90 convertible soft top repair
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,110
Likes: 1
From: Geneseo Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06
90 convertible soft top repair
My soft top (black canvass) fits well, but is faded, and the window is so cloudy, it is not possible to see through it.
A new canvass stay fast top is 350 through the usual sources....and a call to a local, experienced upholsterer showed that they want 600 bucks to put it on...of course ill shop around but
holy cow! by the time i add the weatherstripping, there goes a grand.
after reading posts and doing a some on line research, it seems that this replacement of this is not a trivial task. I doubt my skills to do it right!
Anyway, I believe it ought to be possible to re-dye the fabric or perhaps spray paint it....anywone ever tried such a thing?
Secondly, the plastic window is heat welded in place. I'm sure it is theoretically possible to slice it out somehow and replace it with some generic plastic...anyone ever tried that?
Thanks!
Mark
A new canvass stay fast top is 350 through the usual sources....and a call to a local, experienced upholsterer showed that they want 600 bucks to put it on...of course ill shop around but
holy cow! by the time i add the weatherstripping, there goes a grand.
after reading posts and doing a some on line research, it seems that this replacement of this is not a trivial task. I doubt my skills to do it right!
Anyway, I believe it ought to be possible to re-dye the fabric or perhaps spray paint it....anywone ever tried such a thing?
Secondly, the plastic window is heat welded in place. I'm sure it is theoretically possible to slice it out somehow and replace it with some generic plastic...anyone ever tried that?
Thanks!
Mark
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 125
From: Dunstable MA
St. Jude Donor '05
I knew a guy some years ago who treated the fog on his 67's rear vert window with toothpaste. He said it worked great. There are some more specialized plastic polishing products out there now.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
From: South Haven Michigan
I went to my Local Murray's auto parts and picked up some stuff by 3M for cleaning plastic. It was 2 products, one was a cleaner and the other one a polish, you should use them in tandem. Before I did this the window was an ugly yellow, couldn't see anything at all through it. Afterwards all the yellow was gone, but it did not get rid of the crazing in the plastic itself. But now I can see through it at least, kind of like looking through fog. Now the plastic window has a crack in it about an inch long at the edge even though the top is fine. I bought all the weatherstrip to do the top before the crack appeared and if I do it now and the crack gets worse, they will trash all the new weatherstrip putting the new top on. Can't win.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,193
Likes: 1
From: Meadville PA
save yourself the pain and just save up the money and have a new top on.. your gonna try and fix something that is un fixable and in the ned its gonna cost ya more.. i highly doubt you will get the foggy look out of the rear window.. nor are you going to find a dye that you will be able to apply on the car.. well maybe but i doubt the results would be that good.. it is costly yes as i did mine last spring.. however now its very nice and i can see when backingup... i would wait save and do it right 
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,110
Likes: 1
From: Geneseo Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06
Originally Posted by 1989redvette
save yourself the pain and just save up the money and have a new top on.. your gonna try and fix something that is un fixable and in the ned its gonna cost ya more.. i would wait save and do it right
I bought that polish stuff, and im going to give it a try. no expectation of success tho.
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Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Kingman AZ
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Cruise-In VIII
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
I had a C3 with a good top but yellowed rear window. I tried the kit to clear the window up but it still looked half-assed. Shortly thereafter the window split horizontally. I went to a local upholstery shop and they said if I took the top off they could replace the window for $60. I rented a video on how to replace the top from www.alknochinteriors.com (this was before the days of the internet so I don't know if you can get it from the web site - try calling). I followed the instructions and the job turned out great! If you do this I would advise you have an electric staple gun, hot glue gun and buy the installation kit too (available from the Vette catalogs). You should be able to do this for under $200. Also ask the upholstrey guywhat to do about a dye job. I would say "go for it". I did it mostly to prove the wifey wrong at the time.!! 
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,110
Likes: 1
From: Geneseo Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06
Originally Posted by IBEAM700
Buy a hardtop 
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,110
Likes: 1
From: Geneseo Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06
the installation kit
what is in the kit?
I have the tools.
i figure one could always try and if its a mess, go ahead and spring for the money...
I did it mostly to prove the wifey wrong at the time.!![/QUOTE]
great motive! My wife supports me in a distant sort of way. when i talk about 'our vette', her eyes glaze over, a far off expression appears, and when im done explaining whatever it is, she says it costs too much...and she is right! She DOES enjoy driving it once in a while, at least.
what is in the kit?
I have the tools.
i figure one could always try and if its a mess, go ahead and spring for the money...
I did it mostly to prove the wifey wrong at the time.!!
[/QUOTE]great motive! My wife supports me in a distant sort of way. when i talk about 'our vette', her eyes glaze over, a far off expression appears, and when im done explaining whatever it is, she says it costs too much...and she is right! She DOES enjoy driving it once in a while, at least.
