[Dave from England]

I had my upholsterer come down the other day with a view to starting the convertible top. He has done many European convertibles audi's, minins. BMW's ect but the way that the US fit their convertible tops is totally alien to him. But, I have every confidence, that given a few pointers, he will be able to do the job.

On the front header bow, there is an indentaion at either end of about 8 inches. Is this for tacking strip? The distance between the rear most bow and the one infront of it, I believe is critical? and the fisher body service manual is incorrect. Can someone tell me the correct distance between the two? I bought my tacking strip from restoration specialities when I was at Carlisle one year but he only gave me one width. It looks like there are two different widths, is this correct?

With regards to the weather stripping on the frame, do I fit this before or after the top, or doesn't it make any difference?

Also, the well that the top folds into, is this fitted before or after, or at the same time as the top?

I am sure there will be many more questions, as progress is made, but if I can get some of these questions answered, then I should be able to make a start.

So, guys, your help is required, DESPERATLY!!
Dave from England

[428RA4]

Well my sage advice to you is to adjust the windows first, then adjust the top with the weather strip in place without any glue or sealant first. Then deal with the top.

[Dave from England]

CANT ANYBODY HELP ME WITH THESE QUESTIONS ?
Dave from England

[Hammered]

Dave,

You have a lot of questions in your post:

1. Header bow indentations - a picture would help, but there are two indentations on each side for the tack strip. A thick rubber is commonly used these days for the tack strip.

2. Distance between the two rear most bows as measured from outside the car, center-to-center is 15.5 inches.

3. Tack strip width: can't remember is they were different.

4. Weatherstripping: I would install (without adhesive as suggested) and adjust the windows and top as close as possible.

5. Top well is installed at the same time. It is sandwiched, along with the top, between the body well and the three trips that bolt to the body. The front of the well is glued to the top/front of the A frame that the rear upper seat attaches to.

[Dave from England]

Thanks for the answers to my questions Hammerd
Progress will have to wait for a short while as Im back in hospital tomorrow for surgery & a 5 to 10 day stay.Progress with the restoration has been real slow this year as Ive been in & out & back & forth to the hospital since January.Will post a pick of the header bow when I get out of hospital.
Regards
Dave from England

[Dave from England]

I am back out of hospital now, and back on the restoration, all be it in a limited capacity, need help from friends to make real progress. I have three questions I would like someone to help me with:

1) I have done as been suggested and fitted the roofrail weather stripping and header bow weather stripping and the windows now align with the top frame weather stripping. The question is, I have used the special self tapping screws with the large heads to fasten it in place, do I also now glue it in to place?

2) Ames lists on page 102 of their catalogue part no FH262F convertible second bow top retainer sleeve. I do not ever remember having this part when I took off the top as I am having a new top installed, I would think I need this part, and having it shipped from the states would at least double to cost of purchase, making it a very expensive part. If someone could give me the dimensions, and possibly a photgraph, I would think it would be possible to make this part.

3) I posted some photographs of the middle hinge on the top frame, this has a small metal peg (dowel) not sure what its purpose is, but when the top is in situe, the metal peg sits in a different place on one side as against the other side, can someone please tell me its purpose and also where it should be situated?

Maybe this is one for Cammer6?

Thanking you in antisipation.
DavefromEngland

[Hammered]

Dave,

Glad to see you recovered well from you hospital stay. Must've been serious for you to be out so long.

1) Don't glue anything until you're absolutely happy with all the adjustments. You can always pull the weatherstripping off and glue it later.

2) You should have that piece if you took the original top off. It's about 9/16" wide and 40" long, zinc plated steel.

3) Can't tell from your picture what you're talking about, but it looks like the locking pin for a manual top.

[Dave from England]

Thank you hammered for your quick response. The only piece of the car that I have kept and have no clue what it is for, (and I am not even sure if it came off the car!!) is on the photographs could this be the piece used for the top? It measures 37'' in length and is 0.5'' wide. As you can see from the photographs it has already had its best days!!!

Apart from the two end sections, which measure 0.5'' each, the rest is almost a box section as I have tried to illustrate in the drawing.

Would I get away with using just a flat piece of steel, 0.5'' or 9/16 wide and have it zinc plated?

Also, how does it fasten to the top/frame?

With regards to question 3, yes it was difficult to photograph to give a clear illustration, but I would say you are on the right track when you talk about a lock in pin, but mine is definatley a power top having the letters FPL on the left hand side, and FPR on the right hand side, stamped on the flat piece of metal that forms part of the hinge.
Just need to know the correct location for this pin (dowel) and what purpose does it serve?
Many Thanks, Dave From England

[Tim john]

The three images you posted are of a "C" channel that fit in between one of your overhead bows. You will have one bow that has about a six to eight inch section of tacking strip (where the top would get stapled to it) on each side of this bow, one per side and this piece you show in your photos goes in between them and is held in place by three tiny sheet metal screws. Look for the bow with the ends as descried above and on the bottom side of that bow you will see the three tiny clearence holes for the tiny screws. The screws self tapped into the bottom of your well worn piece. If you know what a piece of "Uni-Strut" looks like this is vey similar but a scaled down version. No, flat stock steel would not be a good fix for this piece, some small square tubing with the ends modified would be better I would think. The square tubing size would be so that it fits snugly into your top bow as described above.

