C1 soft top advice needed
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,108
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From: Plano Texas
C1 soft top advice needed
Recently I restored the soft top frame and replaced the black soft top on my 59. I changed the color from black to white and it made a HUGE difference in the look of the car (being Roman Red w/white coves). The top was an Al Knoch top of vinyl.
Now, I want to replace the vinyl top on my 62 as it has never fit correctly and the frame needs several new parts. The top is black and I intend to keep it that color. However, I've seen posts on this forum indicating a preference for the Haartz Stayfast Canvas. Is it worth the extra coin to put the canvas top on vs. the vinyl? Also, has anyone done business with the convertible top guys on the internet (www.convertibletopguys.com). Their pricing is considerably less than Al Knoch. Any comments or thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
Now, I want to replace the vinyl top on my 62 as it has never fit correctly and the frame needs several new parts. The top is black and I intend to keep it that color. However, I've seen posts on this forum indicating a preference for the Haartz Stayfast Canvas. Is it worth the extra coin to put the canvas top on vs. the vinyl? Also, has anyone done business with the convertible top guys on the internet (www.convertibletopguys.com). Their pricing is considerably less than Al Knoch. Any comments or thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
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Army
Its absolutely worth the money....the Stayfast wears beautifully, looks phenomenal and doesn't shrink after being down for months. But, it DOES not come in white...nearly any other color, but not white.
Plasticman has had his Stayfast top for something like 9 years and I've seen it up recently and it still looks great. Mine is new and fits perfectly.
I wouldn't take a chance on other than Al Knoch for the top. Every time I 'cheap out' on a major C1 component (like the dash pad or seat springs) I live to regret it.
Mike Coletta (61retro) can give you all kinds of advice on convertible tops....he installed mine and its a first rate job...
Plasticman has had his Stayfast top for something like 9 years and I've seen it up recently and it still looks great. Mine is new and fits perfectly.
I wouldn't take a chance on other than Al Knoch for the top. Every time I 'cheap out' on a major C1 component (like the dash pad or seat springs) I live to regret it.
Mike Coletta (61retro) can give you all kinds of advice on convertible tops....he installed mine and its a first rate job...
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Inverness FL
St. Jude Donor '07
Mark
i have a vinyl top on my car and if i were to replace it i would go to the canvas material as the vinyl tends to crease and permanently show the marks... this top has been up continuously for at least the past 4 months in the Florida sun, so the marks should have come out if they were going to...)
when folded correctly, the canvas top doesn't seem to develop those marks (but one does need to take care to fold/pad the canvas so that it doesn't rub against itself)
Bill
i have a vinyl top on my car and if i were to replace it i would go to the canvas material as the vinyl tends to crease and permanently show the marks... this top has been up continuously for at least the past 4 months in the Florida sun, so the marks should have come out if they were going to...)
when folded correctly, the canvas top doesn't seem to develop those marks (but one does need to take care to fold/pad the canvas so that it doesn't rub against itself)
Bill
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: minneola fl
Mark,
If you're not having the car judged, the stayfast cloth is the way to go. It really looks nice on the old vettes. I'm not familiar with the top manufacturer that you listed, but I went to the website to look around. Personally, I use Al Knoch tops. It looks like $380 vs $450. I'm not sure what they are talking about with the "liner". Make sure that you're getting the pads, straps, and wire-on (for over the rear window) if you decide to buy from the "other guys". Good luck.
Mike Coletta
If you're not having the car judged, the stayfast cloth is the way to go. It really looks nice on the old vettes. I'm not familiar with the top manufacturer that you listed, but I went to the website to look around. Personally, I use Al Knoch tops. It looks like $380 vs $450. I'm not sure what they are talking about with the "liner". Make sure that you're getting the pads, straps, and wire-on (for over the rear window) if you decide to buy from the "other guys". Good luck.
Mike Coletta
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Camp Verde AZ
C1 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
2017 C1 of Year Finalist
Also, has anyone done business with the convertible top guys on the internet (www.convertibletopguys.com). Their pricing is considerably less than Al Knoch. Any comments or thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Mark
Thanks in advance.
Mark
If it is a black stayfast for a 61/62 it is probably the one I sent back for not fitting right.
The AK top was discernibly better made.
