Hi all,
I have a 1969 Hard Top for my 1970. It came with two mounting pins on the back. They look very similar to the soft top pins that "click" into the rear deck lid bezel (latches). Also, it has the usual 3 front latches that attach to the windshield header.

Now, I just purchased a 1970 Owners manual on Ebay...(thought is would be cool to have in the car...) and reading through it I found instructions for the Hard Top install. Pictures show two brackets on the inside of the Hard Top on either side that fasten somewhere under the deck lid??? Also, the instructions state to make sure the nuts and bolts are tight in the rear???? I don't have bolts for the rear... they are latch pins????

Am I reading this wrong? It states there are "8" attaching points for th Hard Top... Can anyone shed some light on this? Pics Maybe? Thank you.

 

There are the trhee latches on the front. Also the pins that you have in yours are incorrect. There was a threaded rod that was used and large washers and nuts. These rods went up through the decklid and fastened where your pins are. I am using 3/8" bolts instead of the threaded rods on mine. There is also a center bracket just under the rear window that should have a hole corresponding to it in the decklid. If your car did not come from the factory with a hardtop you will not have the hole. No big deal, just skip this one. The last two mounting points are through the two little tabs that hang down just behind the side windows. There is a special receiving nut that gets attached to the decklid in this spot, then a special bolt attaches the top to these nut inserts.

So, pull those pins and use some bolts. I can measure mine tonight if you want the exact size. Also look at Zip or any of the other places and get the side bolts and hardware, you should be able to buy a kit. Check out the first two items on this page. These are the side bolts.

http://www.zip-products.com/Zip/dept...BA87F68D4ABCD8

 

I bought a hardtop on ebay last year that also had the pins. Bolts have been ordered while I have it disassembled for painting. I have another hardtop that I have rebuilt that was mounted on a car with just the front latches and the soft top pins in the rear. The top blew off of a car (not mine) at about 80 and was severely damaged. I am a firm believer in using the proper mounts (side tab bolts, bolts through the soft top latch holes). But I don't really like the small bolt hole through the center of the decklid. I think that is to snug down the weatherstrip in snow and ice territory. It probably would help here on the south coast with keeping the sideways rain out, but I just don't like it.

Orville

 

My car is the same as described above by 70LS1.

Definitely replace the pins. You don't want that hardtop to move.

 

OK, I bought my '72 here with the original factory hard top, and the softtop also, of course....I sold the hard top off as it's not needed here in Florida....

NOW, that hardtop was about as factory stock as could be, even the liner was original, I had to reline it...

I had the cone shaped pins in it same as the soft top has....fit in the soft top latch position....had the two tabs on right and left, I never used any bolts....had the bolt hole in center of hatch, still there, and the tab in center of hard top....and 3 latches of course on window header....

I ran that top for two winters up north without any bolts or screws in the rear, stayed on for a trip to Florida and back in '97 or so....prior to my moving south...
bolts are not necessary....

GENE

 

I guess you havn't lost the top YET ? after you have one get sucked off then you will change your mind.

 

mrvette - I don't think those pins are stock.

I am using 3" long 3/8x16 bolts with some pretty good size washers to hold the back on now.

 

Mr Gearhead, If your vette did not come originally with a hardtop, then it won't have the 2 fittings on the sides of the decklid for securing the hardtop. I was able to find bolts at the hardware store that fit in mine (fine thread- not sure exact size) and they really help hold the top on tight! If you aren't able to put bolts thru those holes then I would recommend using bolts in back. On my 68 I have the 3 latches up front, the 2 side bolts, and 2 pins in back (The center hole wasn't used in 68). I have gone back and forth between bolts and pins in back. It is just so much easier to use the pins, and like I said, the side bolts hold the top down tight.



a pic: you can see the receiving hole in the decklid for the side securing bolt. Note that I only have 2 holes for the pins on top of my decklid.





Here is the top I use. You can see the pin and the place where the bolt goes in on the side.

 

My car was an old show car with custom work done on it for about 25 years or so, sat in a garage, seldom driven....only had maybe 130k on the clock when I got it, the body was reworked, but the hard top was about as stock as a stove ....so was the drivetrain/suspension/tires and wheels, the show stuff being sold off, I guess...
there was an outline in the deck paint of wear from hardtop being used, the pins looked as factory as the rest of the top, just as old...no reason they would have switched them.....like I said I sold the top here, after moving....
I drove the car down south on an exploration trip from the DC area, that' 850 miles up to about 90 mph, had the car up to 120 many a time up north with the hardtop on it, winter useage....
the latch held fine, the top never once lifted in the rear or came loose, for that matter the soft top doesn't either....just need adjust the pins/latch mechanism if it does...not rocket science....

so frankly, I think the pins belonged there and bolts are a silly time/effort waster....but you do it your way....have fun...

GENE

 

I just bought a hardtop for mine also. It didn't have bolts or pins with it, so I when I looked in the owners manual (1968) to see how it mounts, they say to pull the same release lever as you would for the soft top, so that would indicate to me that 68's must have come with the pins. FWIW, I mounted it with the studs (because I had some that would work)and side screws.

