What are the best snaps for a new top install?

I'm looking into installing my convertible top this week.
Are the normal snaps good enough or is there something better?

Jerome

What kind of tool installs the snaps into the top itself? Where can you buy them? Are they some type of special pliers?
BD

My kit came with a bag of snaps and attachments for a pair of Vise-Grip type pliers.

Snaps and snap tools can be purchased at mcmaster.com, do a search for snaps.


Jerome

I prefer the snaps that have the spikes on them. Somebody help us remember what they are called. Not just the button snaps, but the kind you see on Porsches.

Do you mean Tenax?

Jerome

Jack
I think they are lift-a-dots.

You can get snaps and a tool for attaching them at most any fabric store.
ed

Lift-a-dot how-to....

mgaguru.com/mgtech/top/top101.htm

Jerome
Not sure exactly what you need to know re lift a dots, but I'll take a guess. The male part of the fastner attached to the body and is a post type thing that sticks up. The female portion attaches to the top (naturally) is oval shaped with a hole in the middle. There is a spring affair that secures the post when inserted. One end of the top snap has a dot punched in it and 'lift a dot" in little bitty letters around the dot. To remove the snap you must lift the end with the dot to have the spring release. They are a much more secure secure fastner than the garden variety snaps. I like 'em.
HTH Bill

Anybody know a good source for the lift-a-dots?

I found a couple on the internet but they want to sell them in 100pc quantity.

Jerome

Might try a fabric store - not sure but maybe. Boat cover or upholstery (auto/boat) would probably be good place to look
Bill

Jerome, Tenax is the word and they are, IMO, the way to go. I don't know that you can get the tool in a fabric store as they are much larger and go in with cleats instead of press into the fabric. But they are great. Now if you are going with a Tonneau top you may want just snaps up on the dash behind the windscreen because of the limited space. I work about a mile from a shop that stocks Tenax, they are not cheap, but I think they are hands down the best.

Anybody know if you can retrofit a top with snaps to tennax?

I would think that as long as the hole in the top for the snap is no larger than the hole in the top required for the tennax then it should be possible.

I too would be interested in Tennax snaps if anyone want to go in on a hundred. I haven't counted but I would probably need a dozen or so for the top and about the same number of female parts for the boot. Can you buy the sections separately?

Brian

If I'm not mistaken tenax and lift a dot fastners are different.
As I remember tenax has small posts on the body and the fastner on the top is round with a hole for the stud. The fastner part is sorta like a 'hat' on top peice that is attached to three springs whick hold on to the little ball on top of the stud. To release them you like up on the hat which retracts the spring fingers releasing the fastner. The part on the top looks like a snap with a lump on top. Should work fine on the back of Speedster tops. My experience has been that, given time, tenax will break the spring fingers and not hold as well as original. Lift a dots are more rugged, but they don't look as neat. As George sez - you pays ur money and...
HTH, Bill

I would go in on 12 or 15 Tenax... I do have a place here that sells them individually, but I would think a small lot would be much more reasonable. So much more reasonable that i would expect we could get two or three of us in on it make purchasing the 100 or 144 reasonable over buying a handful.

I am certain that replacing the traditional snap with a tenax would work on the fabric side. Now I am not sure how the button snaps work on the body side. Do they have a large spike or a small one? That would be the telling issue.

(Message Edited 5/1/2003 4:23:20 PM)

If the Tenax is interchangeable with the snaps and the price is right, I would interested too. Eddie

I will nedd fasteners as well. Count me in.