Convertible top replacement
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Honestly...you can do them yourself. Well at least I can do them and they are not that hard to do. they just take time and patience...and if you have neither...then getting someone to do it is the way to go.
I do not know of any interior shop in your area.
For you and others:
Many people have their own "take" on how to install a 63-67 convertible top....and I can endorse ( for whatever that's worth) that the way that Al Knoch shows in his DVD...it makes complete sense.
I have been at interior shops in my town and seen them working on a 63-67 top and right when I walk in I can tell that they are doing it "their" way....and when I ask them to call me so I can see it when it is done....the "fit and placement issues" that Al shows in his DVD are clearly seen...in 90%+ of the cases I have seen.
Also...if you are not in a hurry...and there is a Corvette show in your area...why not make an appointment with Al Knoch Interiors ( if he is attending that show) and have them install your top at a show.
For what its worth...and I know you did not ask...but if it were me...I would seriously look at ALL of the staked rivets at the pivots and verify that they are in good condition. If they are bad or sloppy...then drill them out and replace them using the correct staking tool for the rivet. I have to do this quite often on some top frames.
Knowing that this top frame has seen some serious use. One area that I check closely when I have the material off is the rear bow pivot. The metal tab that comes off the main frame...that allows the aluminum rear bow to be screwed to it as designed...is often times bent in a different angle. This metal tab is supposed to be bent...but what can happen is that when you take a critical measurement for the top installation...you might notice the the front edge of the aluminum bow to the front edge of the vertical post of the main frame may be at different distances from side to side. And in many cases..I have run into the measurements being quite significant.
So I will "massage" this metal tab and get the measurements to be the same....or very, very close to one another.
Then comes the fun part. PRIOR to removing the material...I look and see if the top frame is set correctly to the car. I check to make sure that the small piece of weatherstrip that screws to the bottom edge of the vertical post is correct. I verify that the frame is up high enough to allow this weatherstrip to seal...but not too low where it destroys the weatherstrip in time and also scuffs paint.
Lets agree....these convertibles really do not seal well as compared to cars of today. So I want the weatherstrips to seal...but this small piece does not have to be so tight when the door is closing that it causes a problem in the future.
Stand at the back of the car...a good distance away from it.. and see if you can tell if the frame got "racked" to one side. I have had many frame that were "racked" and had to be straighten up so when the top went on..you were not running into a problem in a staple point which is critical and under a lot of pressure. I got "bit" by that along time ago...and will not let that ever happen again. And it happened because I ASSUMED that the windows were "good enough". You will be surprised what 1/2" to 1 " "racking" will do at the top of the frame on the bow above the rear window.
Then I verify that the windows will seal correctly. LEARNED MY LESSON. This is where I can run into numerous hours in getting the frame with the new weatherstrips attached and the window to work together in harmony. So...when the top is UP...and you shut your door...the window fits perfectly in the area of where the weatherstrips are located...and not all "catty whom-pus".
The ultimate worst is if the metal tabs that secure your tack strip on the front bow are rusted and really weak. They take a lot of pressure and if they are like tin foil...you need to make a repair there. OR...you will be sorry.
DUB
