HOW TO

4 Steps to a Top-Notch Convertible Top

John Gunnell

There are four special steps in the restoration of a convertible.

Repair and refinishing of the convertible top frame
Installation of the fabric top and rear window
R & R gaskets, seals, latches, special hardware, etc.
Hydraulic motor and other parts

Repairing & Refinishing Convertible Top Frames

Convertible top frames take a lot of abuse. Nuts, bolts, rivets, screws and grommets break. Bushings wear from years of raising and lowering the top. Top bows can get scratched. The bows can be damaged and throw the geometry off.

Top frame repair kits for popular cars provide new parts to replace all of the old hardware. Suppliers such as Restoration Specialties & Supply (www.restorationspecialties.com) can help find the needed parts if there's no kit for your car. Worn frame hardware can be replaced a piece at a time, but most restorers will disassemble the frame for paint and replace all hardware at once.

This car has a good top frame, but it has rivets that need replacement, the bows need refinishing and the fabric top is badly in need of replacement.

Disassembly involves drilling out rivets and removing nuts and washers. Some "bolts" may be pivots—sometimes multi-diameter—designed to go through different size holes in different pieces. They may be threaded at one end. Egg-shaped holes must be repaired with new parts or welding and re-drilling or with bushings. An egg-shaped hole throws off geometry and causes problems.

Avoid rushing to paint the frame. Some automakers color matched frames to fabric tops. Color-coordinated combos look really nice, so see if they were offered as factory equipment. Books can help determine OEM finishes.

This top frame was cleaned, painted and rebuilt. Reproductions of the chrome plated top latches for this top were available.

Start by removing all removable hardware with hand tools. Don't remove original rivets or spot welds until later. You'll find dozens of parts like bows, scissor assemblies and side frames. Take digital photos. A great way to organize small parts is to get a piece of cardboard and poke holes in it. Plug each removed part into a hole. Put re-assembly notes right on the cardboard.

Save old parts for re-use or to copy. Media blast the old pieces. Prime, sand and paint the top bows. Considering the wear and tear these parts get subjected to, you may want to have them powder coated instead of painted.

A convertible top manual will specify the correct order for re-assembling the parts. With no manual, use your restoration skills and common sense to build the top. A top frame works like a bridge, so that's how you should think of it.

You will have to check the fit of the side glass against the rebuilt top frame to avoid breaking the glass when the side window is raised.

Fabric Top and Rear Window Parts

If you need a new top, you can: 1). Pay a shop up to $2,000 to install a top; 2.) Use the sagging old top as a pattern for a new one and pray; 3. Get a ready-cut kit that's fairly easy to install. Get one for your year and model car.

For proper geometry use spacer sticks between bows or take a bow height measurement from center of top frame to center of the rear body tub.

Here are the contents of top kits for 1968-1972 LeMans/GTO models. The plastic rear window kit is about $300. The glass rear window kit is around $400. It includes a glass rear window that won't scratch as easily. Professional installers go by time and materials. Time is often more expensive than materials.

It's wise to tape masking paper over the glass rear window to protect the new glass until you are finished working on car.

PLASTIC REAR WINDOW KIT
Haartz Pinpoint Vinyl Top
Plastic Rear Window.
Pair of Top Hold Down Cables
Top Pads
Pair of Tack Strips
Staples and Glue Kit
GM Instruction Manual, for: 1968-72 Pontiac GTO Convertible Top

GLASS REAR WINDOW KIT
Haartz Pinpoint Vinyl Top
Glass Rear Window
Pair of Top Hold Down Cables
Top Pads
Pair of Tack Strips
Staples and Glue Kit

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