Doug
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,146
Army
Some pics to give you an idea of the 'look' on a C1. I originally wanted white (not available in Stayfast) but now I think the luxurious black effect sets the car's colors off nicely. You can fit this material tighter I believe because you don't have to factor in the vinyl 'shrinkage factor'.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,108
Likes: 4
From: Plano Texas
Thanks, guys. I think y'all have sold me on the canvas top. My white vinyl Al Knoch top on the 59 went on perfectly, but still shows creases and dents after it has been down for a day. I'll probably go with AK on the stayfast top as I know he has a lot of believers out there. Thanks again for the assist.
Mark
Mark
Racer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 384
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From: Chicago Illinois
Hi Mark:
I saw your post and needed to know if you installed your top yourself of had a shop do it. If you have the Al Knoch installation video or DVD I will buy it from you. I have a '60 that I want to replace the white vinyl top on. I found a "new in the box" Robbins original top which from what I was told is the same top that was installed in in many of the C1s during that time.
I have no way of confirming that and I am not restoring my car to show condition. I just wanted a nice looking and fitting top for my car and found this top at an estate sale in a dry basement. That said, have you or any other member heard of these tops? Are they correct for our cars? I even thought of selling it to someone who is looking to replace their top for judging but didn't want the hassle of trying to track down a replacement. It came in the original box and has the window tag still intact and all trim pieces. Rear window is clear, nice and scratch free.
Let me know your thoughts and also ket me know either way about the installation video.
Thanks!!
Ted, Chicago
I saw your post and needed to know if you installed your top yourself of had a shop do it. If you have the Al Knoch installation video or DVD I will buy it from you. I have a '60 that I want to replace the white vinyl top on. I found a "new in the box" Robbins original top which from what I was told is the same top that was installed in in many of the C1s during that time.
I have no way of confirming that and I am not restoring my car to show condition. I just wanted a nice looking and fitting top for my car and found this top at an estate sale in a dry basement. That said, have you or any other member heard of these tops? Are they correct for our cars? I even thought of selling it to someone who is looking to replace their top for judging but didn't want the hassle of trying to track down a replacement. It came in the original box and has the window tag still intact and all trim pieces. Rear window is clear, nice and scratch free.
Let me know your thoughts and also ket me know either way about the installation video.
Thanks!!
Ted, Chicago
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Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,359
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From: AUSTIN Tx
Robbins tops are a good quality top that are installed by many upholstery shops. The still make a lot of tops each year, and are less expensive than a Al Knoch top. That being said, current Robbins tops would not judge well as being "correct". One would have to actually scrutinize the top to see if it was consistent with an original top. With Al's tops being basically a zero point deduct top for judging, I am not sure that you find someone who would be willing to chance putting such an old top on their car. They would probably just buy a known no-problem, no-deduct top.
Regards, John McGraw
Regards, John McGraw
Team Owner
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Army
I put a Robbin's white vinyl top on my '66 Mustang (which was NEVER judged)....it was installed by a professional. Strangely, I can't find a picture of it with the top UP...
It was fine, fit well and looked good. For the Corvette, as I've said before, every time I take a shortcut on big ticket items I suck wind. E.g. dash pad, seat springs, etc..
As for the Al Knoch video.....I have a copy and watched it twice. It served a useful purpose in convincing me that I wanted no parts of putting an expensive top on as a first-timer. Mike Coletta (61retro) put it on and there is no way I could have come close to the job he did.
Even the pros have trouble sometimes. I have personal knowledge of '58 top installed by a leading Corvette company (who shall remain nameless) at the Winter Regional (I watched them do it) here in Florida and it had to be redone after a short time because of problems...
It was fine, fit well and looked good. For the Corvette, as I've said before, every time I take a shortcut on big ticket items I suck wind. E.g. dash pad, seat springs, etc..
As for the Al Knoch video.....I have a copy and watched it twice. It served a useful purpose in convincing me that I wanted no parts of putting an expensive top on as a first-timer. Mike Coletta (61retro) put it on and there is no way I could have come close to the job he did.
Even the pros have trouble sometimes. I have personal knowledge of '58 top installed by a leading Corvette company (who shall remain nameless) at the Winter Regional (I watched them do it) here in Florida and it had to be redone after a short time because of problems...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Nov 5, 2009 at 01:42 PM.
