Convertible Top Installation project - Page 6

sunsprit · #76 (**permalink**) 07-11-2008, 01:41 AM

I'm doing the softtop replacement on my '78 now, and found a couple of ways seemed to work best for the removal and "clean up" phase ....

I just cut away as much of the old softtop as possible with a pair of shears. It made access to the nuts and riveted areas much easier. The top was "off" in a matter of minutes, and I had ready access to apply penetrating oil (PB Blaster) to the nuts instead of crawling around in the confines of the back shelf area.

I used Xylene for the solvent to remove the old glue; it's a stronger and slower evaporating solvent than Acetone, so it works more aggressively on the old glue. By wrapping a couple of shop rags around the bows and keeping them soaked with solvent for a few minutes, the glue came off pretty freely. Of course, you must do this outside and be careful about any possible source of combustion. I set a couple of old shipper's blankets across the cabin area and sat on the back deck with the bows in my lap for easy access.

A nylon spiked stripper disc in my die grinder made quick work of clearing the old glue off the bows, the side pieces, and the front and rear retainer strips. What little that didn't remove was quickly removed with a wire detail brush (Harbor Freight) ... about 4" long in the brush area by about 1/2" wide.

In clearing out all the old glue, I discovered that the last softtop installer had scraped the bow painted surfaces and taken off a lot of the paint. Rather than risk rusting in this area, I sprayed a light coat of Rustoleum Black enamel paint on and left it to dry overnight.

I chased all the studs with a die to clear out all the rust ... which was quite a bit on each, considering that they're just little 5.0 x .8 studs. Vacuumed out the trough, cleared the drain holes, and vacuumed out the back of the car.

So far, the removal and clean up phase has taken only a couple of hours and I'm ready to install the top in the AM. Thanks to the OP for the detailed pix of the job; much better instructions than those supplied with the softtop ... where the manufacturer suggests that only an experienced tech should tackle the work.

Swedenspider · #77 (**permalink**) 07-11-2008, 03:35 AM

I bought my new top from Worlduph and it comes without pocket for the t-bolt and holes for the 22 bolts. The design is also of a older kind (nr 2) with side flaps that dont go all the way to the windscreen.

But the real question is:
How can i tell were to fasten the 22 bolt without holes? The material will streach and to make a good snug fit you prolly need to now the "stretchness" of the material. Or is the top designed so that the end of the top is to go directly under the retaining strip at the back (22 bolts). Soory I dont know the correct sewing lingo.

See picture of flap design.

sunsprit · #78 (**permalink**) 07-11-2008, 02:11 PM

Swedenspider ...

I, too, purchased a softtop that didn't have any of the holes in the back/side area. According to the instructions that came with the top, they suggest aligning the bottom edge of the top fabric at the bottom of the drip trough that the top is bolted in at, locating the studs, marking the fabric, and then punching holes (with a hole punch) at the marked locations.

**Stachowiak** · #79 (**permalink**) 07-12-2008, 03:23 PM

This is a project that I have been putting off for a long time. Any tops to stay away from? Does anyone have a list of the tops that come with the 22 rear holes already punched? Also for anyone that had to punch them out, how hard is it to get them in the right locations? It doesn't look like you get a second chance if you make a mistake.

Dick Stachowiak
71 GTV
71 Spider

**Roadtrip** · #80 (**permalink**) 07-12-2008, 05:10 PM

I know that the EZ-ON vinyl tops have the holes prepunched perfectly. I don't know about their canvas tops. You'd have to ask. Convertible tops, mazda convertible tops, custom car truck interiors

sunsprit · #81 (**permalink**) 07-12-2008, 08:55 PM

Punching the holes is not terribly difficult with a wood block, 5/16" hole punch, and a mallet.

However, it's a tedious process to locate the hole sites. I draped the softtop at the rear trough as best as possible on center, and located how far up from the fabric bottom seam the holes would need to be to match the metal strip; then used a mark-a-lot broad tip to show that line area. By using a paint marking pen to paint the top of each stud and touching the fabric to the stud, in turn, I was able to punch a hole and then secure that portion of the softtop with a large fender washer and nut on the stud, then move to the next stud adjacent. Don't forget to leave a generous bit of fabric allowance around the large radius at the back corners, or you'll have a wrinkle as the softtop tries to stretch into the bend with the metal strip forcing it into position.

