RUGGED RIDGE 13730.36 XHD Replacement Soft Tops Installation Guide
- June 13, 2024
- RUGGED RIDGE
Table of Contents
RUGGED RIDGE 13730.36 XHD Replacement Soft Tops
Product Information
The IS-13730.36 is a fabric replacement top designed for the1997-2006 Wrangler TJ model. It is available in different part numbers depending on whether it includes door skin or tinted windows. This product is primarily designed to enhance the appearance of the vehicle and provide protection from ordinary weather conditions. However, it should not be relied upon to contain occupants within the vehicle or protect against injury or in the event of an accident. It does not offer protection from falling objects, and it is important to operate the vehicle within the manufacturer’s specifications.
Product Usage Instructions
Before installing the fabric replacement top, carefully read and follow all provided installation instructions. Failure to do so may result in a poorly fitting top and potentially dangerous situations for the vehicle occupants. After installation or reinstallation, always double-check that the top has been properly installed before driving.
Instructions
This product is designed to enhance the appearance of the vehicle and to shield the occupants from ordinary weather conditions. Do not rely in any way on the components of this product to contain occupants within the vehicle, or to protect against injury or death in the event of an accident. This top will not protect the occupants from falling objects. Never operate vehicle in excess of manufacture’s specifications.
Wear Seat Belts At All Times
Read and follow, precisely, all installation instructions provided when installing top. Failure to do so may result in a poor fitting top and could place occupants of the vehicle in a potentially dangerous situation. After installing or reinstalling the top, check to make sure it has been properly installed before driving.
PARTS LIST
- Qty – 1 Fabric Top
- Qty – 1 Quarter Window, Right
- Qty – 1 Quarter Window, Left
- Qty – 1 Rear Window
Installation Tips
Before you begin to install the new top read all instructions thoroughly. Below are a few tips to make this installation easier. After completing the installation, keep these instructions for further reference.
For a Smooth Fit
For ease in installation, the top should be installed at a temperature
above 72 F. Below this temperature, the fabric may contract an inch or more,
making it hard to fit to the vehicle.
It is normal for the fabric to contract and wrinkle when stored in the
shipping carton. Within a few days of the installation, the fabric will relax
and the wrinkles will disappear.
Tools needed
- Shoe Horn
- Safety G lasses
- Razor Knife
- Phillips screwdriver product.
Removing the Old Top
Safety glasses should be worn at all times while installing this
Step (1)
Remove the quarter windows and rear window. Remove the metal tailgate bar
from the bottom of the rear window and set to the side. It will be reused.
Release the plastic strips sewn to the top above the doors. Pull down and out
to slip the plastic out of the channel.
Step (2)
Release the latch that secures the header to the windshield. Pull up on the
lever and then down and out to release the hook from the slot in the
windshield frame.
Step (3)
Release the rear corners of the top. Pull gently down and then out to
release the plastic strip from the retainer on the vehicle.
Step (4)
Unfasten the flap around the middle bow.
S ep (5)
Unsnap the fabric from the rear bow and allow the bow to drop onto the
tailgate.
MANUFACTURING NOTE
Due to recent header assembly modifications by Daimler Chrysler, the plastic strips on the windshield header may have 8 screw locations instead of 14. Both attachment number of screws will securely fasten the header and perform as intended.
Step (6)
Collapse the bow assembly down onto the tailgate. With the bow assembly laying
on the tailgate, remove the screws that fasten to the corners of the header. S
et screws aside for use later. T hey are reused for the installation of the
new top.
Step (7)
Flip the top fabric back over into the rear of the vehicle (so that the fabric
lays backing side up) to expose the plastic strip along the edge of the
fabric. Remove the eight or fourteen screws the secure the fabric to the
header, setting the screws aside for use in the installing the new top. T hen
remove the old top fabric from the vehicle.
Installing the New Top.
Step (1)
If you have a 1997 vehicle with a s lion plastic extrusion on the door
surround, it must be removed. Pull down on the extrusion to work it loose.
Step (2)
In order to install the top fabric, make sure that the center and rear bows
are in the folded down position on the rear of the vehicle.
Lay the top fabric, backing side up in the rear of the vehicle with the plastic strip facing up and aligned with the front edge of the header. Locate the round hole that marks the center of the plastic strip (all other holes are slotted). Install a screw in the round hole to secure the fabric to the header as well as to center the top. T hen proceed to install screws in the remaining seven or thirteen holes along the front of the header.
