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I also decided I'm going to modify the electrical system. When I did all of my testing, and seeing 16 gauge wires powering the solenoids which draw 12-15 amps average, I'm going to use relays.
I got 4 relays at Napa this morning. I'm going to use them to power the solenoids to keep the supply current through the safety and limit switches to a minimum. I'll also add 2 separate 20 amp fuses coming from the Power Top Switch going to the relay feeds for each solenoid pair. The 1957 uses 2 fuses there, not the 1956 harness.
Just a little more wiring, but it's going to be a safer system. I did a mock-up diagram at breakfast.
After much time cleaning all 4,327 harness terminals, and repairing some shoddy wiring from old prior repairs, I installed the system in the car today......
No video yet. Got the camera out and ran into a problem..... a pump motor issue and had to pull it out. The top was working quite good. But a few wiring issues I'm confused about while I was testing it.
I must say, I was like a little kid seeing that top raise and lower by itself.
The diagram in the ST-12 (1955 thru 1956) on Page 12-15 shows the 2 switches for the Folding Top Limit Switches, the ones in the storage well. What's confusing is that it does not differentiate the mechanical difference between the 2, and the ST-12 only shows reference to the later micro-type switches. One is the "top frame down" switch with the long toggle lever, the other is the "top up switch" with the short toggle where the link ties to the frame. The diagram only shows #1 and #2, not which is which.
The above picture in the post by Panama58 is hard to see which wires are below red. Both should have red at top, but one has green next, then wt. Other is red, then blue, then org.
If you have a '56 with the toggle type switches, can you tell me which wires go to which switch? It'll save me some effort to trace the circuit and all 37 steps to get to follow the sequence..
It wasn't the toggle switches in the well after all. The wires were reversed at the solenoids, and I followed that when i took it apart.
All fixed and operating quite well. I just timed it at about 21 seconds. I have one sticky toggle switch I need to re-address, but that's nuttin' in comparison to the other problems along the way.
My wife just came in the shop and I showed her the demo. She always knew I wanted to play around with one of these power tops. I ran it through a few cycles. She said "WOW...That's cooool".
If somebody buys this car they're gonna have a blast at cruise nights. It has Power Windows too. They work great.
I haven't put the solenoid relays in yet. I wanted to make sure it worked okay before I add about $50 worth of relays and wiring. After that I'm done.
I pulled that sticky limit switch and fixed it. It was a bit dry inside and the contactor needed a little adjusting. It was hanging up on the barrel along the sides of that cylinder at the base of the toggle. I lubed it lightly, reassembled and reinstalled. Pics below. I adjusted both limit switches for better operation. The short toggle need a shorter throw so the soft top header wouldn't hit the w/s header frame so hard too.
Okay, now that this power top is working pretty well, it's back to the details.
For that short toggle limit switch, for my testing I used a string tied to the frame arm. My adjustments to get the top to stop before the header were simply tying a different knot. Now I need to make a duplicate of the original link.
Panama58 had that one picture, and it used a stiff wire for the link. I can make that bracket okay, but the link is a bit confusing. It has to be adjustable so that the short toggle lever doesn't get pulled too hard. I don't want to break it with just a solid wire with a bend at the switch. I'd imagine it may be threaded at the end so it's adjustable too.
Someone else is trying to locate his switch and maybe he has the rod/link too. It'd be great to see the actual mechanism construction so I can duplicate.
If somebody else has a picture of the short toggle link that's really help.
I'm also going to add the 4 relays behind the division panel. I'm going to have to run a new 12G feed to that area, but getting from the dash to the trunk is going to be a new adventure for me. I haven't had the pleasure of "dash to trunk" wiring on a '56/'57 in my adventures yet.
Here's a blow-up of Panama58's photo. I'm making the link bracket. It's so nice to have a reference, thanks again. I'm even going to try to find some #10-32 Phillips machine screws which appear to have oversize heads that look just like those.
I found a nice link rod I can use, threaded #4-40 from my old Radio Control spare parts bins. I put a small spring and a few flat washers, with nut and locknut.
This should give me a good adjustment for the top-up limit switch, and keep the forces on the toggle switch to a minimum. Hoping to be a good solution until I can find the original type setup.
I bead blasted and re-painted that switch cover as it was red and white and junky looking. I had no beige so I just used a off-white I had lying around. Looks better than what it was.
Top-up limit switch link Bracket made, painted, adjusted the link and the top comes down softly onto the header. It was hard to see in the original photo, but the frame is curved there. I figured the little bracket is probably curved to match the frame, so it was a bit trickier to make, but I opted to do it that way. This top frame is a later year black frame, so I had to paint the bracket black to match. pics below
It works a whole lot better than the string I was using.
I got on the YT kick so I did another video clip of the limit switch mechanisms at work.
Thanks gents....You know I love these weird contraptions. If it's there I've got to make it work.
Bill, bad news. Guess what I'm installing in this setup.....4 Relays.
Actually it's to keep the current through those 6 rare limit and toggle switches to a minimum. The relays are going in just before the solenoids. Kinda like putting a relay in for the headlights when higher power lamps are used.
Problem is I need to run a new 12G wire from the dash Power Top switch to the trunk. PITA on a '56.
Thanks gents....You know I love these weird contraptions. If it's there I've got to make it work.
Bill, bad news. Guess what I'm installing in this setup.....4 Relays.
Actually it's to keep the current through those 6 rare limit and toggle switches to a minimum. The relays are going in just before the solenoids. Kinda like putting a relay in for the headlights when higher power lamps are used.
Problem is I need to run a new 12G wire from the dash Power Top switch to the trunk. PITA on a '56.
Hmmm...the concept certainly was; the execution ? Not so much mebbe':
" the Skyliner had a complex mechanism which folded the front of the roof and retracted it under the rear decklid. It had three roof drive motors driving four lift jacks, four door-lock motors, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof, and a total of 610 ft (185.9 m) of wiring"
I was at Old Town one night when it started raining and one of these Skylner's lift mechanisms jammed trying to raise the top. Many hours of troubleshooting later the long-time owner found the problem....
When I was a kid the same thing happened in my uncle's Skyliner when I was in the back seat. A nice gas station attendant let us pull it in the garage until the rain storm passed...
My Brother-In-Law used to work for Ford as a mechanic. The stories he told me about those. he was the expert at the dealership he worked at in those days.
That Ford system was clearly so complex it puts this Corvette system in the simple category.
To note, this Corvette system only needed those 4 solenoids for one reason.....The Top Cover Lid.
The Passenger cars had no lid, so they simply needed a reversible pump motor. The hydraulic pump itself is identical. The motor has 2 wires plus ground for reversing operation. One polarity/direction, top up. The other, top down. Really simple.
A fellow member located one of his original limit switch assemblies, and it had the mysterious wire link still attached. He agreed I should post the pictures here for future reference.
End to end it is 6 1/4". The length that is between the part that would link into the bracket(at the 90* double bend), and just before the loop(where it is held by the toggle slot) is 5 3/4". It's spring steel and difficult to bend. It appears to be the diameter of typical carburetor linkage rods, IMO probably 3/32" or so. (edit....the original was measured to be apx 1/16")
Rich
Last edited by rich5962; 07-14-2014 at 04:58 AM.
Reason: typo....link OD was 3/32 then 1/32, actually apx 1/16
06-21-2014, 06:48 PM
, and repairing some shoddy wiring from old prior repairs, I installed the system in the car today......
to get to follow the sequence..
