MIC Top 1.0 inside construction & material (cross section) - pics

[Hossfire]

For any use a lower center of gravity is beneficial.

I suspect most of the GVW issues are more about liability given the rollover potential of a short wheelbase high CG vehicle.

Which is funny given that some of the weight restrictions on B&P are due to options that lower the center of gravity like the bash plates and rock slides.

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[Hossfire]

In January of 97 I paid $21,900 for a 97 model F150 XLT. (sticker was $24,555). It was an extended cab with the third door, 5.4 V8. Nice truck!
THE 2019 F150 XLT FX4 crew I bought in January of 20 stickered for $55K, I paid $45k! Y'all consider that low inflation???

If the truck rose at the consumer price index for those years it would be $39,500. Your new truck has more safety features and probably has more power and/or gets better gas mileage. All vehicles have been getting bigger. $45K is reasonable. The $55K you would pay today is the Covid hangover.

 

[VelocityBronco]

And that's why the to is under $700

Its not a $700 top, it is a $700 more than a soft top...top.

 

[Sparkherd]

Weight. The core is essentially to give distance between the outer shell. The more separation between the top and bottom the greater the bending load they can carry.

Ya. The core doesn't do squat unless you pierce the skin, like in a shoot out or some such.
Aircraft parts are built the same way.

 

[Portapot]

Someone needs to hurry the F up and make a square back 2 door soft top that will actually fold all the way back and not just pile up on the roll cage above the cargo area.

Amen!!

 

[Mattbar1]

Hello! My store recently replaced a MIC 1.0 top for one of our customers, and part of the replacement process required us to cut up the old top panels. Would anyone be interested in seeing the inside of the MIC top?


Edit: Below are some pictures that I took of the MIC 1.0. After inspecting the top and seeing just how thin that outer shell is, I can see why the honeycomb structure of the top was showing through when exposed to extreme heat/moisture.

How was the new top shipped? Was it in good condition and protected from damage? How are they ensuring the new tops are not damaged and worse off than the top they are replacing? They are pretty fragile when not installed on the vehicle.

 

[aj_benedetto]

How was the new top shipped? Was it in good condition and protected from damage? How are they ensuring the new tops are not damaged and worse off than the top they are replacing? They are pretty fragile when not installed on the vehicle.

The new top came in a massive wooden box that was roughly the size of the rear clamshell. The rest of the top panels were packaged in cardboard boxes inside the wooden box. The new top arrived here with no damage at all.

 

[Mattbar1]

The new top came in a massive wooden box that was roughly the size of the rear clamshell. The rest of the top panels were packaged in cardboard boxes inside the wooden box. The new top arrived here with no damage at all.

Thank you. That is good news.

 

[skhubbard93]

The UV stabilization has been my concern for the the whole top. I worked for a Tier 3 supplier that made plastic resins for the auto industry. The plastic parts on the exterior (like mirror housings) had 3x as much carbon black pigment as the parts in the engine bay (like the fan shroud). The Bronco MIC that I checked out at my dealer looked nice, but was definitely a lighter gray than the top on my neighbor's jeep.

They could be using another UV stabilizer. Or, it's a design screw up.

I have a plan for this.

1. Take the roof off when you go into Daylight Savings Time.
2. Put it back on when you go back to Standard Time.
3. Store Bronco in the garage when not in use
4. Use a soft-top for those cold April showers.

Since this was my plan anyway, I'm not super concerned about UV. Moisture? Hell yeah. Sunlight? Not up here.

 

[BroncoBilly22]

Anyone come across a Jeep Wrangler hard top that has been cut open or damaged? I would like to see what foam fibers or sound deadening material that Jeep has used to insulate their hard tops. Not sure how they have been holding up over the years either? I found a couple of photos of someone repairing a damaged top on the "EXPEDTION PORTAL Forum". It appears that this top has a hollow core and fiberglass skin. When you search "Jeep hard tops" there are so many aftermarket companies making insulation panels and sound deadening material. Doesn't seem like Jeep exactly has their act together either.

 

[SupremoSombrero]

Many people criticize the MIC top; without having ever been through the challenge of creating a complex composite structure themselves. It's magical that Ford created something SO LIGHT (easy to handle/remove) that you can DANCE ON (or sleep on).

It's not easy, so be grateful for the cool rig that we'll all get to enjoy.

Great pics of that complexity in this post. Thanks!

 

[Xixa]

This is what composites look like. They are light and strong, and you will find similar construction in the next plane you fly in. I like it!

 

[Hossfire]

Base models of many vehicles are still reasonable in price, and not far off the price of similar models sold years ago. But a problem is, some folks can't resist paying for all the extras. A Bronco can nearly double in price, if someone buys a top line fully loaded version.

Also regarding the Bronco composite honeycomb top. The issue isn't the composite nature some other people mentioned, rather it's the execution. People are comparing to an aircraft. Hey get in an aircraft with composite wing that is delaminating and tell me about it, lol.

I agree that execution by Webasto and Ford has been poor on the tops.

 

[Inthenoise]

I guess when Ford went for a "boxy" look for the Gen 6 Broncos, they took it a step too far.

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