Originally Posted by
markr6754
These are the tools that we used:
Battery powered drill - multiple uses
3/8" drill bit (remove rivets)
Bit holder attachment w/#20 Torx bit (remove and reinstall top retainer plate)
Shop vacuum (capture shavings from rivets while drilling old ones)
Steel punch (push out rivet stubs after drilling)
Small ball-peen hammer (to hit the steel punch)
Magnetic pickup tool (grab bits of rivets that remain after drilling/punching)
Door panel removal tool (we didn't use this, but would aid in weatherstrip removal)
Needle nose pliers (remove steel clips from old hood/convertible top)
Regular pliers (when your fingers don't have the grip strength)
Steel pick (remove steel clips retained in bow section of convertible top)
Quality rivet gun (ratcheting gun makes for easier installation of rivets)
Extra rivets - long, 1 inch or so (in case extra rivets are needed, or your top didn't ship with them)
Wooden or soft plastic/rubber mallet (re-install weather stripping)
Spray bottle with Soapy solution (didn't use, but could aid in weather stripping re-installation)
Extra strong led flashlight (better to see in dark crevices)
That's all I can think of now, will update if anything pops in my head.
Ala_xfire - feel free to add/correct my listing
A can of white lithium spray grease to lube all the hingey parts while you have the old top (hood) off.
Something overhead to tie the tonneau cover to to keep it up after the hydraulic pressure releases.
A short section of broom handle or PVC pipe for a prop between the top and the windshield header,
or between the window bow and the open tonneau cover.
A good helper.
A good well lighted place to work.
Experience.
Print out the instructions from the SRT6 service manual and put them in a loose leaf binder.
( Do NOT completely remove the front weather stripping pieces, just pull out enough to allow access to the rivet in the 2 front plastic top pieces. )
When attaching the new top(hood) to the rear bow, make DAMN sure you have it correctly centered. BAS puts a center mark there for you.
When re-installing the 2 rear and 2 front weather stripping pieces,
you must first 're-crimp' them by squeezing the flange that fits into the frame socket until there is only about a 1/8" gap.
These get distorted when you remove them. If you don't do this, you will never get them to stay in place.
( start at the top on the rear pieces with the wide flange against the frame socket, this will make the alignment between the 3 separate weather stripping segments line up correctly. )
Warning !!! The first time you attempt to latch the new top (hood) to the header, it will be VERY tight.
This is normal, it will settle in place and stretch out a bit over time.