 

Here is a direct quote from my 1970 owner's manual

"The optional removable hard top is attached at eight points, all reached from within the car. Free all atachment points before removing top. The three header latches are released by pulling down on the handles. The two mounting tab attaching bolts are located below the lower front corners of the rear window. Finally, the three rear bow attachint studs are released by removing the retaining nuts beneath the compartment lid. A special wrench is provided in the glove box to remove any of the attaching nuts and bolts..."

Maybe they changed to pins in 72, mrvette, but I doubt it. I think it was common to add the pins because many thought it was overkill to have 8 mounting points.

 

Why do you doubt it? The 68 owner's manual uses the exact same language with the following exception:

Obiously the studs wouldn't "release" if they were attached with nuts.

 

PRNDL - Thank you for the clarification. I had no idea that it would be different for the different years, just assumed it was all the same.

Looks like either the pins or the bolts would work just fine and are factory correct depending on year.

 

Yeah, but that's jutst the owner's manual. My 68 AIM clearly shows a NUT (9418931) that goes onto the STUD (3942769) on the hardtop, with a washer in between... Time for an NCRS survey!


wait.... I see a note... hard to read, but looks like 4-20-68
ITEMS 15 & 16 ADDED
where, item 15 is the washer and item 16 is the nut!! So my wild guess is they started out using pins and maybe after a couple of tops flew off they changed to the studs with nuts.

 

my car is a 71,with 7 mounting places, no hole in center of deck lid.

my .02

 

My car was almost completely original when I got it. The hard top came with the threaded rod and large washers installed.

I installed the soft top pins but I am definetely not satisfied with how it holds the top down.

You need to be able to torque (mildly of course) the top down so that it seals the weather strip and also provides a strong mechanical method of holding the top down. To secure the hardtop properly you need to remove the softop and bolt the hardtop on in the 4 (or 5) points and also tightly lock down the front clamps.

The pins are a convenient way of putting the hardtop on for a SHORT SLOW cruise and allow you to keep the softop in the car. If you intend to do any sort of speed with a hardtop on the car then bolt it in.

 

Which is all sort of comical to me, as I remember on many an occation taking the car up to high speeds with the hardtop on, driving to Pa. in the winter from DC, and of course my march '97 trip to Jax here and back to DC....that top never once had any issues with coming off, not after I adjusted the thing up, it did when I first got the carn but that's not surprising, the previous owner didnt' drive it much, but did have it painted....

I never used the side bolts, OR the center bolt in the deck lid, they were all THERE in postion to be used, just ever bothered...

MY reasoning was, WTH, the soft top is secured by the pins, why not the hard top..?? sure enough, properly adjusted like the side windows, the top stay in position, and also the soft top....

BTW, tips on hanging the hard top up on garage ceiling for storage....
I used copper pipe U straps for securing plumbing to studs, and screwed four of them into the ceiling, 4' center, two trusses worth, the front two had a loop of electric romex cable tied looping about a foot down from the ceiling and straight across, better than rope because it retained shape better, all I did was leave the front top latches in the open posiition, hook them to the electrical cord loop above, and then raise the back of the top up to hook similar electrical cord loops around the rear studs, thing hung there about 2 inches off the 8' ceiling and plenty of room to walk....gathered dust is all....

GENE

 

WOW... all this just for a few pins and bolts...

THANKS for all the input. The top is from a Lemans Blue 1969. A few notes on my car and reason for the top. I didn't get the top for winter/rainy weather. I got it... well.. becasue I think the 2002 Z06s look really sweet with that chopped back window. Soooo, I saw a C3 with a Hardtop and said.. I GOTTA HAVE IT.

Most likely I will remove the pins and bolt the sucker down. Now, if I bolt the back down and use the headers latches... this would seem secure enough? Keep in mind... for some reason... every time I drive it... it takes off from nearly every TRAFFIC light sideways... tires screaming for mercy.... Vaaaa Vaaaa BHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.......... clunk... WAAABHAAAAAAAAAA......

Another note.... my wife always asks... "Bad enough your fry the tires in the Vette... but must you mimick that sound while driving my SUV?" I tell her... "I am pretending this tank is going to chirp second..." BHAWWWWWWWWWW SCREEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHHH....hahahaha"

 

Back in '76 me and my buddy both purchased '68 convertables and we are both still modifing them. Both had original hardtops verified by tank stickers. Both have studs that go through the deck lid where the rag top studs go, they have a special washer that is rectangular and confoms to the shape of the clamping mech under the deck. This special washer is not critical and a fender washer will do the same job. There is no center mount in the deck, perhaps an add on in later years. Someone on the forum drag races a hardtop and lost it in a race this year. Air gets under the front lip and at speed simply tears off the roof. The road racers duct tape this up. I have never had a problem like this but it scares the daylights out of me that it sometimes happens. I love the hard top, watertight,quite, and solid, as a matter of fact I have never had the rag top on the car (29 years)!!

 

Soft tops will give it up too. When I first got into Vettes some 25 years ago, a neighbor with a nice collection of mid years, bought a 69 435 roadster. The latches popped open on his soft top at about 120. Completely altered the soft top frame. I almost had the same thing happen to my 66 bb roadster too. I grabbed the top and shut it down when the first latch popped. Managed to save it. If they had all popped at once, it would have been gone.

Orville
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