Step (3)
F lip the fabric over so that it wraps around the header and drape the top
fabric over the tailgate. Raise the header slightly and work the pockets in
the fabric over the corners of the header. Install an oval head screw in each
corner to secure the fabric to the header.
Step (4)
Raise the header and bow assembly towards the windshield and into position.
Inside the top, snap the fabric to the rear bow (total of six snaps).
Step (5)
Make sure that the center bow is centered in the hook and loop flap inside the
top. Do not fasten the flap at this time.
Pull down gently on the rear bow and work the plastic sewn to the rear corner
of the top into the retainer on the vehicle.
Step (6)
C lose the header latches to secure the front of the top to the windshield.
Catch the hook in the slot in the windshield frame and then close the lever
over it so that it lays flat against the windshield frame.
Step (7)
Wrap and fasten the hook and loop on the two flaps inside the top around the
center bow.
Step (8)
Locate the left and right quarter window panels and orient them with the
zipper slider about 10″ – 12″ along the top.
Step (9)
Roll the plastic along the front of the panel into the channel of the door
surround on the vehicle.
Step (10)
Locate the plastic strip sewn to each side of the top, above each door. S lip
the strips into the channel in the door surround above the door opening.
Step (11)
C lose the zipper on the quarter panels the rest of the way to the lower rear
corner of the panel.
S tart at the rear and roll the plastic along the bottom of the panel into the
retainer on the vehicle. T hen fasten the hook and loop strips along the rear
of the panel to the top.
Step (12)
Remove the rear window from the box and lay it flat with the backing side up.
Locate the tailgate bar set aside in step one. T he bar has a “C ” shaped
channel, when viewed from the end. Orient the bar with the round seal down and
slide the “C ” channel on the retainer onto the tubed strip sewn to the
backing side of the rear window.
Step (13)
Insert the tailgate bar into the mounts on each side of the tailgate opening
with the vinyl side of the rear window towards the outside of the vehicle.
Step (14)
To start the zipper, pull the two sliders as far down as possible on the
driver’s side of the window in order to catch the sliders to the pin.
Once the zipper is caught, start the top slider 1/2″. Then hold up the top of
the window with one hand and close the zipper with the other. The zipper in
sandwiched between layers of fabric in the corners so be careful not to catch
extra fabric in the zipper. Close zipper.
Make sure that the tailgate is centered and is securely in the mounts. Then
tuck the flaps on the rear window under the top fabric. 
Folding the Top Down.
Step (1)
Remove the quarter panels and rear window curtain and store them carefully.
Step (2)
Release the front of the top from the windshield. Raise the front of the deck
and collapse the rear bows, tucking the two plastic strips above the door
opening and the stay pad on the rear bow inside of the bows. Wrap the fabric
around the bows, then tuck the rear legs of the top under the bows.
Care and Maintenance of Y our New Top.
Your top is made of the finest materials available. To keep it looking new and for the maximum possible ware, it will need periodic cleaning and maintenance.
Washing
T he fabric should be washed often using soap, warm water and a soft bristle
brush. Rinse with clear water to remove all traces of soap.
Zippers
Keeping the zipper cleaned and lubricated with a silicone lubricant will help prevent damage and keep the zippers in a smooth working condition. If a zipper opens behind the slider, the slider may have been spread apart. This problem can usually be repaired by using an ordinary pair of pliers to bring the sides back into parallel. Return slider to end of the zipper in the normal open position.
Squeeze lightly at first and test the zipper. If the zipper continues to remain open, squeeze more firmly with the pliers and try the zipper again. repeat this procedure until the zipper operates correctly.
Water
In the event of seeping through the seams, 3M S cotchgard® may be applied
on the inside of the seams to stop the seepage. Rips in the fabric may be
repaired with Bondex® iron on patches. Iron the patches to the inside of the
top, carefully following the Bondex® instructions.
Snaps
Keep snaps cleaned and lubricated with silicone to help prevent snaps from
sticking to the studs. If a snap does become stuck to a stud, use a small flat
head screw driver and G E NT LY pry apart to prevent permanent damage to the
snap or the top fabric.
Windows
Keep windows clean to avoid scratching. DO NOT use a brush on the windows! W
ash with a water soaked cloth or sponge and a mild dish washing detergent. NE
VE R W IP E T HE W INDOW S W HE N T HE Y AR E DR Y! B e careful when cleaning
snow or frost from the vinyl W INDOW S W HE N T HE Y AR E DR Y! B e careful
when cleaning snow or frost from the vinyl windows since they are easily
scratched and may crack at low temperatures. DO NOT roll the sides or rear
window in cold weather. T he windows become stiff and will crack.