Did I mention this was a tedious project? It took awhile to mark and punch all the stud holes, and then I had to remove the temporary fasteners so that the metal strips, top, and drape fabric were installed. I started securing all with the side strips first, and then the back strip. It is possible to make a "mistake" in locating a hole, but if you are careful and conservative about where you locate and punch the holes, you should have enough material left to re-locate and punch a hole without it showing or becoming a drastic problem with a ruined softtop.

By locating the holes at the furthest down position, I was barely able to have enough "top" material going forward to allow the softop to reach the front windshield and latch the top. I had to leave the car outside in a 85F day with bright sunshine (we're at 6,000' elevation) for several hours and keep re-trying to close the top. On my fourth try, the top finally eased enough to allow me to get the latches started, and then an hour later, I was able to push the front of the softtop down enough to the window frame to allow the latches to close. The top was tighter than a banjo, and a few more hours in the sun only started to ease the tension enough that I could start positioning and gluing into place the window pillar flaps and soft portion.

I found that I couldn't trust my dry runs to locate where the metal strip was to be glued into place for the three rivet holes to line up and have the window contact area closely located to the softtop frame. So, I located the metal strips in place on the fabric, lined up the holes, and secured all with some clamps, leaving enough of the fold over material exposed that I was able to glue in a small area to hold the flap. I then glued the back side (folded over portion), and then glued the main surface of the metal. This was a couple more steps than shown in this thread by the OP, but my procedure was rewarded by having the 3 rivet holes all line up on the first try and I was able to set the pop rivets without any difficulty. The edge of the metal strip is snug against the seam of the soft area.

Would I buy this (lower) quality vinyl top again for my next softtop project? No way. The extra money for a better quality top is money well spent when your labor is dear.

On the top I bought, two of the fixed positon bows do not match where the securing fabric strips are located, so I had to "extend" the fabric a bit with some scrap material.
Also, the panels that seal against the door window openings do not have uniform overlap to the windows, although I believe they will seal adequately ... given that this car is a 3-season car and we don't get a lot of rainstorms, although it's likely that I'll get caught out in a heavy downpour in the mountains a few times a season. While I enjoy driving a roadster, the reality of driving around here is that there's so much airborne particulates ... dust, plant matter, pollens, and dirt ... that my eyes get sandblasted every time I drive around here with the top down and the windows rolled down. So I'll most likely drive this car with the softtop up until I travel out of the area (SE Wyoming) to the Colorado mountains where the particulates aren't so plentiful.

DavidH · #82 (**permalink**) 07-13-2008, 01:43 PM

Just finished installing a new cloth top on my 91 S4. All went very well until the absolute last step -- attaching the little chrome "edge guides". The guides are attached with a phillips screw which goes through the edge guide, through the top material, and into the top frame (see diagram attached - figure 3 is the edge guide). But the only way to find the hole in the frame is to poke "test holes" through the top material until you find the hole. And, of course, poking all those holes in the top material is going to leave lots of holes in the top material. So, how has anybody gone about locating the screw hole without damaging their top? Grazie.

flamebero · #83 (**permalink**) 09-25-2008, 09:31 PM

This has been a great topic now that I'm finally getting the top on my 78. I've gone through all the issues in the book, no t-bolts, missing the weather channel, half the studs were missing. One of the last things I'm having difficulty with is threading the wires that pull over the window. I've got them threaded through the top (of the top), but I can't figure out were they go into the car and down to the turnbuckles (speaking of witch, mine are shot). There is no precut hole either, I'm worried that after I figure out were this hole should be, cutting one in would cause a tear when the material is taught. Any advice on the subject would be greatly apreciated.

zugvogel · #84 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 03:58 PM

After reading this great detailed thread I decided to also go with the EZ-ON top from topsonline.
I have to say, it was really not a difficult task, just a test of organization and patience.
The end result is absolutely beautiful - a straight top with no creases and tight all around.
Thanks for pointing out a real good deal at great price, the top was ~$220 including shipping, so the whole project with glue, rivets, buying an awl, smaller odds and ends was less than $250 and I am extremely pleased with the result.

The holes that were already in the top in the rear did fit well and I appreciated the fact I did not have to cut the wholes.

So if you are not dead sold on a canvas top this is a real good choice.

Inner Circle · #85 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 04:34 AM

I already did a convertibel top install (without any knowledge, just following the manual that came with the hood) so I know how it goes, but it's STILL scary to look at all these pictures. I dread the days when I'll have to do that all over again. (It isn't particularly difficoult, but there are oh so many opportunities to slip up.)