Well since the major selling points for me on the 1st gen 4runner were:

Seats 5 people
Not crazy expensive on gas
Has a removable top



I figured it was time to go topless:

So off to the hardware store I went to get some eye hooks and straps, and a few hours later:




Then I got to thinking, that was a lot of work to get that thing off, and its going to rain this weekend... :hammerhead:

So off to the internet gods I went

And I found Softopper.com!

Needless to say I placed my order, and it was shipped the next day! Impressive if you ask me, anytime I have ordered aftermarket parts in the past they take 3-5 days to even ship. And keep in mind this was memorial day weekend.

Got this box in the mail yesterday:



I was like :suprised: that's a small ass box, how in the world is a soft top going to fit in there?

I got out the tools and materials which I figured would be required:
14 stock hard top bolts
6 inch socket extension
12mm socket
Rachet
Razor blade (to open the box)
Medium sized Phillips (not pictured)
Cordless drill (not pictured)

Took everything out of the box and started reading:




Starting to actually look like a softtop! Amazing how much crap can be crammed into a box that small. Everything was packed really well, with extra padding on all the metal parts.

Last pics of her before install:




Installed the first bracket, fit like a glove, over the factory weather stripping. Uses 6 of the factory bolt holes and 6 factory bolts. It has button snaps on the side closest to the weather strip, and includes an additional weather strip.





Next I installed the "rails" with the button snaps on each side. This used the factory bolt holes also, 3 bolts per side (you end up with 2 left over factory bolts and holes, I put the bolts in eventually just so they are there when I need them if I ever decide to put the hard top back on.

Lining it up before I tightened it down:


Installed:



Next you install these funky plastic brackets:




Then start building the "frame":






Next you drape the soft top over the roll bar and snap it to the frame in the very back of the truck that you just built, (I also snapped the ones in the front):



Then slowly but surely snap all of the buttons (probably would be easier on a hot day, the canvas was not very forgiving).





Then you build a metal bar (3 pieces, uses 2 self tapping screws, this is where you use the power drill) that goes through a sleeve in the rear window and attaches to the funky plastic brackets pictured up above. Sorry didn't take pics of it, it was getting late, wanted to get it finished up. Then you simply zip and velcro the rear window.




Comes with a great canvas bag to store the top in if you want to put it down completely:



Completed:



(dont mind the micro fiber towel, was cleaning in that area to install some extra weather striping, included with the package)




In my opinion it was worth every penny! It also included clips to roll up the sides and rear windows, basically making it into a bikini top. And the rear window is removable if desired.

The fitment turned out great, with minor adjustments. The kit also included some seam sealer, some padding for the frame that goes in between the frame and the windows to avoid discoloration, and some velcro for the rear tail gate (optional) for the rear window to attach to.

Overall it took me close to 2 hours to install. But now that I have done it once, I could do it again with my eyes closed in about 30 min.