Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

I solved the squeaks coming from the upright supports to alum. perimeter frame point of connection (nylon washers) a few months ago, but the plastic top is squeaking apparently at the rivet points (rivets holding thin plastic top onto aluminum track frame) due to movement. Mainly just the front cross frame member (running driver side to passenger side, only about 3').

I've shimmed with various thin nylon, rubber, foam etc... as near to the rivets as possible to limit or quiet any movement (which you can hardly see if you try to move the top around while looking at the rivets - they are petty tight). Still squeaks.

I know some on the forum are drilling out the rivets and using screws / washers from the top side to re-secure the top to the aluminum track frame, with gasket material of some kind sandwiched between the plastic top and the aluminum.

My thought is that the rivets you drill out (14 of them in total) will bounce around in the aluminum track tube frame right around your head and make their own noise, even if you solve the squeaking?

So I was thinking I'd have to pop the aluminum track tube frame apart at a minimum of one corner (where the aluminum has a plastic corner piece that holds the aluminum at 90 degrees), and blow or vaccum the bits of rivet out before going back with screws.

So my questions to those who've done it are:

1) What material did you use between the aluminum track frame and plastic top skin? (Thinking super thin innertube material or neoprene rubber)

2) Did you use sheet metal screws with a washer, or are some actually through-bolting? I'm not sure how thick the aluminum is on the top side of the track for the sheet metal screw to tighten into. I don't think you'd have to torque them crazy tight really?

3) Did you remove the old drilled out rivets or leave all that stuff inside the track? Do you hear any of it bouncing around in there when you drive?

4) How to remove the plastic corner brackets (circled in red in one of the photos) from the aluminum frame w/out breaking them? They don't really look like they were engineered to come apart, but maybe they do. I don't have spares and don't want to have to track one down if I break one.

At this point I may consider drilling out the front 3 that seem to be the ones I hear, and replacing with sheet metal screws / washers and just hope I don't hear the rivets in there. If so I'll have to disassemble it all and do the rest at that point I guess.

Any tips from those that have already gone down this path would be appreciated!

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

Kind if disappointing to hear that it squeaks like that for something so new. I was considering getting one of those for our 6 passenger limo cart, but for the price they want for one of those tops I'd be really P/O to have to take it apart in a year to make it stop squeaking.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

I wouldn't disagree with you but being P/O won't stop the squeaks...

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

Well I know a common thing for door panels and other plastics that squeak is to use weatherstrip foam tape between the panel and the part it mounts to. I've used thick foam tape on the plastic roof on our Kubota and Polaris Ranger between the roof and the cage where it mounts to stop vibration and squeaks and it works really well on those. I would think some 1/2 or 3/4 wide by 3/16 thick foam tape should work well on that type of roof. Of course, that would mean removing all of the rivets and removing the plastic from the frame.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

Yep - that's what I'm thinking too. Just wanted to see what others' specific insight on this might be, esp. those who've done it.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

I'll be honest, i've never really noticed it squeaking that much. Most of mine comes near the struts and that was easily resolved with foam tape. If i hit a big enough bump it'll make noise but other than that not a problem. Sory to hear you guys are having issues. Top has been on for a couple of years and been up and down I95 on a trailer a few times.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

I took a bunch of electrical tape and shimmed it between the top plastic and railing like crazy a few years ago... haven't had any issues since.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

If you have the room, I would recommend getting a self stick velcro kit from any craft store or walmart. Use the soft side and cut/stick to fit where the contact is happening. Service departments have been doing this for years when cars come in for noises in the cabin.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

I've got some 1/8" neoprene in the spaces like that (long spans between rivets) that does a good job there.

The squeaking I can't get rid of is actually the rivets themselves, where the top is moving against them. Tiny movement, but it makes the squeaks. I can see on the top of the cart where there is an area around those rivets that is polished a bit where the movement has been. Rivets don't feel loose either.

I've shimmed very close to the rivets on either side to make the fit tighter, but it still squeaks there.

This kind of thing drives me nuts, but I do realize it's a golf cart and not a sports car so don't expect perfection, but I'd like a substantial improvement.

Re: Club Car extended top (DoubleTake OEM) squeaks - remove rivets?
 

Oh yea, I see what you are saying. That is tough to eliminate!