Tim john---

[Hammered]

Yes, that's the piece. It is completely hidden once installed except for about a 1" length about 6" in from each end. From you picture, it looks like you could clean it up and paint it and be okay. I believe that unistrut like cross-section captures a tack strip like material that hold screws installed first through the bow that it sits on.

Re #3: Open the top so that the front and middle side rails are at an acute angle to each other and take another picture of the joint/pin for us.

[Dave from England]

thanks for your persistance, Hammered. I have tried to take pictures from all angles of the hinge and pin/dowell, but as the pin is black and the background is black, it doesn't show up very well. So, I have used a silver felt pen to "paint it with" and taken four more photographs. You will see from the photos that the pin misses resting ontop of the bracket which is to the right of the pin. These phoots have been taken from the front looking towards the back of the car.

Q1 - When the hood is in the up position, should this pin/dowell rest on top of the bracket which is to the inside of the car? as the one at the other side (drivers side) does.

Q2 - When fitting the rams should the hydraulic fittings on the rams face forward or to the rear of the car?

Thanking you in anticipation....anybody is welcome to chime in with their 2cents worth in any of the questions asked previously.
Dave From England

[Hammered]

Dave,

That's a manual top item so I can't be of much help. The power tops have a set screw stop to prevent the bow from going over center/straight. It looks like you could bend thing s enough to get the other side to lock. I would try using an adjustable wrench tightly adjusted on the appropriate parts as a lever.

[cscottfergus]

Dave,

Hard to see this pin item when top is installed on car, but I examined mine.
your Q's

"Q1 - When the hood is in the up position, should this pin/dowell rest on top of the bracket which is to the inside of the car? as the one at the other side (drivers side) does."

My pin on drivers and passenger sides do not touch or rest upon anything in the up or down position or when travelling up or down. Have you taken yours apart and put back together same way it came apart?, looks like you could switch two of the metal supports if you unbolted and put it back wrong. I do not know the purpose of these pins.

"Q2 - When fitting the rams should the hydraulic fittings on the rams face forward or to the rear of the car?"

Forward: Looking at mine installed on car... The ports on the reservoirs (cylinders), for the rams ,which the hydraulic lines attach to, face the front of the car. The fitting on the hydraulic line faces rearward to screw into the cylinder for the ram. The fitting is clearly seen and not obscured from view when looking at the cylinder ( with the arm rest removed).

[cscottfergus]

please try few more pics from different angles, side, top, I think your camera is focusing in the distance on some of the pics, hard for me to see properly, pin does not appear to be in focus.

If one is hitting and one is not, check both mechanisms (all steel pieces) leading two and from that point and see if the are attached differently on one side of the car vs another. perhaps on steel piece should be in an inbord position vs outboard (allowing room for top to fold without pin resting on support.

[Dave from England]

Thanks for your help guys, just about got it figured out with the pin/dowel, and the piece that slides through the tunnel in the convertible top.

I still need answers to a few questions.

1 - In an earlier post, I asked what the indentations on the header bow were for, is it for a short length of tacking strip?

2 - the round rubber bumpers that seperate the bows when the top is down, can someone tell me, or send me a photo of just where these should be situated. I have an idea but just want to know that I am right.

[Hammered]

#1 - yes
#2 - not sure what you're referring to. The top material keeps the bows from contacting when the top is down.

[cscottfergus]

2. my car has 2 rubber bumpers on top frame. One on each side, they are screwed to top frame on the curved metal part of the frame that is just above the quarter window. They are on the top of the frame facing up. They do not interfere with top material since they are on the curved metal piece of the frame about halfway down that piece.

[cscottfergus]

see attached pic

[Dave from England]

Thank for all your help guys,
Just about got things worked out as how the top is installed.Hammered the short piece of steel that slides through the tunnel was all but shot couldnt find any section that was anywere near the original so I bought a length of flat aluminum bar half inch x three eighths cut it to length cut the ends to suit the original pattern clamped it to the cross rail marked the holes the drill & taped them and the jobs as good as new wont ever rust either.THe upholsterer came down & we made a start on fitting the top & hope to finish it off tomorrow.HAS ANYONE ANT TIPS AS TO HOW TO KEEP THE TOP TIGHT AROUND THE REAR QUARTER AREA.

Thanks
Dave from England