Race Director
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From: Taylor Michigan
I E Mailed the top company as it said it can make any top...well my Sahara could stand a new top in the future and I want to see if their top is compatible with the OE top and frame....as most of the replacement tops are close but lack the original factory fit and require different frames which I definitely dont need...I`ll see, if there is any difference...
If they reply....
PS, just a passing observation on nearly all the Vettes I see except those I told, 'if' the dash mirror is turned upside down [ie] from factory correct position, if that bothers you. Is that you can see out the rear better because of the fabric between the window and body is a few inches higher than a hardtop therefore a little bit better rear visibility on the bottom edge of the soft-tops window....I figured that out years ago when my early Vettes were still new...first thing I changed except for pulling the front plate bracket and hardware off......
If they reply....
PS, just a passing observation on nearly all the Vettes I see except those I told, 'if' the dash mirror is turned upside down [ie] from factory correct position, if that bothers you. Is that you can see out the rear better because of the fabric between the window and body is a few inches higher than a hardtop therefore a little bit better rear visibility on the bottom edge of the soft-tops window....I figured that out years ago when my early Vettes were still new...first thing I changed except for pulling the front plate bracket and hardware off......
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,108
Likes: 4
From: Plano Texas
To Ted in Chicago.....I found a write-up with pictures on the internet that I used to install my top. The write-up was incomplete, but there was enough info to get me started and about 75% complete. By that point, I pretty much found the top install to be a piece of cake. I didn't use the video. I did buy a pneumatic staple gun off of ebay that worked terrific with my small Sears air compressor that I had for a nail gun.
If I can find the website again..........whoops, I did! Try this from an old Corvetteforum post
http://www.corvetteforum.net/classic...sto_Page.shtml .
To Frank in Florida......I'm going with an Al Knoch black vinyl top as the added cost for a canvas top right now is not do-able as I need about $300 of parts and weatherstripping to complete the project. Why is it always about money?
To Ironcross........Is that the original dash pad in your 62. I have a clone of your car and my dash looks the same at the windshield. What causes those raised areas (bumps)?
Thanks all. Mark
If I can find the website again..........whoops, I did! Try this from an old Corvetteforum post
http://www.corvetteforum.net/classic...sto_Page.shtml .
To Frank in Florida......I'm going with an Al Knoch black vinyl top as the added cost for a canvas top right now is not do-able as I need about $300 of parts and weatherstripping to complete the project. Why is it always about money?
To Ironcross........Is that the original dash pad in your 62. I have a clone of your car and my dash looks the same at the windshield. What causes those raised areas (bumps)?
Thanks all. Mark
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
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Army
Well - here is the site I was looking at for conv top installs...but Cove's is so much better:
http://www.supercar.com/installconvertibletop.asp
Ironcross: are those some type of sport goggles hanging off your rear view mirror ? If so, we want a pic of you wearing them behind the wheel!!!
http://www.supercar.com/installconvertibletop.asp
Ironcross: are those some type of sport goggles hanging off your rear view mirror ? If so, we want a pic of you wearing them behind the wheel!!!
Race Director
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From: Inverness FL
St. Jude Donor '07
i'm going to give a guess what is happening to Walt's dash pad. IF the pad is original, the foam has deteriorated and settled, allowing the edges to be higher than the adjacent material.
Bill
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
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From: Taylor Michigan
Last edited by Ironcross; Nov 5, 2009 at 06:55 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
Likes: 54
From: Taylor Michigan
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
Likes: 54
From: Taylor Michigan
Doug, Springseen is just a little squirt and he should be so lucky...he would have never taken Playmate Miki Garcia away from "ding dong" muscle head Peter Lupus.....{her exact words for him}...
PS, Can you find the Iron Cross?....its on the fuel tank......way ahead of tatoo J.J....
PS, Can you find the Iron Cross?....its on the fuel tank...
...way ahead of tatoo J.J....
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Camp Verde AZ
C1 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
2017 C1 of Year Finalist
I wondered who that was.
I recognized the face from the first photo but couldn't put a name to it since she had clothes on.
This would have been about 1973/1974?
Thanks,
Doug
PS: I bet shes as old and fat as the rest of us now.....
I recognized the face from the first photo but couldn't put a name to it since she had clothes on.
This would have been about 1973/1974?
Thanks,
Doug
PS: I bet shes as old and fat as the rest of us now.....
Last edited by AZDoug; Nov 6, 2009 at 12:54 AM.