wondering is there any difference with the plastic window and the glass window cos i got the plastic window and i wanna put the glass window roof jus wondering the glass window will fit without doin any modification?

Hey i need help fixing a s2k roof, going to buy a s2k with a brand new roof on it, but it doesnt close flat down, it sticks up like 1 cm or 2 where the front window is.. wondering how much you would charge to fix it up? ASAP thank you

Anyone do roof conversions in Brisbane area ?

PM me !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by typ69r

Anyone do roof conversions in Brisbane area ?

PM me !

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no one, I'm planning on doing one soon, should get a couple and do them all at the same time

Hondacare does them in brisbane and has done quite a few...much cheaper then honda australia too

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jooboo

Hondacare does them in brisbane and has done quite a few...much cheaper then honda australia too

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still ~ $800 in labour, it's just a tedious task not uber hard, just want to find someone that's done it before

I will be installing a few roofs due to demand and time availability - must be weather. If your in Sydney and want a quality job PM me.

Sod it, yeah, let's do mine. When are you free?

Did you get those straps yet???

Yup, ages ago. Just have to find them. ;)

Will book it in Aus. Just waiting to confirm a few in.

Guys,

looking for someone in syd to do the roof conversion, can anyone recommend?

cheers

I can't think of anyone off hand ;)

lol!!!

Hi bro, my name is Kingo1 and hv an S2K (my 00), I need a soft top installed and was wondering how much you charge and if you can book me in asap??

Hi Ferrari

Maybe digging up an old topic but i just wanted to know if you are still willing to do the conversion?
00-01 s2k currently with plastic ( or whats left of it ).
Will supply Top ( Robbins )
Sydney based ( Fairfield/Liverpool Area )

Tried to pm but your inbox is full

Best regards

Hi guys, Also looking to change/upgrade roof in Sydney. Any referrals or recommendations will be most appreciated.

Anyone at all? Would also like to do the conversion sometime soon

anyone done this lately or got someone?

If ferrari is not interested in doing these roof jobs I also do them. Txt me on 0414108549

^ I've seen his work. Looks good.