We Bought the eBay One! Suzuki Sidekick Geo Tracker Soft Top Fiberglass Rail and Top Change

All of the plastic soft top channels on our beloved little beater, a 1996 Suzuki Sidekick, were broken in some way and needed changing. The factory plastics become so brittle and break easily, and there really isn't much of a selection or choice, if any, in replacement parts. Sooo... We bought the eBay one! It's the one from who knows which island, touted to be hand laid fiberglass and will outlast your Sidekick etc etc... But also they have mixed reviews of those who hate them or love them. So we gave it a go.
Right off the bat we quickly noticed they were completely different than stock and although decently hand laid, did not fit well (or at all) together or on the Sidekick, surely needing some serious massaging for a better fit.
Using a grinder and trial and error we got the kit to work better than the old broken plastics which wouldn't hold a strong breeze anymore, and it turned out pretty decent looking, although that's a matter of opinion for sure. We did expect them to be more of a direct replacement for the cost, but ended up being able to have a fairly good fitting top of which the sun should settle well. Being there isn't many options out there, and you'd like to stay with the soft top idea instead of a more permanent and expensive hard top, you're pretty handy with things and you have a lot of patience, this kit just may be the ticket. Just don't expect a simple fit. You'll need to shoehorn it in.
I hope this video helps someone on the fence to know a little more what they may be getting into, and possibly more what to expect out of the kit.
If you decide to do it, stick with it! Space the channels so the top plastic lips fill fit the best they can. Expect to trim and clearance the plastic lips on the soft top here and there to clear the mounting brackets for the rails as there is no double lip on these fiberglass rails.
Good luck!
Thanks for watching!

[@salrivera7578]

Well you buy the best car out there gd for all environment and weather believe me I know do you know that even in 40 below 0 they start like nothing when others they can't do it .

[@RoadhogRNA]

Well guys considering how hard it must be to get those parts, I think you did a fine job. It’s looks mighty fine to me.

[@whiteknightandshorty]

Thank you! They're still working great!

[@joshuamikelemr.flowers5411]

with this video as a sample I should upload your work to sell them on ebay, they turned out great my friend

[@whiteknightandshorty]

Thank you! It definitely took some shoehorning, but it seems to be working great, slow and high speed, and removal isn't terrible. Thanks again!

[@joelcastellanos7224]

Not perfect but it works 👌

[@codycolligan4568]

How do I get these?

[@whiteknightandshorty]

I found them on eBay. They seem to be there periodically. The price has gone up quite a bit, but these are the ones I installed. This is the full kit, but they make a lesser kit much more cheaply: www.ebay.com/itm/383805768375?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=mdedbcl0qdg&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[@Inisfad]

Fortunately no. My rails don’t look like that….after 31 years, by the way…..

[@gypsonny2]

So you're one of the few who takes care of their rig 👍🏻 I'll give you $1k for it. I need a new truck to smash on the trails

[@whiteknightandshorty]

Maybe taking care of things is old hat for some, but I like my old hat. If you're looking for a trail rig to thrash, I've seen some popping up on various sites for reasonable prices. Keep looking! You'll find one!